12 | 26 | 2012 : Joshua 1:1-9

After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' assistant, “Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory. No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

Well let me start this off with two things: 
1) I hope you had a wonderful Christmas day and a great first and second days of the Christmas season! My family got together and exchanged gifts today since peoples' schedules clashed with one another, but it was wonderful. We're all sitting around, watching Duck Dynasty and drinking hot cocoa. I'm happy.
2) I think it's just gonna be a normal thing for me to not post on these things for weeks at a time. I need to change the blog title from daily devotionals to whenever-I-can-find-the-time devotionals. Apologies!


So I would just use bits and pieces of this passage, but really all of it is important for me to expound upon it. I love this passage so much, it's so uplifting when I'm not doing well and need some encouragement!

So here's basically what's going on. Moses was originally leading the Israelites in the conquest of Canaan, the land promised them by God. But then Moses dies. So basically God is like, "Hey Joshua, you're the man now. Time to step it up." He explains what is needed of him which, to me, would overwhelm me and I'd probably be weary of accepting the call. But then He says, "Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you." What a simple yet powerful relief that is. Just as God was with Moses through all he did, so He would be with Joshua to be with him and guide him. He goes on to say that He will never leave him nor forsake him. And that is also true to us today! Just as God was with Moses, with Joshua,  and everyone else in the Bible and in the past, so He will be with us, leading us with strong hands. I find it notable that He tells Joshua to be strong and courageous three times in this passage.
The latter part of this passage is just as helpful and just as applicable. He reminds Joshua to meditate and store the Law in his heart in order to be prosperous. Though the Law talked about in this passage is not exactly what our Law is today, it still holds true. Holding fast to the Word of God and filling our hearts with it will ensure success and prosperity. Simply put, Psalm 119:11 says, "I have stored up Your Word in my heart that I might not sin against You." Knowing what is within the pages of Scripture is a powerful weapon against darkness. Devotionals (not like this one, haha) can really help you to organize what you're reading daily. On the most popular Bible app developed by lifechurch.tv, there is a Plans option where you can do topical daily devotions that even notify you if you tend to forget to read one day! Do whatever you can do to get the Word hidden in your heart!
God's hand will never leave us. HE will never leave us. Rely on Him for your strength and your courage. He will never fail!

Once again, I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and a great New Year!

11 | 2 | 2012 : Proverbs 11:2

When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom.

Every single human being possesses some form of pride. Whether it be in our appearance, our boyfriend/girlfriend/spouse, our skills, or our possessions, we all have some sort of pride deep within our hearts that we desperately need to be cleansed of.
God explicitly expresses how much He dislikes pride (Proverbs 16:5, Isaiah 2:12, Leviticus 26:19, etc.). Some say that all sin stems from the sin of pride; We are too proud to trust God over ourselves, so we choose our will over His and take our lives into our own hands. As C.S. Lewis describes it,

"It was through Pride that the devil became the devil. Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind."

Over and over, Scripture describes how terrible the sin of pride is, encouraging humility instead. God gives grace to the humble and opposes the proud (Proverbs 3:34). Being humble, as described in Proverbs 11:2, produces wisdom and is something to pursue on a day-to-day basis.
As someone whose pride is the utmost struggle, I know how hard it is to resist being proud in an argument, when I'm feeling righteous, when I don a cute outfit, etc. My pride follows me around constantly and I have to keep batting it away for the sake of Christ.

God is greater than our sin, whether it be pride, arrogance, self-righteousness, and/or the like. He is willing and able to overpower all of our desires so long as we cease to hold fast to them. In the end, God will humble the proud (Isaiah 13:11), and the humble will be rewarded (Proverbs 22:4)

We must humble ourselves before the Lord and consider others as better than ourselves. Pride may be  the root of sin, but God is not slow to forgive and help you with your struggle.

"Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working." - James 5:16

I realize this isn't a devotion of sorts like I normally have on here, but I felt this needed to be said. James tells us to confess our sins so that we may be healed of them, so I am doing just that.

I didn’t just come to this great realization today, I’ve known I’ve carried this sin for a long time, but I have just been hit with it after hearing some advice that was hard to take today.

I have a prideful heart. Hearing that I had pride today was initially only in my hair, but after some thought and prayer, my pride is not only in my hair, but in much more than that.
I am prideful over my knowledge theologically. I am prideful over my knowledge in general. I am prideful of my morals when compared to others. I am prideful of the way I look and the way I dress. I am prideful in what I believe. I am prideful in the way I act. I get offended when people try to tell me what to do or when they express their opinion of me that isn’t exactly what I want to hear.

I even remember going over The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector the other week and thinking that I had nothing to worry about and that I could never be prideful like the Pharisee. But even in thinking that, I was being prideful. I’ve realized that the thing I have been totally against has been the same thing that has flown under the radar and infected my life.

I just ask for prayer from those of you reading this who pray, as I myself will be praying vehemently to be humbled daily so that I may overcome this. I am dust.

“For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

07 | 23 | 2012 : Proverbs 19:21

"Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand."

Too often I think we as Christians forget to take God's will into consideration when choosing to do this or that. We make plans and organize our days sometimes without really thinking about what God may have for us.

"Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit' - yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.'" - James 4:13-15 ESV

We are so insignificant in comparison to the everlasting God. How can we be so naiive and say that we are in control of our own lives when we have forfeited our lives to our Creator?

This doesn't mean that we shouldn't make plans, however, it is a reminder that we should put everything into God's hands and that we should not be anxious for tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself (Matthew 6:34).

This is also something I struggle with. I can conjure up a to-do list as long as my arm, yet I seldom take into consideration that God is in control. It is a struggle to constantly remind myself that the Lord wills everything I do, and that my life is but a vapor. Reading that Scripture is such a pride-shattering realization.

Lord, I pray that you will help us, including myself, to trust and humble ourselves before You. You know what we need and what Your plans are for us, and I pray that we truly hand over our whole lives to You so we may see what you have in store.

"But we're not supposed to judge!"

I’ve heard far too many Christians say something along the lines of that statement, throwing about passages like Matthew 7:1-6, John 8:7, and Luke 6:37. According to most, God is the only one allowed to judge. That’s it. Nothing more.

But what about verses like John 7:24, Proverbs 31:9, Amos 5:14-15, 1 Corinthians 5:12, etc? All of those tell us to judge those within the Church. God commands us to do so! But the catch is that we must judge with righteous judgment.

What is righteous judgment?
Well, first, if you’re going to judge, make sure you know all the facts. Don’t be quick to pass judgment when you barely read the Bible.
Judging fairly means to not water down the Truth for friends and strengthen it for people we don’t know or like. If we’re judging right, we say the exact same thing in the exact same manner to everyone, whether it be a family member, friend, enemy, stranger, etc.
 We also may not hold a double standard: if we’re judging other people, we need to judge ourselves with the same measure. Sin is sin, no matter who is committing it.
 We must also judge mercifully, for we will reap what we sow, and, as in what is written in Matthew, God will judge us in the way we have judged others.

 If we “aren’t allowed to judge,” then what is the point of the passages about knowing a tree by its fruit? Romans 16:7? 1 John 4:1? Psalm 37:30? I’m not saying those verses in Matthew 7, John 8, and Luke 6 are wrong. They aren’t whatsoever. They are telling us not to judge if we have not taken a look at ourselves first and are working on changes. But Scripture is very clear that we should make judgments righteously and biblically, without favoritism, harshness, or holding double standards.

God is the Judge, but that does not mean He is the only one who judges.

5 | 15 | 2012 : Hebrews 13:2

Don't forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it.

 The Bible not only says we should do good to everyone because that's what true Christians do, but because we may be doing them for angels in disguise! I don't know about you, bu that makes me go, "Oh crap. How many times have I not been a good Christian to an angel in disguise?" I go back on all the times I wasn't hospitable, or kind, or Christlike to other people. It upsets me! I wish I could have known this verse back when I was a crappier Christian.

The Bible also talks somewhat about this on Judgment Day when God separates the sheep from the goats:

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’   

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ 

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ 

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ 

“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ 

“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ 

“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life. ”

 God is not saying He is every single person you have helped or not helped. He's saying that you either do something for God or you don't do something for God. Just as simple as it is saying there are two types of people in the world: the sheep and the goats (saved and not saved). It doesn't matter how "good" you are, you'll still be a goat if you're not a follower of Jesus Christ.

We must be kind to all, for we serve the Creator of the universe.

Lord, I pray that You will remind us of these verses every day so that we will know that all that we do is representative of You.

3 | 26 | 2012 : Galatians 5:22-23

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Love: This aspect pretty much sums up all of the fruits of the Spirit. You see love talked about all throughout the Bible, but probably the most prevalent of said verses is 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, the Bible verse that all Christian couples put as their Facebook status (the one that starts off with "Love is patient, love is kind"). Just a few verses later, in 1 Cor. 13:13, Paul states that out of faith, hope, and love, the greatest is love. Love encompasses all of the fruits of the Spirit, for out of loving comes the rest.

Joy: When you are filled with the Holy Spirit, you are filled with joy and thanksgiving. The presence of God should make us want to dance with happiness. The fact that God still loves us, even throughout all the sin that has once taken up our lives, should make our hearts burst with happiness and admiration!

Peace: Not only is Paul talking about peace among other people, but also about peace within ourselves. In this day and age we are all jumping busily from here to there, often becoming stressed out and frustrated. But when the Holy Spirit is within us, our souls find a place to rest and become at peace.

Patience: Probably one of the hardest fruits to live by. Again, in today's America, we are so accustomed to the fast-paced society and the "now" mindset. We don't have time to sit and wait, we need to be occupied with something at all times. Being patient and forgiving with one another is important to build relationships with one another. Patience also comes in handy when you're waiting on God's direction in your life. It can be terribly frustrating, but we have to realize that God does not work on the same time frame as we do.

Kindness: This quality goes hand in hand with the first quality of love. Once God's love starts to flow through you, you will find that it is much easier for you to be kind to one another.

Goodness: You may think that this aspect is the same as kindness, but it is different in the way that goodness draws people in. Start being good to people, and they will notice. They will start to wonder why you're showing so much goodness to people. This is a perfect witnessing tool. The Bible says that God's goodness can lead sinners to salvation (Romans 2:4), and He has given us that attractiveness as well when we incorporate goodness into our lives.

Faithfulness: Having faith and staying loyal is not something you see running rampant in today's society. When you enter into a relationship with Jesus, you are expected to stay strong and faithful in Him. Out of this faithfulness in God comes faithfulness in your everyday relationships. God wants you to be someone that people can depend on so that you can show Him to them.

Gentleness: Sometimes we have such little patience when dealing with people that we forget all about this quality. We live in such an up front and rude world that even one gentle word or touch from you can brighten up someone's day. You can see during Jesus' life on earth that he possessed a ton of gentleness, but sometimes you can see him sternly setting people straight. Once you start walking with God, you'll know when to be gentle with someone and when to lovingly set them straight.

Self-control: Probably the hardest thing for a teenager to possess is the ability to control yourself. Our world is starting to widely accept and even advertise things that Christians absolutely should not take part in. With peer pressure, propaganda, and raging hormones, it almost seems impossible to have self-control. When you let God take control of your life, you'll begin to notice the urge to give into these temptations disappear. Prepare yourself, however, for a constant battle between Holiness and sinfulness. Pray during times of temptation that God will give you the strength to overcome your fleshly desires.

We can see through Jesus' life that attaining these nine fruit of the Holy Spirit is not impossible. Once God has taken control of your life, you cannot help but let these things come into practice. Letting God sanctify you opens up doors to help bring other people to Christ or to help a struggling believer in their walk.

Lord, I pray that You will help me and other believers to incorporate these qualities into our daily lives so that we can be more like You. Let Your light shine through us in all that we do so that You may be glorified.

3 | 21 | 2012 : 1 Timothy 2:9-10

And I want women to be modest in their appearance. They should wear decent and appropriate clothing and not draw attention to themselves by the way they fix their hair or by wearing gold or pearls or expensive clothes. For women who claim to be devoted to God should make themselves attractive by the good things they do.

Yep, it's that  message. The message most teenage girls groan at when the speaker brings it up. I used to hate hearing them talk about how I should dress when they don't even know me. I'm wearing what I like, so why does it matter? It's not that big of a deal. I'm not a whore and I don't dress like one, so it isn't a big deal what I wear, right?

Well, after I started really caring about my faith and diving into the Word, I realized how wrong and flawed my thinking was. The "dressing modestly because God told you to" message isn't stupid or unnecessary or trivial at all. It's a contributor to one of the most prominent and difficult sins - lust.

The dictionary definition for lust is "To have an intense or obsessive desire, especially one that is sexual." The Bible, however, sees it as not of God but of the world (1 John 2:16), and as a sin. And sometimes the act of lusting after someone can lead to other sins, like sexual immorality. So if the way that you dress causes people to lust/sin, that also means that you are sinning as well. We are not supposed to be stumbling blocks in the way of other Christians' walks with Christ (1 Cor. 10:32). I have talked to guys who struggle with lust and sexual immorality, and they said that even the slightest thing can set them off and cause them to stumble.

Not only is it an issue for other people, but can you imagine how you're making God look when you, as one of His children, dress immodestly for other people's attention? We're supposed to be glorifying Him in all we do. Jesus wasn't crucified so that His followers could sit here and continue sinning. You're sending a message out to people that you are a follower of Christ, yet you still wear revealing clothes and cause your brothers and sisters in Christ to stumble.

Trust me, it's hard to make conscious decisions not to dress immodestly, because I'm not a perfect Christian angel. I make mistakes as well. But God is forgiving as long as we repent and are really trying to be more like Christ.

Lord, I pray for everyone who struggles with dressing modestly, and that they learn to be attractive by their good works that they do for You. I pray for those who struggle with lust and sexual immorality, and that You give them the strength to keep their eyes on You in times of temptation. I pray for myself, so that I may take my own advice and think about what I'm wearing and whether or not it glorifies You. Thank you for all that You have done in my life.

3 | 5 | 2012 : Philippians 4:6-7

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

First off, I'm sorry I haven't updated this blog in a few weeks! I've been busy and quite forgetful recently, but I'll try to keep this thing up to date as time goes on.

Anyway, I think a lot of us have lost sight of the power of prayer. I know I have wondered before if God is even paying attention or if He hears my prayers, because nothing seems to be going right, the odds do not seem to be in my favor.

Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, "To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing." It's true! How can we claim to be followers of Christ if we don't take the time to speak to Him each day? In order to stay strong in Him, we must have one-on-One conversations with God every single day, no matter what situation you're in. I can already admit it, I don't think I've prayed but once or twice today.

Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. (Matthew 7:7-8) 

You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it! (John 14:13-14)

Did you hear (read?) that? If we sincerely ask God for something (as long as it glorifies Him; of course you can't pray that the person you hate will be run over by a bus or something), and we believe that we shall receive it, we shall receive it. God always has three answers to one's prayer: "Yes," "Wait," and "No, but I have something better for you."

God, I pray that You will humble us so that we may go to You any time, whether it be when things are horribly wrong or when they're perfectly fine. I pray that You give us the patience to wait on You to answer our prayers or to give us something better. We trust only in You.

2 | 17 | 2012 : Psalm 103:8-10

The Lord is compassionate and merciful,  slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.  He will not constantly accuse us,  nor remain angry forever.  He does not punish us for all our sins;   He does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve. For His unfailing love toward those who fear Him   is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.

I am constantly in awe of God's unfailing mercy. The fact that God could love us through all of our unholiness and sin leaves me speechless. We are such pathetic, disgusting people, and so unworthy of even getting the opportunity to know Him, but God still loves us. I cannot fathom how hard it must be to love and show mercy to any one of us.

Each and every one of us stumble each day. If I had friends who failed me every single day, I would give up on them within a week, without a doubt. But God has not given up after all this time, nor will He ever.

We all sin and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), but does that mean that we just continue to live in sin, knowing God will still forgive us?

Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of His wonderful grace? Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? (Romans 6:1-3)

Well, obviously, we aren't supposed to sit there and take advantage of God's mercy. That is not what true Christians do. Yes, we do all slip up, but we repent with sincerity. That verse refers to people who have the "I can do whatever I want, God will forgive me anyway" mindset. We humbly approach the throne of God so that we can repent and receive mercy for our sins (Hebrews 4:16).

Lord, I cannot begin to thank You enough for having mercy on me. I have once strayed so far from You, but the fact that You still love me and forgive me calls for the highest praise. I am sorry for ever not glorifying You in the way I live. Thank You so much for Your abounding love, patience, and mercy.

2 | 15 | 2012 : Colossians 3:23

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men

I, being a teenager, am often pretty lazy. Sometimes I don't enjoy doing unnecessary things, so I complain to myself when I don't feel like doing it. On some days, i just want to sit around and only do things for myself, which is really selfish of me.

This verse, though it is directed toward slaves and how they should behave, is a verse I have begun to remind myself to think about daily. I write it down on my hand so I can remember not to complain when I have to do something for someone else. We are called to bring glory to God in everything we do, so it's really a boost for me when I start to groan about doing school work, listening to my mom, etc. God must be glorified in everything, so it's a good idea to work as if I'm working for God Himself, rather than for my teachers, mom, etc.

Colossians 3:17 says that our actions should represent the Lord at all the times. Jesus never complained about doing a service for someone else. He cheerfully and lovingly served everyone in need. I want to be joyful during every act of service, no matter who that service is for.

Lord, thank You for humbly taking the form of a human so You could show us how to live. I pray that You reshape my heart to be more like Yours. Make me slow to anger, and rid all selfish desire from my life. I want to serve everyone cheerfully and without any complaints, happy that I can represent You and let Your light shine through me.

2 | 14 | 2012 : Romans 8:31-39

What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 

Well, Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! Well, technically since it's 1AM, it's no longer February 14th. But just pretend it still is. ;)
Today's verse is pretty generic and Sunday Schoolish, and it is also pretty similar to yesterday's devotional. But since today is a day dedicated to St. Valentine, who was persecuted and ultimately killed for his faith in Christ, I felt it would be suitable.

There are currently people in different parts of the world who are being beaten, discriminated against, and, for some, being killed because of their faith in God. Some countries even make it illegal for someone to even own a Bible. Christians have to meet in buildings in the middle of the night where Christianity is outlawed so that they can worship the Lord in Spirit and in Truth. I, and probably all of the people reading this, will most likely never face that kind of persecution for our faith. Can you imagine having that constant fear that someone will turn you in to authorities because you shared the Gospel with them, or that at any moment, the cops could burst through the doors of your church and take you away in handcuffs?

It's so convicting to think how strong those people must be to have so much faith in the Lord that they would risk being jailed, beaten, or killed, and to examine myself and see if my faith is even half as strong. Those people could renounce their Christianity, and their constant anxiety would vanish. But they don't because they have real faith and they know that God will provide forevermore. They believe wholeheartedly that absolutely nothing can stand in the way of God's love.

Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:

   “For your sake we face death all day long; 

     we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  

(Romans 8:33-39)

I pray for all the Christians who are being persecuted for their faith in countries where it's outlawed, that God will give them the strength to carry on and rely on Him no matter what. I thank God for those brave people who will never give up, even when facing potential death for their beliefs. And I pray that the Lord will give me the courage, strength, and boldness so that I can have a sturdy, unwavering Christianity like them.

Visit persecution.com where you can see the nations in which Christianity is outlawed, give money, and receive updates on each restricted nation.

2 | 13 | 2012 : 1 Peter 4:1-5

Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin. 

As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. They are surprised that you do not join them in their reckless, wild living, and they heap abuse on you. But they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.

There are so many Christians in this world who have not suffered or been persecuted for Christ. What's worse is that most of them aren't willing to suffer - including myself sometimes. I always fear of stepping on people's toes, so I have a hard time sharing my faith with others. I fear that I won't be prepared for an argument with an unbeliever, if it ever comes up. I can't list all the times that the opportunity has arose to share the Gospel and I have ignored it - deliberately or unknowingly.

But God does not call us to stay comfortable in our faith. We have to constantly get out of our comfort zone if we want to be sold out to Him. We need to be reckless in our Christianity, we can't just sit back comfortably without witnessing to others. There are people out there who need Christ, and God commands us to show Christ to them.

Also, I have friends who participate in the sinful things listed in the passage. I have never been a bad kid, but I do have friends who are. I have hung around them recently and I have not mentioned God in any way. Individually, I have spoken to one or two of those friends about God, but it basically went in one ear and out the other. I want them to see Christ in me now, and I want them to want to know more about Him.

I pray for courage to share the Gospel to people, to seize every opportunity that comes up to show You to others. Give me the boldness to witness to my peers - friends and strangers alike - so that I may further Your Kingdom.

2 | 8 | 2012 : Revelation 3:15-16

"I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!" 

That is one scary thought: to be spat out of Jesus' mouth because we are not completely sold out to Him! He does not want lukewarm followers. He wants people whose eyes are focused on the Kingdom, and not on earthly desires. You are either for Him or against Him, there is no medium.

I see all the people at my school who claim to be Christians, yet they do absolutely nothing to show it besides going to church on Sundays and Wednesdays (and just because you go to church, that doesn't mean you're an actual Christian). I know that people make mistakes and that even the best slip up from time to time, but I am referring to those who constantly and comfortably living in sin while they still wear the God team's jersey. They think that since God's grace is abundant, they can go on sinning because they claim they know Christ (Just read the book of Jude and see their fate). I wish they would stop degrading the name of God by calling themselves Christians and leading a sinful life. That is not the way Jesus intended us to be. I am both saddened and angry at these people, for I know what their fate will be like, and I know how angry God is at them. Wouldn't you be mad if someone went around saying "(your name) said this about you," and it was mean, and you didn't even say it in the first place? Well, can't you imagine how God feels when His people do that?

"Christian" literally means "Little Christ." Let's live like it.

God, I know that no human, besides Jesus, is perfect, and that we all slip up from time to time.I pray that You open up our eyes and give us a wake up call so that we can truly start living for You like we should have been doing from day one.

2 | 3 | 2012 : Isaiah 58:10

Feed the hungry and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon.

Ever since I got back into church and began deepening my faith once again, I knew I wanted to do mission work. God has increased my love for the poor and oppressed day by day as I grow in Him;  He has given me a heart for helping people out and telling them about Jesus.
I now look at other careers with hardly any interest anymore. All I want to do is pack up my things and head across the country helping others out.

I have this big dream of buying and renovating an old bus, painting it, and fixing it so it can feed and give shelter to the hungry and homeless. I want to do a big tour around the country, helping out as many people as I can, whether it be with food, a place to stay, or just to let them know that they are loved and that they don't have to go through this alone - they have the Lord.

I want God's light to reflect off of me, like the moon reflects light from the sun. I want people to see that it isn't me who is doing these works, it's God doing it through me. I am the body through which the Lord does His work. I have given my life over to Him.

2 | 1 | 2012 : Isaiah 40 28-31.

"Have you never heard? 
Have you never understood? 
The Lord is the everlasting God, 
the Creator of all the earth. 
He never grows weak or weary. 
No one can measure the depths of his understanding. 
He gives power to the weak 
and strength to the powerless. 
Even youths will become weak and tired, 
and young men will fall in exhaustion. 
But those who trust in the Lord find new strength. 
They will soar high on wings like eagles. 
They will run and not grow weary. 
They will walk and not faint."


Sheesh, this chunk of Scripture really screams to me tonight. The Lord is like “Hello?! I’m the freaking Maker of everything. I am super gnarly. I am better than you, so go right ahead and just depend solely on Me. I got your back like a sweater.” That sounded super cheesy, but whatever.

God, renew my strength. Do not let me lean on my own understanding, but only trust in You and Your sovereign knowledge.