Tuesday, September 4, 2007

To Sisters In Christ

Keep strong in the faith sister. "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" -Psalm 27:1 When I hear that verse it strikes me down to my core. We have a God bigger than the universes. He is so big it would take millions of years for light to go from one of him to the other but it takes him seconds to answer our prayers. So why should we have silly little fears when we have an awesome big God? Keep in touch and keep in God. And most of all keep the faith sister, for it is all that can get us through the day and keep us focused on God.

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Now playing: Mark Schultz - You Are A Child Of Mine
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Concerning Anxiety and Doubt- Matthew 6:25-34

Matthew 6:25-34 (King James Version)

Concerning Anxiety and Doubt:
25Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
26Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
27Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
28And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
29And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
30Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
31Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
32(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
33But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
34Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.









Matthew 6:25-34

Do not worry about how you will provide for yourself. Why do you worry about where your next paycheck or meal will come from? It will come from where ever God should so choose. If it is to be your last do not fear for if you lived a life as God had asked you to, you will be feasting in heaven and have treasures beyond measure stockpiled in heaven. Don’t worry where it will come from, because it comes from God. Put God at the center and he will give you what you require and desire. So why do you bother your minds with such ridiculous and worldly questions as where you shall get your necessities from. Jesus is our strength and hope. He is our foundation through through every storm. No matter the battle he will never falter for us and he will always be there for us. So why do you attempt to do something for yourself like a child trying to learn something by themselves? You know you need God and he can provide for you every necessity and more. Matthew 7:7-11 speaks of how God knows how to provide for us. It compares it to a family. Would a father provide a stone for his son when he asks for a loaf of bread? Would a father give his son a snake is he asks for a fish? Of course not, unless you are of evil you would do no such thing. God is not of evil and therefore would never refuse us of what we require and ask for. So do not degrade God by even suggesting he cannot provide for us by trying to do it all yourself. Only God can give you something. No matter how hard we try, we deserve nothing we work for. But God chooses to bless us. Blessings are only blessings if they are spoken. So every time you receive anything, know that God spoke over you and blessed you with his very tongue. That alone should push you try to rest upon God for everything. So I don’t want to anything by will anymore, but I have left all my choices up to God. Prayer is the most powerful sword we could possess. Mine is always drawn ready for use. When you need to use your sword, ask of your brothers and sisters to draw with you that you may accomplish the task you have prayed for with due speed and power from God. Hence forth may we be armed in God’s very spirit never to forget our sword nor brethren on either side of us. Run from sins and temptations of the world for among them lie pain and death, but run to God and straight after his heart that you may reach him and be in his grace for all days of your life and eternity. Live from prayer to prayer, not paycheck to paycheck. Because then you will grow stronger in faith and closer to God then without such acts of boldness.


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Now playing: Newsboys - In Christ Alone
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Prayer- It Works

Twice in the last 24 hours has prayer radically improved the situations i have been in all because i asked for prayer from fellow believers and received it in waves and tsunamis. I have grown so close to God in the last month and yet i know i am so far. God's grace is a pure stream flowing from the high and mighty mountain bringing the purity of the peak's utmost view of the surrounding lands crashing down through a rushing brooke, to a mighty stream, to a mellow river that lasts until it once again meets the oceans of its maker in the distance. Beyond God's grace, nothing is greater. Teach my heart to sing thy praise, streams of worship never ceasing... God you truly are there. It is almost scary, and completely comforting to feel you so present in my life. I worship you with every fiber of my being and my praise will always lead to you.


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Now playing: David Crowder Band - Come Thou Fount
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Love: God's Gift

"Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness..." "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear..." Both verses are found in 1 John 4:17-18 and speak so much power in such few characters that is really makes you think. When we truly love God, we are bold for him and openly speak of his glory and grace and majesty so that others may know this love we have. But when we doubt God, our love is tainted (I had to do a Cake reference in there) and we do not experience that boldness. When we truly love God, we know no fears of rejection and what people might think, but God's true grace shines through us and we are free and share the gospel openly. I am truly loving God. Are you?

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Now playing: Hillsong United - Break Free
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The Bible Says So: Wake Up

So being the geek I am almost immediately after I walked the dog and ate a few grapes, I jumped on the old computer to check some blogs and do some blogging of my own. I was planning on doing a blog about John but this just really struck me.

Some of you may have heard of Lifehacker.com, it is a website where tips to improve your daily life and habits are posted in blog form. So scrolling through their RSS I saw a tag on getting up early. Now school is literally 2 days away so I will be waking up at 5-5:30 AM every morning, any help in waking up would be amazing. So after reading through the list of tips the third comment down was literally a sign from God. It simply reads, "1 Thessalonians 5:1-11". So I immediately dove for my Bible and logged into my blog to document it.

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 is typically passed off as a metaphor with day as modern times and the night as the time when the Anti-Christ will be upon us. It could be taken just as literally as it was written also though. Verse 5 says, "Ye are all the children of light, and the children of day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness." Why should we be consumed by the night when it was made for sleep and is high time for acts of sin and drunken pleasures? The rest of the passage is quite obviously metaphorical and is an excellent read for those struggling with friends and influences that are of the world. But it brings a good point. The day was made to worship and praise God and work for the glory of his name. So set with the sun and rise with it as it is your guide in all you do for Christ's sake. We were made to worship the Son of God, even as we are his children so let us not have fear in the dark that it may remove us from his grace, but openly praise his name in every moment of the day that it may be seen as a witness to those around you. Use these words as a guide that you may not fall into temptation and loose your way in Christ but build a stronger bond with the one who has bonded us as Christ followers in fellowship and union to build a better kingdom that he has prepared for us. Anger is not its ways and should be cast out from among them, but righteousness and peace are its foundation as God has blessed those who employ them in their lives and principles to lead a life with God at its center.

"Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even also as ye do." -1 Thessalonians 5:11. I just wanted to give a shout out to everyone who prayed for me last night. I was hurting for no really good reason and when I made it known, I received so much joy from heaven itself because you guys prayed for me and it lifted my spirits. Thank you so much. You guys truly did comfort me and it was so amazing to feel your compassion from miles upon miles away as many of you are, that just brought a tear to my eye. God will bless you for your actions of mercy and grace. And if he some how forgets, I will be sure to bless you for it. But that wont be a problem for a God bigger than the universes could never forget such acts of love. Thank you once again.

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Now playing: Jeremy Camp - Empty Me
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Sunday, September 2, 2007

Spiritual Gifts

1 Corinthians 12:1-31 was one of the chapters I read today and it truly answered some of the questions I was struggling with. The entire chapter was devoted to the topic of spiritual gifts and could be divided into two subtopics: 'What our gifts are and where they come from' and 'How our gifts are to be used for Christ'. The first topic is related to in 1 Corinthians 12:1-11. In it, Paul refuses to let us go into the world as believers without having knowledge of our spiritual gifts. Verse 4 says, "Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit." The Holy Spirit gives us different abilities and talents based upon the role that God has determined for our lives. Every gift is diverse and unique to that individual, but they are all given to everyone of us by the same God for one purpose, his glory.

The second topic is related to in verses 12-31. Here Paul uses the analogy of the body of Christ. Now that we have the gifts we received from the Holy Spirit, we must use they for God's glory. From one to many, returns the many to the one. "What doth it profit my brethren, that a man say he hath faith, and have not works? Can faith save him?" -James 2:14. For example, one gift is the hand of Christ, just because you don't use the hand to walk doesn't mean it isn't important. Another gift may be the foot, just because you don't need your feet to write a devotional or a letter, doesn't mean the foot has no value. All gifts are important no matter how unimportant they may seem at one time or another.

God Is My Salvation

"Behold my God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation." Isaiah 12:2. What a verse. Notice how 'is' is always italicized. Because God will always be my salvation and my strength and my song. How great is our God? Great enough that he fulfills all our needs and becomes our joy. God is truly wonderful.

Saturday, September 1, 2007

Faith - Works = Death

Thats right if you were praying for a quick save from Hell card through Jesus, you are dead and wrong. You are dead wrong. James 2:14 says, 'What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? Can faith save him?' Now some of you are like wait a minute, doesn't the Bible say that any man who accepts the Son will get to the Father? (I could not remember the exact verse but thats essentially what it says.) I don't think so. I believe that God rewards us based upon or works for him. If you believe in Jesus Christ and that he is the only way to get to heaven and you have accepted him as your savior from those fires of Hell, then every inch of work you do in his name to benefit his kingdom and touch lives will be rewarded with blessings and treasures in heaven. So would you rather just get into heaven and pass by? Or would you rather have a life that is full of blessings here on earth and a life full of joy up in heaven?

Your Lion On A Snowy Day

Sky solemn as the dead.
Dunes of snow in the sun.
Wind whipped ice cuts raw flesh.
Flesh of one who is done.

But one more battle,
This hardened warrior must face.
The lion's roar has just sounded.
Whether run or to chase.

Any other man might run,
But this warrior begins a chase.
Running after this one lion,
He will earn his true place.

As the lion stumbles on,
Now in pain and badly bruised.
He leads this lone, keen warrior,
To a place he once refused.

The lion brought the warrior,
To the warriors own house.
Which for far too many years,
Had lacked family, friend, or mouse.

The house is all in shambles,
Just as the warriors own life.
And as he stepped through the door,
Came back memories of his wife.

This was his home!
With his wife and their children.
But all was stolen by Satan.
Just as he had done in Eden.

He chose not to cry,
But rather turned to the beast.
The lion was now a snake,
And was ready for a feast.

As the serpent coiled for a strike,
The man cried aloud in prayer.
"God if you would have me die here,
Bring me to heaven with you there."

And before the word "Amen."
Could pass from his lips,
The serpent launched a strike,
That was ever so quick.

The warrior was the victor,
With one single, swift blow.
Even as the serpent fell,
Said he, "Back to Hades! Now go!"

He had faced his inner lion,
So God gave him back his life.
He was blessed by ten fold,
With peace and lack of strife.

A Testamony of God's Awesomeness With A Capital A

My church youth group just came back from a missions trip to serve in a soup kitchen/food pantry for the homeless and less fortunate in NYC and we completely brought a revolution to that area of the city. Matthew 25:34-46 says that God will bless those who serve the least of his children in heaven, and will curse those who turn down the least of his children to the fires of hell. As Christians and humans alike we need to serve the least of our kind, of our brothers and sisters that we may seek the glory of God and well being of his children. God Bless revolutionaries for they will be rewarded with the full glory of God for chasing after his heart with all there strength. Men, you will find all your hearts desires at the feet of cross if you but lay down everything you have and run without ceasing to God. Sisters, you will not be left abandoned by God. He will not forsake you and will reward your efforts if you obey everyone of his commandments. I have faith that we serve a God of wonders, and that if we serve him, his wonders will be made real in our lives. "Our God is an awesome God, he reigns on heaven and earth, with wisdom power and love, our God is an awesome God."