In Times of Adversity

Every single one of us has been through something tough. Because of these hardships every single one of us has questioned Gods love and power. Through my times of trial I have realized we must understand why we must suffer these times in order to be able to overcome them.
Sin has been on earth as long as the first people have been. As soon as sin started so did suffering. God was ultimately in control of Adam & eves fall but he allowed them to sin. Why? So we would be capable of loving Him. If we were created to be Gods puppets, unable to choose sin, our love for him wouldn't be voluntary. And if love is involuntary its not love at all.
I don't know if any of you are parents but sometimes we allow our kids to make mistakes. As hard as it is, we watch it happen. I allow my kids to do this because I know that if I rescue them from everything they wont be very successful when they're older. Similarly a lot of times we create our own suffering because of our own sinful choices. If the lord tried to rescue us from these actions in order to prevent our suffering we never would develop into mature believers.
As believers in Christ we will always have an enemy. Unfortunately our enemy is very strong, sometimes stronger than us, and we will always be under attack by him. Satan is out to destroy our lives and our testimonys, making us weak and useless for God.
Ultimately God is in charge of all adversity that comes our way. To deny His involvement contradicts His Power and sovereignty over creation.
For us to accept that God allows, and even sends afflictions we must see adversity His way. As believers were assured that no adversity comes our way unless He can use it to achieve His good purposes.
Reading:
Isaiah 45:5-10
Reflect:
Is your focus on the pain of the experience or the Lord and His faithfulness?
Next time you feel Gods not there do you feel these points may help you?

Struggling with Looks

Today I am here to talk about looks. Appearance is a funny thing, today esoecially. I know I personally have had a continual battle feeling "sexy." I am against showing skin. I am against showing off your body and I do believe modest is hottest, but sometimes I feel that I am the only one who feels this way and that I am looked over except on the rare occasion that I do show some skin in public.
A friend from out of town stayed the night with us last night and came to church with our family today. She packed one dress and it was so..immodest. I couldn't help but think "she can't wear that into church.." but she did. I think the reason I felt so almost embarrased was because I knew she was going into a house of God. I know that each Sunday I feel our Heavenly Fathers presence in our congregation and its disrespectful to be dressed that way in a house of the Lord.
For me, coming to this realiziation has made such an impact on me today because I want every where I go to be a house of God. My body is a temple and I want the spirit of the Lord to reside in me. By dishonoring myself I am also dishonoring the spirit living within me, and probably not allowing it to be there.
Also, today I read a perfect scripture for what I was feeling. I have never really thought about the fact that we look like God. Yes, we are His children but I never realized I look like Him and so do each and every one of you. Our appearances should be honored every day in every thing we do because we were made to look like Him.
Reading
-Genesis 1:26
Reflect
-Are you dressing in a way that will allow the spirit to WANT to reside in you?
-Are you honoring God's looks by respecting your own?

Willpower

So, as I'm sure you've noticed Clare and I have been slacking on blogging. Summer has come and Clare started summer classes, I am finally getting a quick breather before school starts up again in August, and filling in my "breather" with work and my little family. Because of our "priorities" our blog has taken seat on the back burner. But, we are both determined to get back into the swing of things.
Even though our purpose for this blog was to spread the word of God (hence "His hand extended") this has been the least of our priorities, which honestly, a) don't take up all of our time, and b) aren't really all that important. Which brings me to today's topic, willpower.
There are many times, most days actually, where I think "oh its okay, I've done so much, ill just take a quick nap." and neglect my scriptures which are now beginning to collect dust.  Or, "the kids are crabby, we can skip Bible time tonight." Simply because I don't want to deal with it and in the end I am robbing them of very important things. I think I can rely on my willpower and that alone and i am starting to see that that is not the case. Our bodies (mind, will, emotions) would love to run our lives, and these things are vital to a successful life and they can get you far, but they are never enough to let you cross the finish line.
what if, instead of relying on willpower we relied on God. He can instill HIS power, which is so much greater than our own, into us, and we will be able to run laps around everyone relying on their own willpower. Also, God will be getting the credit for all the wonderful things we wold be able to do, rather than ourselves.
John 15:5 says "Apart from me, you can do nothing." this is such an important verse to keep in mind during todays study.
Reading:
Galatians 5:16
Reflect:
-When looking at the things you get done and the things you don't, are you using your own willpower or are you using God?
-In what ways can you change your ways to stay motivated and glorify God?

Handling Criticism

I feel that I am critized a LOT because of my choice of religion. I usually do okay with it and am kind, but my boyfriend, now he gets angry! His anger when being judged does not reflect us or our religion in a positive way.
No one likes criticism but encountering some is inevitable. While people's words may make us angry you should remain calm and listen for great benefits come to those who consider what's been said.
If we refuse to accept reproof well limit our potential for Christlike character and spiritual growth. Some of life's best lessons come from hard times. If Christ aloud it you can be sure he wants to use it in a way to turn you into the person he wants you to become. Whether the criticism is valid or not, whether it's delivered in harshness or kindness, no matter what, you should responde in a way that glorifies the lord. Remember, you are only responsible for yourself, not how the other person is acting.
When criticism comes your way stay quiet and listen until the other person is done. Make direct eye contact so they know you're listening. When your critic is done tell him thank you for bringing this to your attention and you'll consider what was said. Pray to God and ask him to confirm your innocence if it is deserved and he will.
Every rebuke is an opportunity from God. A chance to show Christs character and show love to your critic. If he is spitting anger at you and you respond with love and kindness you become a powerful testimony. Criticism is also a time you can humble yourself and accept the Lords corrections.
Reading:
Proverbs 15:31-33
Reflect
What are you most often criticized for?
How do you usually deal with this?
What do you need to change when dealing with critics to show glorify Christ.

The Way God Works

God works in many ways. Some miraculous, some expected, some small, some large, and some in the most unexpected shocking ways. I don't want to say God works better in some ways than others because that's not right, but to me he shines brightest when he works in these crazy ways which is how he worked through me.
I was raised in a bad home around drugs and abuse in a trashy unsafe trailer park. I never knew about God, but my entire life I felt there was something bigger. Most my life I sent condemning God for the things I'd been through. I said things no person should say and lived a life that reflected those view points. But, some how, by thr grace of God I discovered the Bible. I read it all the way through in a matter of months and wanted more and more. I wanted church and missions and to help people and to live the way God demands.
People thought this was so strange that I, the girl from the trailer park, the girl on drugs, the teen mom, the "scrapper" now wanted God. After spending my life wanting material possessions that would never last and persecuting Jesus, He became all I wanted.
To this day I know that our savior is all I need.
We see a snipet of a story similar to mine in today's reading. A man who once persecuted Jesus would now be used.
Reading:
Acts 26:14-18
Reflect:
How did God find you?
If you were born into religion how has God kept you?
As Christians what can we do to make sure God can work through us to spread the scriptures to people who may not hear word otherwise?

Showing Others Christ

Sometimes I feel that it's hard for me to discuss God with others and I know this is really bad. I should never be ashamed of embarrassed and if anything I should be looking for someone to teach about Jesus, but I don't!
Today's reading helped me find strength in converting others because of what an impact it had on Paul and Silas to show Christ to others.
I personally need to focus on not worrying about what others think as only worrying about what God thinks. Since I have started this blog I have learned that this is my biggest weakness in my walk in God. I am so focused on earthly things that I realize soon enough I have forgotten about the heavenly things which are what really matter.
Reading:
-Acts 16:23-36
Reflect:
-Are you focusing on God and what He wants from you or are you focusing on what people here on Earth want from you?
-If you are doing the latter what can you do to change this?
-Are you voluntarily spreading the word of the Lord as often as you can?
Goal:
I personally am now making it a goal to spread Gods word to at least one person per day. Whether it be someone in the store or a person on the street I will reach out his hand because I know God wants to work through me.

The Need For Water

All of us need something in one way or another. Whether we actually need these things the answer is usually not, but, the one thing we all need, no matter how strong we are, is water.
In order to survive each and everyone of us must have water. In the Bible Moses was leading Israel through the Desert of Shur where there was no water. None at all for days on end. Eventually when they came to Marah, grumpy thirsty and dehydrated, they found water. But, the water was acidic. The people couldn't drink this water and became rude towards Moses.
Rather than taking it out on people like Israel was doing, Moses asked God where he can find drinkable water and God provided.
To me this shows that no matter how often we don't receive the things that we want, we will ALWAYS receive the things that we need.
Reading
-Have you ever been at a point where you thought God wouldn't provide you with your necessities?
-Did God end up giving you what you needed?
-In times of struggle how can we ask God for guidance or to provide us with the things we need?

Psalm 139:1-24

Psalm is definitely one of my favorite chapters in the bible, and I think that Psalm 139:1-24 is one of my favorite scriptures. The main idea's in this scripture are..
1. God knows everything about you.
2. There is nothing you can do to hide from Him.
3. He is always there for you, no matter what.
Psalm 7 states, "Where can I go from your spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast." There is no where or anything that will ever hide you from God. He can always see you. He is always there- whether you want him to be or not.
Psalm 4 says, "Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord." God knows everything you're going to say, everything you do say, even a thought in your head. This makes me a little nervous.. what if I think a bad thought? God can see that. But in reality, God can see & hear everything.
Reading: Psalm 139:1-24
Reflecting:
-Does it comfort you knowing that you can never hide from God?
-How do you feel knowing that God knows everything you are going to say, before you do?
-Write down an example in the past week how you exhibited a worried attitude and how knowing that God is always there, helped you over come that.

Death

Death has been weighing heavily on my heart lately. Yesterday, I got word that my friend's baby girl passed away. She was 7 months old and had a severe asthma attack & a collapsed lung. I've been thinking- why? Why her? It doesn't seem fair. I know though that God has a plan.
In Psalm 139:16, "Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." This is comforting to me, knowing that God has every day written out for us. No amount of worrying, or anything can change that.
We have to know and trust that God has a greater plan for us. God's plan is the best plan. We may not like the things He does, but He knows best. We have to trust in God. Even when times are tough. Even when we feel like He's not "there". He always is.. and he always will be.
Reading: Psalm 139:16; Psalm 147:3; John 14:1-3
Reflecting:
-How do you feel knowing that there is nothing about you that is not written out in God's book?
-When tragedy strikes, do you feel comfort knowing that God is in control?
-When something bad happens, do you take comfort in knowing that God is there? Or do you feel like God "disappeared"?

Teaching & Humbling

As a parent I feel that God guides me in my parenting, but ultimately God is my decision maker, He is also who I hope that my children will follow, even over me.
One thing I feel strongly is that parents try to show their kids too much of themselves and too little of God. The Bible shows us in so many ways that God will always provide, we should never worry, and we should become less so that He can become greater.
In todays reading we see John the Baptist teaching about Christ. John was sent ahead of Jesus in order to prepare the way for the coming Messiah. John was meant to baptise, preach, and call the nation to repetance in order to prepare them for Jesus. Isnt this something we can do for our kids, or for the people without kids, just with the people around us? By making ourselves like John and preaching the word of Christ to all around us, especially our children, we can prepare them for a life side by side with Him. If we are like John and walk before Jesus, prepare them for Him, and then allow Him to become bigger than us, our children can have a life with God that is exactly what we as parents, and God as our father, want in each one of our children.
Reading:
John 3:22-36
Reflect:
What can you do to help prepare those around you for a life in Christ?
Are you willing to become lesser than Jesus in front of people, especially your children?
Where does this passage take your mind?

Overcoming obstacles.

Sometimes I feel that my prayers are never answered. I feel that I pray and pray for the same struggles to be overcame and they never are. Sometimes I sit there and cry for hours upon hours about how unfair life is. And most times I feel that God, as good as He has been to me, doesn't always make things "easy."
We can see an example of this in Judges. Gideon was an Israelite who prepared to fight the Midianites, the task seemed impossible but God told him he'd give him a decisive victory. After that Gideon put together an army of 32,000 but God said with that many men the Israelites might get the credit for winning and forget about God, so after several times of lessening his army Gideon was left with only 300 men. Talk about not having an easy obstacle! In the end though, Gideon's tiny army ended up defeating the intimidating midianites.
During this story I can't help but feel that God made Gideon's battle so difficult that the people had to trust him. I believe that God does the same thing inside many of us. He makes our day to day battles sometimes so difficult that we have to trust Him and provide Him with the victory after we overcome our struggles. Gideon and his army had to rely on God, not on their own strength, in order to have a victory.
Instead of relying on your own strength, what If you asked God to remind you that he's with you all day, in every problem and every fear? What if you no longer had to had behind false strength? You might start to see things like Gideon did. You'd see God as a whole lot bigger than you thought and you'd see your obstacles as a whole lot smaller than they seemed.
Reading:
Judges 7:1-24
Reflect:
-Do you allow God to have the victory or do you try to battle them yourself?
-How can you allow God to take your obstacles and win them for you?
-In order to be like Gideon what changes do you need to make in your life?

Humbling Ourselves

One thing I have never quite understood is why people feel the need to make themselves so "mighty and powerful." People allow fame, looks, intelligence, anything really, to go straight to their head. Many young people are afraid of who to be seen with because of their own reputation.
On top of that sometimes its just simply hard to do the right thing. How many of you see a homeless person and offer him food or money? How many of you clothe him? What about let him into your home? Many of us ignore these demands from Jesus because we chose to decide they're not for us or we have more earthly things to worry about. Is our greatest rewards our possessions on Earth? No, they are our treasures in heaven. By humbling yourself and allowing yourself to help people who you may feel are lesser than you, you will be rewarded. Maybe not right away, maybe not even in this life. But, these are the things Jesus sees. It doesn't matter what others think of you or that you may lose your sense of power by humbling yourself. This is exactly how Jesus wants us to live.
Do you think He would consciously drive by a homeless person? No.
Reading:
-Luke 14:1-14
Reflect:
-Are you a humble person?
-What do you do, or don't do, that needs to be changed in order to humble yourself?
Goal:
-Let's all do something to humble ourselves today. We could take a homeless person into our home or clothe/feed him. We could serve at a local soup kitchen. Anything that is normally out of our comfort zone, these are things we should all be working on.

Lying

Being honest is a hard thing to do. There are many situations around us that make us lie. Being a Christian, we know that it is extremely easy to fall into sin. Being honest can hurt us and even the people around but we need to remember that we are doing what God wants us to do, therefore we should not feel as bad. Lying to yourself is just as bad as lying to someone else. Kelly Mahoney said, "While humility and modesty is a good thing, being too harsh on yourself is not being truthful. Also, thinking too highly of yourself is a sin. Thus, it is important for you to find a balance of knowing your blessings and shortcomings so you can continue to grow."
I lie. To family, friends, even myself. For instance, the other day my mom asked me if I had taken the dog for a good, long walk. I was lazy and didn't feel like walking her again, so I replied yes, even though I had only taken her down the driveway. This might not seem like a "big" deal, but any type of lying is a big deal. It doesn't matter to what degree or to whom; lying is bad. The good thing is, no matter what, God will always forgive us.
Reading: Acts 5:1-11
Reflecting:
-Do you struggle with lying?
-How often do you think you lie? How can you "reduce" that number?
-When you lie, do you pray and ask God for forgiveness?
-After you repent about lying, do you still feel bad? Or do you trust that God really forgave you?
 

Obedience

Obedience is something that I struggle with. The world thinks I am a wonderful Christian, who came from a rough start with the odds against her but was able to turn her life around. The odds were against me and I was able to pull through because of my faith in God. The world sees me the way I want God to. Unfortunately, the world isn't what matters.
I am going to be brutally honest in this post and try not to sugar coat anything:
-I am an unwed mother living with my boyfriend who I continue to have sex with.
-I lie when I feel that it will benefit me.
-And most importantly I allow people to think much different of me.
Yeah I have been with the same man since I was 14, I don't drink or party, I tithe the church and overall I am a good person but I am not obedient. And that's what this post is all about.
For those of you who have read Radical by David Platt, "We have a master who demands radical obedience." this means we don't get to pick and choose what demands we follow or ignore. Our God demands us to follow everything he says. Not just what we feel is directed towards us.
I don't get to say that God didn't mean me when he says we must not have sex out of marriage. I don't get to say God didn't mean me when he says all lying is bad, even just leaving out some of the truth. and I certainly don't get to say God didn't mean me when He said He is the only one with the right to judge, not anyone else.
But, I also know that this is a big problem in churches everywhere. Think about it, how obedient are you?
Reading:
-Exodus 4:10-14
Reflect:
-How obedient are you?
-Do you ignore things God has said because "they don't apply to you" or "that's not relevant Anymore?"
-Are you doing everything in God?
-How can you ask God for guidance to help you be more obedient?

I am the Vine

One thing I let myself forget sometimes is how much I need God. I am 18 and I tend to think I'm invincible, when in all reality I am not. I am far from and without God I am nothing. I need God and I need his word in many ways to be able function and more specifically, function as He would want me too. I am so thankful that God has given me His word and His hand and hasn't kept anything from me. I think God tries so hard to be friends with each and every one of us and some people do better with this then others.
Today's reading is my absolute favorite in the entire Bible. I feel such a connection to it and I feel like God is speaking right to me when I read it.
Reading:
John 15:1-17
Reflect:
-Do you keep in mind that you need God to be truly good?
-Do you think of God as a friend or rather a master?
-Do you truly try to love everyone, even people you feel deserve to be hated?

Choosing your battles

Every single day we fight for something. We fight to win an argument. We fight to prove a point. We fight for materials. We fight for the opinions of someone. Many people are even fighting for their lives. I am very competitive and when I look closely at my day to day life I see so many pointless fights. Often I catch myself, usually when it's too late, almost searching for reasons to fight about/for something. I have come to realize that I need to start fighting for one thing and one thing alone. God. If each fight I chose revolves around God I will win every battle. I am a firm believer, a child, and I think I have a pretty strong relationship in God. From today's reading I know that God will help me win every fight as long as its for him.
In this chapter David goes against Goliath. David, who is just a young boy wears no armor and has no weapons besides a sling shot, but yet he takes down the strong, mighty, dominate Goliath. Why? Because he was fighting for God.
Reading:
- 1 Samuel 17
Reflect:
-Do you need to choose your battles more carefully?
- Are you waisting valuable time fighting pointless fights?
- If so what can you do to have a change of heart and start fighting for God and for God alone?

Luke 15

Many times I have sat like this girl with my head between my knees wondering where my life was going and what directions I should go. I have made many mistakes and my life and know that no matter how hard I try I will always make more. Fortunately, I am now more conscious of my decisions and the path I am on then I was a few years ago and from reading the Bible I know that Jesus rejoiced in this.
I feel that many people make the mistake in believing they have strayed too far from God when this is far from the truth. As you will see in todays reading God celebrates a son, or daughter, returning to Him. There is no such thing as straying too far from God.
In todays reading we see a shepherd leave 99 of his sheep to find one lost one, this is just what God does for us, and He will celebrate one sinner repenting so much more so than 99 righteous people. There is no limit of Gods love and forgiveness even as you continue to struggle with sin. I have one sin that I personally continue to struggle with. God knows our weaknesses even better than we do and He knows that in one way or another we will mess up again.
When you do mess up again how will you choose to deal with it? Will you be like the Israelites who hardened their hearts and quit talking to God? (Heb. 3:7-9). You should never let this happen to you! No matter what trials or tribulations you may be experiencing, no matter how lost you may feel, and no matter how much you think "there's no way God can forgive me" you must seek God with all your heart. (Dt. 4:29)
Reading:
-Luke 15.
Reflect:
-When you know you sin time after time again how do you deal with this?
-After reading about God's unconditional love how do you feel?
-What about the fact God and his angels want to throw a party for you? Time to spend more time repenting? :)
Post your answers, thoughts, concerns or feedback in the comments! :)