Prayer Verse

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. (Matthew 7:7, ESV)

2 comments January 18th, 2006

I’m Baaaaaack!

Yes, yes, yes… Thank you! Please sit down…thank you.

I know it has been a long time since I have posted here. Honestly, I have no single excuse as to the reason; rather, I suspect there are several. First, I am fairly certain this part of the year plays a roll in my change of mood. There are many events that have taken place over the past few years that make this holiday not as “merry” as it should be. Second and most important, it’s hard being a Christian! Seriously people…being closer to God definitely places a lot of mental stress on someone. I feel as if I have been tested non-stop since I began my walk with Christ and it’s very hard not to “nap”:

Keep a cool head. Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce, and would like nothing better than to catch you napping. (1 Peter 5:8, MSG)

Not that I’ve been napping but it has become increasingly harder to stay focused. Again, I believe my frustration with the holiday season has something to do with it. I’m upset how the true meaning of the Christmas Holiday has now been changed into something you would sell at Abercrombie and Fitch :

These are some big reasons of mine but one of the most important is (what seems to be) the lack of “doing” for others:

So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith. (Galatians 6:10, ESV)

Don’t get me wrong…I found true inspiration in my own family this holiday. Even in tough times, my parents still bought gifts for less fortunate children and were always willing to help others.

Being a part of God’s family is not easy work (not like my job…ha ha, yeah yeah). On your journey with Christ, many new challenges and tests stand in your path everyday. Personally, some of the lessons I have learned from God have opened my eyes and heart, changing my views on a lot of things in the world. I used to think “how is this going to benefit me?” Now, I think “how will this benefit YOU,” which has now manifested into difficulty connecting with Christ for me:

Why, O LORD, do you stand afar off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? (Psalms 10:1, ESV), O LORD, why do you cast my soul away? Why do you hide your face from me? (Psalms 88:14, ESV)

It’s human nature of think of “self” rather than “other”. Christ is with me at all times and most likely testing my faith to see how I do. I have prayed for the past few weeks that the Lord will renew my faith through the Holy Spirit and guess what?

Behold, I go forward, but he is not there, and backward, but I do not perceive him; on the left hand when he is working, I do not behold him; he turns to the right hand, but I do not see him. But he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold. My foot has held fast to his steps; I have kept his way and have not turned aside. I have not departed from the commandment of his lips; (Job 23:8-12, ESV)

1 comment December 28th, 2005

Being Thankful

On this day of Thanksgiving, I pray that each one of you takes just a few minutes of your time to Thank God for what you have been given over the past year. I’m sure some of you are thinking “yeah, but this year hasn’t been all that stellar…why would I give thanks for that?!” Because as a Christian, your faith should outweigh what your eyes see and your ears listen to everyday. What you have experienced or are currently experiencing is all part of God’s plan. Whether it is bad or good, he is in charge of your life and is continually saving you because you continue to have faith in him:

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God (Ephesians 4:12, ESV)

More than likely, you do not understand what it is you are going through. Remembering this verse will help you realize that everything the Lord does has a purpose and there is a lesson to be learned every second of the day:

Trust GOD from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for GOD’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track. (Proverbs 3:5-6, MSG)

Due to our limited understanding of life, it is very hard for us to clearly see what God’s intentions are. But guess what? We don’t have to worry about that!!! No matter how bad events in your life are, GOD IS IN CHARGE! The creator of the universe and all life within is with YOU and is guiding your life! Pray often that the Holy Spirit will continue to fill your hearts and allow you to give thanks for everything in your life.

So then, just as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to live in him. (Colossians 2:6, ISV)

1 comment November 24th, 2005

A verse I found…

I was at a Christian book store tonight and once again, I was flipping through a book and this passage really jumped out at me:

Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children’s children. (Deuteronomy 4:9, ESV)

In short, share with others what you have learned from your walk with Christ. Never be ashamed to let others know what God has taught you and allowed you to experience…bad or good. Someone, somewhere can learn from you (hence this website). By always remembering to help others, God will always be in the forefront of your daily activities. This will help others protect themselves from Satan by teaching them to open their hearts to the Holy Spirit.

Add comment November 19th, 2005

A month of celebration

On November 26th, 1989, I lost my brother to Leukemia. This is traditionally a difficult month for me and my family but what may be more of a challenge is to think of this month as a time for celebration. I’ll explain…

Jonathan had a long hard fight with a disease that was, at the time, hard to treat and even diagnose. After years of pain and suffering he finally went home to an eternity of peace, yet we as family (and even friends) still grieve. Common bible verses like this, often bring back sad memories:

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. (Psalm 23:4, ESV)

Typically, we associate this verse with the loss of a loved-one or friend, but many of us don’t really examine its meaning. It’s a testament to faith and the strength Jesus Christ has given us in our hearts. God was with my brother at his moment of death and I am willing to bet that Jonathan was comforted by God’s presence. He was with the LORD on his final journey home! How awesome! We should stay strong in our faith and trust in the Lord because he has taken in his child, who was suffering on this earth. It is hard to understand this sometimes because the grief in our minds often overcomes what we know in our hearts. Be at peace and celebrate, because a suffering child of God is forever in peace and happiness.

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7, ESV)

1 comment November 16th, 2005

A verse of Strength

Just thought I would post a short verse from Isaiah tonight. It seems many of the people I communicate with on a daily basis are in need of some faith and strength. This may be going around with others of you as well, so please read this verse. Study it and never forget that the God who created EVERYTHING in the universe, is the same God who is with YOU every breath of your life:

Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:28-31, ESV)

Add comment November 15th, 2005

Where are you?

In an earlier post, I talked about feeling lazy and not feeling the Holy Spirit around. Tonight, as I was driving home, I had a feeling that I was “slipping” back into the old way of doing things in my life…without God. The very moment I felt that’s where I was headed, I was terrified. I knew then God was still with me and that I was in the midst of a spiritual battle/test. I desperately needed some backup. I started reading one of my many Christian books again and found these five points from a Beth Moore book entitled “Believing God“:

1. God is who He says He is.

2. God can do what He says He can do.

3. I am who God says I am.

4. I can do all things through Christ.

5. God’s Word is alive and active in me.

These are great points to remember and excellent spiritual “backup” as well. I believe the key to staying strong spiritually is to continually exercise your faith. Without this, the normal day-to-day overtakes your thoughts and emotions and we often let down the guard of faith. This is when we are most tempted by lies and deceit from Satan:

Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” (Genesis 3:1, ESV)

The point of this verse is to show the ways the devil will try to manipulate those of us who are feeling weak spiritually. It is during these times when we are most vulnerable and need to have a swift “kick in the rear” to refresh our faith. There is a sentence in Joshua 3:3-4 that I actually read incorrectly but I think it’s an ironic message of having faith in God: “…you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before.”

The point I’m trying to make here is to trust the LORD with all your heart. Walking the Christian path is not easy and many of us…all of us…have no idea what lays ahead. That is why we have to have faith in the Holy Spirit to take us down the “road less traveled”, the road we have not been down before:

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. (Hebrews 11:1-3, ESV)

2 comments November 12th, 2005

Time Away

There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears. (Philippians 1:6, MSG)

It has been a few days since I have posted. To be honest, I’ve felt a little lazy and had nearly reached a point where I was trying to find something to write about. Why? Probably because I realized that on average, 617 (for October) people per day read these entries! That is a lot of people, considering that I had only started this to share my personal experiences and told no one about the site. Point being, I started to feel “pressured” to find things to talk about…as if I was forcing myself to write for others, not for myself.

The past week has been difficult, as I haven’t felt the Holy Spirit working, nor have I felt God around. Not to say I’m depressed or anything, I just went from a spiritual high to…nothingness. Then, last night I decided to pick up one of the many books I have started reading and came across a chapter about how God develops your character over time:

These things I plan won’t happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, do not despair, for these things will surely come to pass. Just be patient! They will not be overdue a single day! (2 Corinthians 3:18, LB)

Talk about a wake up call! I was beginning to feel like I was failing God again…which isn’t a good feeling. It’s like having recurring dreams of being in class, without your homework and knowing you didn’t study for that test! HA! I realized that we as a society are too adept at having everything as fast as possible. We are mentally and physically geared to expect things to happen now, rather than later. Working with computers, I know exactly how this thought process goes. I expect things to happen immediately, always looking for faster, bigger, better.

This way of thinking has spilled over into my spiritual life and I am now having to slowww down, and let God transform my life. For those of you in the same boat, we have to remember what we have learned. “Don’t forget in the dark, what God has told you in the light.”

It’s crucial that we keep a firm grip on what we’ve heard so that we don’t drift off. (Hebrews 2:1, MSG)

It’s not easy, by any means. Talk to each other about what you are going through. Read scripture. Most importantly, keep your faith strong and pray that the Holy Spirit will continue to guide you and keep you steady.

2 comments October 31st, 2005

Temptation and Guilt

How terrible it will be for the world because it causes people to sin! Temptations to sin are bound to happen, but how terrible it will be for that person who causes someone to sin! (Matthew 18:7, ISV)

I will cleanse them from all the guilt of their sin against me, and I will forgive all the guilt of their sin and rebellion against me. (Jeremiah 33:8, ESV)

There are many times during the day or night that we feel tempted to do something wrong. Maybe it’s nothing big. You may think “Ahhh, it won’t hurt anyone” or you try and talk yourself out of knowing it’s wrong. Do you ever battle with yourself over whether or not you’re going to do something that you feel is not Christ like? We all do! That’s because those thoughts of temptation actually come from within you, not something the Devil sends your way! Temptation is a choice, that’s it. It’s a choice between doing what is right (living like Jesus) and what is wrong (giving in to Satan’s lies).

The Devil will spare no expense to try and convince you to do his bidding. When you are tempted to do something, you already know what is right and wrong, because you debate with yourself over the issue. The mere fact that you have to decide means the Devil is working on you…trying to turn you against the Lord.

Watch Out! Don’t let evil thoughts or doubts make any of you turn from the living God. (Hebrews 3:12, CEV)

Almost everyone will feel a since of guilt associated with being tempted. This is normal!!! Everyone, Christian or not, is tempted everyday. There is no shame in it, as people often associate temptation with guilt. Remember, temptation is just a choice…not a sin. It only becomes a sin once you act upon it and give in to Satan’s lies. What people often fail to realize or remember is that God is RIGHT THERE WITH YOU! Just ask for his help! He wants you to! Whatever it is you are debating over, focus your attention on God and ask what to do. Ask for his help to dispel the thoughts of wrong doing and he will. Satan hates it when you pray to God and ask for his help on anything, much less to help fight back at evil doings.

And call for help when you’re in trouble– I’ll help you, and you’ll honor me. (Psalms 50:15, MSG)

If there is anything you take away from this post, remember that God is always with you, even when you are faced with evil. Also, don’t forget that even though you are tempted to do something, you still have a choice! Try and imagine what you may feel like after the fact…will God be happy?

1 comment October 24th, 2005

I’m back

It’s been a few days since I’ve posted but I had good reason! Thursday afternoon I received a flu shot and according to my Grandmother, I “got the flu.” Plus I had a huge project due for school and my final to deal with on Saturday, but all is well now.

I’ve started a “reading” program in regards to the bible. I’m going to read certain passages over the next 40 days, then hopefully start the “read the bible in a year” schedule. There are many things about the bible that intrigue me, which is probably the reason I own six copies (4 of which are different translations) and have a e-version of the bible (available free) on my computer, that houses six different versions as well. It seems that every time I randomly open the pages of this Book, I often learn something. It’s the source for life and the truth:

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. (Matthew 7:7-8, ESV)

Anyways, I wrote this post to make sure that you are finding the truth and source for your life in the bible. You should have one that really works for you, especially the translation. I prefer the NIV and ESV versions, but those may not be for you. Find one that you can read often and don’t be afraid to mark in it. Should a verse really make an impact with you, highlight it, write it down, remember it, and by all means, live by it.

Tomorrow, I’m going to post on Temptation and Guilt. Stay tuned…

Add comment October 23rd, 2005