Forgiven and Set Free
10/11/10
One subject that doesn't get talked about much is abortion. It is not something that people like to think about or talk about, but the fact of the matter is that abortion is real and is happening everyday. Statistics show that one in three women in the church are post abortive, meaning that they have had an abortion. When I think about that number it is just amazing to me.
Not only does abortion kill an unborn child, but it emotionally damages both the woman and then man of the aborted child. Some abortionist tell women who are considering abortion that it is not yet a baby, but just a blob of tissue... That is a LIE. Life begins at the time of conception! The Bible does not say do not have an abortion, but it does say thall shalt not murder and that is exactly what abortion is, the killing of a child whether it be done at 8 weeks or 30 weeks. If you are in a position where you are pregnant and are considering abortion because you can not care for your child you have another option. There are many people who want to have children, but for various reasons are unable to and they would love to adopt your baby. It is better to let your child live than to abort them without giving them a chance at life.
If you have had an abortion there is still hope for you. We serve an amazing God who is full of grace that covers ALL of our sins. If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior and have asked for forgiveness then He has forgiven you. He can also provide healing for your emotional hurt and scars. If God has forgiven you then you need to forgive yourself, because if you don't then you are saying that the Lord's forgiveness is not enough.
I know someone who had an abortion at a very young age. She didn't even know what an abortion was at the time. Her mother took her to the "doctor" and they just told her that they were going to remove some tissue and that she wouldn't be pregnant anymore. She was told that she couldn't tell anyone and she didn't. She carried around all of the pain from the guilt for nine years before she told her secret to anyone. She has learned that the Lord has forgiven her and He has healed her of all of the hurt and pain that she carried around for so long. She did a Bible Study with other post abortive women and during that study she wrote two letters. One of the letters was to her aborted child and the other was to God dedicating her unborn child to Him. She has given me the privilege of including her letters in this blog so that if this blog may reach someone else who had had an abortion they can see the healing and freedom that the Lord has brought to her and know that He can bring it to them too.
Here is the first letter that she wrote to her child:
To my precious child,
Though I have never had the chance to meet you I think about you all the time. I often wonder what life would be like with you by my side. Would you love me? Would you call me mom? These are the questions that I ask myself all the days long.
I am sorry that I was unable to give you the chance to experience life and because of someones selfish decisions you had to die. Your silent screams have awakened me many times at night and I have laid in the dark and mourned the loss of you, the baby that I killed. There have been many times when I have contemplated ending my own life as I ended yours.
When I think about where you are now I am at peace in knowing that you are with Jesus. He loves you more than anyone in the world ever could, including me. I long for the day that I will get to see you face to face, but until that day please know that you hold a special place in my heart that nobody could ever replace.
I speak to the Lord everyday and ask Him how you are. He has comforted me more times than one. He has told me that He is holding you tight and keeping you wrapped in His loving arms until He brings me home. He has given me assurance that He has forgiven me and you have too. He has also told me that you love me very much, way more than I will ever be able to understand. I don't know how many more days we will be apart, but your never really far because you are always in my heart. I love you baby.
Love,
Mommy
This next letter is the letter that she wrote to God dedicating her baby to Him:
Dear God,
Oh how I wish I had words to say and stories to tell about my baby who is in heaven now. I wish I could hold her in my arms and tell her how much I love her. I wish I could have had the chance to meet her and give her a life that would have honored and glorified you.
Lord you know my heart and you know my circumstances and you know that I did not have a choice at the time. I know that my baby is with you and you are taking better care of her than I ever could have. Lord I am ready to dedicated her to you and allow you to continue to care for her as you have been, until you bring me home. Keep her wrapped in your loving arms and please continue to tell her how much I love her. She is yours Lord.
Love,
__________
What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. Romans 6:21-22
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Friday, October 15, 2010
Working In The Womb
Working In The Womb
10/8/10
13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. 14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full and well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, 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. Psalm 139:13-16
I have read this passage of scripture several times and have even used it in one of my previous blogs. I have always looked at it in the aspect of God knowing us before we were born and how we are fearfully and wonderfully made. While doing Bible study homework I had to look up this passage of scripture and when I read it this time I thought about something that I have never thought about. Before a women becomes pregnant the Lord can already see the child and knows everything about them. Then the awesome part is that while a women is pregnant God is working inside her creating this precious child that He loves so much. Scripture says that He knit us together and that we were woven together and that just makes me picture the Lord working inside the womb creating each child just the way He wants them.
God knows if and when a women will become pregnant and He is the one who controls that. He promised Abraham and Sarah a son, but Sarah did not give birth to Isaac until she was 90 years old. God made the "impossible" possible.
After thinking about that I asked God why He allows women to get pregnant outside of marriage and why He allows people who shouldn't have chidren have them. He quickly reminded me that ALL things happen for a reason and that He works ALL things together for good for those who love Him and have been called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28 In my opinion my parents should have never been able to have me because of they were unable to take care of me and I went to foster care and all of that stuff, but God is using all of that to make my testimony so much more powerful. He created me for a reason and I had to go through the things that I did for a reason and it is for His glory.
I don't know why things happen the way they do, but I know that God has a reason for all things and He never makes a mistake. We were all created the way that God wanted us and He worked inside of our mother's wombs to make us just this way.
10/8/10
13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. 14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full and well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, 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. Psalm 139:13-16
I have read this passage of scripture several times and have even used it in one of my previous blogs. I have always looked at it in the aspect of God knowing us before we were born and how we are fearfully and wonderfully made. While doing Bible study homework I had to look up this passage of scripture and when I read it this time I thought about something that I have never thought about. Before a women becomes pregnant the Lord can already see the child and knows everything about them. Then the awesome part is that while a women is pregnant God is working inside her creating this precious child that He loves so much. Scripture says that He knit us together and that we were woven together and that just makes me picture the Lord working inside the womb creating each child just the way He wants them.
God knows if and when a women will become pregnant and He is the one who controls that. He promised Abraham and Sarah a son, but Sarah did not give birth to Isaac until she was 90 years old. God made the "impossible" possible.
After thinking about that I asked God why He allows women to get pregnant outside of marriage and why He allows people who shouldn't have chidren have them. He quickly reminded me that ALL things happen for a reason and that He works ALL things together for good for those who love Him and have been called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28 In my opinion my parents should have never been able to have me because of they were unable to take care of me and I went to foster care and all of that stuff, but God is using all of that to make my testimony so much more powerful. He created me for a reason and I had to go through the things that I did for a reason and it is for His glory.
I don't know why things happen the way they do, but I know that God has a reason for all things and He never makes a mistake. We were all created the way that God wanted us and He worked inside of our mother's wombs to make us just this way.
Worry Ends Where Faith Begins
“Worry Ends Where Faith Begins”
09/13/10
I can’t believe it has been six months since I have started this journey of writing blogs and I can’t believe that I have written over thirty of them. It is neat to see and hear about the affect my blogs have on others. Sometimes things will happen to me and I know that I am going to use that for a blog, but most of the time I have no clue what I am going to write about until I actually sit down, pray and just begin to write… like today!
A lot of things have taken place this past week and I have some decisions to make and changes that will be happening in the next couple months that will change my life. Normally I would be totally stressed out and constantly worrying about what I am going to do because reality is that I don’t have any idea what is going to happen in the couple months.
Although there has been times when I have started to stress and needed to talk to get back to where I need to be, I have found myself so much at peace. I know that no matter what decision I make or what happens that God is in control and I don’t have to worry about anything. There is a quote that I have seen and I love it so much and it is that “Worry ends where faith begins.” When you think about it, it makes total sense because if you are worrying about something you don’t have faith that God can handle it. Matthew 6:34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
We are all human and we are all going to worry from time to time but we have to remember to “let go and let God.” As I was reading my Bible today I came across a passage that is just exactly where I want to be at this time in my life and I think this is where we all should want to be. It is Jeremiah 17:7-8 “But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in Him. 8 He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” If we trust in God and have confidence in Him we will not have to worry about anything at all and we will always be bearing fruit no matter what situation we are going through at the time.
This past week I have been trusting in the Lord and although I have no idea what is going to happen I feel so at peace that I almost feel like there is something wrong with me. I know in my heart that everything is going to be okay because God has not failed me yet and I know that He never will. Hebrews 13:5 says Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; Never will I forsake you.”
I am finding that the closer we walk with the Lord the more we begin to trust Him. It is amazing to me that I am at this place in my life with Him and it is my desire for you to be too.
09/13/10
I can’t believe it has been six months since I have started this journey of writing blogs and I can’t believe that I have written over thirty of them. It is neat to see and hear about the affect my blogs have on others. Sometimes things will happen to me and I know that I am going to use that for a blog, but most of the time I have no clue what I am going to write about until I actually sit down, pray and just begin to write… like today!
A lot of things have taken place this past week and I have some decisions to make and changes that will be happening in the next couple months that will change my life. Normally I would be totally stressed out and constantly worrying about what I am going to do because reality is that I don’t have any idea what is going to happen in the couple months.
Although there has been times when I have started to stress and needed to talk to get back to where I need to be, I have found myself so much at peace. I know that no matter what decision I make or what happens that God is in control and I don’t have to worry about anything. There is a quote that I have seen and I love it so much and it is that “Worry ends where faith begins.” When you think about it, it makes total sense because if you are worrying about something you don’t have faith that God can handle it. Matthew 6:34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
We are all human and we are all going to worry from time to time but we have to remember to “let go and let God.” As I was reading my Bible today I came across a passage that is just exactly where I want to be at this time in my life and I think this is where we all should want to be. It is Jeremiah 17:7-8 “But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in Him. 8 He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” If we trust in God and have confidence in Him we will not have to worry about anything at all and we will always be bearing fruit no matter what situation we are going through at the time.
This past week I have been trusting in the Lord and although I have no idea what is going to happen I feel so at peace that I almost feel like there is something wrong with me. I know in my heart that everything is going to be okay because God has not failed me yet and I know that He never will. Hebrews 13:5 says Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; Never will I forsake you.”
I am finding that the closer we walk with the Lord the more we begin to trust Him. It is amazing to me that I am at this place in my life with Him and it is my desire for you to be too.
Monday, September 20, 2010
WHO CONTROLS YOU WHEN YOU ARE ANGRY?
WHO CONTROLS YOU WHEN YOU ARE ANGRY?
9/5/10
Recently I was faced with a situation where somebody who is no longer a part of my life went to somebody that I am close to and told them something about me that was just a misunderstanding. At first I found the situation to be very funny because of the circumstances and so I pretty much just laughed it off. Well, the next day as I thought about the situation I became really angry at this person for two reasons. One, being that she accused me of doing something that I did not do and two being the fact that she went to someone else rather than coming to me. Later that day I was in the car driving and of course still thinking about the situation because I was still angry. I thought about calling her and telling her how I thought but I knew that I would not be able to do it in a very Godly way. Then I began to think of ways that I could get her back and as soon as I began to think about that I drove by a church and out front they had a sign that said "THOSE WHO ANGER YOU CONTROL YOU." I knew at the very moment that the Lord was telling me, Okay Savannah give it to me and let me deal with this rather than allowing someone who isn't even in your life anymore control you. I began to pray right then that God would take that anger from my heart and fill it with love. I was so excited about what had just taken place that I had to call Vicki and tell her what had just happened.
In the world that we are living in today there are many many many people who have anger problems and it is scary. There are even a lot of kids who are full of anger. I have been angry many times before this last time and it just seems like when we are angry it just makes us miserable inside. In this particular case I allowed this person's actions to control my thoughts for many hours and my anger did not affect her one bit, but only myself. I was the one that was miserable until I gave it to God, so what is the point of being angry?
Ephesians 4:26 "In your anger do not sin." Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry.
Proverbs 29:22 An angry person stirs up dissension, and a hot-tempered person commits many sins
James 1:20 Our anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.
I liked what James 1:20 says about our anger not producing the righteousness God desires. I decided to include a couple verses on righteousness too because when I read that verse it made me think about what righteousness means to God.
1 Samuel 26:23 The LORD rewards every man for his righteousness and faithfulness...
Proverbs 21:21 Whoever pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor This verse especially speaks to me because we can't pursue this righteous with our anger and this righteousness finds life, prosperity and honor!
The next time you are angry at someone or something think about how you are letting that person or that situation control you. Being angry only makes you and sometimes the people around you miserable and does nothing for the situation. Give your anger to the Lord and allow Him to take care of the situation because He can do it far better than you can.
9/5/10
Recently I was faced with a situation where somebody who is no longer a part of my life went to somebody that I am close to and told them something about me that was just a misunderstanding. At first I found the situation to be very funny because of the circumstances and so I pretty much just laughed it off. Well, the next day as I thought about the situation I became really angry at this person for two reasons. One, being that she accused me of doing something that I did not do and two being the fact that she went to someone else rather than coming to me. Later that day I was in the car driving and of course still thinking about the situation because I was still angry. I thought about calling her and telling her how I thought but I knew that I would not be able to do it in a very Godly way. Then I began to think of ways that I could get her back and as soon as I began to think about that I drove by a church and out front they had a sign that said "THOSE WHO ANGER YOU CONTROL YOU." I knew at the very moment that the Lord was telling me, Okay Savannah give it to me and let me deal with this rather than allowing someone who isn't even in your life anymore control you. I began to pray right then that God would take that anger from my heart and fill it with love. I was so excited about what had just taken place that I had to call Vicki and tell her what had just happened.
In the world that we are living in today there are many many many people who have anger problems and it is scary. There are even a lot of kids who are full of anger. I have been angry many times before this last time and it just seems like when we are angry it just makes us miserable inside. In this particular case I allowed this person's actions to control my thoughts for many hours and my anger did not affect her one bit, but only myself. I was the one that was miserable until I gave it to God, so what is the point of being angry?
Ephesians 4:26 "In your anger do not sin." Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry.
Proverbs 29:22 An angry person stirs up dissension, and a hot-tempered person commits many sins
James 1:20 Our anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.
I liked what James 1:20 says about our anger not producing the righteousness God desires. I decided to include a couple verses on righteousness too because when I read that verse it made me think about what righteousness means to God.
1 Samuel 26:23 The LORD rewards every man for his righteousness and faithfulness...
Proverbs 21:21 Whoever pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor This verse especially speaks to me because we can't pursue this righteous with our anger and this righteousness finds life, prosperity and honor!
The next time you are angry at someone or something think about how you are letting that person or that situation control you. Being angry only makes you and sometimes the people around you miserable and does nothing for the situation. Give your anger to the Lord and allow Him to take care of the situation because He can do it far better than you can.
"WORRY ENDS WHERE FAITH BEGINS"
“Worry Ends Where Faith Begins”
09/13/10
I can’t believe it has been six months since I have started this journey of writing blogs and I can’t believe that I have written over thirty of them. It is neat to see and hear about the affect my blogs have on others. Sometimes things will happen to me and I know that I am going to use that for a blog, but most of the time I have no clue what I am going to write about until I actually sit down, pray and just begin to write… like today!
A lot of things have taken place this past week and I have some decisions to make and changes that will be happening in the next couple months that will change my life. Normally I would be totally stressed out and constantly worrying about what I am going to do because reality is that I don’t have any idea what is going to happen in the couple months.
Although there has been times when I have started to stress and needed to talk to get back to where I need to be, I have found myself so much at peace. I know that no matter what decision I make or what happens that God is in control and I don’t have to worry about anything. There is a quote that I have seen and I love it so much and it is that “Worry ends where faith begins.” When you think about it, it makes total sense because if you are worrying about something you don’t have faith that God can handle it. Matthew 6:34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
We are all human and we are all going to worry from time to time but we have to remember to “let go and let God.” As I was reading my Bible today I came across a passage that is just exactly where I want to be at this time in my life and I think this is where we all should want to be. It is Jeremiah 17:7-8 “But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in Him. 8 He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” If we trust in God and have confidence in Him we will not have to worry about anything at all and we will always be bearing fruit no matter what situation we are going through at the time.
This past week I have been trusting in the Lord and although I have no idea what is going to happen I feel so at peace that I almost feel like there is something wrong with me. I know in my heart that everything is going to be okay because God has not failed me yet and I know that He never will. Hebrews 13:5 says Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; Never will I forsake you.”
I am finding that the closer we walk with the Lord the more we begin to trust Him. It is amazing to me that I am at this place in my life with Him and it is my desire for you to be too.
09/13/10
I can’t believe it has been six months since I have started this journey of writing blogs and I can’t believe that I have written over thirty of them. It is neat to see and hear about the affect my blogs have on others. Sometimes things will happen to me and I know that I am going to use that for a blog, but most of the time I have no clue what I am going to write about until I actually sit down, pray and just begin to write… like today!
A lot of things have taken place this past week and I have some decisions to make and changes that will be happening in the next couple months that will change my life. Normally I would be totally stressed out and constantly worrying about what I am going to do because reality is that I don’t have any idea what is going to happen in the couple months.
Although there has been times when I have started to stress and needed to talk to get back to where I need to be, I have found myself so much at peace. I know that no matter what decision I make or what happens that God is in control and I don’t have to worry about anything. There is a quote that I have seen and I love it so much and it is that “Worry ends where faith begins.” When you think about it, it makes total sense because if you are worrying about something you don’t have faith that God can handle it. Matthew 6:34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
We are all human and we are all going to worry from time to time but we have to remember to “let go and let God.” As I was reading my Bible today I came across a passage that is just exactly where I want to be at this time in my life and I think this is where we all should want to be. It is Jeremiah 17:7-8 “But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in Him. 8 He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” If we trust in God and have confidence in Him we will not have to worry about anything at all and we will always be bearing fruit no matter what situation we are going through at the time.
This past week I have been trusting in the Lord and although I have no idea what is going to happen I feel so at peace that I almost feel like there is something wrong with me. I know in my heart that everything is going to be okay because God has not failed me yet and I know that He never will. Hebrews 13:5 says Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; Never will I forsake you.”
I am finding that the closer we walk with the Lord the more we begin to trust Him. It is amazing to me that I am at this place in my life with Him and it is my desire for you to be too.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
A summer of memories
A summer of Memories
6/24/10
Summer is a great time of year, but unfortunitely it is one that I have never gotten the chance to enjoy because of my life growing up. It seems as if something tragic happened every summer and then from High school on I had a job so there was really no summer anymore, but that is all changing now.
I am currently working as a live-in nanny and I care for two little girls ages two and five and I have determined in my heart that this is going to be my best summer so far and I am going to enjoy every minute of it. I have been busy since the beginning of May making summer memories witht these two precious little girls and I am trying to give them the life that I never had.
God has saved me and allowed me to endure the things that I have and I know that He is working everything together for the good as Romans 8:28 says. So although I don’t have any previous summer memories I am making lots of favorite memories this summer!
Friday, June 18, 2010
A Father For Father's Day!
Father's Day is a special day where everyone gets to honor their dad and show him how much they love him.
I have always considered Father's Day just another day and nothing really special. I have a father, but he had a stroke that left him disabled when I was only nine years old. He is incapable of being what a father should be and it is nearly impossible to have a relationship with someone who has a hard time communicating. I don't really remember him before he had his strokes either so he is my father, but with his disability he is unable to be the dad that I need.
I gave my life to the Lord a year and a half ago and have come to realize that He is my Father, my heavenly Father and he loves me more than anyone ever could. He is my Creator and He will always love me no matter what. It is so refreshing and gives me great security to know that I will always be loved and never left. Many people feel as if their parents didn't want them and the great thing about God is He created you so you know that He wants you. You were never just a mistake because He knit you together in your mother's womb. Psalm 139:13 That verse gives me chills when I think about it. It reminds me of drawing a picture or playing with play-doh and spending so much time to make what you are working on look just the way you want it and putting the final touches on it. God does that before we are born. Our Father has already planned our life and when we give our life to Him He gets to mold us into that person that He has created us to be. I have never felt more loved than the day that I realized that our Father wants us and I will never be left again!
Since I have given my life to the Lord He has also put someone else in my life who is like a Father to me. I have never really thought of anyone else being like a Father to me until the end of 2009. Last year I have become really close to my Bible Study teacher and she is like a mom to me. While spending time with her I have also gotten to know her husband and he is just an amazing man and has become someone that I consider to be like a father to me. It is the coolest thing because they have become like my parents. I even call them my adoptive parents. It is funny because recently as I was getting ready to do something that wasn't bad, but also not the smartest thing I was telling my "mom" and she told me what she thought and then told me that my "dad" was not going to like it and I better be ready for that conversation. He has talked to me before a couple of times about guys and my job and stuff and it is just neat that when my father isn't capable of being the father that I need God has put someone else in my life to be that dad to me.
God knows just what we need to be the people that He has created us to be. I have always felt like part of me was missing because of not having a mom in my life and having a dad who can't be a dad. I gave my life to the Lord and He gave me new "parents" and I have never felt more complete or happier in my life. This year isn't just another day, but it is a day to celebrate my Heavenly Father, my biological father and the wonderful man that has become my "adoptive" father.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
A Love Story
A Love Story
6/3/10
At the age of twenty-three I have come to the realization that I have never really been in love in any of my past relationships. I can remember thinking that I was in love at the time and feeling as if a part of my heart was being ripped right out of my chest when the relationship ended, but it wasn’t true love. Since I have allowed Christ to turn my life around and have accepted him into my life as my personal Lord and Savior I now know that what I thought was love was really just lust.
I have recently fallen head over heels in love with the Lord and come to realize that He is my first true love. The more time that I spend with Him the more I love Him. I am finding that I seem to love Him more and more each day. It has been almost a year and a half since I have given my life to the Lord and He has completely changed my life in ways that I never thought were possible. He loves me in a way that is so pure and true and nobody here on earth will ever be able to love me like He does. I no longer feel as if I need to find love in a man because Christ supplies me with all the love that I need.
There may come a day sometime in the future that the Lord sends a man into my life that He has for me and I will be ready if that shall ever come. I can promise you one thing though and that is that man is going to have to be pretty amazing if He is from God. If it is not in the Lord’s will for me to ever marry then I am content in knowing that He is my first love and He will never leave me or stop loving me no matter what I do. So for now God is writing my love story and I am going to continue to allow him to do so.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Where's The Love?
If I could become a Women of Faith speaker I would talk about real life issues that we as Christians face. I would also talk about my past and how the Lord has brought me through many things and if you put your trust in Him, He can bring you too through what you are going through and what you will face in the future. Here is a blog that I wrote last week titled...
Where's The Love?
There are so many scriptures in the Bible where the Lord tells us repeatedly to love one another. Here are just a couple, but there are several throughout the Bible.
1 John 3:23 An this is His command: to believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as He commanded us.
John 13:34 " A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another."
If you have accepted Christ as your personal Lord and Savior you are to love EVERYONE just as Christ loves you. It doesn't matter what they look like, what they have done, who they are, what they have or what they don't have. It is not up to us to pick and choose who we are going to love and who we are not. How are you going to share Christ with an unbeliever (which you are called to do) if you don't love them?
It seems like time and time again people who proclaim to be Christians, and some who are even leading in ministry get upset at someone and blast bad stuff about that person or the whole church all over facebook and to everyone they see. Where's the Love in that? Is that what Christ died on the cross for? Scripture clearly tells us in Matthew 5:23-24 "Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to that person; then come offer your gift." The same goes for when we are the one with something against another brother or sister. We are to go immediately to that person and make it right. Ephesians 4:26-27says "In your anger do not sin"; Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. When you are putting negative stuff on your facebook or talking to people about other people or church you are obviously angry. All that is doing is giving the devil a foothold in your life to bring you down and to cause separation and division in the church... It is not solving the problem, so why do it?
As a young Christian it saddens me to see this happening over and over again. The more I am growing in my faith I am learning that this is not the way that we as Christians are supposed to be. We are supposed to be different and set apart. Why would someone want to go to church when the people in the church are acting like this? For years now I have been inviting a friend (much older than I) to come to church with me just once and she refuses to come for this exact reason. She tells me that she doesn't have to go to church to be around a bunch of back stabbing hypocrites, she can get that outside of church. Is that what we want to be known as? I didn't see it until I truly gave my heart to the Lord and started growing in my faith. Now it seems as if I see it all over the place.
There is so much that we do and don't think about how it ruins our witness. We need to the be the same person outside of the church as we are inside the church. Before I had really accepted Christ and started following Him I did not realize how important these things are. You never know who is watching you. Here is a good example of how people watch us and when we don't realize it. Friday night at our Good Friday concert and drama a lady came up to me and thanked for being a friend and encouraging someone she works with, who is a new Christian and recently started attending our church. I have not spoken to the lady that she mentioned other than saying Hi to her, but she has been watching me at church and told her coworker one day at work that I was encouraging her by my walk with the Lord and she even called me a friend. How awesome is that? But look how it could easily go the other way had I been acting in an unchristian manner, because I didn't know someone was watching me.
Here are a couple other things that we "Christians" do that ruin our witness:
Alcohol- It is the same thing with Christians who think that it is okay to go out to the bars and drink... Everyone is always fast to say it's not a sin to drink and Even Jesus drank wine. You are right, it is not a sin but why would an unbeliever want to accept Christ if you who say you are a Christian are doing the same thing as them? How is Christ going to change them if He appearently hasn't changed you because you are still the same things?
Joy- I am still working on this one (smile). When you accept Christ as your personal Lord and Savior the Holy Spirit comes to live inside of you. Our Joy is supposed to come from the Lord. Does this mean you are going to be continuously happy? NO. But it should change how we act to others. We should be a Joy to be around and not someone who is continuously upset, angry or complaining.
Sex outside of marriage- This is one that I am learning a lot about. God is very specific about this one and it is the only sin that you can commit that is against your own body and remember your body is the temple. 1Corinthians 6:18 Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. When you have sex with someone you then become one with that person, how many people are you going to become one with? You may not realize it, but a part of you is now always going to be with that person and a part of them is always going to be with you. You may think you can have sex with someone and it's okay if nobody knows, but guess what, God knows and He is the one who should matter most.
I know that nobody is perfect and believe me I know that I am far from it. I just want to challenge you if you are a Christian to look at things you are doing in your life. Do you live a life that reflects Christ? Can people look at your life and know that you are a Christian? Are you the same person outside of church as you are inside? Many "Christians" think that just because they have said a prayer that they are saved and are Christians. They may even go to church for a little while, but they never change. When you truly give your life to Christ and allow Him to control your life He is going to change you. 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come. I know this to be true because I have said a prayer and just kept on living the way I was. I even went to church every Sunday and sang in the praise team. I professed to be a Christian, but I was no different from anyone in the World. All of the things I talked about above I did and did not feel guilty about it, because I wasn't a Christian. I knew who the Lord was and I prayed from time to time. But it wasn't until I truly gave my life to the Lord that I really got to know Him and that is when He started changing my life. Somethings changed faster than others and somethings were harder to let Him change than others, but it feels so good to not have to worry about my life because I know that the Lord is in control. I have lost a lot of friends because of my decision for the Lord and for my changed life, but that is okay because the world is going to hate us. 1 John 3:15 Do not be suprised, my brothers and sisters, if the world hates you. If you have not allowed Him to come into your life and change you I pray that you will. Being a Christian doesn't mean your life is going to be all fine and dandy because that is far from it. Being a Christian is tough when we are living in an unchristian nation, but the rewards are so much greater. Are you willing to sacrafice these things for Christ? Afterall He made the ultimate sacrifice for YOU.
Friday, March 26, 2010
A New Journey
I've never really gotten into the whole blog for two reasons. One is because I simply haven't ever had the time. And The second reason being that I haven't really ever had anything to say or share that I would put in a blog.
I have decided to start making time for blogs because I do have things to say and share with you. I am going to try to make a point to do a weekly or twice monthly blog on whatever the Lord puts on my heart. It will just depend upon how often He gives me something to share. I am not certain of what exactly the blogs will entail. One week they may be about something that I am studying in the Bible and the next week it may be about something the Lord is doing in my life or has brought me through... It just depends upon what the Lord gives me. I pray that those of you who do read my blogs will be blessed by them. It is also my prayer that you will benefit from them and allow them to even brighten your day and encourage you sometimes.
I do have some news about something in my life that I will be sharing sometime soon. I am not sure when, but I am very excited about it! God is showing me some of the great things that He has planned for my life. I have never felt like I have a purpose in this life like I do now. I am looking forward to the things to come because God is so Good!
Here is an encouraging verse that I have found comforting in my life...
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18
I have decided to start making time for blogs because I do have things to say and share with you. I am going to try to make a point to do a weekly or twice monthly blog on whatever the Lord puts on my heart. It will just depend upon how often He gives me something to share. I am not certain of what exactly the blogs will entail. One week they may be about something that I am studying in the Bible and the next week it may be about something the Lord is doing in my life or has brought me through... It just depends upon what the Lord gives me. I pray that those of you who do read my blogs will be blessed by them. It is also my prayer that you will benefit from them and allow them to even brighten your day and encourage you sometimes.
I do have some news about something in my life that I will be sharing sometime soon. I am not sure when, but I am very excited about it! God is showing me some of the great things that He has planned for my life. I have never felt like I have a purpose in this life like I do now. I am looking forward to the things to come because God is so Good!
Here is an encouraging verse that I have found comforting in my life...
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18
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