It's okay to be UNSURE.

Uncertainty.

It makes us all a little nervous.

Mainly because in our society, being unsure is not okay, saying “I don’t know” feels like defeat.  I am in a Contemporary Moral Problems class at UCA and it is absolutely awful. All the class is about is questioning God’s existence, I know good and well that OUR LORD is VERY real. But the majority of that class isn’t so sure and it breaks my heart. There are students that do not believe in God but know the bible back and forth, MUCH better than me! And the professor does too! It is very intimidating. The first day of class I just listened. The second day of class, I listened again. But on the third day of class, the discussion was about ‘why God puts bad things in the world, and what makes them bad, if He even exists.’ IF HE EVEN EXSITS?!  Personally, I had never met anyone who put it that way. I was shocked. I was upset and I thought ‘someone has to stand up for our God!’  I spoke up and said ‘Satan is the reason for all bad things in this world, OUR God only does GOOD.’ It was a blur after that, the professor asked me if I wanted to explain but I just was DONE talking. I was upset, flustered, and confused. He asked me another question after that, and I do not even remember what it was. I told him I did not understand what he was trying to say but the thing was that I did understand…I just didn’t know the answer.

 I didn’t want to look stupid or look as though I didn’t know about God; because I DO KNOW about God, I don’t know a ton of scriptures, but I know what God has done for me. AND I know what He can do for YOU! I DO KNOW that He is in my heart and my relationship with Him is more than I could ever ask for, and that he is taking me on a journey, and that I WANT to do His work here at this college! THAT is what I am going to do! People will challenge your faith, and ask you questions that you cannot answer. In circumstances like these, “I don’t know” might very well be the best answer we can give. We don’t want anyone to think we are stupid, but the truth is that it is better to confess ignorance than to try to make up an explanation out of thin air. You can tell that person that you simply do not know and that you can do some research and get back to them. NONE of us can answer every possible question that a skeptic might have, but you have something bigger….YOUR STORY. How you came to know Christ. That is one of the most important things you can give. We often miss the adventure of a spiritual conversation just because we are afraid that we are going to be asked questions that we are unsure of. But that’s OKAY! 1 Peter 3:15 tells us “Always be prepared to give an answer to anyone who asks you to give a REASON for the HOPE that you have.” And when a seemingly unanswerable issue confronts you, remember that Christianity has withstood similar challenges for TWO millennia.

FACEBOOK; BASIC INFO

You receive a friend request, scroll down to ‘Basic Info’, to Religious Views---‘Christian’.

What makes someone a genuine Christian? Good, GENUINE people are hard to come by these days!  Anyone can select ‘Christian’ on FaceBook as their Religious Views. If there is one thing I have learned since being in college it is that, not everyone is who they say they are. You can only tell their true identity through their actions. The bible tells us to do ALL things for the GLORY of God, why ‘pretend’!? Let us worship Him and be THANKFUL, FOR REAL!!!!

Isaiah 29:13

The Lord says “These people come near to me with their mouth, and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up on only rules taught by men.”

Instead of going to church FOR GOD, and being motivated in a spiritual lifestyle FOR GOD, why do some do it for the glory of being called a Christian or because that is what ‘SOCIETY’ expects of them? What can be gained from pretending to have a relationship with God? I cannot understand why someone would do that?! Because our God is SO wonderful! Why would you only want to pretend to have Him in your life, when the benefits you reap are so AMAZING!!!! God blesses us every day!

In Isaiah 29:13, it explains to us that God is ALL knowing, and why would you try to trick the people of the world to believe something that is not true, when the only opinion that REALLY matters is our Almighty God! And He knows every thought you think, every word you speak, and every move you make! There is NO fooling our maker!

“The ruthless with vanish, the MOCKERS will disappear and all who have an eye for evil will be cut down.” -Isaiah 29:20

LIVE YOUR LIFE FOR GOD FOR THE RIGHT REASONS, IT CAN BE AN AMAZING JOURNEY!!!!

R-E-S-P-E-C-T!

Dictionary.com defines respect as 'esteem for or a sense of the worth or excellence of a person, a personal quality or ability, or something considered as a manifestation of a personal quality or ability.' Surveys show that lots of teens are concerned about improving your self image, but obviously we don't know how to go about it! The BEST way to begin to feel good about yourself is to make good choices.

1 Samuel 12:3-4
Samuel speaks "Here I stand. Testify against me in the presence of the Lord. Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey have I taken? Whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed? From whose hand have I accepted a bribe to make me shut my eyes? If I have done any of these, I WILL make it right."

Then all the people accepted Samuel, or you could say he earned their RESPECT! By Samuel telling the people that he would gladly make everything right that he had done wrong, they respected that!

So, for YOU, live a caring, honest, and godly life. You will not only develop a good self-image, other people will respect you too! If you live the chrisian life constantly, and abide by God's Word, in time everyone will learn to respect you!

Fully Obey, Right Away!

"Happy are those who live pure lives,
Who follow the Lord's teachings.
Happy are those who keep His rules,
Who try to OBEY Him with
Their whole heart"
Psalm 119:1-2


Has God ever asked you to do something really hard?

Do you think about how wonderful it is to live by God's truth, or do you constantly try to think up ways to avoid having to be too serious about living right? If you find that you are more interested in doing your own thing, maybe it's time to rethink a couple of things.

DAILY God will speak to me, and I know he is telling me to do something. But it is so hard to put what you are doing on the backburner and do the right thing for God, right then. God is looking for wholehearted followers, and we CANNOT say to Him "Okay Lord I will do that later"
  Because you do not know what God's intentions are of you completing this task, maybe it needs to be done RIGHT THEN. It could fully impact someone elses life. Only He knows. God wants you to live your life as an offering to Him (Romans 12:1) The bible tells us that we should constantly offer up to Him in our daily walk as beleivers. There is so many books in the Bible on Obedience, obviously God wanted to make it clear to us- that He wants our Obedience! In 1 Kings, all of their behavior in response to God's commands summed up their whole existence! It also tells us in 1 Chronicles that obedience brings blessings; disobedience brings judgment. While God is loving, merciful, and generous by nature, he reserves His greatest blessings for those who submit to His GUIDANCE. 

If you are struggling with the attitude that obeying God is just a big, boring chore, ask him to help you. He loves you, and once you start truly loving Him back, obeying Him will stop feeling like some kind of unpleasant task; it'll becomg your greatest joy!

One more verse for the road! :)

"I enjoy living by your rules,
as people enjoy great riches.
I think about your orders
And study your ways.
I enjoy obeying your demands,
And I will not forget your word"

Pslam 119:14-16

Being a Patient Person

“Patience is better than strength.”  –Proverbs 16:32

Human beings are naturally impatient! I know that everyone has gotten aggravated that you either had to wait an extra hour in a doctor’s office, wait in line, or even in traffic. But that kind of waiting is not the only kind of impatience that exists. You can be impatient with people or even friends when they sin or just make you mad. God tells us that no matter if we are waiting on people or even trying to be patient with our Lord that we should be patient and know that God works perfectly in timing. Because there is a reason God wants you to wait for certain things. Often when we are impatient, it can bring out the absolute worst in us. Ranting and raving and letting loose a fury of hurtful words is extremely destructive. But patience draws on the Holy Spirit’s strength and holds on to peace. There are many important examples of people in the Bible that had to be patient, pray through all the waiting and they were all blessed for it! Examples are: Job & his wife, Hannah in 1 Samuel, and Sarai in Genesis. God is abundantly patient with you, and we are told to be like our Almighty Maker! Sometimes I think, “Well, if I am patient I can’t just get these things done.” BUT actually the bible tells us…. True power often comes to us in the unique form of patience. I know that it is hard to pray and pray, wait and wait, for God to move in a person’s life, or to get you out of a bad situation. BUT God will surely move and while waiting for Him to work His miracles we have to seize every moment we have been given, and introduce others to our AMAZING Savior! God doesn’t put you in situations that you can’t ultimately get through.

So pray to God that He will take away your impatience and help you to know that He IS listening!

Worldly Things

"Do not love the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man loves the world, the love of the Jesus Christ is not in him. Worldly things are not from our Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live FOREVER.” I John 2:15.

John here tells us that the love of the world thrusts the love of God out of our hearts. We can be growing SO close to God, but as soon as we participate in worldly activities (i.e. Partying, drinking, ect.) we can no longer be able to keep drawing nearer and nearer to Jesus! I feel like you have to work much harder to get that walk back with Him after we have sinned in such a worldly way!

Some of your friends may ask you, “Why is drinking and smoking so bad? I don’t see why God would care if I did those things?” Well, in 1 Corinthians 6:19 is tells us “Do you not realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you & was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you at a high price. So you MUST honor God with your body.” God gave up His one and only Son for us, the least we can do is LIVE for him! (Plus if you are my age….it’s illegal! Haha! And of course God tells us to obey the laws of the land! J)

It also tells us in Romans Chapter 12 NOT to copy the behaviors and customs of the world, not to let this world shape us; but to let God transform the way you think and you will no longer have a desire for these worldly things.

Another thing God says to us in the Bible is found in Philippians 4:8-9. “Brothers & Sisters, think about the things that are good and worthy of praise. Think about the things that are true and honorable, right and pure, beautiful and respected. Do what you learned and received of me, what I told you, and what you saw me do. And the God who gives peace will be with you!”  

Do everything you do in God’s name! He will surely bless you for it! <3

Blessings in Disguise

 "God can work ALL things together for good." Romans 8:28

We are so blessed in so many ways. Just think of all the ways we are blessed; whether it is a roof over your head, living in a country where we can express our beliefs freely or having people that really care for you. No matter who you are, YOU are blessed. Most of us know that we ARE blessed but sometimes we take these things for granted. But, have you ever thought about ways that God could be blessing you that you didn't think were blessings at the time? I like to call these 'Blessings in Disguise'!

When something happens in your life that you feel shouldn't be there or is hindering your walk with God you may think 'Why is God letting this happen to me? Doesn't he love me?'

And the answer is, if you trust God in this tragedy, He will bring you through it, and bless you in ways you can't even understand! God will always use the bad things that happen if your life for good.

God can use terrible circumstances for an awesome plan! Trust God at all times and know that He does not intend any harm on you.

You may even be SO shocked that God put you in that situation that you think you are not big enough to overcome it, but with His help you CAN overcome anything! If God is for us, no one can defeat us (Romans 8:31). 

And when you DO overcome the situation, which if you stay true to God you WILL, the results may be the opposite of what you wanted but they will be so rewarding that you would not want it any other way! 

God KNOWS what is best for you, and when you can't see that…He will show you, and you may not want to do it at the time but in the long run you will NEVER regret doing the right thing for Jesus!