The Moon Told Me So

So I know I've already written one post about Rise of the Guardians but the movie continues to inspire me. While watching the film for the second time I began to see Jack Frost as an example of a Christian. Allow me to explain.

 If you want to see this film please don't read this post until you've seen it, this post contains details about the main plot and resolution Thanks!

At the beginning of the film Jack Frost wakes up with amazing abilities and no memory. He didn't know anything except for his name given to him by the Man in the Moon. When God calls us into the ministry or sends us someplace He often only gives us part of the story. We may only know that He wants us there but we don't know why. We like Jack only know our name. But at the time that's all both Jack and we need to know. Just think, if God told everyone the exact plans he had for their lives how many people would turn and run from it, or how many would screw it all up trying to get there in a way that wasn't God's will? I can tell you that many people would do just that. Until a month before this last fall semester at CFNI started I wasn't ready to attend the school, but God got me to a place where I was able to say yes when the time came for Him to send me to there. God knows us better then we know ourselves and his timing is perfect when He decides to tell us the next step in His plan for us we just need to trust that He knows what He's doing. Jeremiah 29:11 says, "For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

When God calls us to the ministry many of us may not want to do what God is calling us to. During Rise of the Guardians (ROTG) Jack is called to become a guardian of childhood. When he is Jack is steadfastly against this calling, he doesn't want to join the other guardians and give up the freedom that he has. He sees the job of a guardian as a bad thing. Through the film each of the other guardians explains to him their reasons for being one along with what they guard and eventually Jack finds his own reason to be a guardian. He remembers a time in his past, the time that led to him becoming Jack Frost, where he saved his little sister's life. This past event not only prepared him for the place in life the Man in the Moon called him to but  it proved to him when he looked back on it that he was truly a guardian. What things has God let you go through that's preparing or has prepared you for the plans He has for your life? Allow God to take you through trials and growing pains because they will help prepare you to be successful in your future. Look back on the things you've been through, the successes and lessons that came from them, and see that many of them will help encourage you in the future when you may be doubting you really are called by God.

There came a point in ROTG where Jack Frost's staff was broken in half in order to protect Baby Tooth, an innocent character. This was a great sacrifice for Jack because along with his name it was the only thing he'd had when he'd woken up alone. He believed the staff was his source of power. Sometimes doing what God's called us to do will seem like a sacrifice or even too hard at first. But we are doing it to further God's kingdom in some way to help free the captives from the enemy's snare and shine God's light to this dark world. Just think of all the people you could be affecting by speaking into one person's life. A friend told me today that, "We can't reach everyone but everyone can reach someone." This really spoke to me because it is so true, if we bring one person to Christ and that person brings another then we've touched two lives, even if we never know it. Jack sacrificed his most precious possession to save a life, we can give a little time or face a little rejection to obey Jesus.

At times you may think that you can't do what God has called you to do because you don't have a proper education or you haven't had enough experience. Many people don't feel qualified or worthy to do what God has called them for. When He has asked you to do something rest assured that He's already put inside of you what you need. One of my favorite sayings is, "God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called." If we are willing to do what God has called us to do He will equip us. Moses tried to tell God that he wasn't qualified when God wanted him to go set God's people free. First he tried to tell God that no one would listen to him, and God told him that the rod he was carrying would be the instrument God was willing to use to show His power. After this Moses tries to reason with God again, this time by telling God that he isn't qualified in speech. In Exodus 4:10 Moses says, "O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since you have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue." The Lord's response is to send a helper, Aaron, to work with Moses. God always has an answer for your excuse and He's not going to call you if He hasn't already prepared you.

Jack thought that his power came from his staff, but when it was broken and he was needed Jack found within himself the power he needed. It had been there all along placed there long ago by the Man in the Moon when he was re-born as Jack Frost. The staff was simply the instrument used to direct his power. When we are re-born in Christ the Holy Spirit enters us and we become the temple of God. And when we are baptized in His Holy spirit we are empowered to do what the Lord has called us to do. We have God inside of us, what more do we need to tell others about God or to follow His call? Degrees and experience are only tools that can help us in furthering the kingdom of God.

ROTG ends with Jack saying this, "My name is Jack Frost and I'm a guardian. How do I know this, because the moon told me so. So when the moon tells you something, listen." Jack started out knowing nothing, but when he accepted his calling he became the person he was always meant to be. He trusted in the wisdom of the one who made him just as we should trust in the One who created us. Follow God's calling in your life and trust in Him. The next time God tells you something, listen. I dare you.

More verses:
Psalm 32:8
Psalm 118:8
Proverbs 3:5-6
Proverbs 2:6-9
Proverbs 16:9
Isaiah 48:17
Philippians 2:13

 

Don't Go Breaking My Heart

Do you know what heartbreak feels like? I know weird question to start on, but trust me I’m going somewhere with this. I got a taste of heartbreak this last week. I spent a good deal of time crushing on this guy, and let me tell you I had fallen hard (you can ask any of my friends). There was no reason not to like this guy, lets call him Jeremy, he’s funny, good looking, nice, and to top it all off God gave me a dream about meeting him before I actually did. Perfect guy right? Well I thought so, but sometimes God has other plans. At the beginning of last week I noticed that Jeremy was spending a lot of time with a girl I hadn’t met yet. He was sitting with her, waiting for her, and when they were together they looked like the epitome of a couple. As most girls would be I was crushed. I cried a few times and prayed a lot trying to get over it and him. I felt betrayed and not a little bit hurt by the fact that he may or may not be dating this other girl. But God gave me peace about the subject and through it all I saw something amazing.

God is like me in this example. He chases after each and every one of us in the hopes that we will turn around and finally notice how much He loves us. He watches and waits day after day for us in hopes that we will finally get the hint and start spending time with Him. We are like Jeremy, totally clueless. We’re so focused on the things in our lives that we never look up to see our Creator standing there waiting on us. We miss all the times that He makes a special trip to be with us and we let those encounters go to waste.

Imagine how it feels to be so enamored with a person and they not even know you exist. Or worse, they know you but they don’t care to get to know you. That’s how God feels around most of us. Christians, and people alike were created by God to be His companions not to run around exalting ourselves all the time. We are fooled into focusing on the things of this world, even when we think we are doing them for God. He doesn’t want you to put on a show for Him; he’s not looking for that. And He’s not looking for someone who will spend all their time on ministry. Ministry is good and wonderful and we are called to do it, but what God really wants first and foremost in our lives is for us to spend time with Him. It’s as simple as that. He wants a relationship where you get to know Him and He gets to draw near to you.

Jesus is the ultimate example of this, He took time out to spend with His disciples before He died, not for any reason but to spend time with them. Then when He went to the garden He took them with Him so He would have companions while He spoke with the Father. Not only that but in the beginning God came and spent time in the garden with Adam and Eve every day, they walked together and talked together. God wouldn’t have put His plan of redemption into action if He wanted anything but a real relationship. He is God and could have easily wiped the slate clean and started again, but He loved us so much that He set in motion a plan to allow all of mankind to come back to Him in love. The bible says He calls us friend in John 15:15, “No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.” God wants to tell us things, and He is constantly showing things to those who seek after Him. In these revelations He is saying that we are His friends and He trusts us with this information. You trust your friends with your plans right? Well God does the same.

Like when Jeremy got a girlfriend and I felt like my heart was going to break God’s heart for you is broken when you run off to other lovers. He desires a steadfast, unwavering relationship with you and when you turn from Him he is saddened by it. Exodus 20:3 states it simply, “You shall have no other God’s before me.” One of God’s laws is to stay by Him and not waver in your worship. He is jealous for our love, “For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:2). He wants us all to Himself and not focused on the things of this world.  

God loves us and desires a relationship with us. He is always there waiting for us to come after Him and says so in Proverbs 8:17, “I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me.” So don’t be like Jeremy and miss the obvious signs then run off to find someone/something else. Seek after God with all your heart and see how much He loves you back. I dare you. 

More Verses:

Deuteronomy 7:7-8

John 1:12-13 1

John 4:19

Romans 5:8

Zephaniah 3:17

Deuteronomy 4:23-24

Childlike Faith

So the other day I went to see the new Dreamworks film Rise of the Guardians. It's a movie about 5 guardians of children; Santa Clause, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth fairy, the Sandman, and Jack Frost. These guardians exist to protect the dreams, hope, memories, wonder, and fun in children. In the film there was one child who stuck out particularly to me, Jamie. He believed in the guardians all his life and even had an encounter with them at one point in the film. When everything seemed to be going wrong and all of his friends had stopped believing guess who still had faith? If you said Jamie you'd be right on, his faith in them was what kept the guardians from being defeated and even when his faith began to fail Jack Frost came through for him restoring his faith once again.

Jesus tells us in Luke 18:17, "Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the Kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it." Children are filled with faith and will believe in almost anything a trusted adult tells them. Their belief in people like Santa Clause and the Tooth Fairy is proof of this. And when a child believes in something their faith is unwavering so much so that some get in fights over the existence of these figures. Our faith and trust in God should be like that of children, completely unwavering. We should stand up for God and our beliefs just as kids do when their told Santa isn't real. Even when everything around us seems to be falling apart and everyone in the world seems to believe something else we need to be like Jamie and believe, have faith, and stand up for our God and what He has done for us.

In taking another lesson from Jamie we should also let our encounters with Christ strengthen our faith in Him. Each new encounter with our God should serve to grow our relationship with him and solidify our trust. The more time we spend with Christ the better we get to know Him and the closer we are to Him. One encounter with his hero's allowed Jamie to have faith in the toughest of times, how much more will our continuous encounters with Christ keep us in trying times? When the trials of life get us down we must continue to trust in the Lord and just like how Jack came through for Jamie in the end God will always come through for us, its simply our job to have faith.

Children don't need to know how Santa manages to give gifts to every child in one night or how the Tooth Fairy always seems to know when you lost a tooth they just know that it happens. So why as Christians do we feel the need to question the bible? Why do we worry and fret over things like did Adam have a belly button? Or How old is the Earth exactly? Now I'm not saying that we shouldn't answer these questions but I am saying that we shouldn't let them shake our faith in God. We should accept the information and knowledge that God has provided us through His word and the revelation He gives us. God wants us to have faith in Him and that includes having faith in His word. Hebrews 11:1 says, "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.", we should apply this to all aspects of life not only when we are asking God for a miracle or blessing but also when it comes to things in this world we may not fully understand. The bible also says in Hebrews 11:6, that "without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him." In order to believe in God we must have faith and that faith should be as pure as the faith of a child and trust that the Lord will tell you what you need to know.

In my own personal life I'm starting to find myself moving into a purer and more childlike faith in Christ.  I often find myself wondering how people worry about things like denomination instead of working together to fulfill the work of Christ. I find myself enamored by the beauty of the sky and God's creation. I'm beginning to understand again how easy it is to simply believe. Begin asking God for the faith of a child and the blessings that come with it and see how He grows you. I dare you.

Walking the Walk

So while at work the other day I was moving some books onto a cart to get them ready to be shelved. While doing this I spotted a book about writing your own Christian wedding vows. Now this book caught my attention because lately a lot of people I know have either gotten engaged or are about to be married and whenever something is that prevalent in my life I tend to notice things that have to do with it. So I picked this book up and began to flip through it. The first thing I noticed was that someone had gone and filled their the blank lines provided for answers to the many questions in the book. At first I was irritated that someone had written in the book but then I decided to take a closer look at the answers, because truthfully I’m a sucker for romance and I was hoping for an interesting first meeting story.

Well the first meeting story was interesting, just not in the way I’d hoped. The woman who had written in the book described her first meeting as being wonderful, that he was funny, kind, and made great love. That last part stopped me in my tracks, wasn't this book suppose to be the complete Christian vow book? What happened to no sex before marriage? I looked through other passages in the book and sure enough they were filled with sexual reasons for loving him. I closed the book disappointed but then a thought struck me. What other things in our lives do we ‘cheat on’ like this? Which teachings of Jesus do we choose not to follow even though it’s obvious we should? And what affect does this have on both God’s image of us and the world’s image of God’s children?

The bible tells us that we are to be salt and light to this world. Jesus says in Matthew 5:13-14 “¹³ You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. ¹⁴ You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.” So we are to be the flavoring of this world and a light to its people. Jesus goes on to say in Matthew 5:16, “¹⁶ Let your light so shine before me, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” We are suppose to follow His laws and do His works so that others may see the glory of God and come to know Him. In doing so they will in turn glorify the Lord. If we don’t do this then we are setting a bad example for others.

Christians are a walking example of our faith to others and people often only meet lukewarm Christians or people who profess to be believers but actually aren’t. These meetings turn people off of Jesus, because they see people who say they love God but then turn around and cuss out the lady in front of them in line at the supermarket. People who are not living for Jesus but say they are a follower of Him are making it harder for the word to go out. So what can we do to fix this? Well it’s simple, we need to start walking the walk as well as talking the talk. We need to get real in our walk with Jesus.

Christians need to let go of the idea that because God loves us and has forgiven our sins that its ok to sin. It is not and will never be ok to sin. God’s grace is much like a safety net there to catch us when we fall but it shouldn’t be abused. God forgives those with a repentive heart. He is not pleased with a, ‘Opps I’m really sorry God that I had sex with my neighbor last night’ then that person goes and does it again the next night, kind of heart. Luke 13:5 Jesus says, “I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish" You might initially think dang that’s harsh, but it’s not really, Romans 12:2 tells us, “ ²Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” If you love God and follow Him as a true believer then you’re naturally going to begin to change and have a repentive heart. If we are following God then we will turn away from the things of this world in pursuit of Godly things.

This thought process gets us into a lot of trouble, not only does it hurt our viewpoint with the world but it leads us away from Godly things and opens more doors in our life for us to walk away from God altogether. Someone who is constantly going out and sinning without repenting is wrong. Now I’m not saying that just because you repeat a sin your going to Hell. There is a difference between people who are struggling with a particular problem and people who are doing something just because they feel they can. We are not perfect and we will make mistakes in life but that doesn’t give us an excuse to kill someone.

The bible says that all sin is equal in God’s eyes. In Luke 13:1-5 Jesus says: 

“There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”

He tells us right here that none of these sins are greater than the other, so why in the world would we think that a little white lie won’t hurt? Or that taking a candy bar from a grocery store is ok because it only costs a dollar. Or that it is ok to look at soft porn because it’s not as bad as hard porn. See how even my examples seemed to escalate? Allowing ourselves one ‘small’ sin will only lead to worse ones in the future. Where do we get these thought processes and how have we as Christians let ourselves be convinced that a little sin here and there won’t hurt anyone? We need to start making an effort to chase after God and not the things of this world. The more we seek after God the more things will begin to fall into place in our lives and the easier it will be to keep ourselves from repeating the same mistakes over and over.

So at work the other day I hadn't gotten a wonderful love story but I had gotten something better, a revelation from God on the importance of walking the walk and talking the talk. Begin to start living real for God by following His commandments. Remember that yes God loves us but no its not ok to sin. And finally know that we are all examples for Christ so what kind of example are you going to set for others to see? Try it and find out I dare you.

More Verses to Consider:

Mark 9:50

James 4:8

James 2:10-11

The Importance of Waiting

Waiting has been the theme for a few of my friends and myself for the past few weeks. Waiting on timing, waiting on confirmation, and waiting on the Lord to move. And I’ve been wondering why we’ve had to do so much waiting. I know and believe that God is good to His word and that He can do all things so why the need for patience? Today while in prayer the answer came to me.

When we wait upon the Lord He builds up our faith in Him. That’s something we’ve always been taught. But there is another reason He asks us to wait. Many times if He answered our request and prayers immediately we wouldn’t have the same trust in Him that we do after we wait. Waiting is hard, take it from someone who’s had some experience. God puts us through this trial not because He wants to see us worry and fret but because He wants to build trust in Him. If we cannot wait on Him and trust in His timing then how can we lean on Him in harder times?

For example if you are waiting for God to bless you with say a boyfriend and you jump the gun what have you just done? First of all you haven’t waited on His timing and secondly, if it wasn’t from Him then how can you expect God to bless that relationship? Where does your trust come from when you and your new boyfriend are having a fight? Will you have the kind of faith in God to know that its all going to work out? Probably not. But if you wait on God and on His timing then He will be in the relationship and when you have that fight and it looks like its not going to work then you can look back on the time you waited for God to put you and “Bobby” together and in that your faith and trust will be uplifted because God had you wait for this, and He’s not going to let the relationship fail because of a little fight.

The same goes for anything God is having you wait on. He’s doing it to not only build up your faith but give you a source of confirmation for the future. He’s using that time of waiting to say, “Look you waited on me and I blessed you for it, do you think that I’d take it away so easily?” Have trust in the Lord and wait on Him. The bible says in Isaiah 40:31, “But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” Not only is this verse awesome in this context but if you look at the verses that precede it in Isaiah it is talking about how awesome God is and how He will not ever grow faint or weary and that nothing can be compared to Him. This is telling us how awesome and amazing our God is, and if He is like that then look at what He will do for us when we wait for Him, He will raise us up and strengthen us. So don’t worry about His timing take peace in it and wait for Him to prepare your heart for what He is doing.

David says in Psalm 40: 1-4,“I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps. He has put a new song in my mouth- Praise to out God; Many will see it and fear, and will trust in the Lord. Blessed is that man who makes the Lord his trust, and does not respect the proud not such as turn aside to lies.”

God rewards those who wait and trust in Him. How much better will your relationship, your dream, your desire, and you need be after waiting on the Lord? Lamentations 3:25 tells us, “The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him;” Why do you think He is having you wait? Maybe He is preparing your heart or the hearts of those you will interact with. But whatever the personal reason is I also believe that He is doing it to build up a trust and faith in Him that only comes from waiting for His timing. Wait on the Lord and put your trust in Him for whatever problem you are going through and He will take care of it. I dare you.

More verses to consider:

Psalm 130:5-6

James 5:11

Psalm 25:4-5

Galatians 6:9

Proverbs 3:5-6

Psalm 62:5-8

Romans 5:3-4

Hebrews 6:15

2 Corinthians 6:4-5

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

James 1:12

Psalm 27:14

Is Loving God Really A Sacrifice?

Today as I was speaking with my best friend Barbie God gave me a revelation. We were talking about a friend who continued to ask for advice on their walk with God but refused to listen to what we were trying to tell them. As we were talking about why this person might be so against what we were trying to tell them God began to reveal something in me.

We as people are creatures of comfort especially when it comes to our daily routines and lives. Its no different when we think about our walk with God. Many people find their comfort zone in God and don't want to move out of it for fear of where God will take them. I recently described a similar situation I went through in my last post. To put it short, God was pulling me out of a comfort zone I'd been in and I spent a brief period of time trying to turn away from that pull. But through that I realized that my love for God was stronger than my fear of the future. I was scared of the sacrifices I may have to make for God, as many of us are. I didn't realize at the time that that sacrifice wasn't truly a sacrifice as I saw it. It was simply a way for God to grow me closer to Him.

We are often not taught that when we come to Jesus that sacrifice is necessary. The church has failed in properly spreading the word of God. We are scared of telling people that they will have to give up lifestyles, things, ideas, and actions. When we evangelize we tell people that they can be saved and have eternal life but we leave out all the important bits of salvation. If we as a people want to get closer to God then we must follow Him in all things and not try to twist His words to fit our beliefs. We will have to give things up and make sacrifices. Many pastors and evangelists are afraid of telling people this and as a result we are surrounded by Christians who don't know the gravity of what they have decided. Christians who believe that they have a form of "Life Insurance" instead of a relationship with God.

The lie that we as a people fall into is that the sacrifices we make for God will hurt us or be negative in some way towards us. But as I said that is a lie. Once we've experienced the love God has for us we become even more obsessed with Him. Our love for God grows along with our desire to get closer to Him. In our desire to grow in Him we begin to lose our desire for the things of this world. I'm not saying that we completely stop enjoying these things or that it's simple to give some things up but it is easier. Once you've experienced the love of God what is there to compare to it? What could you possibly go back to that could measure up to His love and mercy?

People who have not yet experienced God's love, or even learned to accept His love will fall back into their old 'comforts' and habits in an effort to keep from the fear of uncertainty like my friend has. But if you've felt God's love then you can try to turn away from God but He is a jealous God and will always draw you back through His love and through your desire to know Him more. If you wont speak about sacrifice than you don't know God's love truly. In John 15:14 Jesus tells us that "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." Jesus showed us the ultimate sacrifice in dying for us. His sacrifice was not only a sacrifice itself but it was love. Love for us, and a desire to see us closer to Him.

We can try all we like to satisfy ourselves with this world, but really comes of that? It is meaningless in the end if it is not for God. Ecclesiastes says it best when it says that everything is meaningless, and that everything under the sun has been done before. The entire book goes on like this describing the many things we could give our time and attention to in an effort to find meaning and fulfillment in life. Each time the writer describes the task as meaningless. The only thing he finds that has any meaning or sense of fulfillment is in the Lord. Not only does he write that we find our meaning in the Lord but every good thing in our lives is a gift of God and should be enjoyed and treated as such.

So what I'm trying to say is don't be afraid of sacrifice, it only leads to a greater love and a greater walk with God. You can try the things of this world, but until you begin to seek after God with everything in you and become willing to give up the things He's asking you to give up then you will only find emptiness. When you do begin to follow through with what He desires for you then life will take on new meaning and you will find breakthrough in the things you are struggling with. Give your all to God and see where He takes you. I dare you.

More Verses:

The book of Ecclesiastes in general

Wrapped Up In Fear

We are all scared of something, and sometimes we are even petrified by that fear. I’m personally terrified of cockroaches and anything that looks remotely like one. If I spot one I’ll stare it down until I can work up the courage to smash it into oblivion. But I don’t let the fear of the bug stop me from dealing with the situation or handling the problem. Many times the presence of the fear drives me to put more effort into dispelling it.

This same thing happens in our spiritual lives. We can allow irrational fears to hold us back in our walk with God. When I was younger I let the fear of eternity and what would happen to us after we died keep me from pursuing a deeper worship relationship with God. I know that probably sounds odd to you, why would any Christian be afraid of spending eternity in Heaven? But to me when I was younger the simplest thought of eternity terrified me. Somehow I’d gotten it into my head that when we went to Heaven we would spend eternity worshiping God like robots. I didn’t want to be a robot with no free will and I was not looking forward to having to be that way. I let this fear tear at me secretly for years. It got so bad that I would walk out of the room if anyone even mentioned the end times or eternity.

But finally one day my youth pastor at the time began to speak on eternity and tell us how we were being prepared on Earth for our Heavenly jobs and the purpose that God had for us in eternity. He told us that he believed that Heaven wasn’t simply going to be a big party but that we would have assignments from God to do even there. After hearing this message I felt a sense of peace wash over me that I’d never experienced before. This was an explanation of eternity that made sense to me and my fears were relieved. From then on I found myself able to worship with a newfound joy and my walk with God has blossomed because of it. Now there are few things I like better than locking myself away for a few hours and just spending time worshiping and praying to God.

Do you have fears that eat away at you like mine did? Is it something that you’ve let hold you back from getting closer to the Lord? Don’t let those fears control you any longer. Get in prayer with God and ask Him for revelation about them you could also go to a seasoned believer who you trust and tell them the fear and ask for advice. Psalms 56:3-4 tells us, “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?” Fear can be a crushing device of the enemy and it will hold you back from the purpose God has for your life.

Your fear may be of a different kind. Recently I’ve been growing much closer to God at an amazing rate. But I began to become afraid of my future in God, just where was He taking me? What was He going to ask me to give up that I wasn’t ready to? And was I really ready to devote the kind of time to God that He needed to take me to the place He wanted me to be? This fear caused me to briefly throw myself into a form of escapism, devoting far too much time to videogames, tv, books, and the internet while giving God very limited time. After only a day (thank the Lord) of this I grew sick of it. I felt terrible and weighted down by exhaustion. Trying to run away from God was far more exhausting than anything I’d ever done. The very next day I threw myself back into God and found myself immediately refreshed. I realized that my desire to grow closer to the Lord and fall more in love with Him was stronger than my fear of the future. 1 John 4:18 tells us that, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.” Once we’ve experienced God’s perfect love all fear should be cast out of us. Fear is a tool of Satan to try and keep you from moving forward in your walk with Christ.

Whatever your fears may be remember not to let them control you. Have faith in the Lord and take them to Him. God will always take care of you. Psalm 139:2-3 says, “You know when I sit down and when I get up. You know my thoughts before I think them…You know thoroughly everything I do.” He knows everything about you and will be with you always. He wants you to grow closer to Him and fear can hold you back from that. Give your fears to God, seek advice, and push through those fears that strive to hold you back. An excellent quote on fear I found is from A. B. Simpson who said, “Fear is born of Satan, and if we would only take time to think a moment we would see that everything Satan says is founded upon a falsehood.” This is so true the bible says in John 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” How better to accomplish this than to put fear into your heart? With fear the devil can steal your joy, kill your dreams, and destroy your future. Don’t let him fool you into fear, let it make you strive to grow even closer to God. I dare you.

More Verses to Consider:

Romans 8:15

Deuteronomy 31:6                

Psalms 27:1

Matthew 21:21-22

2 Timothy 1:6

Psalm 34:5

Luke 1:37

Stop All The Worrying

When it comes to doing things for God we waste a lot of time trying to figure things out. I’m currently attending a bible college and recently we had a guest speaker and his wife speaking on prophecy and on letting God work through you in order to further His kingdom during our lecture hour. One day they asked us to get with a partner and pray over them then ask God to reveal something about them to us that He needed/wanted our partner to hear. When I did this exercise I spent most of the prayer time worrying about what God wanted me to tell my partner. When it came time for me to tell my partner what God had spoken into me I froze up, I had no idea what He wanted me to say. It was terrifying, thankfully once I got started talking God began to move and I was able to tell my partner what God wanted me to say in the first place. I had wasted so much time worrying that I almost missed what God wanted me to say.

This is a problem Christians face every day. We are asked by God to do something for Him and we blow it by trying to figure out what He wants us to do. It’s not just when we are telling someone what God wants them to hear but when God prompts us to speak to someone about Him or when we feel like we should give money to a visiting missionary or even when we feel like the person sitting in front of us needs a friend. We waste time wondering things like, well what if they don’t want to listen? What if they cuss me out? Will I have enough money for the week if I give to that person? Will they turn me away? Sometimes we worry that we won’t know what to say when the time comes. We think that we need to know exactly what to say and because we don’t then its not going to work. But that’s not how God wants us to follow Him. Sometimes its just best to act now think later when it comes to listening to God. In Matthew 6:30-33 (NKJV) Jesus tells us,

²⁸ “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; ²⁹ and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ³⁰ Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? ³¹ “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. ³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

He is telling us here not to worry about the little things, as in what were going to wear and where our money is going to come from. As long as we are doing what the Lord asks us to do then He will provide for us. Not only does the bible tell us not to worry about our finances and daily needs but it also tells us in 2 Corinthians 3:12 “Therefore, since we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech” Here we are told to be bold for Christ because of our faith in Him.

The next day of classes the guest speaker finished they asked us to find another partner and we were going to put into practice what he’d just spoken on. This time we weren’t going to pray over the person first but we were going to declare what God wanted to tell them. The guest speaker asked us to think of one thing that we needed breakthrough for in our lives and to tell it to our partner. You can imagine how I felt faced with this new task, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to do this exercise but I had faith that God could and would give me the word He wanted my partner to hear. I was partnered with a person that I’d never met before, she was a wonderful young lady who was bright and outspoken, but she was having problems giving her testimony to someone God had told her to share it with and wanted breakthrough in that area. The preacher asked us not to pray over the person but to say “I command that in the name of Jesus you will have breakthrough over…” and to let God’s word flow through us after that. When it came my turn to speak over my partner I took a deep breath and said the words, as I said them I felt the Spirit of God moving through me and before I knew it I was speaking words over her life that I’d never even thought to say. I didn’t waste time trying to figure out what God wanted me to say I just said the words we’d been told to say and then everything came naturally.

I almost lost my chance to do what God wanted me to do by worrying about not saying the right thing and worrying about what I was suppose to say. But the second time I didn’t worry, I simply trusted God and my partner was blessed for it. How much more would we get done for God if we simply trusted Him when He asked us to do something? How many people would be touched and changed for Christ if we would just open up our mouths and tell them about the love of Jesus? God is not asking you to talk to that person because He wants to see you fail, He wants to see them changed and He knows that you are the person who can help them. The bible says that God will never give you more than you can bear and He will never send you some place your not ready for. Romans 8:31 (NKJV) says, “What then shall we say against these things? If God is for us who can be against us?” So why worry about failure when God is with you?

If you are stuck by fear or even doubt then even after reading this then I challenge you to think about how much that person NEEDS the love of Jesus in their life before you let the opportunity slip away. Go out and talk to someone about God without worrying about it. I dare you.  

More Verses to consider:

Luke 12:31
2 Timothy 41:5
 Psalm 111: 5

2 Corinthians 9: 10

Luke 12: 24

God's Gravity

I just recently finished my last class towards my associates degree, the class was a Geology course. This class was mostly about space since my teacher use to work for NASA and much of the information in the class was interesting. We learned about the Universe, how it worked, and theories on how it was created. All of these things were fresh in my mind as I attended a conference my church held this week. During this conference we sang a song about how God should be the center of everything and suddenly while singing those lyrics something clicked into place.

The solar system is made up of planets that revolve around the sun. They do this because they are held in and caught by the sun’s gravity. People are the same way. We, even when we don’t know it, revolve around God. We were drawn in by the gravity of God’s great Son Jesus Christ and the hope of salvation that He brings to us. And from there we revolve around Him caught in His hold of love, mercy, and grace. 

The awesomeness of it doesn’t stop with simply revolving around Him. In the future our Sun will expand and eventually engulf many of the inner planets. It is the same with God, He wants to expand in our lives and engulf us completely so that we can be as close to Him as possible. And so that we can grow in Him as Christians. The bible says that we were originally created in God’s own image and in our walk with Christ we are suppose to become more like Him.

Now let me point out that the planets and sun aren’t the only things floating around our galaxy, there are also comets and asteroids shooting through the stars. And sometimes these comets shoot themselves right into the sun. They are like the people who crave God so much that they don’t simply wait around for the end to come, they jump right into His glory in order to get as close to Him as they can as fast as possible.

People who are like comets are the ones who go out and do things for Christ to expand His kingdom. They are on fire for God and are always trying to grow closer to Him. I always want to be like a comet shooting through space shortening the distance between God and I as fast as possible. But there are some people who want to be like Mercury and Venus and revolve around God but not do anything for Him. These people are the ones who go to church every Sunday and say prayers before dinner but never actually do anything to further God’s kingdom. Now don’t get me wrong I’m not saying that its bad to sit in church and enjoy God’s presence, that’s wonderful but what do you do with what you’ve taken from that service?

God hates people who are lukewarm like this. The bible says in Revelation 3:15-16, “¹⁵ I know your [record of] works and what you are doing; you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were cold or hot! ¹⁶ So, because you are lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of My mouth!” Whew that is harsh, but true. God hates and detests those who are simply lukewarm. He would much rather your be on fire for him or cold towards Him. Think of it this way, when in a relationship you want the person you care for to be straight with you about how they feel right? You’d rather know if they are in love with you or just stone cold hate you. You’d hate to see them lukewarm towards you because you would have no idea what they are thinking. It’s the same with God, he wants to know where you stand with Him and He will have none of your, “Well I like God today but maybe not tomorrow depending on how I feel” nonsense.

Romans 8:29 (in the amplified) tells us “For those whom He foreknew [of whom He was [a]aware and [b]loved beforehand], He also destined from the beginning [foreordaining them] to be molded into the image of His Son [and share inwardly His likeness], that He might become the firstborn among many brethren.” Here the bible says that we were made to be molded in the image of Jesus. When comets fly into the sun they are becoming like the sun and part of it, they are being consumed by its awesome power and become one with it. Why wouldn’t we want to be consumed by God’s power and become not only a part of His family but more like Him in the process? This is the path I choose, to be on fire for God and seek after Him.

 

Here’s my question to you, do you want to be lazy like Mercury and just float in space doing nothing until the end comes or will you fly like a comet into the Son’s welcome embrace and become more like Him and do His work? Will you be lukewarm in your walk with God and eventually thrown away from Him or will you work towards Him with everything you do? Do something different this week to get closer to God and see what happens I dare you.

More Bible Verses relating to this topic:

Genesis 1:27

James 3:9

Amos 5:26

1 John 2:6

3 John 1:11

Hebrews 6:12

Philippians 1:6

Assembling Ties

So guys today I want to talk about the Avengers. And when I say that I do mean the Avengers. You ask how could I ever relate a team of Super heroes to God right? Well its not about the superheroes its what we get from them.

I saw the Avengers a few weeks after it had come out in theaters, and I loved it. To me it was a great movie filled with equally great actors. I get stuck on things, you could call it addicted to them, and this was one of those things. The movie stuck in my head for days and days after I’d seen it. I still find myself contemplating things that went on and laughing about some of the things that happened in it. But one night I started thinking about why we all loved this movie so much? What is it about a group of superheroes that makes everyone so excited? Do we all need a hero of our own that badly? I’ve heard the line “I still believe in heroes” more times than I can count since that movie came out, and I don’t think its just because Nick Fury said it. I think its true.

Our world looks for someone to look up to, something to make them whole and fill that gap inside of them. As Christians we have found that missing part of us it is God. And its our duty to share that with the world, so that they may find Him too. Not only do we need to go out and tell others about Him but we must be unified in Christ. A good friend once told me this regarding her thoughts on the Avengers:

"It reminded me of something...As Christians we have a group of us...with a goal to fight the enemy. But many think "I am the strongest here for the best here so really the other Christians are going to hinder it or get in My way." So we are fighting the enemy but we are loosing ground. The enemy manipulates us because he knows as long as we let that ego feed and we are not unified, he will continue to gain ground. But at the end of the movie all the Avengers (mainly Ironman) realized they weren't going to win unless they humbled themselves and became unified with the others, is the only reason they won. That is WHY God tells us to be unified. The power is in the body not one individual."

This struck me as true for many reasons. First of all the bible says in Matthew 18:20, “For wherever two or three are gathered (drawn together as My followers and (into) My name, there I AM in the midst of them.” God is telling us how powerful we are as a team here. When we work together anything can be done. The bible goes on to say that we should, “Not [forsake] or [neglect] to assemble together [as believers], as is the habit of some people, but admonishing (warning, urging, and encouraging) one another, and all the more faithfully as you see the day approaching.” Hebrews 10:25 God is telling us to Assemble, yes that's right assemble together, and not only pray but encourage each other as well.

I believe that God has given each of us a calling in our lives and made us all ‘superheros’ for Christ. He has given us His word and Spirit so that we can go out and do what He has called us to do. But sometimes we fall into the trap of this world even when we are trying to follow God’s plan for our lives. Have you heard the new saying “I do what I want”? Its something that’s come partially from the Avengers, I’ve seen t-shirts that have Loki on it saying that line. Some days as Christians we fall into this category of person and we don’t think we need anyone else to help us move forward in what God has for us. We don’t realize it but we are being fooled. Much like how Iron Man thought he could do it alone we too think we can do it alone but that’s not always the case. We often have struggles that we cannot face alone and that is the reason God tells us that we must both rely on him and stick together as a team. Because like my friend said, the power is in the body not the individual. The bible says in Proverbs 27:17, “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another." And in 1 Corinthians 12:20-25, it says “As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, ...”

God knows how important it is for us to work together as a team, two heads are better than one after all. So let us remember this lesson from the Avengers, as a team we are more powerful than we are alone. We are all superheroes for God sent to bring the light back to this world. Lets give the devil ‘performance issues’ and stop letting him trick us into thinking we can do it all alone and work together to advance the Kingdom of God. I dare you to try it and see what happens.

Getting It Right

A few weeks ago I went through a lot of...lets just say stuff. My two siblings left for Disney World at the same time that both of my parents decided to leave on a trip of their own. This left the house to me. And at first I was excited, I was going to get a feel for what it would be like to live on my own. But as my first day went by I simply felt lonely. It was a hard day for me to get through and by the end of the night as I was talking to God I started crying. I really missed my family.

After that day the rest of the lonely week went by fairly quickly with a few hiccups here and there. Because I was on my own I was doing things just to keep my mind off of being alone. So I skipped Monday night prayer and went to the movies and then I skipped Wednesday night service to do math homework. I did attend church on Sunday and it was awesome, just what I needed to keep me going.

But after Sunday I still had two days before my brother and sister got back and four days until my parents returned. I felt really empty and alone almost the entire time everyone was gone. And looking back on it now yes some of it had to do with my family being out of the house but the rest was my fault. Because I was lonely and letting the little things bother me I chose to push God away as well, preferring to be alone with myself. I didn't do it consciously but I found my nightly prayers getting shorter and my daily bible reading ending all together. I wasn't worshiping in the car or thinking about God during the day and it was terrible.

Why am I telling you all this? Well its because I've realized after going through all this one very important thing. For some reason I had a preconceived idea that to get back right with, or to get back into God's good graces would require going to church. But Tuesday night when I went to pick up my brother and sister all of that changed. I got in the car and turned on my favorite radio station 89.7 Power fm. Its a Christian rock station and the only thing I listen to. What started playing was not rock but a worship song! I was shocked, but it was one I loved and so instantly I began to sing along and guess what? I felt God's presence! It was like all of a sudden everything that had been bothering me was lifted! And I realized then and there that you don't need to be in a church service to get right with God but you only need to be willing. And God let me get to the point where I knew that I needed Him more than anything. And when I reached out for Him, God reached out towards me. In Psalms 94: 19 David says, "In the multitude of my [anxious] thoughts within me, Your comforts cheer and delight my soul!" Even David had bad days but God was always there to bring him out of it, and David didn't need to be in church to receive that joy or happiness, he simply needed to cry out to God which is what we all should do.

He is never far away from us even when we've decided to try and push Him away the bible says in Acts 17: 27-28 "So that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel after Him and find Him, although He is not far from each one of us. For in Him we live and move and have out being; as eve some of your [own] poets have said, For we are also His offspring." Wow not only is He never far from us, but this verse is telling us that we should seek after Him, and that we truly do need Him to make it day to day.

So here is my question, what are you waiting for? Are you waiting for a Sunday or Wednesday to get back together with God? Or will you just simply stop what you're doing and cry out to Him now? Do you want to spend a week like I did wallowing in self pity or do you want God to pull you up out of that and fill you with joy and happiness now?

Ask God to be with you, to take care of your situations, to comfort you, just take some time out to praise Him, and something amazing will happen. I dare you.

Your Story

Wow, its been a while since I've talked to you all, and there's a good reason for that. I've been bogged down with life. God's been doing amazing things in my life lately, He's got me doing ministry in way's I never imagined myself doing and because of that I haven't had as much time to write as I usually would, but I've got something God's been pressing on my heart to tell so I'm here to tell it.

What is it? Testimonies, that's what.

Everyone has a testimony not matter what kind it is. It may be the story of a person radically changed for God or the miraculous tale of someone who's known God all their lives. Either way its something that God can use to advance His kingdom. No testimony is too big or too small. Your testimony is just what God needs to change the people around you.

Its taken me a while to realize this over the years, because I fall into the second category of people with testimonies. I've known God since I was about six years old and I was raised in church. For years and years I let the Devil fool me into believing that my testimony was no good, worthless, and wouldn't help anyone. At some points in my life I felt like I had no actual testimony. Satan would whisper these lies in my ear, even going so far as to use my own father's testimony against me. My father use to be a mess to put it lightly. He smoked, drank, and did who knows what else. Only by the grace of God is he even alive today and now he is on fire for God spreading His word to many nations across the globe. How did Satan manage to use something so awesome against me? Simple, he told me things like, "Your father has a real testimony unlike you." It hurt me to think like that and I often felt inadequate to the point where I almost wished for that kind of a testimony because I believed it was the only kind that could affect people. 

But thank the Lord that everyone has a different type of testimony and we don't all go through things like that. Recently God reviled something amazing about myself to me. I was taking a tour of a bible college and we were talking with the counselor who was our guide. She told me that she'd recently moved from Miami and I asked her how she had liked living there. Her answer surprised me she said, "If Las Vegas wasn't already called Sin City then I'd call Miami Sin city." My dad went on to say that I'd been born in Las Vegas and they continued talking. My thoughts however drifted away from their conversation as God told me something amazing. I had been born in a place known as Sin City but God lifted me out of that sin and brought me into a new life and light. Not only that but He now has me working to advance His kingdom and pull others out of that same sin. Isn't it amazing how things happen like that? From our birth the Devil tries to trap us in sin and keep us from God's light, but He is stronger that Satan and pulls us out of our sin and into His arms.

As I pondered my life further I realized that not only had I been born into Sin city and brought out of it but God had been steadily changing me all my life to make me into the person I am today. I use to be painfully shy. To the point where I wouldn't even get up in my high school classroom to get a tissue for a runny nose because I felt everyone would stare at me. But God put people in my life that served as role models for me and helped pull me from my shell. He gave me people that most would think were a little crazy, but to me they were the perfect people to base my actions off from, because they weren't scared of anything. He also gave me a best friend who's bold and a little crazy who really helped me become the person I am today.

He placed me in a church full of teens on fire for Him and not afraid of anything as well. After three years of this He has grown me in so many ways I can't even describe them all to you. I know I still have a long way to go and much to learn but I also know that I have a reason and purpose in God and He has something for me to do. I know that I do in fact have a testimony of my own and it is a powerful one. How many people can say that God pulled them out of Sin City, changed them from shy to bold, and are now trying their hardest to do everything they can for Him? Its amazing to see how He has changed my life.

God has brought each of us through our own struggles for a reason. And all of our experiences are different so that we can help different people. The difference is that my father's testimony will touch people mine can't and my testimony will touch people his can't.And guess what? Your testimony will touch people that mine can't as well.

So think about this, what has God brought you through? What events in your life at a second closer glance are God driven? Is your life not a testimony in itself? Yes it is, God brings us through each and every day that we live and guides us in our lives, that's amazing. You have an amazing story to tell others, so go out and tell it. God's given you this for a reason and purpose. Don't ever let anyone tell you that its not good enough, because it was given to you by God and all good and perfect things come from Him. Your testimony is one of the most powerful tools at your disposal. Go out and spread your awesome testimony. I dare you to see what happens.

Not Just Gold

God has been giving me a new look on things lately. He's helped me to see things from a different perspective than I had before.

Last Spring I was ministering to a fellow student who I had English with at my previous college. This student, Sam, didn't know God, he had come over to America from a place that didn't have much Christian influence. His English wasn't perfect so I ended up helping him with his essays, which is how I ended up telling him about God. After a few days I thought things were going well, but then suddenly he hit me with "Well that's all good but I'd still rather go to Hell." I was shocked and said so. I asked him why in the world he would choose that over the many wonders of Heaven, I described it as a place with no pain and that it was full of joy, the same way I'd heard it described countless times. His response was, "Why should I want that? I've got it good enough here." I didn't know what to say at the time but to look at him incredulously. I couldn't understand why he didn't want eternal happiness. We went on to talk for days after that, and while he  never came to Jesus I still feel like he was further than he had been before we talked.

Now I feel like God has shown me something about Heaven that I hadn't seen before. Yes the streets are made of gold and yes there will be no pain and sadness but that's not what's so great about Heaven. All those things pale in comparison to the best thing that awaits us when we get there, God himself I can't believe it took me so long to realize but being able to be with God, and to spend eternity living with Him is greater than anything I could ever imagine. When you love someone you want to be with them all the time and its the same way with God, because I love Him I always want to be with Him, I crave his presence and can not wait until I get to see Him face to face. And I believe he feels that way about each and every one of His children. That is why we should want to go to Heaven, to be with God, not for all the extra stuff that comes with it.

What's your outlook on Heaven? Do you crave God or are you still looking for just the gold?

Step Over The Line

Psychology can teach us a great many things, and my psycology class has taught me more than it probably intended. You see lately we've been talking about why people conform and why they allow other people to influence their actions. We learned about three different experiments that are aimed at answereing this, and one of them involved having someone shock another person for every incorrect answer they gave. Now the other person was not actually shocked but the test subject believed it was actually happening. During this test 65% of the people continued shocking the 'learner' until they reached the maximum voltage of 450. To me this is increadible, I would have never shocked the other person in the first place and seeing that so many people went all the way with it is mind blowing.

Some of you may be thinking, why in the world are you telling me all this? Whats the point of this psychology lesson? Well it got me thinking about how as Christians we let the opinions of the world affect us. The bible says in Romans 12:2 "Do not conform to the pattern of this world." this is telling us that we are in the world but not of the world. If we allow the world to influence us then what good are we doing for God? If we dress, act, and talk like the world then what example are we showing for Him? We must be set apart and act in the fashion God wishes us to. Only then can we make a difference and shine our light to others who need it.

Have you ever heard the song Cross the Line by Superchick? The opening lines of this song say this, "Follow the leader, stay in the lines. What will people think of what you've done this time. Go with the crowd surely someone knows why we're all wearing the emperors cloths." The song then goes on to say that we should "cross the line" Its telling us that we need to break out of the preconceived ideas that society places on us and not to worry about what others think. We need to step out and stand up for God instead of "wearing the emperors cloths" In the story of the Emperor's New Cloths the Emperor is tricked into wearing nothing thinking its actually a magic outfit, and all of his subjects conform to this belief because they don't want to be stupid or speak out because they fear how others will view them.

Are you letting your fear of other peoples thoughts keep you from speaking out for God? Are you letting that fear keep you from standing up for Him or telling someone else about Jesus's saving grace? Or have you let the world change you and make you say or do things that aren't Godly? Are you 'shocking' your friends and family or are you standing up for what you believe in and making an impact for God? Step over the line and stand up for God. I dare you.