The Greatest Gift

Someone asked me what I had wanted for Christmas. I said nothing. I really don't believe in Christmas. I just think that it is an excuse to spend money or to get something that you normally wouldn't get. When you're a kid it's acceptable but as an adult or older person, I really don't feed into it. But anyways a friend asked me what I wanted and I said I wanted her to read and comment on my blog. She said, "what? That's not a gift!" I said it was. I told her that would be the greatest gift to me from her or any of my friends. To me a lesson learned or a wise word is something that I would cherish forever. I lose things or I don't keep up with them. But I guess she didn't see where I was coming from.

The most simple things are the things that matter the most in this world.

You Cannot Triumph Over My Faith Because I Believe

In my mind comes these horrible things. Things that go against what I've been living for. And I know it is a trick of the enemy. So I am just going to put it in the air.

I have these thoughts of Jesus not being real. In my mind runs the thought of when the end of life comes there will be no Jesus and all of this is for nothing. But as I sat down at my computer something compelled me to go to my online bible site (http://www.bibletools.org/) and the chapter of John (part of the gospels). As many people know the gospels are filled with the miracles Jesus did while He was here on earth.

And as I am reading I am saying to myself, how could my Jesus not be real. No one can ever do such things. Turning water into wine, speaking the truth about someones life and only known them for 3 minutes and healing people. Also as I think of the things that He's done for me. Placing people where they need to be and being my guidance. Jesus is very much real. Another thing that I want to point out is my scripture of the day that is "randomly generated" daily (or given for God): Colossians 2:6-7, As ye therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him: rooted and built up in Him and stablished in the faith as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.

I will NOT let these thoughts which I believe aren't my own, pull me away from the sweetest thing no person can ever offer. Jesus is all I really have to make it successfully through this world. So I will stay embedded in that and living for the One and Only Living God. There is none other that can compare to all that He has done in these short four years of my life.

So keep me in your prayers.

God Is Love

My Pastor has been teaching us about love. And the greatest love is to love our neighbor. Yesterday she read a few scriptures from 1 John and something told me to read the whole thing. So this morning I read it and the whole book is about loving our neighbor, keeping commandments, dwelling in God and God dwelling in us, knowing God and God knowing us, being righteous and being of the world. But the main point is loving our neighbor. We can't not love our neighbor and say we love God because "God is love and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God and God in him (1 John 4:16)."

A little before my Pastor started this lesson I was really struggling with this. I wasn't fond of a few people. I didn't disrespect them or shut them out of my life completely. I did put up walls and only listened to them to a certain extent. I prayed for them from time to time for what I didn't like about them and I left it at that. I never made it a big deal.

Then my Pastor started this lesson. It had me thinking. She said to talk it out with the person and I was going to do just that. But I highly doubt people know how I feel because I never made it a big deal. So I told myself that what I thought about these people had to go out the window. What people don't know won't hurt them. So I am working on me to be better with them. I pray for the opening of their eyes and mine also because I don't want God to turn me away over something so petty that I could have fixed. It's easy to love within my circle but it is harder to love outside of that. It's harder to do things for those whom I am not that fond of. So I guess that is my next big challenge: to love my neighbor. Even if they don't show me love, I am going to show them love because God is love.

Thee Most Amazing God..EVER

I have TWO good pieces of news to share!!

First, God is definitely in the miracle working business!! This morning my Pastor was called to pray for all of those who was sick and I was one of them. I had this really bad cough for weeks and I say bad I mean bad. When it first started off it was weak. Then as time progressed it became worse. Once I let out a small cough to clear my throat a series of coughs would follow. As more time progressed I began to lose breath. And just yesterday as I was coughing some pain came into both my sides.

When the call was made I contemplated whether I should go or not. I thought my problem wasn't big enough. After all it was just a cough, nothing serious at all to worry about. But then I just got up and after she prayed I went to sit down and let out a little cough to see if the series would follow. But it didn't. I said "I'll wait a while for some stuff to build." And here I am hours later. I left out a cough, nothing. I make myself cough some more nothing. No cough attacks, no hurt throat NO MORE COUGH!!

Nothing is too small. I wasn't in my full health and God healed me.

Second, I want to start a program in my hometown. So I am entering this contest to win a grant which will help me with finances. It is very similar to what my Youth Pastor does but a few twists and with my own ideas and such. For some reason I told my mother what I wanted to do and that if I am able to start this program it will open many doors for me in the working field once I graduate. Well my older brother's ex girlfriend (I was probably between 7 and 9) happened to see my mother and was talking and asked how we all were doing and my mother mentioned this idea to her. Come to find out the lady is in the area where I would need some help in and gave my mother her contact info.

When my mother told me she gave her her number for me I was like why does she want to talk to me and blah. Then she told me everything that happened. I thanked God. I was so excited. Even though it is just a number it is still a way in and a starting place. I don't even know what to say. I haven't spoke to her in so long. I've been thinking about what to say to start the conversation. Maybe it will just be business, maybe she'll want to know more about me or my brothers. I don't know. But I am just searching for the words. Whether I have something to say or not she will be hearing from me real soon.

God is really amazing. Truly amazing. Thee most amazing.

Stay Grounded, Your Blessing Is Coming

Stay grounded in the Lord. Even when things don't go your way. Maybe it is like that for a reason. Maybe that's the way God designed it. Don't get mad, get glad! Praise Him at all times. Inspiration from last week's service and personal experience. I ask ask ask and ask but it didn't happen how I wanted it to happen. Or when I wanted it to happen. But I know God is good and will deliver it to me as long as my attitude is right. So I am praising Him and writing this blog post to STOMP on the devil's head. No further action is needed.

Thank you God!
All the glory, honor and praise goes to You.

The Three Little Pigs/Christians

Building is the key. Once we build it is not so easy to be destroyed IF we work hard, diligently, consistently and faithfully. Synonymous to the Three Little Pigs. They knew the wolf was coming and in our case we know that trials and tribulations and hard times will occur but we don't prepare for them. One made his house of straw, one made his house of sticks and the third made his house with brick.

The first pig like many, was lazy. The notion of just having "something" put up to protect him from the wolf would be OK. And he was confident in that. So when the wolf came and asked to be let in, the pig challenged him thinking that his house would withstand this trouble. The wolf blew it down and ate the pig. Probably at the last moment the pigs final thoughts were probably "why was I so lazy." And that is many of us at the beginning stages.

The second pig, wasn't as lazy as the first. He took time out and built his house with sticks. He knew it was stronger than straw and was completely sure that his house wouldn't get blown away because it was better. So the wolf comes, tests the second pig like the first and the same thing happened. The pig was eaten. His last thoughts were probably, "why me? I build my house better than my brothers."

The last pig knew that building his house wasn't going to be easy but he had to do it or face the same fate as the first two pigs. So he built a strong house of bricks. So when the wolf came and tested the third pig, he was beyond confident. He was bold and then some. The wolf couldn't get in no matter how much he tried. He climbed to the roof but the little pig saw him and lit a fire in the chimney. As the wolf lowered himself down and felt the fire he was gone and the pig lived happily ever after.

I am striving to be like the third little pig. It is not enough to just put up a wall (a weak one too) and think that that would be enough to fight off the devil. It is not enough to look at our neighbors and "learn" from their mistakes but still fall victim. The third little pig was something. He was so prepared that he in turn played his own little prank on the wolf.

We know the enemy is here to steal, kill and destroy so we have to prepare for the worse and put our faith in God that He will deliver us. In a Christian sense, God will tell us what kind of house we need to build he will help with those sneak attacks. We just have to build relationship to grow in Christ.

Be Transparent For That Brother Or That Sister

A topic that keeps popping up in my head and that was touched on yesterday in Sunday School and during the Word was "transparency." I didn't really learn what transparency was until probably earlier this year when Pastor King came to our church to preach and teach. He'd always say "I want to be transparent for ya'll" and I never really got it until visit after visit. I always say to myself how could one be transparent (I never heard this phrase), and as I kept questioning myself and I got my answer. It was a simple one: he wanted to be our example here on earth. He didn't want us to make the same mistakes that he has made. He wants us to take from his life and apply it to our own. He wanted to be transparent, for us to see through.

In Sunday School we talked about not having to go to a man to confess our sins. We can simply go straight to God through Jesus Christ because Jesus is our advocate, not man. So as the teacher explained that and wrapped that segment up, he ask "Is it ever necessary to confess to someone?" I immediately said no because of the conversation we just had. And then I thought that no one needed to know what I do. All they need to know is that I am trying to get to God. And at an instant transparency popped up into my mind.

If we were more transparent for our brothers and sisters do you think that sin would occur as much as it does? I know everyone sins and we're not perfect but it could be that much easier if more people were bold enough, including myself, to be transparent for that person sitting next to them or that person sitting across the room secretly watching. We all go through it and probably the exact same thing. You don't have to be transparent in the sense of you're telling every single detail but to just let that person know that you are struggling with this and that and it could be a blessing to that person. It could also hold us accountable for our actions.

So my next challenge to my readers is to be transparent for that brother and sister. You'll be surprised at how many relationships grow and sprout.

Patch It Up

Today we talked about temptation. Our foundations class teacher said that temptation is an act of being enticed to do something that is forbidden by the Word of God. Temptation is not the actual sin but it is the birthing ground of sin. Whether we let that temptation come to light or we suppress it, it can tell our true character. It lets us know where we need to be strengthen at and it also shows us what we need to look out for and where to put the patches.

So to go off of that, we as well as myself need to work on being tempted. If we get through out temptations surely a blessing will follow. Blessings are tests to get to the next level. If we can't handle them at a beginner level we sure enough won't be able to handle them once we take new positions and such.

And if we are tempted and we follow through with it to make it a sin, don't be discourage. But also be honest with yourself because God doesn't give us more than we can bear. I know I don't want to be known as a weakling in God's eyes. When He looks at me, I want Him to see a human being who tried beyond her best. A human being that fell, got up and stood tall, and fell again but still got up and stood tall for His glory.

It is not easy at all. But nothing is ever easy and there is a cost to everything whether you see it or not. So lets work on patching up the holes that temptation has been getting through. And ready again to patch up which ever areas become worn out. We have to be ready.

My Protector

Last night my friend I were pulling an all night in one of the academic buildings. It's a pretty big building. Well it was like early morning and everything was so still and so quiet and that creeped me out a lot. I was so scared I asked her to come with me to the bathroom with me which was on one floor down. But she refused and I went alone the first time but prayed all the way down there and all the way back.

A few hours later I had to go again and so I went, heard a noise and came back and begged her to come with me and she finally came. But we went to separate bathrooms and I thought she had left me. So I worshipped and praised because I was still scared. But after a few moments I began to take my time. I washed my hands properly, looked in the mirror, fixed myself. But the whole time she was standing outside the bathroom.

We ran back up the stairs and she said, "Jessy you weren't afraid anymore." And without thinking or hesitation I said, "I was praying," then she laughed and I thought about it and laughed too. It was weird for a split second that I had said it to her because people still are surprised when I tell them about my church experience. But I laughed it off with her.

My God was in that building with me protecting me as I asked for protection.