Let Go of the Past. Be Yourself.

Doing a devotion is so awesome! God just totally puts the right thing in your face at the right time. His timing is beyond amazing!

I read both Abundant Life and Jesus Calling today, and I am just blown away.

Lately I've been non intentionally beating myself up in a sense for my past and my mistakes. I've definitely come a long way in a short amount of time. I don't need to tell what I've done or why I did things because that would only defeat the purpose. It would only be a source of gossip to many who read it. It doesn't matter how bad or not bad or how big or small any of my mistakes are. Mistakes are mistakes. Here I am today because of learning from them and turning to God. Or rather God showing me at the right time and place where to go from there.

I know I kind of worded that like I committed some terrible crime, but no worries I've done nothing of the sort. Just personal mistakes, that is all.

I know that everyone has made mistakes that they are ashamed of. And it does not matter what they are, God will never let go of you. You can change. You can become a new person. You can start over. GOD GIVES SECOND CHANCES!!! You can't get second chances anywhere else. You can't get second chances or make it better and go away by drinking. You can't make it go away with drugs. You can't make it go away by physically abusing yourself or someone else. You can't make it go away by getting addicted to something whether it be an action or substance or other thing. You cannot make it go away with anything on this earth. It just isn't possible. God, however, can make it go away. He can't change the past, but He can make it better. He can give you a new day and a new breathe and new opportunities. God is the only exit from the old life, mistakes, etc, and He is the only entrance to a new life with Him. A prosperous blessed life.

You cannot continue judging yourself for what you've done. That gets you no where. It either puts you in the dumps, or it puts you on a pedestal, thinking that you are better than everyone else. On that note, pride is wrong. 

Psalm 42:5 MSG

Why are you down in the dumps, dear soul?

    Why are you crying the blues?

Fix my eyes on God—

    soon I’ll be praising again.

He puts a smile on my face.

    He’s my God.

God wants to take you on a path, a journey, that is specifically for you. He made it JUST FOR YOU and no one else! It will not be the same as anyone else. It may cross over and go with someone else for a while, but your path is a gift from God. Special for you. You are special. You cannot look to other people to make you happy or to know what to do. You cannot put your hope in the opinions of others. Go out on a limb. Be yourself for a change! Be who God wants you to be! He is the only true source of our full happiness. Don't look at Him in a way that you think He is negatively judging you for your actions, looking for and picking out what you've done wrong. It isn't like that. He sent His son, Jesus, to die for you. He saved you from your sins. You are saved. He forgives. He gives second chances. He does what He does because it is best for you. 

John 3:16-17 NLT

For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.

Proverbs 3:11-12 NLT

My child, don’t reject the Lord’s discipline,

    and don’t be upset when he corrects you.

For the Lord corrects those he loves,

    just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights.

Both Jesus Calling and Abundant Life showed me today that it's okay. It's going to be okay. It is okay. All is okay. God has got my back. And I know that with all my heart. That's how I keep moving on. He provides and I go. 

Matthew 7:13-14 says "You can enter God's Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.

I know it's easier to do what everyone else is doing. I get it. Most humans feel better and more comfortable in a group and being a part of that group and accepted and to do what they do. That's not how it works with God. He is bigger than that. He doesn't care about the majority. People who live by the majority are living wrong. They don't get it. They don't know God. They haven't given Him a chance to lead their life. They don't know what makes life worth living. They will end in a disastrous way. You don't have to go down that road. Turn to God with your problems. "I have decided to follow Jesus. Though none go with me, I still will follow." That has to be you. You have to stand up for you first. Put God first. Make Him your priority. He will be with you. You have to identify with Him. Not with a certain group of people or thing. He will give you the strength to stand alone. Just ask. Simply ask. He will lead you on a path of greatness. He will lead you to Him. You have to learn to go against what the world thinks and wants. You have to "take up your cross and follow Him." 

ASU BCM

I had one of the most amazing experiences last night at BCM.
That is the campus ministry that I have been attending here at school. It has just been such an incredible overall worship experience on Tuesday nights. I am so blessed to have the opportunity to attend BCM and to be around so many other believers here on campus at once. Whether or not I know many of them, just the presence of all those people coming to BCM because they want to experience God and strengthen their faith is really powerful, because I often feel lonely in this cold world.
Last night was just super awesome! 

The "service" was based on John 17, when Jesus is praying. I've never attended or been a part of a worship experience like last night. There was no music. Which made me realize we don't need music to commune and experience God in that type of setting. The whole night was based around prayer. Jonathan would read a few verses then we would "participate." 
My friend, Sarah, and I spotted a seat around where we normally would sit in the middle of the right side (looking from the back of the sanctuary), sorta just off to the side. There were people in the way so we were going to walk around the front of the pews to get to where we wanted to sit. Well our friend, Kelsey, was sitting on the second pew. We stopped to say hey, and she then encouraged us to sit on the front pew so that we could be in her group for something later on. So I thought about it and pushed my comfort level and sat right down (forcing Sarah to sit with me). I'm glad we did. Thank you Kelsey!
I would not have had the same experience, had I sat farther back. I would have been more distracted by my own problems and worries that I would have probably missed out a little more on the whole experience. There was no one else sitting on the front pew, so I first I felt a little skeptical, but it was just the coolest thing! 
So Jonathan read the first 5 verses of John 17.

"After saying all these things, Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son so he can give glory back to you. For you have given him authority over everyone. He gives eternal life to each one you have given him. And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth. I brought glory to you here on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. Now, Father, bring me into the glory we shared before the world began."

First we did a call and response type thing, where he read a line and we responded together as a group with a line. 
We do that at my "home" church, and it often doesn't mean a whole lot to me. Sometimes I go back and reread the words later, but during the service it doesn't really affect me. I get more wrapped up in the fact that not everyone pauses at the right time and how we technically should only pause at commas and periods, but often pause other places to "take a breath" to keep on reading.
Anyways, last night I felt more power in the experience because we had been sitting in the quiet and I really felt that it was meant to get us into the heart of worship. I felt how everyone was speaking those words and they just filled me up and consumed me. 
Then Jonathan read a few more verses of John 17. 
Then he opened up the floor for us to read a favorite passage or verse out loud. Sitting there in silence and listening person to person to person read a verse, about how God is always with you or how He is helping you in a time of need, was just so amazing. Hearing all of them just strung together, His word being read aloud like that was absolutely incredible. I cannot even describe with words how I felt God filling me up with that time.
Following that he read the next few verses from John 17. Then two people got up and spoke about part of their story. One struggled with self-worth and making God his one true identity over a gift that God gave him and taking the glory for doing that well. The other spoke about how she is trying to make friends and shine God's light into the SAGA (Sexuality and Gender Alliance) group here on campus. It is so cool and inspiring to hear about people like that who are going out and acting in God's name. Who are actually going into the world with the gospel.
When you have nothing and no one else left, God has to be enough for you. He has to become our identity, nothing else deserves the place of our identity and will really fill that place in our lives. Only God. Gifts from Him can become idols if we aren't careful, because you think it's what you're "supposed" to be doing because you're good at it and it seems like you're serving God. When the reality is, you're good at it, and you're taking the credit instead of giving it to God. We are NOTHING without Him. NOTHING. We have NOTHING. HE is our EVERYTHING. He is the reason we wake up in the morning. He is the reason we take our next breath. He is the one that is constantly blessing us in our lives. When you can answer yes to "Is He worth it?" then He is your true identity. Not something that we do for Him, but what He does for us. When we are stuck in a maze, we often can't see why we are there or how to get out, but God, the over seer, knows and you have to trust Him.
Next few verses and we prayed and confessed our sins aloud. Jonathan said, "Confessions in community helps hold you accountable. You are cleansed when you confess, and He will be faithful to you." Sitting in silence and hearing people cry out to God for forgiveness for their earthly desires and mistakes was also pretty incredible. Hearing other people admit their faults and knowing that I am not alone in what I struggle with every day was just so comforting. Yes it takes a lot of bravery to confess those things aloud, but you feel the weight just lifted from your shoulders, and that was just so astonishing.
The next few verses were read and we had communion, in silence, no music. Very powerful experience. And we prayed for protection of other believers all over the world. And we prayed for our fellow believers in the room. We prayed for those who felt a burden on their heart to go somewhere specific with the gospel. We prayed for God to lead them and show them the right time for things. 
This was honestly one of the most powerful worship experiences I have ever been to. I cannot be thankful enough for BCM and how it has touched me thus far.
Following the worship experience in the chapel, we got in groups and went on prayer walks around campus. We took that time to focus on other people and pray for them. We prayed for the people inside buildings we walked by. We prayed aloud, in a conversational way, just back and forth. "God please be with those professors in that building, we know that it is a tough place to be for them, help them to stand up for you." "God please be with the ROTC students that live in this dorm, help them to feel your presence as they prepare to serve our country."
Again, absolutely incredible experience! I cannot even describe it all with words, this was merely an outline of my experience. The rest was in the heart. And I loved it! I love God! I love BCM! I love my life! 

We Waste Too Much Time...

Jeremiah 32:40

I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good for them. I will put a desire in their hearts to worship me, and they will never leave me.

God loves to do awesome things for us. Somewhere deep inside you whether you've found it or not He put a longing to worship Him with all your heart, without worrying about your everyday life and struggles, and while you abandon and surrender your heart to Him.

Do you know what that means? Pause a minute and think about what that means in your own words. What it means to abandon and surrender your heart to Him so that you may worship Him.

To me it means that you have to turn over every last little thing to Him. Every ounce of your life, your body, your mind, your heart, all to Him so that you can focus on His glory and what He has done for you, praising Him for all His many blessings.

That's pretty difficult to do on some things. That grudge you hold against someone from your past, or even now. Why are you still holding onto something that someone did to hurt you? Why? What good is it doing you? Does it not pull you down every single moment of your life? I know it is weighing heavy on you all the time. It is always hanging over your head. So why hold onto it? Forgive them so that you can move on with your life. So that you can move on with God, take the next step. I know I'm saying this like it's an easy thing to do, I know that it isn't easy. I know that it takes courage and everything in you to want to forgive someone who hurt you pretty badly, but 1. you have to do it because it is the right thing to do and it will help that person to also move on, and 2. it is so much better after you forgive them. You feel so much lighter. You can sometime even physically feel the release of tension in your body. 

I sort of drifted off topic there, but to abandon and surrender is to give up everything for Him. Jesus gave up His life for you, so why can't you let go of some mistakes or grudges so that you can focus on and be with Him.

He shows His love to us by giving us that desire to want Him more. To hunger for Him more and more everyday, in a way that you realize you cannot live without Him. You want Him so much that you just cannot stand yourself and you cannot help but to tell every person you know and pass by each day how awesome God is and how much He has done for you.

It's something you just have to work up to. It's not something you can just do one day. I'm still working at wanting Him that much all the time. I struggle too. Just because I write this blog and do my devotion everyday doesn't mean I'm perfect and great at living for God every single moment, and wanting Him every single moment. Sin is part of our nature, and yeah you'll slip up sometimes. I know I do. We aren't perfect, we just have to strive to be like Jesus every day and every moment. 

We have to find that desire He planted deep within us to want Him and to worship Him while we abandon our whole entire being to Him.

We worry too much. He has us. He isn't letting go, ever. His love for us is everlasting, great, and never changing. Whatever it is that you're going through right now. He knows. Whether it is the result of a poor choice or someone else's, He knows. He has a plan. He is always working on you and making you who He wants you to be. There are no coincidences, it's God. It is His plan. He has a plan. And you need not worry. He is holding your hand through every step. You just have to know that and depend on Him in every step. You don't need to worry about the future, you don't need to worry about the next hour. He has a plan. Just trust. And know that He is never letting go of you. You have to enjoy life for what it is, because you are wasting time worrying. And time here on earth is short. 

James 4:13-16 NLT

Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.” How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.” Otherwise you are boasting about your own plans, and all such boasting is evil.

We waste entirely too much time.

Psalm 32:8 NLT

The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.

The New Rules of Resolution

This link takes you to the page of 5 sermons in the Elevation Church series called "The New Rules of Resolution."
http://elevationchurch.org/sermons/the-new-rules

It doesn't matter where you are in your faith walk with God, whether you are doubting and blaming Him right now for something in your life or you're strong as you've ever been. It doesn't matter if you're 10 or 100 years old. I promise you that watching this series of sermons will change your life and how you live your every day and your insight on things. It will completely change how you think and how you live your life with and for God. 
It's taking the first step. Give up watching TV at nights after a long day, just for 5 days and watch each of these sermons. I promise, you won't regret it. They are 45 minutes each. I know that's 3 hours and 45 minutes total, but think about how much time you spend watching TV or doing something else that you could stand to give up a few times. I think you can bear to give that up for 3 hours and 45 minutes total. 
I promise you that your life will be different. I would give up absolutely anything of mine, if it does not change something about you or add something to your life or give you something to think about, but because I know that it will, I don't have to do that. 
I just cannot stress how impactful these sermons have been on me and my life. I have no doubt that you will be truly blessed by this series of messages.

"I Will Enter in as You Open Your Life to Me"

Isaiah 40:3

Listen! It's the voice of someone shouting, "Clear the way through the wilderness for the Lord! Make a straight highway through the wasteland for our God!" 

"In your life there are valleys of crushing disappointment, mountains of pride, and uneven ground and rough places of wrong thinking. As you open your life to me, you will find that I fill in the valleys of sadness, bring down mountain strongholds of evil, and level out the rough places of your personality so that you can finally be who you want most deeply to be.

Your best days are still ahead. You have a future in Christ. And here's how you can prepare for it: Empty your hands of all the rival comforts and securities so you can take hold of me. Clear away the obstacles of unrelinquished resentments and unconfessed sin. Give me open access to your mind as you meditate on my Word, and to your heart as you nurture new affections for me. You don't have to be perfect for me to bless you. Christ was perfect on your behalf. But you do have to clear away obstacles and open yourself up to me."

-Nancy Guthrie, Abundant Life, Feb 25

We have to live our life in a way that God is leading. We have to learn to let go of the grudges and anger and past mistakes to move on, or so that God can help us to move on. The past is the past, you can't change it, it won't go away, but you can move past it and make the future better. Learn from mistakes. You will go through so many ups and downs in your life, some little, some bigger than you feel like you can handle, but that is what God is here for! We can't just push Him out of our lives, we have to be positive and brush the negativity off and move forward. He knows there are things that are holding you back and eating you up, holding onto those things will destroy you, and that isn't what you want. You can be living a way more awesome life with God leading every step of the way to new and different ways of living your life.

Final Thought: What grudges, anger, mistakes, etc. are you holding onto? Is it really worth it? Where are you getting to by holding onto that? What good is it doing you? 

Take time with God alone and pray and listen, asking Him to help you to let go of unnecessary baggage in your life. Carrying it around only makes the journey more difficult, painful, and miserable.

Whatever You're Doing - Sanctus Real

Jesus Calling February 22nd

I love reading Abundant Life every day, but I just can't stay away from "Jesus Calling." It always has the right words that I need to hear, right when I need it. Timing is everything. God's timing is perfect. Perfect for His plan for us.

"You need Me Every moment. Your awareness of your constant need for Me is your greatest strength. Your neediness, properly handled, is a link to My Presence. However, there are pitfalls that you must be on guard against: self-pity, self-preoccupation, giving up. Your inadequacy presents you with a continual choice -- deep dependence on Me, or despair. The emptiness you feel within will be filled either with problems or with My Presence. Make Me central in your consciousness by praying continually: simple, short prayers flowing out of the present moment. Use My Name liberally, to remind you of My Presence. Keep on asking and you will receive, so that your gladness may be full and complete."
-Sarah Young, "Jesus Calling"

Psalm 121

I look up to the mountains—
    does my help come from there?

My help comes from the Lord,
    who made heaven and earth!

 He will not let you stumble;
    the one who watches over you will not slumber.
 Indeed, he who watches over Israel
    never slumbers or sleeps.

 The Lord himself watches over you!
    The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade.

The sun will not harm you by day,
    nor the moon at night.

 The Lord keeps you from all harm
    and watches over your life.
 The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever.

Colossians 3:1-17 NLT

Living the New Life

1 Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. ² Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. ³ For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. ⁴ And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.
⁵ So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. ⁶ Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming. ⁷ You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world. ⁸ But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. ⁹ Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. ¹⁰ Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him. ¹¹ In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us.
¹² Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. ¹³ Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. ¹⁴ Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. ¹⁵ And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.

¹⁶ Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.¹⁷ And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.

The Curtain was Torn

Hebrews 10:19-20

Dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven's Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place.

How many times have you actually read the section of Matthew about Jesus's death? It is very powerful. I encourage you to read it in several different translations to see how it touches you.

Matthew 27:45-63 NLT

⁴⁵ At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. ⁴⁶ At about three o’clock, Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”

⁴⁷ Some of the bystanders misunderstood and thought he was calling for the prophet Elijah. ⁴⁸ One of them ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, holding it up to him on a reed stick so he could drink. ⁴⁹ But the rest said, “Wait! Let’s see whether Elijah comes to save him.”

⁵⁰ Then Jesus shouted out again, and he released his spirit. ⁵¹ At that moment the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, rocks split apart, ⁵² and tombs opened. The bodies of many godly men and women who had died were raised from the dead. ⁵³ They left the cemetery after Jesus’ resurrection, went into the holy city of Jerusalem, and appeared to many people.

⁵⁴ The Roman officer and the other soldiers at the crucifixion were terrified by the earthquake and all that had happened. They said, “This man truly was the Son of God!”

⁵⁵ And many women who had come from Galilee with Jesus to care for him were watching from a distance. ⁵⁶ Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary (the mother of James and Joseph), and the mother of James and John, the sons of Zebedee.

How cool is verses 50-53? When he died the curtain to the Most Holy Temple (where only the priest was allowed to go in once a year) was torn in two, giving us (the people) full and complete access to God all the time. That is one of my favorite parts of the Bible. It is just so powerful, and the exact moment of change when we able to be saved from our sins and talk to God whenever we want. 

Before that moment, the people were held back by sin and could not really experience His presence like we can today. We are just so fortunate to have the grace and mercy and forgiveness and love of our God. He is so awesome! Jesus is so awesome for dying for us! He gave up his life so that we could be saved and so that we could have that availability and access to God. We can talk to Him about whatever we want, whenever we want. He is the best friend we could ever ask for. He will never leave our side or betray us. He will always be there to listen. He has power to bless and change and shape our lives according to His mighty plan.

I just cannot say enough how awesome God and Jesus are! It is absolutely incredible the sacrifice that was made for us.

I encourage you to take some quiet time to yourself this morning and absorb His Presence as much as you can and think about the sacrifice that was made for you by Jesus.

Made in His Image

2 Corinthians 3:18 
All of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord -- who is the Spirit -- makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image. 

God is beautiful. And He created us in His beautiful image. The world, however, has defected us into trying to tell us to live a life other than the life He has given us. The more we spend time with Him, the more we see how much He loves us and who He wants us to become. When you look at Him, you become more like Him. When you read the Bible, you see you, you become more like Him. When you pray, you see Him, you become more like Him. When you follow His lead, you see Him, you become more like Him. All these things and others, we have to do so that we can become more like Him. Being beautiful in God's eyes has nothing to do with outward appearance. He looks straight to the heart. He is changing you there, inside of you. That is how you will reflect His beauty.

The Motions - Matthew West

Starting Line - Jason Castro

His House Has Become Your Home

Psalm 27:4 

The one thing I ask of the Lord -- the thing I seek most -- is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, delighting in the Lord's perfections and meditating in his Temple.

It brings God joy when we learn to look past all the distractions and temptations in the world and see Him and want more of Him. When we do this we learn that it brings us more joy and peace than anything else in this world can. 

We have to learn to sync up with God. He does things in His time and what He wants to happen. He has a great plan for us and we have to go with it. We have to put Him at the center of our lives and focus in on Him every single day. 

As you begin to make this a daily practice, you will see it isn't so much a chore as it is a privilege to be able to commune with God. DO NOT take advantage of your time with God and tell Him things that you want. And DO NOT make it a habit. Habits become dry and old and meaningless, mindless work. That is not what your time with God needs to be or become. He deserves the best from you. And you will see in spending this time with Him and focusing on Him you will receive more of what your heart desires most, Him.

He Will Always Love Us

John 15:9-17 (NLT)

“I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name. This is my command: Love each other.

That verse sums up a lot of the point of the devotion I read in Abundant Life today. Sometimes we wonder why we struggle or bad things happen to good people. "When the circumstances of your life tempt you to question my love for you, you must remember that I do not demonstrate my love by orchestrating your personal world in such a way that you can avoid suffering." (Nancy Guthrie, Feb 13) Yes you will have the best life possible with God, but no, not everything will be just perfect, fine, and dandy. You have to go through some hard times in your life to learn things and to get where God wants you to be. 

He loves us, He has loved us ever since the beginning of time. He didn't have to love us, He chose to love us. We are little people in this world, He is a great and powerful God; He could of chosen to do other things with His power over simply loving us, but He didn't, because that is not who He is. He is a God of infinite grace and love overflowing into our lives. He will never stop loving you. We need to be more grateful for that. Every morning when you wake up, trying saying something along the lines of "Thank you God for this new day! Thank you for loving me no matter what! Please bless this day, so that it may be something with you, instead of me on my own with nothing."

Final Thought: Don't ever forget or think that God doesn't love you. He will never ever stop loving you. Just because we have to suffer sometimes doesn't mean He has stopped loving us or spited us, it's all part of God's glorious plan! 

Take that love and show other people! Love other people! Share the love of God! 

"I Am Who I Am" You Can't Change God

Exodus 3:13-14 NIV

Moses said to God, "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' THen what shall I tell them?" God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM."

Great I Am - Phillips, Craig, & Dean

Who is God to you?

Do you let Him lead your way in your life? Or do you tell Him how to lead your life how you want it?

You can't change God. He is a never changing, eternal God. You can't tell Him what to do in your life. You can't mash Him into your own mold. To truly know Him, you have to accept Him for who He is, just like He accepts you however you come to Him. You can't just erase or cut out the parts of God you don't like, it doesn't work that way. That is not only discrediting Him for the God that He is, but it is also cheating yourself of what He is trying to provide you. You'll see that He is better just how He is, than any god you could make Him to be. If you just open up to Him and ask Him to lead the way and show you His glory and majesty, you'll understand how much better He is than you trying to tell Him how you want Him to be. 

We are supposed to live life for what it's worth, and the only way to do that is let God be God.

Final Thought: Why are you trying to make God different? What is holding you back? Learn to let go. He has your best interest at heart, always.

Elevation Church

This is the 2nd message from the Elevation Church Series: The New Rules of Resolution
Changing the way we change.
This sermon was equally as powerful as the first one I posted from this series. It is about learning to accept gifts from God before we can give gifts to others.
Its not achieving, it's receiving.
Please take time to watch!!

When you click the link, scroll down to the section of the page where it says "Part One, Part Two," and so on.
Click on Part 2!

http://elevationchurch.org/sermons/the-new-rules

Many times in our lives we are in a tough spot and don't know what to do to help us out. A good way to connect with God or pull yourself back up is to turn to music and scripture.

Day After Day - Kristen Stanfill

Can't Get Over You - Anthem Lights

Mountain Of God - Third Day

More - Matthew West

Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT)
For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

Passion Over Just Living By the Rules

Psalm 73:25

Whom have I in heaven but you? 

I desire you more than anything on earth.

God gives us all we need to survive in this world. He gives us tons of things to enjoy everyday. Many days, however, we get caught up in being busy or being frustrated or upset or angry, and we miss what He is trying to show us. There are so many things we get to see every day that should awe us because of His wonder. For example, every day I get to see the mountains and surround scenery, absolutely beautiful. Some days I see them and think little of them, when I should be using them to remind myself that God is with me in all that I am doing. 

You can't just live by the rules in the Bible, believe all the right thinks, and practice that of a Christian life. You have to have passion for God. If you don't, that is where you'll find yourself upset, frustrated, and unfulfilled. He wants you to want Him above everything else. That is what He created you for.

Final Thought: What is keeping you from putting God absolutely first? What is keeping you from having a full lived up passion for Him?

Respond with Blessings

1 Peter 3:9

Don't repay evil for evil. Don't retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will bless you for it.

This is a pretty simple lesson to learn, but often hard to apply. We so often have someone be rude to us, and we, as humans, assume that being rude back will make it better. But getting revenge and just snapping back at someone doesn't help anyone. It doesn't show the other person who you really are as a follower of God, nor does it help them become a better person. 

Blessing. Noun. "1. the act or words of a person who blesses. 2. A special favor, mercy, or benefit. 3. A favor or gift bestowed by God, thereby bringing happiness. 4. The invoking of God's favor upon a person." (Dictionary.com)

Notice the 3rd and 4th definitions. "bringing happiness" and "invoking of God's favor upon a person," isn't that what we want to be doing for other people? Isn't that what God wants us to be doing in this world? Yes. He wants us to shine His light into the darkness of the world. So those people who may lash out at you, do something to hurt you, need to see His light. Bless them. Do something polite. Respond in a kind way. When they see your strength it could very well change them. 

Final Thought: Think before you act next time. Use your words carefully. Teach yourself to respond calmly and in a way that blesses other people.

He Created it All

Hebrews 11:3 

By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God's command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.

It's as simple as that verse, God created everything from nothing. He said "Let there be light" there was light. He said "Let there be water" there was water. If you've ever taken chemistry or another science class that studies how complex all the elements are and things here on earth, you know that it is beyond the human capacity to create those things. God made everything. He made humans from nothing and our brains and body parts are absolutely amazing in their construction. If that doesn't prove it to you, I don't know what will. Bottom line is that He did all, from nothing.

When you are in need know that God is all powerful, you have a relationship with Him and can ask for what you need. If it is of His plan and will He will bless you with it. But many things we think we need, we often don't. He works in mysterious ways, blessing us with new surprises everyday.

Joy Comes From Sorrow. Make Your Faith Real.

1 Peter 1:6-7

There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine.

"I know that you think there is no room for joy in the great sorrows of your life. You think joy and sorrow are mutually exclusive. But as you live in me, you're discovering that great sorrow actually creates the capacity for deeper joy. 

What can possibly be the source of joy in the midst of great loss? The joy comes in finding out that when the rubber hits the road, the faith you have given lip service to for so long is now put into action, and it is the real deal. You get to live it out. Faith moves from being an intellectual exercise to a personal adventure.

When you choose to trust instead of fear, real faith is revealed. When you choose to accept rather than complain, forgive rather than indulge in resentment, be humble rather than prove you were right -- the curtain is pulled back on your life and your faith is proved genuine.

I'm finding joy, Lord, even in the hard places of my life as I'm discovering that I'm not a hypocrite. The faith I have claimed is real, and it makes a difference in how I respond to hardship…"

-Nancy Guthrie, AbundantLife, February 4

I encourage you to go look at this guy's blog! It is very inspiring! Some great quotes and insight!
http://churchjanitor.tumblr.com

Forgiveness

Matthew 6:14-15

If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.

I know that forgiveness is a tough thing. It is hard to forgive others who have really hurt you because you are just so angry at them and also because you don't understand why they deserve it. Thats the thing: no one deserves it. You don't deserve forgiveness from God, yet He gives it to you anyways. Your "enemies" don't deserve forgiveness from you nor from God, but there is this thing called grace and mercy. You have to get over what they've done to you. I know that is difficult. But it also has to do with you moving on so that you can continue on your walk with God. Holding a grudge against people holds you back from what God has planned for you. Holding grudges makes you too tense of a person in general.

Yes I struggle with this as do most people. There is no better way to explain how to forgive someone, it is something you just have to get over, bulk up, and forgive them. But once you forgive them, I promise you will feel better. 

He is Our Feast

John 6:53

Jesus said again, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you cannon have eternal life within you."

Enough - Chris Tomlin

The message I read today in Abundant Life was pretty deep and powerful; it definitely spoke to me. Here it is word for word, followed with my comments.

"In today's world it is cool to embark on a spiritual search, yet it is uncool to find me. But you have not only searched for me, you have found me and partaken of me. True belief in me is feasting on Christ, which is the most profound experience of the human soul. 

It's not enough to be inspired by Christ's beautiful life; you must find a feast of satisfaction in his substitutionary death. You must savor his death as your life. It is not just the example of Christ's life that you need to follow. It is Christ's death you must feast on. While his life may inspire you, only his death can liberate you.

This is the continental divide in the life of the should, the place where so many flounder and fall away. Christ must become as much a part of you as that which you eat. There must be a daily partaking, ingesting him into your life.

Jesus, I'm hungry, and nothing in this world can fill me. I will starve without you. But at your invitation I've come. I receive your dying love for me. You are enough for me…"

-Nancy Guthrie, AbundantLife, February 2

Like I said before, this message was very powerful for me. Even though I read my devotion every morning and blog, I don't think that is enough. Yes, I've been good at making it a habit and disciplining myself to do it every morning, but it's not enough. I need to feast more according to this message. Some days I will agree that I "flounder," and sometimes I do fall away only partially I guess, because I always come back and I always turn to God in the end. He has given me so many great opportunities in my life, many of which I've taken, many of which I over looked or shied away from. I depend on Him a lot of days, but sometimes I try to hard to do things on my own. Some days I pray less than others, I guess because my mind tells me I'm okay and don't need to. But that's not right. I am not fully feasting on Christ's death. I need to show that I am in every step of every day that I take. And I will admit that is not at all easy, it's very difficult to stay consistent in that. But you just have to keep on trying and pushing through. Everyone has that one thing that always comes back, that you're horrible at controlling and you always keep messing up. Perhaps your temper, or judgment of others. It's something you need to focus not directly on, but when you see it coming up, catch yourself. Have a verse or saying that reminds you who you want to be, and how much better off you are without doing said action.

We have to know that nothing on this earth can take the place of Jesus in our lives. Nothing can make you feel more fulfilled and happy. No worldly pleasure what so ever. Those are only temporary. Christ is eternal. 

"Christ must become as much a part of you as that which you eat. There must be a daily partaking, ingesting him into your life."

Your Love Never Fails - Jesus Culture

I totally encourage you to listen to this song. It is way awesome! 
God is always with us and we cannot ever forget that.

Tunnel - Third Day

There is an end to this. Don't give up. God is with you.