Psalm 34

I will extol the LORD at all times; 
       his praise will always be on my lips.

 ² My soul will boast in the LORD;
       let the afflicted hear and rejoice.

 ³ Glorify the LORD with me;
       let us exalt his name together.

 ⁴ I sought the LORD, and he answered me;
       he delivered me from all my fears.

 ⁵ Those who look to him are radiant;
       their faces are never covered with shame.

 ⁶ This poor man called, and the LORD heard him;
       he saved him out of all his troubles.

 ⁷ The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him,
       and he delivers them.

 ⁸ Taste and see that the LORD is good;
       blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.

 ⁹ Fear the LORD, you his saints,
       for those who fear him lack nothing.

 ¹⁰ The lions may grow weak and hungry,
       but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.

 ¹¹ Come, my children, listen to me;
       I will teach you the fear of the LORD.

 ¹² Whoever of you loves life
       and desires to see many good days,

 ¹³ keep your tongue from evil
       and your lips from speaking lies.

 ¹⁴ Turn from evil and do good;
       seek peace and pursue it.

 ¹⁵ The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous
       and his ears are attentive to their cry;

 ¹⁶ the face of the LORD is against those who do evil,
       to cut off the memory of them from the earth.

 ¹⁷ The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them;
       he delivers them from all their troubles.

 ¹⁸ The LORD is close to the brokenhearted
       and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

 ¹⁹ A righteous man may have many troubles,
       but the LORD delivers him from them all;

 ²⁰ he protects all his bones,
       not one of them will be broken.

 ²¹ Evil will slay the wicked;
       the foes of the righteous will be condemned.

 ²² The LORD redeems his servants;
       no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him

Lately, I've been so lonely and feeling so alone. I feel like I don't have any true friends in the world. You know the friends I mean, the ones that are always there for you no matter what; not just the ones who contact you when they need something. We all can be like the second type of people I mentioned -- putting people on the back burner until we need something, then all of a sudden we're best buds with them again.

I am in need and in search of a much deeper relationship than that. Just like it is with our friends, so it is with God. We put God on the back burner until we really need Him then all of a sudden we're best friends with God again. Wouldn't it be nice if we had true, genuine friendships with each other AND God?? There definitely would be a decrease in the loneliness category! 

This Psalm above encourages me so much in the fact that the Lord hears me when I cry out to Him, unlike other people who don't. The Lord keeps me in His arms and makes sure I am safe, never broken -- unlike most people who don't. 

The best thing, I think, one can do is to pray for those who have hurt us. Last night I sat so broken in my bed and just prayed to God that He would have mercy on those who hurt me..that He would forgive them because they didn't know they hurt me so badly. Would I tell them how they hurt me? No, I don't think that getting their ear to tell them such news would justify or glorify anything. The only feeling I'd get is one of vengeance and that is never acceptable. 

I just pray that God sends me someone, anyone, to me who cares for me as much as I care for them. I'm not talking about a marriage perspective, but rather a friendship perspective. God knows my future husband and made him with me in mind, so I'm not worried about that part of my life, necessarily. I just want friends.

But think about how God must feel! He created and loved us all! He knitted us together before we were born knowing what we would be good at, how we would glorify him, and who we would marry -- and he gets back burner friends, too. How sad is that, that we can't even acknowledge our Creator? As you go about your day, think about how your relationships affect not only your life but others lives as well. Think about the expectations God has for your relationship with Him and apply that to your relationship with other people. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Just something to think about.

A month not wasted

Gosh this past month has been an absolute joy in both the good experiences and the bad. From being ridden with disease, to sharing a part of my heart with the Redmans, it's all been an experience of a lifetime.

During the first of the month, I tested positive for the Rheumatoid Arthritis factor. I was sent to a Rheumatologist where I had blood work and a chest wall x-ray done. After the chest wall x-ray two weeks later came the x ray of my entire body. At this point, they were examining for Lupus because I tested positive for the Lupus factor, and cancers, too.  We then get the news that all of my test results had came back negative. After having all of my friends, family, and church praying that God would provide -- He did. He healed me to the utmost and took all of the sickness away. I did have a follow-up MRI on my hip because it looks abnormal. And, of course, my doctor still wants me on my medication because he deems it safest for my body currently. And yes, while I am ridden of the disease and though I am only about 80% better, in God's eyes, I'm 100% better because God never does anything halfway. And yes while I could relapse and have my immune system haunted again, I'm trusting that God is the ultimate healer and I am not afraid to die because I"m gaining a lifetime with my Jesus.

Next, I sort of met someone. As exciting as it is, my heart is still guarded as it should be because I know what's meant to be will be anyway. So in the future if nothing results from anything, I can at least have a new friendship in my life because we could all use more friendships.

Tonight, I went to Passion City Church where I was overcome with the greatness of the Almighty living God. As Louie spoke, he spoke about lifting our hands and surrender. I realized more than ever that I am not bound by anything, not even disease nor death, because Jesus has conquered them both and will hold me victorious with Him...And when I go to be with Him we will reign forever. Isn't that AWESOME?!


After the church service, I had the privilege of meeting Beth Redman. What a sweet lady she is. Praise God for her. She and Matt (whom I got my cd autographed by tonight, also) are such blessings and their ministry touches millions of lives, especially my own. I continued to tell Beth how I sang the song they wrote together, "You Alone Can Rescue" over and over everyday like it was an anthem to my heart because of the truth the lyrics hold. No matter where I am or what I'm going through God is God. He is, He was, He always will be. It's as simple as that.

Who, oh Lord, could save themselves, 
Their own soul could heal? 
Our shame was deeper than the sea 
Your grace is deeper still 

Who, oh Lord, could save themselves, 
Their own soul could heal? 
Our shame was deeper than the sea 
Your grace is deeper still 

You alone can rescue, You alone can save 
You alone can lift us from the grave 
You came down to find us, led us out of death 
To You alone belongs the highest praise 

You, oh Lord, have made a way 
The great divide You heal 
For when our hearts were far away 
Your love went further still 
Yes, your love goes further still 

You alone can rescue, You alone can save 
You alone can lift us from the grave 
You came down to find us, led us out of death 
To You alone belongs the highest praise 
To You alone belongs the highest praise
To You alone belongs the highest praise

You alone

We lift up our eyes, lift up our eyes 
You’re the Giver of Life 
We lift up our eyes, lift up our eyes 
You’re the Giver of Life 
We lift up our eyes, lift up our eyes 
You’re the Giver of Life 
We lift up our eyes, lift up our eyes 
You’re the Giver of Life 
We lift up our eyes, lift up our eyes 
You’re the Giver of Life 
We lift up our eyes, lift up our eyes 
You’re the Giver of Life 
We lift up our eyes, lift up our eyes 
You’re the Giver of Life 
We lift up our eyes, lift up our eyes 
You’re the Giver of Life 

You alone can rescue, You alone can save 
You alone can lift us from the grave 
You came down to find us, led us out of death 
To You alone belongs the highest praise 
To You alone belongs the highest praise
To You alone belongs the highest praise

To You alone

Purposes.

"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:37-39)

Recently, I've been struggling with the concept of friendship and what it means. For weeks I have been wondering what exactly is wrong with me that can cause people to turn away from me. I still have not figured it out. In the midst of this constant worry, my relationship with the Lord was estranged. I feel spiritually tired. I feel like that nothing I can do will help. Nothing that I do will fix my personality, fix my relationship with the Lord, fix my life, fix me. Well, according to the Bible, that is exactly right. That's exactly how we should feel.

This morning I was dwelling on my feelings and wonders, and I also was reading past blogs that I have written. Honestly, it's really mind boggling how your own works can inspire you later on. That's why I love literature. I read about what Louie Giglio said to us on Good Friday about the "do" path and the "done" path. 

The "do" path is all about what I can do to get back with God, what I can do to fix everything, what I can do...do...do." The "do" path is overwhelming. It is an impossible path to follow, and yet every Christian in the world follows it. Everybody is worried about what THEY can do to please God, what THEY can do to get ahead, what THEY can do..do..do.

GOD DOESN'T DESIRE OUR ACTIONS!

He desires our heart. God desires our FAITH more than our actions. For we cannot get to Heaven by works.  

But we are all as an unclean [thing], and all our righteousnesses [are] as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. 

- (Isaiah 64:6)

According to the Bible, we are saved by God's grace, not works. We cannot work our way into Heaven. We cannot work our way to being loved by God. God's love is not conditional like the people on earth's love might be. Therefore, the "do" path only leads to destruction. Legalism falls under the "do" path. The life of the Pharisees which were strictly by following the laws so that they might get into Heaven were corrupt by do...do...do. So are we.

The "done" path is the path God has already paved for us by sending Christ for us to die for our sins. Remember, love came down and justice died. No matter what we do..do...do -- we cannot EVER do enough to earn anything from God. God freely gives to us. Therefore there should be no reason in the world why we should dwell on what we have done or will do because it has already been done for us.

So what does all this come down to? What is our purpose? What is my purpose? 
A few days ago, I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis. As shocking as this diagnosis was, it was more relieving because the doctors finally found out why I have been sick for a year. Recently, I have been so caught up in never being able to "live a normal life" because of finances, school, personal reasons, or what have you. I just couldn't figure out what purpose my life held. I got that God made me for a purpose, but what exactly was it?


Maybe my purpose IS to be sick, to simply have an underdeveloped immune system. Maybe my diagnosis is a blessing, an encouragement to someone else. I know that sounds so cliche. Simply, God knows who needs his love. God knows the people who need to hear about God's grace, His love for them, and the only way to get to Heaven. I, like anyone else, have been given the responsibility by the Lord to reach the broken and confused because it says so in the Bible. And I, like everyone else, has friends whose lives are lost. I have friends who wouldn't know God's grace from just sheer luck. Maybe my purpose in life IS to reach those people... But how? Not by the "do" path, but by the "done" path. Not by my works, what I can do, but what God can do through me. How? By love. 


God, show me how to love these people.
show me how to be a light that reaches far beyond the darkness of any pit that Satan could have on these people.
show me the way to love them, encourage them, and pray for them.
break my heart.
allow me to know that no matter what I could ever do, it will never be good enough because You don't desire doing. You desire believing, and knowing above all else.
I know that I know that I know that You died for me, that You love me, and that You save me daily.
Allow me to show these people exactly that. 
Allow me to be different. 
Make my life stand out from the world so that they may see that my life is not mine but Yours.


This is my purpose.

Leeland - Learn To Love (HQ)

Dear John,

I wanted a blog that didn't just go into depth about how awesome God is; because God is inevitably awesome. I wanted something more...Creative. I wanted to write something so surreal, so finite. So, here, is something I would say to my role model, John Lennon:

Dear John,

What can I say? You're a legacy. You know this, of course. I do not need to tell you of your worth. You wrote songs with such ease and imagery that even the poets and philosophers of the ancient of days can not compare. Not just your songs, but your lifestyle is truly inspiring.

Your beliefs about life, wealth, and God are fascinating in every conceivable sense. I only wish to live such an anecdote that I may inspire people as you have inspired me. "Imagine all the people living life in peace," is such a legacy that will remain pure and fruitful. I wish so badly that you could see the world, as it is today. Granted I'm positive you would not be happy with what you saw. However, if you were to live amongst us, you would indefinitely change the world furthermore than you already have, sir.

Oh, why did life have to be taken from you so quickly? Whomever could ever hate you? Whomever could hate anyone so much as to take their lives from them? In such ripe timing, too! The epitome of your fame was rising. What a life you would have, still if you were here, still.

I only seek the answer to this one question: how under Heaven did you get such inspiration for such epic songs? Could you possibly teach me how to write from the heart? I long to feel such deep emotion as to change the world one day.

I know you are up in Heaven, dear John, playing and giving peace a chance like you would hear on Earth. Furthermore, you are probably sitting in your Strawberry Fields Forever, witnessing A Day in the Life. 

Peace to you, my good friend. Thank you for your heart and inspiration. All my love to you, my fellow advocate for justice and mercy.

- Christen

Summa Cum Laude

The title, "Summa Cum Laude," is Latin for "with highest praise." I know that every time the phrase "Cum Laude" comes to mind, it's about academics, like your GPA, your honors, and so on. You can, however, use "Cum Laude" in your personal life, too. For example, you can have "Summa Cum Laude" for a person, or in my case, something more divine, like the One who created me. My Creator and my God. Here is just a little bit of what my journey has been like for the past couple weeks:

I started babysitting on occasion as of two weeks ago. I had posted an add and a profile on Sitter City not too long ago; about six months ago, to be exact. I got a call at work the day before asking if I could babysit this child of the age of 5. A boy. So, I did. After having babysat the boy, even though I was as tired as can be (because, let's face it, children are not quiet beings), I felt accomplished. I didn't feel accomplished because I made $30 dollars an hour, I felt accomplished because someone greater than me did it through me. Summa cum laude.

Before I started babysitting, I started sitting in a Sunday School class as a shadow teacher until I can have my own class to teach out of. After my day of babysitting, I went to Sunday School to find out that the teachers that I am under needed me to teach the following Sunday, (which was yesterday.) I accepted. As the accompanying week occurred, I became overwhelmed with school work because I fell behind. Even though I spent all week on my school studies, I was still able to pull my lesson out of the air on Sunday morning to show the love of Jesus to those sixth graders. Summa cum laude.

Prior to all of the aforementioned text, I had recently taken a break from my relationship with the person I was seeing for a few months. You know how it goes, it wasn't the right time, right place, etc. I went through it, the whole break up spiel. Meanwhile, I spent time on school and prayed that God would turn school into something that I loved. So far, school has been enjoyable and even though I did fall behind, I did catch up and get done with what I need to do to stay ahead. As of yesterday, my relationship with the person that I was seeing before, has fallen back into place. Although I do not know for certain if it will work out in the long run, I shouldn't really matter. It should really be in God's great hands. Summa cum laude.

Earlier today, I spoke with someone who is very near to my heart. This person and I had a falling out, a break up if you will, three years ago over numerous offenses. We had recently talked about our stances and the situation when the falling out was fairly sore; about six months after the fact. Between that time, and today we had not spoken of it on decent terms. Today I finally got up the nerve to send her a message and ask her why it felt like she still held on to the anger and resentment that we had held each other accountable for causing in us so long ago. Her words were this:

"To be bluntly honest, it's not really a grudge. I'm just over you and the whole situation. I've moved on. I hardly don't talk to anyone from back home and I have a few friends/family there but all of my best friends are here (her exact location now). I'm happy."

Normally, this would hurt a sensitive person like myself. But friends, it liberated me! I felt no longer stressed, anxious, hurt, nostalgic about the situation any longer because I got the freedom and closure I needed. God provided that through her. My one prayer for her is that she finds someone along her path that causes her to realixe the greatness of our God. Summa cum laude.

Now, even though this was a stressful week, and while I am fortunate that everything worked out peacefully, I  honestly though would have to say it was just God's everlasting grace that allowed it to do so. Should I have studied harder for my Sunday School lesson and put forth a  little more effort? No doubt. Should have I have thought it through completely before allowing my relationship with my significant other to come back? Sure. All these things could have been prevented or worked out better. But they happened the way that God worked them out for them to happen. 

If I had not have had a single ounce of faith, I don't think I would have made it.

IT IS FINISHED!!

Today, is the day before Easter. This is the most beautiful holiday of all creation. This holiday is about celebrating the fact that the God of all creation stepped out of Heaven, presented Himself in human form, led a perfect life, and hung Himself on a cross for the sins of the whole, wide, World.

You may be thinking that this is old news, but if you really, truly, think about the meaning of Easter and Good Friday, (which was yesterday), the meaning honestly will blow.you.away. Last night our church, Passion City church, had a Good Friday service at Verizon Ampitheatre. Louie Giglio described the true meaning of why we celebrate, so let me briefly describe it:

Jesus was Jewish. Every year the Jewish people celebrate what is called the Passover which is the remembrance of when the Lord sent the Angel of Death to the people who did not have the blood of innocent animals on their house doors. Those people who had the blood of animals on their doors, were the people in which Moses led out of Egypt and into the Promised Land. They were "passed over."
Every year since, on the day of celebrated Passover, the rulers released one prisoner and crucified him. On the night before Jesus was crucified, he lead his closest friends, or Disciples, into the Upper Room for the Passover dinner. They all had celebrated Passover together before, but what Jesus was about to say was different than they had ever heard before: "This is my body, this is my blood which is broken and poured out for you." In other words, Jesus was saying "this is the great exchange -- my body which will be sacrificed for your eternal life." That is the history.

God sent His only Son to die on the Cross of Golgotha because he so loved the world. Love came down in Bethlehem. Love preached the Good News for three years. Justice died to save the world. Justice exchanged His life for the people of the whole world. It's not just what "the Americans believe." Jesus was Middle-Eastern. He died for the whole world -- every race, both genders, every belief, every sin. This is the theology.

You see, history tells us what time it is. Theology tells us what God we serve, and what our God is like.

Love came down -- history. Justice died -- theology. God is both love and justice.

These thoughts are not my own; they were spoken by Louie Giglio; I am simply just passing the message forward.

For my thoughts:
Until last night I had not been treating the remembrance of Christ the way I should have been. I was doing everything imaginable to distance myself from God. I felt like that no matter how hard I tried, I could not be pulled closer to God like I had once been before. I felt as though I had been worlds away from Jesus and could not come back.
Louie Giglio said this last night:

There are two paths: the "do" path, and the "done" path. The "do" path is all about doing right. The "do" path is about what I can do to get back to God; what I can do to earn the righteousness from God. Moses wrote ten simple things to follow; but not one person has been able to do them all. the problem with the "do" path is that it cannot be perfected because our hearts are sick. Sick hearts cannot be perfect. Amen?
The "done" path is the one Jesus has created for us. Love came down, Justice died and made a way for us through the "done" path. You see when Jesus was crucified and had been hanging there for six, unbearable, hours with His last dying breath He said: "It is finished." The price was paid.
No matter what you do, I do, we are sanctified by His grace. Because it was finished on that morning at 9am, we are forever with God. We are forever forgiven, forever loved, forever restored. Our sick hearts do not have to beat so hard, or work so hard to be perfect because it. Has. Already. Been. Done. Jesus did it! Praise God!

I needed to be reminded of that, didn't you?

Happy Easter!! Praise God in the Highest. Hallelujah!

Praise the Lord

I was thinking about the phrase, "Let Everything That Has Breath Praise The Lord." God actually commands all His creatures alike to praise Him. David wrote about praising the Lord in Psalm 150:

Praise the LORD.^a

Praise God in his sanctuary;

praise him in his mighty heavens.

2Praise him for his acts of power;

praise him for his surpassing greatness.

3Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,

praise him with the harp and lyre,

4praise him with tambourine and dancing,

praise him with the strings and flute,

5praise him with the clash of cymbals,

praise him with resounding cymbals.

6Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.

Praise the LORD. (Psalm 150:1-6)

 I've been thinking a lot about animals, and how they should be treated. I looked up vegetarianism in the Bible, and to my surprise, God actually created the plants and the fruits in Genesis for food, and then God gave animals to keep men company, that we may live in harmony with each other. I read forward, and read that Jesus was a vegetarian. Some scholars have researched that the "fish" Jesus gave to the 5,000 with the loaves of bread, was originally translated to mean "fish weed," or seaweed. The greek word for fish ichthys, which in English means "Jesus fish."
Jesus as the perfect of example to kindness to people, and animals. If becoming vegetarian to me, means that I can give back to what God has given to me, then may He be glorified!
Furthermore, I realize that when God said, "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord," he meant animals, too! Is that why the birds sing during the day, or the wolves howl to the moon at night? They are praising the Lord? This, to me, is beautiful.

Perfect Love

"This is how we know, this is how we know what love is
                      
  Just one look at Your cross
                                                       
And this is where we see, this is where we see how love works
                        
  For You surrendered Your all
                                    
  And this is how we know that You have loved us first
                                  
  This is where we chose to love You in return

                                    
For You so loved the world that You gave Your only Son
                                           
Love amazing, so divine, we will love You in return
                                   
For this life that You give, for this death that You have died
                                            
Love amazing, so divine, we will love You in reply, Lord" ("This is how we know" - Matt Redman)

I love this song. I love having Matt Redman and Chris Tomlin as worship pastors. How can the words not speak to you? "For You so loved the world that You gave Your only Son. Love amazing, so divine, we will love You in return." Nobody can actually fathom what happened on Calvary's Cross that day. It;s not entirely "normal" to want to give your only, earthly, life for someone that you love because of the depth of your love for them. But Christ did! How amazing! Christ died for our sins, for you and me, we've all heard it; but.

... the only thing He wants from you is a relationship. Think of how little that is of us that He asks. He carried  a cross!... not just a cross but the cross -- the cross that gave us life! I personally cannot imagine how heavy carrying a cross would be! Furthermore, after carrying the cross he was nailed to it! I don't know about you, but I would stop after carrying it. I'd be dead already. But Christ kept going! He kept going for you. And you! And me..

And the only thing he wants from us is a relationship?! Are you KIDDING?! Nope. He just wants your attention, your love! 

"And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38-39)

Nothing.. Nothing.. NOTHING can ever surpass the love God has for you and the title He has given you by calling you His children. Louie Giglio calls Him "The Perfect Father" because he is. Maybe you had a mediocre father growing up, a bad one, maybe even an absent one. It's ok because no matter what you've come to believe about God being just like your earthly father,

IT JUST ISN'T TRUE.


God knew you before you were born, in Isaiah it says he "knitted you in your mother's womb." He has a plan, a purpose for YOUR life RIGHT. NOW. He could ONLY  fulfill that purpose by carrying an overwhelmingly heavy cross, and sacrifice being nailed to it. And you mean to tell me that by being a perfect Father, knowing me before I was born, knowing that I wasn't an accident even though my parents may say so, and being the perfet MARTYR for me that he nailed himself to a cross so I could have a relationship with him? Not just "a relationship" but a perfect relationship? You mean one that has unconditional love that maybe my family, friends, whomever never showed me? You mean one that is so amazing, so divine, all he wants is love in reply? That's it?


Yep.

When the Future is Unclear.

I've been dwelling a lot about the future, recently. School has become so hard to plan out, work is long and tiring, my relationships with people aren't what they should be, etc. However, recently no matter how complicated things always seem to be in the midst of the desert, God always has a way of making things work out! It's crazy, actually.

For instance, I've gotten past the mental shock of what happened to me about a month ago. The shock turned into utter sadness -- not for me, but for the person who took so much of my pride. The person whom I invested so much time in so long ago, took so much of me that it hurt to turn my life around. Praise the Lord that it hurt, though!

Let's take a look at what Paul, said:

Romans 5:1-5
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we[a]have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. 

 Ok, I don't know about you but Paul talks in such a way that it hurts to try to figure it out all in one piece! So, let's see. "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have a peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand." What is being said here is, because we have faith, we are spoken for by God, or justified. By this justification, we are at peace with our Creator because we have been spoken for. That's pretty awesome!
Paul eventually goes on to say how we rejoice in our sufferings and how it produces all these wonderful attributes to our lives. But why does our sufferings produce all the wonderful things? Hope. It is the natural feeling of the human race to feel "hope." Hope most nearly means something different to every person on the planet, but what does Godly hope mean? In the last sentence of the passage above, Paul says hope "...does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."
Godly hope is that of His Holy Spirit, His Counselor, in which He sent to live inside of us. We have hope because we have the God of all Creation living inside of our hearts! That is way cool!

So I have drawn the conclusion that I don't dwell on the past, or the evil things that have been done to me by the wicked because the wicked have received their reward by God. So I do not fear the evil, or any "bad" thing that can happen to me on this earth. In Proverbs, it says this:

Proverbs 14:32
When calamity comes, the wicked are brought down, but even in death the righteous have a refuge. 

 According to this passage, when destruction is brought upon the wicked, they crumble! Why? Because they place their hope in the carnal, not the incarnate. This false hope gives them reason to do what is evil. But in the end, we will triumph, anyway! God is our refuge! In the words of Chris Tomlin: "And if our God is for us, then who could ever stop us? And if our God is with us, then what could stand against?"

So, in conclusion I worry not about my future. It's not mine to plan!

Encouragement for times of Hardship

Do you ever wonder why people hurt you? It almost seems deliberate some of the time, and most of the time it can be. Have you ever just sat and cried about in frustration, "Why? If there is a God that loves me, why does He let this happen?" I've been there. I think we've all been there. Fortunately, as I was reading Hebrews it enlightened me to stay strong. I know that it sounds incredibly cliche`; it's everywhere on the radio, tv, "stay strong." The Army promotes strength, asking the viewers if they are "Army Strong." However, there is a peace when the God of all creation tells us to stay strong:

"Because God has said: Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you. So we say with confidence, the Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?" (Hebrews 13:5-6)

Moreover, why should we continue to fight for what we believe in, what is right, when we get hurt? It seems to happen everyday, from everyone! But God shows mercy to His children and comes to rescue those who are weak and weary. Paul makes it clear in Philippians when he says this:

"It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart; for whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God's grace with me." (Philippians 1:7)

There is hope for His children! Yes, the world will hurt you. People will hurt you everyday because this world is not what God intended for it to be when he created it in Genesis. Because of Adam and Eve's sin, the world has become less and less pure as the centuries went on, until it became the world we live in today. Because of the impurity of the world, it is very common for Christians to get hurt daily, especially for being followers of Jesus Christ. But we shouldn't feel upset or try to get even when we get hurt; instead we should consider it joy! As James said,

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you face troubles of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance." - (James 1:2-3)

My challenge to you is, whenever you get hurt, or feel frustrated by imperfect people, give thanks to God! Because no sooner than the blink of an eye will God send His son from His right hand down to conquer the world in flesh! Will you do it?

It Starts and Ends with Me.

So, a few days ago, I found out something that forever changed me. I found out that the person that violated me a few months ago, had something else to hide: he was not single when he forcefully took advantage of me.

I keep thinking that no female should have to go through what I went through in past relationships. If they already have/are going through an abusive relationship, (physical, emotional, mental, etc) then I really want to reach out to them and show them the everlasting love of Christ, and to help them realize there IS a way out, always. So.. I've decided to start a women's ministry or support group on HOPE, or Helping Others through Positive Evangelism.

I hope this works out! I really want abuse to stop. Other girls need to know it CAN stop with them, just like it's stopping with me.