Everyone has a story God has given them to share to this world, we just have to sit down long enough to hear it.

I believe, especially, in today`s culture we get so caught up in media and technology that we miss out on many opportunities just to sit down and share about what God has done in our life or someone else`s life. Even when you see someone out and about we, as Americans, ask the other person how they are doing just to be polite, but passed that smile and laughter, is that person really OKAY? Is that person carrying a burden that they are not sharing? Has that person conquered more than they will ever tell?

I believe we are all living testimonies for God. Yet we always tend to think that a person's testimony has to be this miraculous event where God gave them a second chance in life, whether it be from drugs and alcohol or even to financial issues. Now don't get me wrong, some of those stories can be the most touching and inspiring of them all, but what if you could say your testimony wasn't extravagant, rather something different. Something actually quite simple, yet it meant a lot to you. What if you could say you never gave into the worldly desires that surround you constantly. What if you were able to say God kept you safe in His arms your whole life? And that you were able to say to other people that you never tried drugs, drinking, premarital sex, self-mutilation, or even looked at porn, but rather gave your life over to Him from the start. Then you could truthfully say you kept a pure heart, mind, and soul. I believe that would be a true testimony in itself.

In a world that tells you to act on your emotions and feelings you are able to say you didn't need drugs or sex to fill that empty void. But rather for the very beginning the hole for acceptance, need, and want, was filled with the love of Christ. Wouldn't you be proud to say that throughout your life God kept you pure, because your God had everything under control. I believe that would be a miracle, especially in today`s culture. I can honestly say that no one has shared a testimony like that before because the crowd has set a standard and has said that a "testimony" has to come with obstacles, and tribulations. You don't have to go do the road of heartache, pain, and misery if you know who you are in Christ. I am not saying that your life will be perfect, because God even tells us that we will face difficult times. Since this world shouts in our ears to follow the crowd, doing the total opposite would be a statement. A statement that many would witness.  Instead of saying "yes" to that alcohol, that cigarette, that knife, that drug, what if we said  "NO"? Imagine what the devil will be thinking.

God called YOU to be different, to stand out, to be that shining light in this dark world. So why is it many so called "Christians" are blending into their surroundings? Step out and be the change you want to see in this universe, because God`s love is so addictive that it will leave others wanting more.

Romans 12:1-2
"So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you." 

Stop judging and start loving, it`s that simple.

Tonight I was reminded that Christians, especially, tend to point their finger at not just other Christians, but everyone around them. Let’s face reality, people are going to be turned off for God if his followers are doing and saying the exact opposite of what He tells them to do. Stop judging and start loving, it’s really that simple. Gandhi once said, "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ." I know personally I have felt as though Gandhi’s quote was pretty accurate, because I was that person that felt as though everyone around me was judging my family and I, instead of just accepting me as a person. Now do not get me wrong, I have judge other people and I am not proud of it, but God has showed me through my past that I have no room to judge other people because I have no idea what they are facing. I believe there are many people out in the world that claim to "Christians" but are of the world. You also have to remember we are human, and we make mistakes, but we also tend to judge other people of their sins instead of loving them for who they could be. I believe as a Christian we should put our faith in God and believe He will take care of ANY situation. "Casting all your care on Him, because He cares about you." -1 Peter 5:7 We should not worry about what others are doing, but be aware of how you can make the situation better for Christ. Society can shape a person or you can shape society. As a Christian we want to shape society, not the other way around. If society shapes us and we act like the world then we are not shining a light into this world that God called us to be. Think about this though, is it right to have gay marriage? You may say well I`m not participating in that so why would it matter? It does! The Bible clearly states that being homosexual is wrong. Saying nothing is making a statement. It is saying you do not care, but as a Christian you should care about the spiritual health of others. Are you judging people that are gay? No, you are standing up to what you know is true. "Love the sinner, not the sin." You may also say well if you ask God into your life you are forgiven of ALL your sins, right? Yes you are. If you asked Jesus to come into your heart, but if you are a true Christian you would not be committing that sin time and time again. Also, remember sin is sin in God`s eyes so we constantly need forgiveness. It is by the grace of God we are still alive so thank God for the little things. People will judge us, but you need to remember who you are in Christ.

The devil loves to tell lies and once he has you convinced, he then has distracted you from God and what He wants for your life. It does not matter what the world tells you God LOVES you no matter what. He believes you are beautifully and wonderfully made in HIS OWN image. You are chosen by God to be where you are today for a specific reason. So next time when judge someone just remind yourself God loves them as much as He loves you. Our world needs the love of God, nothing more and nothing less.

 ^"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." -John 3:16

Are You listening?

It has been one of those days where I feel as though I am just fighting for answers. Just sitting in the unknown and all I can feel is my heart pounding. At this point in life, I have no clue what my purpose is here on earth for Christ. My heart, especially recently, has been broken, but I have this passion beyond my own understanding to do something that is and will change the world. I know first that revival has to start within me. I have no idea if God wants me out on the mission field helping those in bondage or if He has other plans for me. Right now I just want Him to show me His will for me, because I am stuck in a waiting period. And let`s be honest, it sucks. I feel as though I am powerless and too young to change the world for Christ. I feel as though I cannot do anything at this point. In the meantime, I just want Him to give me wisdom, hope, and encouragement for others that is beyond me.

Even though I know God has everything planned out already, waiting is hard, and waiting patiently is even harder. Just remember that you are not forgotten about during this time. He is working in and through you in ways you may not realize. So keep your head up and your love for Him on fire. Also, don't forget to pray because God may not answer our prayers the way we wanted them to be answered, but He does not forget the times in which we had faith in Him and prayed.

“My Lord God I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that my desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope that I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it. Therefore will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.” -Thomas Merton