A New Heart

I wrote this a while ago, and I finally got around to posting it. It was sort of a journal entry/ what God was speaking to my heart. 

On my 16th birthday I received a very special gift from one of my very best friends. It was a beautiful necklace that he made himself. In the middle was a cross, and hanging off of it was a small heart-shaped charm, held by a small hoop. I wore it every day, never leaving the house without it. I got compliments about it all of the time. I smiled with pride, I felt special knowing that my friend had made it for me.

I was in art class recently when I realized that the heart had fallen off. I looked for it everywhere, and I couldn't find it. I looked through my backpack, hoping it had fallen in there somewhere. My disappointment grew with each notebook I flipped through and every moment I spent searching.

I told my friend about it, expecting him to be as upset as I was when I first found out. He had worked so hard on it. I felt like I had failed him, felt ashamed that I had let it break when I knew he had spent so much time making it perfect. His expression didn't change. He simply kept smiling and said "I'll just make you a new one." I told him he didn't have to, but he insisted that it wasn't a big deal. 

Today he made me a new charm, sending me pictures while he did so. I felt really thankful that he wasn't upset about it. That he was so generous and kind and instantly wanted to fix it for me. He actually told me he liked this one better than he liked the first, and I had to agree with him. 

He dropped off an envelope with the charm and handwritten directions on how to attach it to the necklace. He told me that I don't have to worry about if it breaks again, because he'd fix it. I showed the charm to my mom and said "Look, he made me a new heart. Isn't that sweet?" God spoke to me as the words escaped my mouth. 

You see, this situation is a great picture of how we might sometimes relate to Jesus. He gives us this wonderful gift of life, completing us with a heart made perfectly by him. While we can't misplace our heart, we can do things that make it gross and undesirable. Once we start searching for what we once were, He steps in. He tells us that we can stop searching and just surrender to Him. He begins to work in us. He doesn't get angry, He simply says "I love you, and I would do anything for you." His death on the cross allows us to be made new. We can be washed clean. Not only does he get rid of our nasty, filthy, dirty, sin-stained hearts, he creates a clean, pure, new heart. Just for us. Complete with His promise that when things get lost or broken, He will do whatever it takes to make things right again, better than they were before. ♥ 

Knowing the Difference: Satan's Lies vs God's Truth

But the giant's calling out my name and he laughs at me/Reminding me of all the times I've tried before and failed/The giant keeps on telling me/Time and time again "boy, you'll never win!/"You'll never win"/But the voice of truth tells me a different story/And the voice of truth says "Do not be afraid!"/And the voice of truth says "This is for My glory"/Out of all the voices calling out to me/I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth
~From the song Voice of Truth by Casting Crowns

I'm sure you know what it's like to be lied to. Maybe you've told a few lies of your own. Maybe you've even believed some lies.
Actually, if you're like me, you've believed a LOT of lies in your lifetime. And I'm not talking about the "She's the one who took the last cookie" lies.
I'm talking about the lies of Satan. You know, the ones that aren't very in your face. But just because they aren't in your face doesn't mean they can't be very destructive and cause a lot of damage.

The Bible calls Satan the father of all lies, and the great deceiver. He will stop at nothing to try to make us believe things that aren't true. About ourselves, people around us, even about God!

...He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. ~John 8:44

And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. ~2 Corinthians 11:14

The first lie he ever told to a human happened back in Genesis. He lied to Eve, telling her that it wasn't wrong to eat the forbidden fruit. She believed him. Do you think he stopped there? No.

Think about some of the daily thoughts you have about yourself.
I'm ugly.
I'm unloved.
I'm unwanted.
I've fallen too far to be forgiven.
I should have never been born. 

These are some of the lies I notice a lot of people believing about themselves today. But sadly, a lot of them don't know that they're lies! There are also a lot of other lies people believe about sin, and God.

Disobeying and disrespecting my parents is okay. What do they know anyway?
Getting wasted with my friends isn't bad. I want to fit in.
Lust isn't a big deal.
I'm in love with him. It doesn't matter if we're not married. We've been together for a long time. 
This situation is just too small to ask God for help. God doesn't care about my life. 

So how can we know the difference between what is true about ourselves, and what the lies are? To know which are lies, we must first know the truth.
Jesus calls Himself the Way, the Truth, and the Life. The key word we're looking for here is Truth. And where can we find Jesus? In the Good Book.

Looking in the book of Matthew chapter 4, we see that Jesus used the word of God to rebuke Satan.
Jesus was in the desert, fasting, and He became hungry. So Satan tried to tempt Him by telling him that if He was the Son of God, He should tell the rocks to turn to bread. Jesus responded with "It is written...'a person lives not on bread alone, but by everything God says.'" Then Satan takes Him to a high place of a temple, telling Him to jump down, because the Bible says that God would command His angels to catch Him. Again, Jesus responds by quoting scripture. "It also says in the Scriptures, 'Do not test the Lord your God'". Then Satan takes Him to the top of a mountain and tells Him that if Jesus would bow down to him, he would give Him all of the kingdoms of the world. But Jesus said "Go away from me Satan! It is written... 'You must worship the Lord your God and serve only Him.'" After this, Satan leaves.

The thing I've come to realize about Satan is that for every truth God has, he has a lie to counteract it. It is so important that we know the truth about ourselves, because what we believe about ourselves strongly affects so many things in our lives!
So remember those lies I told you to think about earlier? Are you thinking of them now? Lets look into the Bible and find the truth that goes with each lie.


I'm ugly. Psalm 139:14 says that I am fearfully and wonderfully made by God and His works are wonderful.
I'm unloved. John 3:16, 1 John 3:1, 1 John 4:9-11, and Romans 5:8 say that God loved me so much that He sent His son to die for me even while I was still a sinner so that I could be made alive and become His child. 
I'm unwanted. Jeremiah 29:11 and 31:3 say that God knows the plans he has for me, to give me a hope and a future. He wants a relationship with me more than He wants to rule over me.
I've fallen too far to be forgiven. 1 John 1:9 says that if I confess my sin, He will forgive me and cleanse me and purify me from all unrighteousness.
I should have never been born. Jeremiah 1:5 says that before He formed me in the womb, He knew me and set me apart.

Disobeying and disrespecting my parents is okay. What do they know anyway? Ephesians 1:1-3 and Colossians 3:20 say that I should obey my parents because it pleases God.
Getting wasted with my friends isn't bad. I want to fit in. Ephesians 5:18, 1 Corinthians 6:10 and 1 Peter 5:8 say that I should be sober-minded and filled with the Spirit because drunkards will not inherit God's Kingdom.
Lust isn't a big deal. Jesus said in Matthew 5:28 that even lust is considered adultery of the heart.
I'm in love with him. It doesn't matter if we aren't married.  We've been together for a long time. 1 Corinthians 3:16-17, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, Hebrews 13:4, Genesis 2:24, Ephesians 5:5 and Romans 12:1 say that sex is for marriage only, and I am to honor God with my body because it belongs to Him. 
This situation is just too small to ask God for help. God doesn't care about my life. Psalm 139 says that God has examined me and knows everything about me, when I wake up, when I sleep. He knows my thoughts before I think them. He knows my words before I speak them.

I challenge you to make a list of all of the lies that Satan has you believing about yourself. Maybe the list I made can help you. Then, go back and look into the Bible to see what the truth is. Speak them over yourself. Even if you don't believe it at first. Eventually you will start to believe it. Ask God to help you.

One thing I struggled with in the past was severe anxiety. I had really bad panic attacks for a long time. And God totally healed me from it! Satan's lies just made my anxiety worse. He would try to make me believe things would happen so that I would be scared to go to school. It was really hard. But after praying really hard and speaking the truth over myself that I found in the bible (Perfect love casts out fear 1 John 4:18) I began to heal from it, to the point where I don't have panic attacks anymore! Sometimes Satan will try to come in and tell me that I am not healed, but I rebuke him and tell him that I have been healed in Jesus' name and recite what the Bible says about fear. 

I hope you have found this encouraging and helpful. And remember, if you are struggling with severe anxiety or depression or thoughts of wanting to hurt yourself, it is okay to get help! God gave us doctors and counselors, and there is no reason not to utilize them! Just don't put more faith in them than you do in your God! He has all the answers, but there are times when He also wants us to reach out for help. You could also tell an adult, or a trusted friend about what you're going through, and I'm sure they would be willing to pray with and for you! 

One more thing: No matter what you've done, there IS forgiveness! So if you've gone too far with your boyfriend, or you've completely wronged someone, you don't have to feel like you're beyond forgiveness. Jesus will always love you. Just repent and ask Him for forgiveness. He will receive you with open arms and heal you from any hurt you're carrying.

Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow ~ Isaiah 1:18

Jesus loves you guys! Whatever you're struggling with, talk to Jesus! He is always listening, so just pour out your heart to Him and He will comfort you! 

Everything in Love

It seems like I've had a lot of free time on my hands lately, school hasn't started back up for me yet. With all the craziness of Christmas and New Years gone, I decided it would be a good time to start a blog post. But let me start by saying that God put something on my heart this year for a New Years Resolution, and that is to spend more time with him each day. I want to read my bible daily and spend more time in worship and in prayer. So far, I'm actually doing pretty well. My goal is to do just as well when school resumes.

With all of this free time came some to spend on the computer. So tonight I logged in to Project Inspired. If you're a girl that hasn't heard of this website yet, go check it out! It's a wonderful place for teen girls to find advice of all kinds. There's also a lot of beauty and fashion related stuff on there too.

After logging in to the chat room, we began talking. About a lot of things at first. Nothing really in particular. Then the topic of cussing came up. So we all just began sharing our opinions.

If you know me, you know I usually have a lot to say, especially if its something spiritual or somehow faith related. So I just started sharing what was on my heart.

When it comes to cussing, to me, you have three categories.
1) Your "swear" words. Yup. I'm talking your F-bombs and all that stuff. Stuff people consider the "bad" words.
2) Your Euphemisms. You know, instead of saying the actual "bad" word, you're saying "Fricken" or "Freaking" "Gosh Dangit"  "Dang."
3) And lastly, your "Careless" words. When I brought this up, many of the girls were confused and asked what I meant. So, I shared this verse:

"But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned." (Matthew 12:36-37).

Basically, what this verse is talking about are idle words. Words spoken that have no purpose, or have little thought behind them as to whether or not they are helping anyone, or glorifying God.

Then, another Project Inspired user shared this verse and brought something to my attention:

If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. 1 Corinthians 13:1-3

No matter what we do, or say, if it's not done or said in love, it's all in vain.

About a year ago, I was being asked by my mom to do something that I really didn't want to do. And yes, she did have to ask me twice. When she asked me the second time, she also warned me that I would be punished if I didn't do what she said. So I started to do what she told me to do, but only because I didn't want to be punished for not doing it. Then, God spoke to my heart and brought this verse to my attention. I decided to examine my heart and change my attitude and motives. So instead of doing it in fear of being punished, I did it because I loved my mom and I wanted to obey her.

So, friends, let this encourage you to examine your heart and be more careful about what you say and do. No matter what it is, if love is not our motivation, then we're doing it for the wrong reasons.

Let all that you do be done in love. 1 Corinthians 16:14

Love is a Promise

Lately, God has been speaking to me about Love. 

I feel like our society cheapens the word. We use the word love in place of other words that don't have as much meaning. We say "Oh I love that TV show!" or "I love that song" when we could say "I really like that TV show!" or "I really enjoy that song!" and then we try to say we "love" people and that we "Love" God. But do we really feel as strongly about that TV show and that song as we do about God and people?

And what happens if we tell someone we love them? What are we really saying when we utter the words "I love you" ?

Most of us have heard of 1 Corinthians 13, you know, the Love Chapter. There's a reason they call it that. It has a lot to say about love!

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 

God brought me to this verse, and then told me that when saying "I love you", we are promising to follow these verses. You've probably heard "Love isn't an emotion", or, "Love is a verb" many times. It's kind-of cliche. But it is so true! 

Telling someone you love them is really saying: "I will be patient with you. I will be kind to you. I won't get jealous, I won't brag, I won't be proud. I won't dishonor you. I will be selfless. I won't be easily angered at you. I won't remember your wrongdoings. I will always protect you, and trust you. I will always hope for you and persevere."

Saying "I love you" is promising all of these things. 

And truly loving someone is doing your very best to keep all of the promises you made when you spoke those three words. 

Kindness, No Matter What

by Alexis 

Today, God has been speaking to me about being nice to people no matter what.

You know that person who you don’t like because they’re always acting immature, or that girl you aren’t friends with just because she makes fun of you or your friends? Well, there is always going to be somebody like that. But that doesn’t mean you have the right to hate them. You never know what they could be going through in their lives, and hating them could make it worse. It certainly doesn’t help the way kindness and love can.

The first thing this morning, I woke up after a bad dream. In it, my four year old brother, Nick,  and my dad were in a different room than I was. The room that I was in was dark. My dad came in, reached out to grab my hand and my sister’s hand, and he told us all, “Nick is having a heart attack.” It didn’t occur to me until after I woke up that nobody was actually freaking out. My dad was doing nothing but standing there.

Later in the dream, it somehow turned into “Nick has a tumor.” He was lying in a bed that we rolled around. He was dying of cancer. We brought him around to do a bunch of stuff before he died. He was acting like my one year old brother, Zack, and saying “bad guy” over and over the same way Zack does (I have no idea why). I forget what happened in the rest of the dream, and before I knew it, I was awake. One of the first things I heard from my mom was that Nick had an appointment at the doctor’s office for a cough that my mom and sister had already had. We knew he needed medicine. After hearing about this appointment, I thought, “Well, at least he isn’t dead.”

Then, I babysat almost all day, and when I got home, I got on the computer. I went on an awesome Facebook page, Christian memes. They always post about new videos from one of my favorite YouTube channels, BlimeyCow. A new one had come out today, so I watched it. It’s called “Seven Things Everybody Needs to Be Told”. The main idea is that you should be nice to people – and maybe tell them one of the seven things (i.e. I love you) -- no matter how they act, because their behavior could be a product of bad experiences at home or with friends. You don’t know what somebody is going through. So, you should always remember to treat everybody with kindness, not hatefulness.

A short time later, I was scrolling through my newsfeed when I found a funny picture of the SkitGuys. They had put their faces on Monster’s Inc’s Mike Wizowski and Sulley’s bodies. That reminded me that I hadn’t watched a SkitGuys video in a pretty long time, so I got on YouTube and looked them up. I figured that, in all that time that I hadn’t watched their videos, they had to have a new one up. Sure enough, I found a title that I didn’t recognize, and watched “Skit Guys - Little Billy: My God is So Big”. It’s about a little boy, Billy, at Sunday School whose teacher, Miss Linda, had been absent for a while. There had been many substitutes before, and the new one was the teacher’s husband. Billy was being his typical self, and tried to reject the new substitute. When the sub tried to sing My God Is So Big, Billy complained that that was “Miss Linda’s song” and that the new teacher couldn’t sing it. He tried to sing Jesus Loves Me instead. The two characters go through a funny skit about Billy and the new teacher.

Towards the end, Billy finally ends up asking, “Why do we have to sing Miss Linda’s song?” And at this, the sub got quiet. “Because my wife has cancer,” he started to say. With a tear in his eye, he explains to Billy, “My wife is very sick. She asked me if I could come today, and I just thought we could sing her favorite song…” As the teacher goes on about Miss Linda, Billy starts to feel bad. Once the sub fell quiet, Billy started to sing, “My God Is So Big.” And that was the end of the video.

After I watched this funny and beautiful video, I realized the main idea of today: that you don’t know what people might be going through, so you should be nice to them. I put everything together in my mind: in the dream, I experienced what it might feel like to have one of my little brothers die. Many people go through this in real life, and others go through other problems, such as abuse. It could greatly affect them, causing them to act up, bully others, or get stuck in bad moods all the time. The BlimeyCow video demonstrated what might happen if people like this were encouraged more, and ignored less. Lastly, the SkitGuys video was related to this. The substitute and Billy didn’t get along, partly because of Billy’s stubbornness, but also greatly because of what the teacher was going through.

My point is, be nice. That bully at school? Show kindness to him or her. That kid who is always in a bad mood, and who just “doesn’t want to talk about it?” Don’t push it, but make sure they understand that you’re there to listen if they need you. Sure, sometimes you can’t do much. But even those small things can make a huge difference. So, let somebody know that they have a friend. And I don’t mean you. You should be a friend to them, of course, but be sure to remind them that Jesus is their everlasting friend.

The Bad Things...

God, this world needs You.
What is the point in a comfortable life if it doesn't include a close walk with You?
What's the point in the internet and facebook and texting if all it does is distance us from You?
Lord, what's he point in anything that doesn't draw my heart into Yours?
Maybe there is a point to pain.
Because pain can cause us to run to You.
and You lead us to freedom.
Maybe, just maybe, pain leads to greater freedom than comfort.
Maybe, al of the bad things in my life cause me to be closer to You.
Romans 8:28 is no lie.
You make all things work together for my good because You love me.
The cross was something bad, but it lead to eternal life for me when placed in your hands.
Maybe the bad things...aren't so bad after all.

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Happy Easter!

Relentless

Tonight, I was at a gathering of most of the churches in my area. It was to be a night of fellowship. I sat behind two kids. One couldn't have been older than 4 or 5, and the other was probably about 7. During worship, the 4 year old was going at it. He was jumping up and down, waving his arms and singing along. I could tell that his brother was getting embarrassed and tried to get him to stop. But this kid, he was relentless! And he kept going at it. Then, soon after, his older brother's heart softened and he started jumping around and dancing with him. It was beautiful. God spoke to my heart at that moment. He was telling me that even though the world will try to make us stop chasing after Him, we should be relentless. We shouldn't stop pursuing Him. We need to keep going strong. And if we do, other's will see that we love What we're living for, and they might start to join in. We shouldn't settle with being lukewarm. We should chase after God, and be amazed by what He does.

Concert:)

I haven't posted in forever!!!
Woah...I've been sooo busy lately! With school and homework and everything...I never seem to have the time to be online!
Last week, I even went to a concert! And not just any concert, but a TENTH AVENUE NORTH concert!!!
It was amazing<3
Moriah Peters and Rend Collective Experiment opened up for them. They were awesome too! I love Moriah  Peter's song Well Done and Rend Collective's Build Your Kingdom Here.
The lead singer of Tenth Avenue North spoke before each song. It was amazing...there was one point where he was talking about how when his kids want to be held, they'll lift their hands to him to get him to pick them up. Then he asked for everyone to raise their hands at the same time, and to ask God to hold them. It was such a beautiful and intimate time of worship. If you haven't been to one of their concerts, you should go to one! :)

My Wish by Rascal Flatts

My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,Yeah, this, is my wish.


My Wish, by Rascall Flatts.

I love this song so much...I mean it almost brings me to tears sometimes. It's not particularly Christian, but it's so beautiful, and to me it means something to do with Jesus. My Wish is so beautiful, because it talks about life. I guess I'm just rambling here, so yeah haha.

But for real. Jesus' wish for us is that our lives are amazing and that they turn out to be more than we could ever imagine or fathom. Jesus wants our dreams to stay big, that we can do great things for His Kingdom. He wants our worries to stay small and for us to trust in Him more. He doesn't want us to carry more than we can hold, His yoke is easy and His burden is light. He will carry our worries for us! And most of all, He wants us to have the knowledge that Someone loves us. That Someone who created the Heavens and the stars, that Someone who invented life itself, gave everything to show that He loves us.

This song makes me kinda sad sometimes too. Have you ever watched a whole series of a show, and then you watch the last episode and feel a small void afterwards? It's like theres a teensy bit of emptiness inside. Or if you go on to a different part of your life, say you move schools, or you move states. And it's the next chapter of your life. And you feel that little ache inside you. Part of you is aching for the past. 

For me, well my best friend moved a little over a year ago. She moved from a small(ish) town in the midwest to Florida! Right outside of Orlando! She literally goes to Disney at least once or twice a month. When she first told me the news, (about her moving) in November of last year, I couldn't hold the tears back. My mom later told me that if you had looked at my face at that moment, you'd a thought someone had died. I probably overreacted, but what can you do? At the moment it felt like my whole world had toppled over and ended. We had only known each other for a year, and she was already moving! I couldn't believe it. She was excited about moving to Florida, and why wouldn't she be? I felt like I had gotten the bad end of the deal, until I realized that that means I get to go to Disney when I visit her! :) Looking back, I know what I was doing wrong. I invested a lot of time into my relationship with her. I don't regret it, but what I do regret is not investing enough in Jesus. I didn't nurture my relationship with Him as much as I did mine with her. It's so easy to put something earthly before something Heavenly. I guess it's because the effect is immediate, and Heaven seems too far away. But I now know that if I had invested enough into my relationship with God, I wouldn't have felt so empty inside the day she left. Now that I've gotten used to her being gone, I realize that all my fears were stupid. We're still great friends! Maybe even better than before, but only because we have God at the center. That way, when we care for our friendship, both of us are strengthened in our faith too:)

My friend is visiting in February, and I can't wait! It's going to be awesome:) Jesus has been so faithful in helping me get through this. i sometimes miss her a lot, like when I see things on TV that we used to watch together, or when I find a note or two that we passed during class:) But God is enough to help both of us get through it!

The moral of the story here: Put all your trust in Jesus and the overflow of your relationship with him will pour into the rest of your life.

Steal My Show by tobyMac

If You wanna steal my show
I'll sit back and watch You goIf You got somethin' to sayGo on and take it awayNeed You to steal my showCan't wait to watch You go, oh, ohSo take it away Steal My Show by tobyMac

I love this song so much! It illustrates completely how I’ve been feeling lately.Recently, my heart has really been to be a mouthpiece for God. That’s what my whole blog is about; being available for God to use me to reach people.Many of my friends and people from my church have told me that I should be a pastor. That’s confirmation of what I feel called to be. It comes as a surprise to many adults and other teens I know. It’s not really considered normal for a teenager to want to be a pastor. But they all tell me that I’m qualified to do it with God’s help.The truth is, they don’t see the ways in which I fall short in my life. Very few of my friends see me in the entirety of my life. Most of the people from my church only see me in my church life. Most of my school friends only see me in my school life. Very rarely do my friends see my home life. They don’t see me having trouble getting along with my younger sisters, and they don’t see me forget to do my daily chores because I’m too busy checking up on Cory and Topanga on Boy Meets World. My church and school like are mostly connected, but I sometimes have trouble acting like the same person at home.I don’t know why but it seems so much easier to be patient with my friends at school than it is with my family at home. Maybe it has to do with the fact that we know how our family members fall short. Living with someone really teaches you thinks about them that you can’t see out in public. People do things in the privacy of their home that they wouldn’t do in public because there isn’t any fear that an outsider might learn of it. But what if we could treat our siblings as we would each of our friends? With kindness and being slow to anger. Hard? Very. Impossible? No. We need God’s help. We can’t do it on our own.I’ve been called so many things as a highschooler. “moral”, “religious”, “too-good”, “goody-goody”. So many of these things were meant as insults, but I always take them as compliments. They brought to my attention that people see something different in me, and they recognize it. I want God to help me be more different, to the point where they don’t just see Jesus in me, but they recognize that it is Jesus. I want them to know that the difference in me is Jesus and that He can change them too. I don’t want them to think I’m “good” on my own. The truth is, without Jesus, I don’t know if I would even be friends with the same people. I want to have such a radical faith that people don’t just see it, but they are drawn to it. I want people to thirst for Jesus when they see my life. And I don’t want them to think that I’m better than them. I want them to see that I am weak, like them, but that Jesus is my strength.I want to be able to love people radically. Including those in my home. I want to love Jesus at home as much as I do in church and in school. I don’t want to be two different people anymore. I want to be one person, with an unshakeable faith and love for Jesus. When people look at me, I don’t want them to see me. I want them to see Jesus.I just want people to see Christ in me. I don’t even care if they know my name as long as they get to know my God.

Speaking The Truth in Love

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter. -Martin Luther King, Jr.This quote means so much to me because it is so true. Many people might think of this quote differently than I do. But this is my blog so I’ll tell you all what it means to me :)What are the things that matter, that Christians have become silent about?Well, lets think about that for a minute. What are some things going on in the world today, that we have become silent about in an effort to keep from “Offending” people?Sin mostly...well, actually, sin entirely!We see someone we know living a life of sin, but we don’t say anything in fear that it might offend them. We see a fellow Christian, doing something that God clearly says is wrong, but we don’t call them out on it because we don’t want to make them feel bad. I’m not saying to go out into the world and point out ways that people are sinning.I’m saying that we need to be more about loving people to the point where we speak the truth in love, even if the truth might sting a little bit. If we remain silent about sin, then our lives are meaningless. God cannot use us unless we are making ourselves available to him to make disciples.Maybe you have a Christian friend that swears a lot, and its effecting their witness. Maybe you should bring it to their attention. But do it in a kind and loving way.Or if you have a friend who doesn’t know Jesus. Tell them about your friend Jesus who changed the way you live your life.Remember to pray about things before doing them. Sometimes, when people get offended, it means they feel convicted. So don’t let the fear of offending someone hold you back from speaking the truth! Would you rather offend someone to heaven, or flatter them to hell?

He Used the Weak Part 2

He Used the Weak Part 2
When I think about all the ways that God used lowly, despised and insignificant eople in the Bible, I wonder why I always feel as if He cannot use me. I know I’m not despised by everyone, but I know not everyone likes me. I’m not someone who’s murdered anyone, so if He could use someone who did, why the heck couldn’t He use me?If you feel small, weak, insignificant, or unworthy...let me tell you something. God can use you!Maybe you’re someone who went too far in a relationship, and you feel dirty and guilty. There is forgiveness. And once you find that forgiveness, maybe God will use you to help someone else who needs the same thing. Maybe you’re someone who is struggling with a certain kind of sin. It could be lust, addiction, idolatry, or anything. There’s forgiveness and redemption for all of that too! And again, once God helps you get through it, - and if you let Him, He will- He can use you to help someone else do the same.No matter how significant or insignificant you feel, as long as you know your identity in Christ, God can use you to do amazing things.If you have any questions at all, please email me at innerbeautycounts1997@gmail.com. I would love to talk about anything you feel God might be wanting to use you for. But remember- when you see God start to use you in amazing ways, keep in mind, it’s all because of Him. Without Him there for us, we are nothing.

“But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.’”
1 Corinthians 12:9

“It is in Christ that we find who we are and what we’re living for.” Ephesians 1:11

“No matter how significant you are, it is only because of what you are a part of.” 1 Corinthians 12:19

He Used the Weak Part 1

He Used The Weak Part 1
Lately it has really stood out to me that God used the small, weak, foolish, and insignificant to do the big things. Pastors are always saying (all of the humble ones, anyway) that they are not worthy to be seen as an example because they are sinners too.I had a very humble youth pastor. Before he spoke, he would always kneel down in front of everyone and pray that God would speak through him. He would admit that if God didn’t speak through him, that it would be a mess. We didn’t need to hear what he had to say, but we needed to hear what God had to say. It didn’t take much for you to know that he was really a humble guy.He was a great example of humility. He was also a great example of how God can use people you would least expect to do great things. You wouldn’t know right away that God had to help him a lot to get him where he was. He told us that when he felt the calling into ministry, he was terrified to speak in front of people.  He has a great testimony about how God helped get him through that. Now he is a missionary, speaking and sharing the gospel with many people while also leading worship. God also used many insignificant people in the Bible to do great things. God used David, who is described as a very small dude, to fight and defeat Goliath, a giant. (1 Samuel 17)He used Moses, whom the Bible describes as “slow of speech and tongue” (Exodus 4:10) to give the Israelites a set of new commandments. God used Paul, a man who killed and persecuted many Christians before He changed his heart. Paul became one of the greatest missionaries of all time.And did you ever wonder why God sent Jesus as a baby instead of just coming down to Earth and revealing Himself to us in such a way that everyone would just love Him?God just did-and still does- things in ways that we would never even think of.That just shows how awesome He is, and how perfect His power is in our weaknesses.

“But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are” 1 Corinthians 1:27-28

Poem I found on Dr Phil's facebook page

Twas' 11 days before Christmas, around 9:38when 20 beautiful children stormed through heaven's gate.their smiles were contagious, their laughter filled the air.they could hardly believe all the beauty they saw there.they were filled with such joy, they didn't know what to say.they remembered nothing of what had happened earlier that day."where are we?" asked a little girl, as quiet as a mouse."this is heaven." declared a small boy. "we're spending Christmas at God's house."when what to their wondering eyes did appear,but Jesus, their savior, the children gathered near.He looked at them and smiled, and they smiled just the same.then He opened His arms and He called them by name.and in that moment was joy, that only heaven can bringthose children all flew into the arms of their Kingand as they lingered in the warmth of His embrace,one small girl turned and looked at Jesus' face.and as if He could read all the questions she hadHe gently whispered to her, "I'll take care of mom and dad."then He looked down on earth, the world far belowHe saw all of the hurt, the sorrow, and woethen He closed His eyes and He outstretched His hand,"Let My power and presence re-enter this land!""may this country be delivered from the hands of fools""I'm taking back my nation. I'm taking back my schools!"then He and the children stood up without a sound."come now my children, let me show you around."excitement filled the space, some skipped and some ran.all displaying enthusiasm that only a small child can.and i heard Him proclaim as He walked out of sight,"in the midst of this darkness, I AM STILL THE LIGHT."

Max Lucado Prayer

Dear Jesus,

It’s a good thing you were born at night. This world sure seems dark. I have a good eye for silver linings. But they seem dimmer lately.

These killings, Lord.  These children, Lord.  Innocence violated.  Raw evil demonstrated.

The whole world seems on edge. Trigger-happy. Ticked off. We hear threats of chemical weapons and nuclear bombs. Are we one button-push away from annihilation?

Your world seems a bit darker this Christmas.  But you were born in the dark, right? You came at night. The shepherds were nightshift workers. The Wise Men followed a star. Your first cries were heard in the shadows. To see your face, Mary and Joseph needed a candle flame. It was dark. Dark with Herod’s jealousy. Dark with Roman oppression. Dark with poverty.  Dark with violence.

Herod went on a rampage, killing babies. Joseph took you and your mom into Egypt. You were an immigrant before you were a Nazarene.

Oh, Lord Jesus, you entered the dark world of your day. Won’t you enter ours? We are weary of bloodshed. We, like the wise men, are looking for a star. We, like the shepherds, are kneeling at a manger.

This Christmas, we ask you, heal us, help us, be born anew in us.

Hopefully,

Your Children

~Max Lucado

Words

Have you ever heard the song called Forest Fire by Josh Wilson?

He's not bulletproof

Don't let him fool you

His laugh is a lie

He's dying inside

From the sticks and stones

somebody threw

Our tongues are like matches

Our ears are like trees

Our words are like sparks

On dry summer leaves

It doesn't take much

For the flames to rise

And turn a soul Into a forest fire

 Our words are so important. They hold so much power within them. It may not seem like it, but our words can hurt. Our words should glorify God. Does profanity build a person up and bring glory to Gods name? Of course not. Does calling someone a name make them feel good? No. We should only be saying things to people that we’d want said to us. We should only use words that build people up. We should speak in a way that would show others that we are Christians.

If a person listened to every word you’ve ever said, would they know that you love Jesus? Or would they be surprised that you’re a Christian because of the words you say?

Proverbs 18:21

Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.

Matthew 15:18

But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person.

Ephesians 4:29

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

Matthew 12:36

I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak,

Colossians 3:8

But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.

James 3: 4-5

Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things.

How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!

James

But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.

James 3:10

From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.

Fans

“These religious types were the fans that Jesus seems to have the most trouble with. Fans who will walk into a restaurant and bow their heads to pray before a meal just in case someone is watching* Fans who won’t go to R-rated movies at the theater, but have a number of them saved on their DVR at home. Fans who may feed the hungry and help the needy, and then they make sure they work it into every conversation for the next two weeks**. Fans who make sure people see them put in their offering at church***, but they haven’t considered reaching out to their neighbor who lost a job and can’t pay the bills. Fans who like seeing other people fail because in their minds it makes them look better. Fans whose primary concern in raising their children is what other people think. Fans who are reading this and assuming I’m describing someone else. Fans who have worn the mask for so long they have fooled even themselves.” ― Kyle Idleman

“The sinners to whom Jesus directed His messianic ministry were not those who skipped morning devotions or Sunday church. His ministry was to those whom society considered real sinners. They had done nothing to merit salvation. Yet they opened themselves to the gift that was offered them. On the other hand, the self-righteous placed their trust in the works of the Law and closed their hearts to the message of grace.” ― Brennan Manning,

Fans are self-righteous. Maybe they do the right things but their hearts are not in the right place, nor are they right before God. It’s easy to fall into talking the talk for the wrong reasons. The self-righteous can easily become hypocrites-while they weren’t necessarily prostitutes, (like those they condemned) they had lustful hearts. While they did not murder, they had hatred in their hearts. (Matthew 5-The Beatitudes)

The Kyle Idleman quote talks about the people that Jesus describes in Matthew. Matthew 6:1 says “Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in Heaven.”

*Matthew 6:5-6 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men.  I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

**Matthew 6:1"Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.”

***Matthew 6:2-4 “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

Jesus wants us to do things in secret so that we would not be praised by people. If we give in secret, our motives are in the right place. But if we feel people need to know, our motives are wrong.

1 Corinthians 13:3 If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.