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.