Jesus Calling July 31

Trust. (Verb) to have confidence in; to have hope in; to rely on; to believe.
That is what our relationship with God is built on. (That and His everlasting Love for us.) We have to hold up our end of the deal though. We have to trust Him with all of our being. We have to trust Him with every last detail in our life.
When we start getting stressed, we need to trust even more. We cannot get mad at ourselves, we are only human. We are going to get overwhelmed with what is happening around us because the world is such a busy place. But we have to remember that God is in our hearts and He won't let us down! He will give us Peace in our times of need! He is with us always! We have to slow ourselves down, ignore the speed of the world. Spend quiet time with Him. That is the only way you will make it through the stressful times.

James 5:13-15 (MSG)
Are you hurting? Pray. Do you feel great? Sing. Are you sick? Call the church leaders together to pray and anoint you with oil in the name of the Master. Believing-prayer will heal you, and Jesus will put you on your feet. And if you've sinned, you'll be forgiven—healed inside and out.
Matthew 28:18-20 (MSG)
Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and gave his charge: "God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I'll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age."

Jesus Calling July 30

God created the beauty of the earth. It is so vast that we cannot even begin to grasp the creation or creator of the breathtaking features. God created these things to make Himself known. All these things with such intricate detail, a rose, a sand dollar, the ocean, the sunrise, forests, the grand canyon, the human brain. So many people don't even realize that God created these things, it never even crosses their mind. And that saddens God. Instead they take the beauty of the feminine mystique to their own benefit of making money, selling products. God created the female. People use that in the wrong way. They advertise skinny women, dressed in skimpy clothing, with 15 layers of make up, smoking, doing drugs, committing adultery (an sexual action or thought out of marriage. Thoughts most definitely count as well.). That is not how God created us. That is how humans have twisted it. And we get judged by others for not fitting into the mold that the world has created. It's a sin. Why can we just all be ourself, without those things? ...the world won't let us. We just have to do our own thing separate from the world, we have to live by God's way.
God adores His children who find peace in the nature, knowing He created it. That right there is a door to His Presence. We have always had the connection with Him through nature, even before we knew Him and He saved us. We were awed by the nature around us. Know that He created that beauty of nature carries with it the job to share with others. Shout it out to the world! The earth is bursting out with His Wondrous Glory! Tell the world!

Jesus Calling July 29

God is supposed to be the center of our lives. Sarah Young describes this as a boat on an anchor. God is our anchor, we are the boat. How long do you allow the rope between yourself and the anchor to be? The shorter the better. That way you have less room to float astray. Keep your relationship with God on a short rope. To do this, have quiet time every day with Him, sit and listen to the peaceful sound of nothingness and in that you will feel and hear His Presence. That's all it takes is to sit still for some time everyday, focusing solely on God. I know that is hard to do and hard to find quiet time in this busy world, but you have to make time. If you don't, then you will drift away from God. Pray constantly. Just talk to Him, He is your best friend. Don't let go of Him, because He is never letting go of you.

Jesus Calling July 28

Sarah Young's words this morning were just so powerful that I cannot begin to summarize, because that would take away from the beauty and power of the message God is sending us through her.
Here is the passage directly from "Jesus Calling":

"Let My Love seep into the inner recesses of your being. Do not close off any part of yourself from Me. I know you inside and out, so do not try to present a "cleaned-up" self to Me. Wounds that you shut away from the Light of My Love will fester and become wormy. Secret sins that you "hide" from Me can split off and develop lives of their own, controlling you without your realizing it.
Open yourself fully to My transforming Presence. Let My brilliant Love-Light search out and destroy hidden fears. This process requires time alone with Me, as My Love soaks into your innermost being. Enjoy My perfect Love, which expels every trace of fear."
Psalm 139:1-6, 23-24 (MSG)
1-6 God, investigate my life; get all the facts firsthand.
I'm an open book to you;
even from a distance, you know what I'm thinking.
You know when I leave and when I get back;
I'm never out of your sight.
You know everything I'm going to say
before I start the first sentence.
I look behind me and you're there,
then up ahead and you're there, too—
your reassuring presence, coming and going.
This is too much, too wonderful—
I can't take it all in!
23-24 Investigate my life, O God,
find out everything about me;
Cross-examine and test me,
get a clear picture of what I'm about;
See for yourself whether I've done anything wrong—
then guide me on the road to eternal life.
1 John 4:17-18 (MSG)
God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us. This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us, so that we're free of worry on Judgment Day—our standing in the world is identical with Christ's. There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love.

Those words are so beautiful. Everyone needs to take them to heart. Everyone has some flaw, some sin that they struggle with. No one is perfect. This applies to everyone. God can fill you with His love and light and run out the dark places that reside in you. Staying connected with God is so important, because without Him we can fall into bad habits of sin. Sinful habits as simple as judging one by their looks or using harsh words towards one who has hurt you.
Take these words and apply them to your life. Spend quiet time with God daily. Take the next step.

Jesus Calling July 27

God is our connection to Heaven. We are constantly connected unless we let go. He will never let go or leave our side. Heaven is our hope, it gets us through the toughest of times. Without that hope, the journey will be long and difficult. When we are connected with God and the hope He provides, we are traveling on the pathway to Heaven. When we recall that the ultimate destination is Heaven, then what we are going through is a much smaller deal. That allows us to jump right over it with the help of God. Through this we should learn to keep a constant focus on God and our final destination, Heaven.
Romans 12:11-13 (MSG)
Don't burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don't quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality.

Jesus Calling July 25

We need to be more attentive to the sounds around us. God speaks through everything around us, "sights, sounds, thoughts, impressions, scriptures." (Sarah Young "Jesus Calling" 216)
God is limitless. He can communicate with us in anyway He wants to. He has all the power in the world. We have to do our job though, and that is to listen and look for Him in things around us. When we wake up and set our goal for the day as searching for His Presence throughout our day, then we will learn how much He really is in the nature around us. We can then connect with Him that way. Not only can we find Him in the beauty of nature, but also in sad things. He can take the unfortunate things in our lives and turn them around into something absolutely amazing! And that is truely one of the coolest things God does! When something bad happens in your life, He could use that time to bring a new influential friend to help you out or He could use that time to present you with a new job or home or any opportunity. God works in amazing ways, ways we do not fully understand as humans. And He always does things you do not expect!

Romans 8:28 (NLT)
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

Jesus Calling July 24

In order to open the door to the Lord, we should constantly be thanking Him. He has given us freedom to choose our ways, but even though we have that freedom, we should exercise that freedom towards thanking and serving God in all situations and God alone.
In order to thank, we have to trust. If we have trouble thanking, then we should work on building up or trust first. Once that trust is strong, that allows us to thankfully grow closer to God. To build up our trust in Him, we should say "I trust you, Jesus!" in all situations. Say it aloud! If others here, awesome!! That is an opportunity to share your faith! Go for it!
We should constantly be saying "I trust you, Jesus!" and "Thank you Jesus!"
We can never thank enough, we have been given far more than we'll ever deserve. Getting into a habit of that practice will make you more aware of the many blessings we get every day from Him. Getting into that habit will tremendously help you when difficult times arise. You will be stronger in your trust in God and you will make it through just fine!

1 Thessalonians 5:18 (MSG)
Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.

Thoughts on Jesus Calling July 23

Jesus is the Light of the World. He is shining so bright each and everyday. He is shining His light towards each of us throughout every day. Some of us notice it and jump right in. Others of us ignore it and walk right by. He wants every one of His children to see that light and take it and run with it, showing everyone they see on the way. We have to ask the Spirit to see the light, to direct it towards us so that we may see it even brighter. We have to hold on to that throughout each day, God will not let go of us. Holding on to that is holding on to His Presence, and holding on to that will bring you so much Joy you cannot imagine the results of that Joy in your life.

Matthew 5:14-16 (MSG) Here's another way to put it: You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light stand. Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.
2 Corinthians 3:16-18 (MSG)
Whenever, though, they turn to face God as Moses did, God removes the veil and there they are—face-to-face! They suddenly recognize that God is a living, personal presence, not a piece of chiseled stone. And when God is personally present, a living Spirit, that old, constricting legislation is recognized as obsolete. We're free of it! All of us! Nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of his face. And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him.

Thoughts on Jesus Calling July 22

Matt 6:34 (MSG)

Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.

Everyone has distractions from God each and everyday. We need to focus each day on serving only the Lord God, our Father in Heaven. He is our Master. No one else deserves any glory, He deserves it all. He gifted us with His salvation and grace, He has saved us. We cannot lose the salvation He gave us, because we don't even deserve it. We need to focus on not having other "gods" before the Lord. Things like watching TV, playing video games, shopping, and any other thing that takes up more of your attention than you put on God can be considered an idol or a god that comes before the Lord. What we want can seem more important, but its not. It is worthless. We are worthless without God. He gives us the energy we have. We should not use that energy to follow what others are doing. He made us unique like we are, different from others because He knew we could handle it. He puts us through what we go through because He knows we can handle it. Some people can't handle things that others can. It is all part of God's plan. Therefore we shall serve only God. He has a plan for us, we should keep our focus on Him and following His word and path for us. 

Eph 5:8-10 (MSG)

You groped your way through that murk once, but no longer. You're out in the open now. The bright light of Christ makes your way plain. So no more stumbling around. Get on with it! The good, the right, the true—these are the actions appropriate for daylight hours. Figure out what will please Christ, and then do it.

Matt 23:8-10 (MSG)

Don't let people do that to you, put you on a pedestal like that. You all have a single Teacher, and you are all classmates. Don't set people up as experts over your life, letting them tell you what to do. Save that authority for God; let him tell you what to do. No one else should carry the title of 'Father'; you have only one Father, and he's in heaven. And don't let people maneuver you into taking charge of them. There is only one Life-Leader for you and them—Christ.

Matt 6:1 (MSG)

Be especially careful when you are trying to be good so that you don't make a performance out of it. It might be good theater, but the God who made you won't be applauding.

This Week

I will not be posting at all this week until next Saturday (most likely, it may be Sunday though)
I will be at Camp Merriwood this week, but I'll get back to posting when I return
Thanks for reading!

Thoughts on Jesus Calling July 15

Worry is a terrible thing. It is always getting in the way of thoughts and focus on God. When you worry, you are not trusting God. God tells us not to worry. He created the earth and He created time. He made time the way He did, in small segments, so that we, as humans, could manage. If days were longer than they are, then we wouldn't be able to handle it and we would get stressed out and give up so easily. God provides enough grace for each segment of time that we live in. It is our fault if we begin to get weighed down, because that means we are thinking too far ahead and worrying, adding multiple days' worth of to-do's to our mind. We can get rid of that, by purely trusting. Say aloud, "I trust you, Jesus!" It works! I've done it before! You just have to give it up to Him. He is in control, never you. When we think too far ahead our brain gets jumbled and we trip and fall. He will help us right back up when we return to His ways of trusting. Trusting is the way we remain in His Presence.

Matthew 6:34 (MSG)

Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.

Psalm 62:7-8 (MSG)

My help and glory are in God
      —granite-strength and safe-harbor-God—
   So trust him absolutely, people;
      lay your lives on the line for him. 

      God is a safe place to be.

Jesus Calling July 14

Today's reading of Jesus Calling really just gave me so much hope and a real sense of peace. It is hard to summarize or give thoughts on something so touching like that. 

For those who do not read Jesus Calling, I will post it here.

Keep walking with Me along the path I have chosen for you. Your desire to live close to Me is a delight to My heart. I could instantly grant you the spiritual riches you desire, but that is not My way for you. Together we will forge a pathway up the high mountain. The journey is arduous at times, and you are weak. Someday you will dance light footed on the high peaks; but for now, your walk is often plodding and heavy. All I require of you is to take the next step, clinging to My hand for strength and directions. Though the path is difficult and the scenery dull at the moment, there are sparkling surprises just around the bend. Stay on the path I have selected for you. It is truly the path of Life.

Psalm 37:23-24 (MSG)

Stalwart walks in step with God;
      his path blazed by God, he's happy.
   If he stumbles, he's not down for long; 

      God has a grip on his hand.

Psalm 16:11 (MSG)

Now you've got my feet on the life path,
      all radiant from the shining of your face.
   Ever since you took my hand, 

      I'm on the right way.

From reading all that, to me, it is God telling me individually, that I am on the right path. I am in a good place. I will be okay no matter what. 

Psalm 37:23-24 is a verse that shows how strong one is. A stalwart is just a brave and strong, uncompromising and steadfast follower. If that is you, or if you become that, then you will never be down for long. God will pull you right back up to your feet. If you just keep walking with Him, even when times get hard just hold on. He is everything. Take each step as He guides you and everything will truly be alright.

Thoughts Jesus Calling July 13

Everyone is judgmental. It is human nature. We judge ourselves and we judge others just based on what we see. That is not what God wants us to do. It is wrong. When we judge ourselves, a lot of times we think we are not good enough for others and other times we think we are way better than others. The latter of those is prideful, which is sin. The former, keeps us from seeing God's image in us and keeps us from feeling worthy of His love. When we think something is wrong with ourself, we try to fix it by conforming to other ways or the world's ways. That is wrong. We need to look in and ask God to change it. But really we need to fix our eyes on Jesus. Channel that energy towards knowing how much He loves you and praising Him and sharing with others.
Ephesians 2:7-10 (MSG)
Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It's God's gift from start to finish! We don't play the major role. If we did, we'd probably go around bragging that we'd done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.

Jesus Calling Thoughts July 12

There are so many times when we feel lost in our day. To stand back up on your feet, just whisper Jesus' name and He will help you back up.
So many people just carelessly throw His name around. And that is not okay. The creator of the universe and His son deserve proper respect. They do no deserve to have their name used as an exclamation that you say when you mess up or hurt yourself. The English language has 1013913 words (well as of January). Can you not pick another word to say in place of God or Jesus when you get angry? If it is a habit. Break it. Pick one word to replace it and think next time before you speak.
When we come back to Him by whispering His sweet name, He relaxes. It makes Him feel better because He knows you are not totally astray. Speaking "Jesus" takes over all of the other ugly words of the world. It is way above those, it cannot compete.
When you call His name out in trust, you are blessed even more.

Thoughts from Jesus Calling July 11

Many of us do not realize it, but you have idols that come before God if you are not fully focused on Him and do not deliberately put Him first. He made the universe and have you all that you have. He deserves to be first in your life. Things like spending too much time on Facebook or watching TV or shopping non-stop can all be idols. If something distracts you from God, it is an idol. It's okay to do those things, just do them in smaller portions. Make sense? If you can do something, but keep it in the God perspective, then you are doing good. If it takes your focus away from God, then it is bad.
We don't get the same Joy and Peace from idols of the world that we do from God. Focusing and putting God first will satisfy you so much more than you can imagine, so much more than anything from the world. Then you will be totally walking with Him in the Light, shining it to others.
Check out this verse:
2 Samuel 22:29-31 (MSG)
Suddenly, God, your light floods my path,
God drives out the darkness.
I smash the bands of marjders,
I vault the high fences.
What a God! His road
Stretches straight and smooth.
Every God-Direction is road tested.
Everyone who runs toward him
Makes it.



We can accomplish so much more by putting God first.

Jesus Calling July 10th

Jesus Calling brings me so much peace today. And I want everyone to read it.
Here it is:

Relax in My Peaceful Presence. Do not bring performance pressures into our sacred space of communion. When you are with someone you trust completely , you feel free to be yourself. This is one of the joys of true friendship. Though I am Lord of Lords and King of Kings, I also desire to be your intimate Friend. When you are tense or pretentious in our relationship, I feel hurt. I know the worst about you, but I also see the best in you. I long for you to trust Me enough to be fully yourself with Me. When you are real with Me, I am able to bring out the best in you: the very gifts I gave planted in your soul. Relax, and enjoy our friendship.

THAT IS THE COOLEST THING EVER!!! JESUS IS OUR BEST FRIEND!!!
After reading this, I would probably be just fine having no human friends on this earth, of course though human emotions wouldn't let that happen and that's not what Jesus wants. He wants us to love everyone and be friends with everyone, fellowshipping together with Him. Anyways, I feel so comforted by this. He doesn't care what we look like or how we talk or about opinions we have. He will never judge us! It is human nature to judge, so someone could be your friend, but they can still judge you. Jesus doesn't judge you and just abandon you, He will always be there for you! He will always have your back!! Jesus loves everyone! He is your support and best friend!!
I love the verses that goes along with this,
John 15:11-16
11-15"I've told you these things for a purpose: that my joy might be your joy, and your joy wholly mature. This is my command: Love one another the way I loved you. This is the very best way to love. Put your life on the line for your friends. You are my friends when you do the things I command you. I'm no longer calling you servants because servants don't understand what their master is thinking and planning. No, I've named you friends because I've let you in on everything I've heard from the Father.

16"You didn't choose me, remember; I chose you, and put you in the world to bear fruit, fruit that won't spoil. As fruit bearers, whatever you ask the Father in relation to me, he gives you.

Thoughts from Jesus Calling July 9th

God is telling us not to worry about anything. We cannot let our worry on something small hold us back from seeking Him in all we do. Worrying is not good. It is totally against the Lord and all He teaches us. Worrying keeps us from hearing God's voice and what He has to tell us. It gets caught among the worry in your mind and everything begins to sound just loud and confusing. We have to use power within us that He has blessed us with. Power to sit in the silence and be filled, surrounded with, and hear the Presence of Him. The more we practice sitting in silence, the better we will get at hearing His voice and guidance.

This verse is totally the best sum up of what we should be doing every single day of our lives.
Romans 12:1-2 (MSG)
So here's what I want you to do, God helping you. Take your everyday, ordinary life - your sleeping, eating, going to work, and walking around life - and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what He wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity. God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

Thoughts on Jesus Calling July 8th

 So everyday, in everything that we do, we should be looking for God. When we are looking for Him, we have to get rid of all other thoughts, because He is more important than everything else, though He is in it and controls it, He is above it. This makes our time with Him above everything else on our list of things to do in importance. He already gives us so much each and every day, but once you begin to seek Him, you will be blessed abundantly more than you already have been. We have to open our hearts and minds as broad as we can so that as much of His being can enter and reside there. When we meet with His Joy, it is just the greatest thing, in the words of Sarah Young, "When your Joy in Me meets My Joy in you, there are fireworks of heavenly ecstasy." That is absolutely incredible! Just imagine that! That right there is only the smallest  taste of what heaven holds for us.

John 15:11-17 (MSG)
^11-15"I've told you these things for a purpose: that my joy might be your joy, and your joy wholly mature. This is my command: Love one another the way I loved you. This is the very best way to love. Put your life on the line for your friends. You are my friends when you do the things I command you. I'm no longer calling you servants because servants don't understand what their master is thinking and planning. No, I've named you friends because I've let you in on everything I've heard from the Father.

 ¹⁶"You didn't choose me, remember; I chose you, and put you in the world to bear fruit, fruit that won't spoil. As fruit bearers, whatever you ask the Father in relation to me, he gives you.

 ¹⁷"But remember the root command: Love one another.
That is so cool, Jesus, this great and powerful part of God our Master, calls us His friends. Is that not amazing? Us, humans who sin left and right. He isn't just throwing us out like people did to Him. He is accepting us no matter what. He calls us His friends for pete sake! Does that not make you want to love everyone? If Jesus died for us all to save all of us from our sins, and He calls each of us a friend, how can you not love everyone else? In verse 16 it says that He chose us, He put us here, He saved us. All He is asking is that we love everyone like He did.

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I so love this next passage, it is just a cool thing to think about and apply to your life. Pay close attention to verse 12.

1 Corinthians 13 (MSG)

The Way of Love

 ¹ If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don't love, I'm nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. ²If I speak God's Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, "Jump," and it jumps, but I don't love, I'm nothing. ^3-7If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love.

   Love never gives up.
   Love cares more for others than for self.
   Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.
   Love doesn't strut,
   Doesn't have a swelled head,
   Doesn't force itself on others,
   Isn't always "me first,"
   Doesn't fly off the handle,
   Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,
   Doesn't revel when others grovel,
   Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
   Puts up with anything,
   Trusts God always,
   Always looks for the best,
   Never looks back,
   But keeps going to the end. ^8-10Love never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit. We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete. But when the Complete arrives, our incompletes will be canceled.
 ¹¹When I was an infant at my mother's breast, I gurgled and cooed like any infant. When I grew up, I left those infant ways for good.
 ¹²We don't yet see things clearly. We're squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won't be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We'll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!
 ¹³But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.

Jesus Calling Thoughts 7/7/2012

God is telling us that all we have to do is trust Him with absolutely everything. That means that we have to hand every last thing over to Him. We don't need to sit around and worry about when we are going to get some small task done. God is above that task. He is more important. And trusting Him will get you even through something as minuscule as getting the laundry done. He knows that we can't help what we think sometimes, its just a human thing. He doesn't hold us accountable for things that we unconsciously think. All He is asking is that we make a habit of constantly trusting Him and thanking Him in all we do. Thank Him for the good times, thank Him for the "bad" times. They aren't really so bad, trusting Him through it will make what comes of it so much better. You will really see how awesome He is when He brings something totally amazing and unexpected out of a bad circumstance. All it takes is trust. You can't just hide away and pretend that God doesn't know where you are , what you're doing or what you are thinking. He always knows. You can't run from Him. Just fess straight up to Him. Say "God I know it was wrong, but I did…" or "God please help me to steer my thoughts away from … and towards You." or "Please help me to direct my thoughts toward you today. Please help me to weave you into every thought that goes through my mind." The more you practice this the better you will get. God is just asking that we try. He knows we are human and that it is difficult. The more you try the better it will get. Keeping your mind in the right place with God will help you to remember that you are always surrounded by His Presence in everything you do and go through.

1 John 1:9 (NLT)

But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.

Luke 1:77-79 (NLT)

You will tell his people how to find salvation
    through forgiveness of their sins.
Because of God’s tender mercy,
    the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us,
 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
    and to guide us to the path of peace.

Luke 1:67-79 (MSG)

Then Zachariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied,

   Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;
      he came and set his people free.
   He set the power of salvation in the center of our lives,
      and in the very house of David his servant,
   Just as he promised long ago
      through the preaching of his holy prophets:
   Deliverance from our enemies
      and every hateful hand;
   Mercy to our fathers,
      as he remembers to do what he said he'd do,
   What he swore to our father Abraham—
      a clean rescue from the enemy camp,
   So we can worship him without a care in the world,
      made holy before him as long as we live.

   And you, my child, "Prophet of the Highest,"
      will go ahead of the Master to prepare his ways,
   Present the offer of salvation to his people,
      the forgiveness of their sins.
   Through the heartfelt mercies of our God,
      God's Sunrise will break in upon us,
   Shining on those in the darkness,
      those sitting in the shadow of death,
   Then showing us the way, one foot at a time,
      down the path of peace.

Bible Gateway Verse of the Day 7/7/2012

Psalm 18:30
In the Message translation it says:
What a God! His road
      stretches straight and smooth.
   Every God-direction is road-tested.
      Everyone who runs toward him
   Makes it.


In NLT:
God’s way is perfect.
    All the Lord’s promises prove true.
    He is a shield for all who look to him for protection.

Thoughts from Jesus Calling July 6

It is important that we do not let the priority of God in our life slip away. 

We need to make sure we always "stay devoted." What does devoted mean?

According to dictonary.com, "devote" means to concentrate on a particular pursuit, occupation, purpose, or cause, etc.

To me, the word pursuit sticks out of that small selection of things you could concentrate or devote yourself to.

Synonyms of "pursuit" include: quest, search, hunt, and chase.

We can bring that back to and explain our relationship with God and how we should be living by saying that we as Christians need to concentrate or devote our time and life to searching, seeking, going on a quest for, etc. God in our life and what He is doing and how He is working through you to better the world and share Him.

That is such a blessing and really, as Sarah Young puts it, "such a joyous privilege that it feels like a luxury." 

To be devoted to and serve the being that created this entire universe, is so incredibly awesome. We cannot ask for anything more in our lives than to have God. 

Sometimes we might feel like we are rushed and don't have enough time to give to God or spend in quiet with Him.

The world can wait, God deserves that time. It is so important that you find that time every day.

Stopping and sitting in the peaceful silence with Him will prepare you for what the world holds. Everyday as Christians, we wake up like everyone else, we go to work or school or what ever your daily thing is, but we have to separate ourselves and stand above the ways of the world and show people that God lives in us. We have to share God with others. We cannot keep Him all to ourself. He is greater and more awesome than everything in this world. We cannot keep His great and mighty being all to our tiny human self. For one, it is impossible. Secondly, it isn't what He wants us to do. The ways of the world do not tell us to go out in search of God in our daily lives, but God does. And which is more important? God, of course! We have to listen for His voice above all of the other hustling and bustling of the busybodies spreading gossip and workaholics. No offense to anyone what so ever, but to seek God, all you've got to do is sit still and listen for Him. How ever it is He communicates with you, you will know. You will know when it is Him who is calling you. We have to ask Him to take full control, take the reins of our life so that we can work together with Him, by His lead to accomplish great things.

K-Love Encouraging Word 7/6/2012

Psalm 119:45
It says in NLT: 
I will walk in freedom,
    for I have devoted myself to your commandments.

And in the Message (verses 41-48):

Let your love, God, shape my life
      with salvation, exactly as you promised;
   Then I'll be able to stand up to mockery
      because I trusted your Word.
   Don't ever deprive me of truth, not ever—
      your commandments are what I depend on.
   Oh, I'll guard with my life what you've revealed to me,
      guard it now, guard it ever;
   And I'll stride freely through wide open spaces
      as I look for your truth and your wisdom;
   Then I'll tell the world what I find,
      speak out boldly in public, unembarrassed.
   I cherish your commandments—oh, how I love them!—
      relishing every fragment of your counsel.

Here I like the NLT because it is simple and to the point, but the Message I also like because it is more thorough. Both are clear and get the point across, just in different ways. It's really cool to compare the two.

It is cool to read the Message because it is like you are speaking directly to God and its like you are having a conversation with Him. 

Bible Gateway Verse of the Day 7/6/2012

From the Message translation:
Matthew 24:32-35
Take a lesson from the fig tree. From the moment you notice its buds form, the merest hint of green, you know summer's just around the corner. So it is with you: When you see all these things, you'll know he's at the door. Don't take this lightly. I'm not just saying this for some future generation, but for all of you. This age continues until all these things take place. Sky and earth will wear out; my words won't wear out.

Thoughts from July 4th Jesus Calling

We are supposed to worship God with all of our heart and being. We are supposed to worship Him in truth. Some people don't get that, and that is sad. Really sad. There are people that think it counts as worshipping to show up to church once or twice a week. But that's not it. They don't get it. Worship doesn't have to be in a service with a congregation, it is just everyday, everything you do you can worship Him. There are three definitions of worship that I would like to point out

1. worship - noun - a feeling of profound love and admiration

2. worship - verb - love unquestioningly and uncritically or to excess

3. worship - verb - show devotion to (a deity)

Yeah there is a definition that says "attending a religious service, but that is at the very bottom of the list of definitions. 

Worship is a 24/7 deal. You do it through everything. We are supposed to glorify God in all that we do.

He hears our praises in Heaven whether we realize it or not! We are to express gratitude and thanks all the day long! He blesses us so much and so richly in all that we do. Worshipping Him will gain us even more of His Joy, Peace, and Presence.

Thoughts on Jesus Calling July 5

We always need to be thankful for what God has so graciously blessed us with. He has given us so much more than we could ever imagine. We have the greatest thing in the entire universe, God's love. We should be so thankful we have been taught about it and that we know about it. Nothing can ever take God's love away from us. Nothing in all creation can sever that bond of Love we have with God. And His Love is the greatest sense of security that we will ever need. All we have to do is trust Him with all of our heart. He is the most trustworthy being in our life! You may have friends that you can lose your trust in. What about God? Never will that trust go away. He will always protect us. Life might seem a little bit crazy at times, maybe it is right now, I don't know. It may or may not be a part of God's plan, but He knows everything that will happen in your life long before it does, and He will surely help you through every step of the way. It could seem like your world is falling apart right now, everyone goes through tons of ups and downs in their life. But God is right there with you! We might think we are in control sometimes, but ultimately God is and always will be. We cannot compete with Him, He created the universe. Nothing is greater than Him! We should never steer away from God, even if we are mad at Him for "letting" something "bad" happen. If you just stick with Him, something new will come of it. Something newer and better! He is always starting a new journey! We cannot just repeat the same routine 24/7 every day of our life. 1. That would be boring. 2. We would be going absolutely no where in life. And you would not be accomplishing much of anything. Just would be uber-repetitive. 

Change is something that I often struggle with, well big change anyways. I like little changes just because I don't like to always to the same thing all the time. But I've realized that if big changes don't happen, well then I am not moving on to where God wants me to be. I just have to adjust to the circumstances and move right along, trusting God through every step of the way. He gives us a new day every 24 hours, to start fresh and try again. Love Him, and stay close to Him.

Romans 8:38-39 (NLT) And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Psalm 56:3-4 (NLT) But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in you. I praise God for what he has promised. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me?

Isaiah 43:19 (NLT) For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.

Isaiah 37:5 (NLT) Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you.

God is doing a new thing

Hey guys!

This is a new deal to me, this whole "blogging" thing. But I feel led by God to do so.

I have grown up in a baptist church, and I was baptized when I was 14 years old. I went to an awesome Christian camp every summer, that just did terrific things in helping me understand my faith and God and relating with other Christians. I always felt like kids made their profession of faith too early, like when they are really little and stuff. But it is really just when God calls you to do so and when you start to figure things out. From there on out, I just rolled along in life. I had my ups and downs just like everyone else. And there were times when God just really grabbed me and pulled me in. Like where I am now, I've been on a pretty close journey with God for a while. And it has been totally awesome!

I read "Jesus Calling" by Sarah Young every morning. I have been doing so every morning since January 1. It is a really cool thing. I've never done any other devotion like it. And it has done totally awesome things for me. Just spending a few minutes every morning reading Jesus Calling, and reading the scripture. 

Speaking of scripture, I really love the New Living Translation (NLT). It is totally my favorite translation of the scripture. Now don't get me wrong, I like other translations, especially "The Message." That is a really cool way to put things in perspective.

Anyways, so my goal is to share my thoughts on Jesus Calling and to share scriptures and songs and anything that I feel like as often as I can!

This is a huge step in sharing with other people, and I really feel like God is leading me to do this. I will continue this as long as I feel God tells me to. Its just totally a God thing for me, and its awesome! 

Feel free to leave comments or ask questions!