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.

Take Charge

When people rub you the wrong way do not let it effect you're path in life. As I was reading 2 Samuel this is what happened. Abner who was on the side of Joab turned against him to fight for the reign of David because Joab said something that he didn't like. For this story Abner's decision of joining the other side was a benefit to him because it was the more just side. But all the time we will not be as lucky as Abner.

People turn away from the good things in life because they do not like what someone said to them. What people say or do against you should not make you want to abandon what you have already started. It's a lot of work in that because when you switch you it shows weakness. The other side will know you are vulnerable is certain ways and will devour you off of that alone and the side that you left will simply say you weren't cut out for what laid ahead. So really you'll have no one to turn to.

Keep going forward until you run into a brick wall which will be a lesson learned. One brick wall can symbolize people who are not for you, people who hate you. Just back up a few steps and find another route to go and once you run into another brick wall just repeat the process. But never give up on the road of success. Jesus has your back the whole way.

It's Not Arrogance

You are always supposed to be humble. But there is nothing wrong with giving yourself some gratification. For a while, while practicing humility, I'd always tell myself to be humble and I'd respond with a simple, "it's not me, it's God," if they give me a compliment. When I felt myself trying to be happy in what I accomplished, I'd settle myself down. I never gave myself any credit (not the word I want to use but cannot think of a better word. I hope you get my point).

I deserve to smile and be proud too. I felt that if I were proud that I accomplished something that I am taking away from God and not walking so greatly in this humility walk. As I reflect I definitely feel some-what different now. My understanding goes a little deeper than just decreasing myself. Yes, God receives the glory but He also in turn passes some of that glory back to me. That's where my joy, excitement and happiness comes in at. From that it makes me want to keep moving forward. Kind of like a motivator.

But if I don't experience all of what God has for me, I am cutting my blessing short. It is not arrogant to feel some type of happiness. Humility is a balance. You can't be too humble and develop a low self-esteem nor can you be too arrogant.

Only He Knows You

Don't let anyone tell you who you are. Because once you let them tell you who you are you begin to believe it. You begin to act just like that and that could push you off the path you were destined to be on. In this crazy world everyone will try to tell you how they perceive you and such but what they see is most likely not the actual truth. It is not what's on the inside. We tend to get dolled up for company but on the inside we're screaming to be set free. Only God can tell you who you are because He sees you inside and out. So keep your eyes on God and your ear to His chest.

God Bless

Never Too Late To Turn Back To Start Again

"You can't win if you don't fight," echoes my inner me. Lately, I haven't been living up to what I've elevated to. I know that I am not the same Jessica who started this walk 4 years ago. I know that certain things aren't acceptable but I still do them. Of course I don't want to do it but I've been letting myself go. And that's a trick of the enemy.

Like all, I realized what I was doing and felt ashamed about it because I felt that I let God down. I didn't approach Him as directly as I used to. This kept giving me reason to do it over and over again. And every time the post-feeling was worse and worse. I began to feel numb. Then my inner me whispers something so sweet, "you can't win if you don't fight."

As my Pastor would say (or someone in the church. I know I heard this from somewhere), it's better to lose in a fight than not to fight at all. And that is the wonderful thing about the Holy Spirit. He is like that boxing coach. When you're getting so badly beaten and that few second break comes along, He is there to give you words that will lift you up.

Experience is the best teacher. So I've put back on my boxing gloves and I am ready to fight and determined to win. If not I will keep going back over and over until it is defeated.

The People Stood In Amazement

In Acts, it tells a simple story of a crippled man sitting at the temple gates begging the people who went inside for gifts. First off, it never hurts to ask of someone if they already have. You never know what you'll get. And this was pretty much what had happened to the crippled man. He asked two of Jesus' apostles to give him a gift and they gave him one of the best things he could have received in life. The man was no longer crippled anymore. The man praised God.

And that's what should happen. People should praise Him for the wonderful things that He does on a daily basis. For the man it was something great so of course God got the glory, but would it have been the same if the apostles gave him a plate of food or gold and silver. We'll never know because the Bible is already written. So praise God no matter how big or small things are.

After the apostles straightened out the man everyone was in amazement except for the apostles. Since they knew the power of Jesus and what God had stored in them, this "miracle" that they performed wasn't so much a miracle in their eyes. True it was something that didn't often happen but the apostles knew of the power and this was something small. They weren't in awe like the people in the town. And the instant they got the chance, they began to tell about the people about the Good News. They didn't argue with them about why they didn't know the Lord, they simply told them about Him.

The moral of the story is to do the good works of God so people can be amazed at us and then we can tell them that it was God. They can learn about God through our actions and testimonies. They'll see that only One can do such things.