True Faith

What is faith? A quick Google search yielded these answers: a strong trust or confidence, a strong belief in God, the opposite of doubt. All of those are good definitions, but I think the best definition comes from the Bible:

That means that even when life throws us something tough we still BELIEVE that God will provide for us! We have HOPE that our future will be bright, even in the bleakest moments. Faith is belief in ACTION.

Imagine this, you are on the top story of a burning building. Smoke surrounds you. Everything is bleak. You are slowly losing hope and life. The flames leap up around you. Finally, you find a window, and someone calls up to you. The sky is black, but someone calls your name telling you to jump. Trusting in that person with your life, you leap through the air, and the fireman below catches you. He could see you the whole time, but you needed FAITH to jump down to safety.

Believing that the fireman will catch you is one thing. FAITH is acting on that belief. Actually jumping, not KNOWING for sure that you would be saved, but acting anyway, THAT is faith. We need to have faith in God, that He is there protecting us and guiding us. No matter our bleakest situation, God, like the fireman, always has a clear view--even when you can't see Him, He sees you. You will always be safe in God's hands!

 

We all get lost. We all struggle, but God always has a plan for us. Sometimes we need bad times. Sometimes we need to fight and stand up for ourselves. No matter what God is always with us, so don't worry, have FAITH. Don't fret because God is always with you!

Don't let Satan CONTROL you by succumbing to your fears or giving into worry. You need to trust that no matter what, God is with you. He knows what He's doing. Feed your FAITH by praying, reading your Bible, going to church, or whatever you have to do. The more you feed your faith, the less you will have to fear! 

TRUST that God will be your GUIDE, that He will always be with you and that He WILL catch you. When you believe that, let go. Let God handle you're life. That is TRUE FAITH. Jumping and giving up control when you don't KNOW what could happen, but you BELIEVE that it will end well.

Have true faith: surrender you're life, let go and let God. 

Praise

Are you thankful for today? Even if it is snowing, raining, or blistering hot? Even if you just heard the saddest news of your life or the happiest? God gave you every single moment in you're life, the good AND the bad! Don't get worried and afraid in bad times, instead....

God is literally with you through EVERYTHING. He truly has carried us through the good and the bad, so PRAISE Him for it! 

God has a plan for you're life and knows what He's doing. He knows we need the bad times to draw us to Him. He sent His SON to DIE for US--even though we did NOTHING to deserve it. He LOVES us and PROTECTS us each and everyday. He does saves us even though we turn away from Him again and again. Isn't that something to celebrate? Looking around at the world, corruption and sin is EVERYWHERE. It can be easy to judge and say, "Oh, I'm so much better than that.", but are you really? If you are sinless, then go ahead and judge, but none of us are--we have ALL sinned! There is no "us and them" we are all sinners, but God loves us enough to give us SALVATION. I think that is something worthy of praise! 

God has done so much for us... there truly aren't enough words to describe his AWESOME love and grace and mercy. So still sing out His praise CONTINUALLY, because we can never run out of words to say! 

With all that God had done for us it can be hard to NOT praise Him! To NOT share Jesus with others. Don't be quiet about you're love for Him, but SHOUT IT OUT! 

Don't be ashamed of your love for God, don't hide it... but let is SHINE. Show people who you are in Christ and most importantly who CHRIST is. Show them Jesus in your actions. Sing His praises without fear! Show the entire world why you have faith, hope and LOVE. Praise the Lord loud enough so ALL can hear! 

Relinquish Control

I don't know about any of you, but this time of year, my life gets EXTREMELY stressful. I find myself getting caught up in life-- exams, sports, romance, problems at work and school-- and it's hard to focus on God. The more you worry the less time you spend with God. The Bible even says...

God actually instructs us to NOT WORRY. Why is that do you think?

It's because worrying is POINTLESS! It literally doesn't bring any good. Besides, God wants us to TRUST Him, and that He will do what's best for us.... 

 God never wanted us to worry, He wants us to TRUST Him and give Him CONTROL of our lives. Until we do that, we aren't truly showing faith in God. He can do absolutely anything. We need to put our lives in HIS HANDS and give Him all of the power in our lives. 

No matter the situation, it's in God's hands, and He knows what He's doing. Even the most CONFUSING and TERRIBLE situation, that may seem impossible for us, is POSSIBLE for God. We can never forget that... 

God can handle ANYTHING and EVERYTHING. So what do we have to worry about? NOTHING. It's not easy to remember that. Everyone will struggle and not trust God, but He will always be taking care of us. We just need to remember that. So ASK God to help you. 

God isn't worried. He knows what He's doing. He has a PLAN for us. When we worry we aren't TRUSTING God to do what He promised--protect us. We try to take control of our own lives, when what we need to do is RELINQUISH CONTROL TO GOD! So do that. Don't worry about tomorrow, but give God CONTROL of your life. It is scary and it won't be easy, but try to trust God to work in your life. Even in the hardest situations.

Peace of Mind

Now that it's the new year and vacation is over, life can be filled with a ton of STRESS. It can be hard to get back in the swing of things.... Good news: God is here to help!!

This year as situations come that stress you out, give your worries to God! He will fill you with His PEACE and JOY. No matter what you're going through, God will be there for you.   Let His love, peace, and plans take hold! 

You may not know what 2013 holds for you. You may not have plans, but God does. He ALWAYS had a plan for you and your life. You're life won't be perfect, but God will guide you through it all, so stop worrying and TRUST God. 

Things will happen this year that are scary and awful seeming. Occurrences that make you want to give up. Luckily...

God's love is PERFECT. He will take care of you. He will always be with you. He will make sure that GOOD will always come. Knowing that you're never alone should give you PEACE of mind INSTEAD of fear this year. 

Put your TRUST in God. Let Him be your guide and allow Him to fill you with PEACE and JOY. God will GUARD you, your heart and your mind. Know that God has a plan for you and feel protected this year. Have PEACE OF MIND throughout 2013, and don't forget to enjoy yourself! 

New Year Resolution

It's the New Year! Now that we've survived 2012, it's time to start thinking about 2013. That means... NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS! As you to look back on 2012, enjoy the memories, but look at what needs to be changed. I challenge you to DEVOTE yourself to God this year.

Give God EVERYTHING-- you heart,your work, your acts, your DEVOTION, and most of all your love. Point to Him in all you do and live your life for Him! When you start doing that, everyone will be able to tell. You will become friendlier and better to be around. Turn yourself into a clear Christian. A child of Christ. Someone who has a STRONG RELATIONSHIP with God and who ACTS like it. Become a God Girl or Boy (sorry boys, I don't have a song for you...)

When you devote yourself the the Lord, you will be filled with JOY and HAPPINESS and you will SHINE with the light of Jesus. That's a win-win if you ask me! 

 Allow Christ to work through you and be seen in you. You won't regret it! God is always with you, and will be for the rest of this year. He has a special plan for you in 2013-- that's a pretty good reason to CELEBRATE. So.. 

This years Resolution: REJOICE in the Lord, POINT to Him, LIVE for Him, READ your Bible, SPREAD His Word, and DEVOTE your life to Christ!