1 John

During one of my devotions I started to read out of 1 John. It amazing how God can speak through my devotions that I do and how He knows exactly what I need to read and learn about in order to help me in my walk with Him. Right now I am specifically reading out of 1 John 4:1-6. This part of the bible is talking about testing the spirits. We are not supposed to believe everything we hear but we are supposed to test it against Gods word. Not everything that is going to be told to us, no matter how convincing it may seem, will always be correct. God’s word says the devil is on the prowl like a hungry lion ready to devour. For this very reason we must be on our guard against evil because it is everywhere in the world. The devil will even lie to us through people saying its from the word of God. This devotion reminds me that I need to be on my guard against anything the devil might through at me. No matter how convincing it may seem at the time.

Love

The true meaning of love is found in 1 Corinthians chapter 13 verses 1 though 13. The main point in this chapter is the excellence of love. Paul in these verse keeps on saying how if you do not have love, you are nothing. Paul says that love is patient and kind. And list off many more qualities that love should have. In verse 11 he says that when he became a man he did away with childish things. Then Paul goes on and says that there is faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these things is love.

            I personally love this chapter. It reminds me what love truly is and that love is not what our world makes it to be. This kind of love is a pure selfless love that I will work on till the day I die and with God’s help might someday achieve. Love is straight from God and he is the one who truly shows us this love everyday

Devotional

This week for one of my devotions I read out of John 9:35-41. This part of the bible is where Jesus is talking and teaching about Spiritual Blindness. Jesus asks a man if he believes in the Son of Man. The guy wanted to know who the Son of Man was so that he could believe in Him. Jesus responded by saying that the Son of Man is the one talking to you. The guy then said that he believed and worshiped Jesus.

     Jesus came into this world to take away our spiritual blindness so that we can truly walk with Him in a personal relationship. When we turn to Christ, you begin to see Him differently. The more we “walk” with Him, the more we understand Him. This shows me that if I want a better understanding of God I have to keep developing my relationship with Him.

 

Immanuel

In Matthew 1:23 the Bible reads, “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.””  It is amazing that Jesus’ birth was prophesied so many years before it happened in Isaiah chapter seven. This just goes to show that God will always come through in all of His promises. He will never leave anything unfulfilled. It is not in His nature to do so. He is a trust worthy God who will never let you down.

Another amazing thing that stuck out to me in this verse is that it says the child shall be born to a virgin. This is able to demonstrate what a miracle this conception and birth actually was. God was able to place His son in the womb of Mary without her having to do anything but be willing to be used by God. It is incredible what God will do in our lives if we make our selves available and ready to do His work no matter what He asks us to do. At times the things He asks us to do may seem extremely hard and difficult but if we choose to follow after God and listen for the calling on our lives He will help us every step of the way. Also in the end there will always be a reward for us. Blessings come in many different forms; our own lives can be an example to others if we allow God to mold us and use His people to do His work. Thank you Father so much for all that you have done in my own life, thank you for always being Faithful to me even though I may stumble. Your truly are an amazing God.

 

Solitude

 The title of the devotion was the Will to be faithful. The main verse that stuck out to me while I read was Joshua 24:14-15. These verses say, “Now, therefore, fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.  If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

            Each and every day a person has to make to the choice to serve the Lord in what they do. In taking a stand for the Lord, Joshua again displayed his spiritual leadership. Regardless of what others decided, Joshua had made a commitment to God. He was able to set an example of how we are to live our lives for Christ. I can only hope that I am able to set an example for the people I lead and that they will grow up in a life that they choose to follow after God in every aspect. No matter what happens in life. Once a person chooses to be controlled by God’s Spirit, they have to reaffirm there choice every day.

Psalms 91 and 92

Psalms 91 theme is all about God’s protection in the midst of danger. God does not make us any promises that our lives will be free from trails but He does say He is with us no matter what happens and will help us if we let Him. I love what the author says in verses one through six in how God is always a shelter and a refuge when we are afraid. The author understood that God is able to carry him through all the fears and trails in life. He was able to fully trust in the Lord as his protector and this should be an example for how we should trust God always with our lives no matter how great or how horrible a Christians life maybe be at the time. God will never leave you or forsake you.

            Then in Psalms 92 the theme is that we are to be thankful for everything we have and in every situation. We are also to faithful to God in everything a Christian does. Psalms 92:1-2 reads “It is good to give thanks to the Lord and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; To declare Your loving kindness in the morning and Your faithfulness by night”. The Lord is always worthy of all praise and honor. He created everything there is on this earth and He gave us the ability to create the things we need.  It is so amazing how God was able to design a universe, plants, and all living things. Our Creator is deserving of all of our thankfulness, He is the one who has given us life.

The truth

In today’s world, being a Christian is looked down upon by the magazines, books, and internet. When bad things happen in everyday life, some people claim there is no God because if there was He would surely not let these things affect people’s lives. People do not wish to be tied down by rules, and several say they will trust in Christ after they have had their fun. They wish to have fun and to have the freedom to do so.  Christians are being told there are too many rules to the Christian life style. Being a Christian is not all about the rules or how someone feels at that moment but about a relationship with the Creator of the universe.

            The truth is, God is always willing to help anyone who chooses to accept Him as the persons Lord and Savior. Even though at times it may seem like He is distant and far off, He is not. Hebrews 13:5 says, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” It is a fact that sin has entered the world and bad things do happen, but those things are not from the Lord.  James 1:17 reads, “Every good and perfect gift comes from the Father above, who does not change like shifting shadows.”  Those hard times throughout life are meant to help Christians grow in their walk and faith with God by relying on Him. God is always present, helping His children survive through the issues that happen in life.

I know from personal experience that it has constantly been beneficial to reap blessings from being obedient to God’s Holy Word. If people were to give God, a chance it would be worth their time and fully rewarding. There is so much more to being a Christian if a person is willing to invest in a relationship with the Creator of the universe.  The goodness of God’s faithfulness to believers is apparent because even when we are unfaithful to Him, He remains faithful to us.  The prophet Micah rejoiced in God’s faithfulness, exulting, “Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage?  He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in mercy” (7:18).  Whenever someone is in need, that person can rely on the faithfulness of God’s promises.

Marriage

On my last past i talked about marriage. So i decided to come up with things I would look for in the man I would like to marry.

1. He must be fully devoted to God and have God be the savior of my spouses life. 2 Corinthians 6:14 says Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? I wish to follow the bible and be equally yoked with my spouse.
2. He has to be involved actively in the church. The bible says to have fellowship with other believers. This helps with encouragement and also helps strengthen people.
3. He has to be encouraging and uplifting. I would not want to marry someone that has a negative look on life and only sees the bad instead of the good. In every situation there can be good seen. God can turn anything around and use it for his good.
4. He has to be funny. I just like funny people that are laid back and not serious every minute of their lives. Yes there are times when you are suppose to be serious but having a little fun is not a sin.
5. He has to love kids. I want kids even though I know that they will be little pains and they will make me mad. I have always wanted to be a mother to a big family.
6. He must have a good work ethic. A hard worker because he must be able to provide for me and my family.
7. He has to have a good personality. Personality tells a lot about a person and who they are.
8. He has to be wise with money. I am already a tight wad when it comes to money. I can’t buy anything without a coupon or a sale. I just want both of us to be smart when it comes to financial decisions.
9. He has to be patient. Love is patient.  
10. Lastly he must love me the way I am. I do not want some guy that thinks he is going to change me because I am the way I am for a reason and that’s not going to change.

I am so blessed that God has put a man in my life that is all of these things.

Good Old Marriage

The stability of marriage is a by-product of an iron-willed determination to make it work. That you must go into that life long commitment not even allowing the thought of splitting up to enter your head. Marriage was created by God to never be broken and if it does break it brings hardships, troubles, and pain. With God I believe that any married couple can work out their troubles and remain in that covenant that they made with each other and to God. In a paper i had to do a while back I had to interview someone who was married that I looked up too.

            The person I interviewed is named Gina Hoffman and is married to John Hoffman. Gina had said because she was a friend with John before they started to date and then got married there were no real surprises when she got married because she knew John as a friend. I think getting to know someone before you consider him or her for marriage is incredibly important. My mom told me that you must have something deeper that the feelings of surface romance because if that all you have your marriage will fall apart and you will be left with a stranger that you thought you knew.  Having that friendship with the person you marry will help out when things get though.

 

Wrecked

My story of being wrecked would be in high school. God had called me into leadership but I was against it. I was so afraid of leading people that I kind of ignored the call of God. But as everyone knows God always gets his way. It reminds me a lot of Joana and the whale. No matter how far he ran away God always turned him back to where he was suppose to be. Anyways my mentor told me to pray about it and really think and meditate on it. Then at winter came during the first night of worship God specifically told me I need to do this and I finally surrendered to what he wanted.

But shortly after becoming a small group leader I was thrown into a desert where I could no longer feel God. This season in my life was hard for me because I did not understand. I would always ask God why can't I feel you. I humbled my self and did what you wanted me too. I was actively serving Him and through this time I pressed into Him even more and began to learn even more about Him even when I could not feel Him. This season in my life lasted from the beginning of sophomore year all the way through my senior year of high school. This time during my life was extremely hard for me but I was able to get through it because I had a mentor and friends who always pushed me to push even deeper into God. I was able to learn so much from this experience. God showed me that I do not always need to feel Him in order to truly worship Him.  I was able to also grow in my relationship with God on a deeper level.