To All My Suport, Thank You.

Thanks everyone for your support. I have definitely been down about the comments about why I post so many things about God on FB for a while but the disapproval has really piled on this week. I actually found myself crying real tears over this. Which never happens btw. I don't really ever cry. But when I slowed down I noticed most of the punches came from myself. The worst enemy the devil can use against you, is yourself.

I never had as many complaints about me talking about God when I wrote poetically but I think its because it is less to the point. When I write my blog and share on FB, which I started and all these comments really came roaring in, I find myself writing more structurally and although I use metaphors it's definitely more to the point. Which people who are not believers or who only want to hear God's word at church don't like to be bothered with on a normal day. 
& I began thinking,

 ---I am certainly not qualified. What makes me think I should even write about God? I am not a scholar and although I have plenty of experiences in life to take from I am not what most expect when it comes to being seasoned because I am young. I am not even close to where my mentors are and don't know if I ever will be. My family as a collective whole has and probably always will be in shambles. I have doubts that can be debilitating to my walk with God sometimes & I am constantly making mistakes, especially when it comes to opening my mouth. I am certainly not a living example of Christ that anyone should go off of and I am probably not reaching anyone anyways. These thoughts of mine I could organize in a journal long hand anyways & when I am better put together in Christ, He can use me then.---
These are some of the thoughts that have been going through my head this month only to have people verify my own doubts in myself.

But I got an email today from my daily devotional talking about affliction against those who preach the word. Literally called, Adversity: Catalyst to a Call. This with the encouragement I woke up to on fb has picked me up so much. I am a good person and a strong follower of God. I am a child of God and He loves me, even through all the things I see wrong & others see wrong with me.

Now please don't get me wrong. I don't feel like God is changing lives through what I write or calling me to anything big but I do feel called to write about Him because the passion to write about Him is so strong and it makes me so happy when I have learned something new and get to write about it and share it and read the finished product. Real joy only comes from God.

I have been told I am more than a Christian & I am more than a person of God and should explore those attributes. But the truth is, I am nothing apart from Christ. Who I have become now from who I was in the past is only because of Him. The reason I am living and breathing after my teenage self tried to handle a dark time in my life on my own is solely because of Him. I owe my life to God & whoever I will become later in life, whatever I will do, will only be because of Him.

I understand it can be hard to take. I use to get annoyed or uncomfortable around people who talked "God" all the time and then there came a day when I wanted that. I wanted to be like that and have that. Instead of saying, "God! Really?! You know what I have been through and it's Your fault!" it became "God. You know what I have been though and You love me anyways." The rest is history and will remain that way.

I am so lucky for the Christians God has put into my life to help me with the one thing I have always lacked, confidence. & although it is hard, I do count myself blessed when I get to deal with affliction because it reminds me that not everyone is Christian and that I am not immune to the worlds affliction. And once I get done feeling sorry for myself, which the Lord never allows for long, this realization helps drive my want to spread the word and make this world better the only way it can be done, with His almighty love.

Being a mom of a toddler I don't get chances to evangelize like some do over seas or on foot throughout the community and I don't feel called to do that right now anyways, but I do have the chance to talk to those I come into contact with and to write on my down time and try to reach people through the Internet and I do feel called to do that.

The Internet is used for so many wrongful things and secluds us when we think it draws us nearer. We all should use it to reach people in a better way. In today's world where everyone's head is in a phone or computer, the only Christians they might meet is us through social networking. It might seem small but it is obviously making an effect, even if it is through groans...and tears. God has a reason for everything, and through all my doubts, worries, & affliction, I will rest in Him while I spread His word the best way I can, as of now.

Questions for God?-Thoughts on Thomas

Have you ever questioned your faith or wanted proof from God instead of relying simply on faith? Believe me, everyone does at some point or another. I certainly have. But through doubt we are able to recognize a broken or weak area in our bridge that leads us away from the world & into His. (Metaphorically speaking). We are able to recognize our weak faith, repair it, & stand steady on it. Creating a strength in an otherwise unsteady bridge and allowing us to move forward. Thomas the apostle really shows how questioning God in complete inquisitive truth can help us fix a part of our faith that needed fixing or reworking, strengthen our faith in God, and give us new insight into who He is and what He purposes for us.


The Apostle Thomas was such a small character in the Bible. In fact he was only mentioned a few times in the Word. But much like there are no small parts but only small actors, Thomas was a very important figure in our faith today.
There is a quote saying, -"Thomas doubted so we wouldn't have to."-
Two quotes, out of the most important quotes about faith in my opinion, from Jesus were made in response to Thomas' questionably doubtful but truthful nature.
In John 14:5-6, Thomas said to Jesus, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?”
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
This alone is our faith in a nut shell. Jesus, is the only way to heaven.
&
In John 20:25-29, Thomas shows reservation about believing that Christ has risen and shown Himself and states he will not believe unless he sees the wounds in Jesus' hands. A week later Jesus shows himself again to the apostles and tells Thomas to touch His wounds so that he may believe. Thomas then says to Him, "my Lord and my God!" Jesus then says, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
This quote wraps up that previous nut sell in its hard exterior. We must believe in Christ to get to heaven....even if we have not physically seen Him.
-"Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe."-Saint Augustine

Thomas was an important evangelist and speculations of him opening the first Christian church in India is credited to his name but I would like to think his biggest service to God was giving us a look see into what faith is about.
He made it to where we can see doubt spoken directly to God from a man who was ready to give his life for God. (John 11:16)
A bit cynical in his approach but we shouldn't have fear when approaching God. We should be straight forward with our doubts and fears. God already knows them but when we lay them out on the table ourselves our relationship strengthens 10 fold!
Thomas showed a character flaw, (doubt) that wasn't without rebuke from God but was made useful for years and years to come.
Consider that our doubts, although stemming from the devil trying to sway us are also used by the Holy Spirit to strengthen our relationship with God. It is only by addressing these matters we can get through them & become less apt to have them in the future.

After Thomas was shown Jesus he stated my Lord and my God. He is the only person in the Bible to say my God to Jesus. Which in my opinion is very important because after having doubts he proclaimed Jesus WAS God. Such a heavy truth. & for a man who was only mentioned a couple times in the Bible.
We don't know our own importance while we do the things we do. We might think we are terrible followers because we continue to stumble and greet sin with open arms and blind eyes or worse open eyes, but God can use everything for His glory and we may never know what our minimal existence will help with down the line but we can be sure that no matter how small or how unseen, God is using us and that is a BIG truth and of the utmost importance.

God's Way

When we & or our faith feel attacked let us pray the Armor of God and remember, our God is bigger.

Ephesians 6:10-18

Sometimes life throws us some doozies doesn't it? And throughout these complicated problems, 9 times out of 10 we have a knack for messing them up even worse than they started.

Why?! Why can't we seem to keep silent instead of keeping our mouth open and why can't we look to God and search Him before we search our own self-seeking hearts? 

That sinful nature of ours never seems to give us a break does it? Thank the good Lord that He cared enough to give His son Jesus to die for those sins. Sins we might have to answer for here on earth in the form of consequences but sins that have also been forgiven and no longer shackle us to an eternity separated from God.

The heartbreak that last statement gives me could shatter all windows within a couple hundred miles of me. I think of the heartbreak I feel when I get into arguments with loved ones and know how that hurts so but just like the heartbreak of complete separation from Christ can be a remedied problem through faith in Him so can us learning from our mistakes through the healing power of Christ.

He heals our hearts and sets our minds on Him and purifies our thoughts so that we know how to speak and act in ways that glorify Him.

Let us remember to pray before we respond to any circumstance, even if it's a quick prayer asking God to help us say or write what is appeasing to Him and will ultimately shine on His glory.

When we mess up it is not the end but instead the begining. Another chance to enter into a similar position and handle it better and say to all who see, "I handled that this way because God changed me."

Upon everything we have done let's rest a new way to handle the same problem but this time, God's way.

Adorning Godly Ornaments Of Life

   I don't know about y'all but I love to wear jewelry. It doesn't matter if it's real or costume, I love it all. But there is something special about getting to wear the real stuff. The gems with the diamonds. Now don't get me wrong, I have very few expensive pieces and I wear them sparingly but when I do wear or "adorn" them, one can tell they are real.

   If you were to set my real piece of jewelry next to a piece of my costume jewelry it would be easy to tell which one is the real deal. If I put the real piece next to one that had crystals instead of diamonds or a non-precious metal for the chain it wouldn't take much more than a close look at the stones to see which were real or by putting the chain in nitric acid to see which holds up and proves its weight in gold.

   Much like proving whether jewelry is real the same goes for proving whether people are really Christians and actual followers of Christ. Much like I have stated three different types of jewelry,...costume, immatation jewelry, and real jewelry, there is three different types of people, non-believers, those who say they are believers but are not, and believers. Lets look into how the ornaments of life we "adorn" will help us prove real amongst the wolves in sheep clothing.

   The unbelievers are easy to tell apart from believers because they either state it outright or their lifestyle and decisions prove thus. 

   It's the ungodly that say the are children of God that can be hard to tell the difference between because often times they mimic the actions of the godly.

They hide themselves within the church, sometimes even becoming so hidden they become leaders in the church. Judas is a good example of someone in the Bible being a deceiver and pretending to be a follower of Christ, being put in a position as one of the 12 apostles, even trusted so much he was made treasure, only to be shown as the liar he was. But the Lord gives us a manual to go by so we can spot the differences and discern the real from the fake.

   Differences can be easy to spot, like a malicious gossip, as well as difficult to see, like someone teaching slight but important differences in doctrine. So we must be well versed in Gods word so that we will not be fooled.

   The biggest issue we have in the church is that we have worldly believers creep into the church and start changing the teachings of God. Wanting to make things that are not okay, okay and perverting the Word to benifit themselves or their cause.

   A great way to prove a child of God from a child of the world is to test their lifestyles. Lifestyles they openly or secretly live and impress on others.

   An example of this would be when someone says it's okay to have an affair on your spouse because your unhappy in your marriage or because your spouse is cheating too or it's okay to go out to the bars every weekend and get soused while you flirt with everyone there and your children are being cared for by someone else, or as long as you go to church on Sunday what you do during the week is forgiven.

   Now the Bible doesn't state that  having a sitter or drinking alcohol is wrong but what it does state is that we should be at home with our children and that being a drunkered is wrong. Why? Because it impairs your judgement. We are called to be sensible in our thoughts, words, and deeds and while drunk a person tends to do or say what they shouldn't and often times will regret. & God calls us to be with our children so that we are rasing them, in Him. Now I am not saying one cannot go out for a night on the town occasionally either. Instead, I am stating that our outings should be kept to a level that still allows us to put our children first. But a worldly person would try to convince you otherwise, because society says it is okay.

   These examples and others like it cause some Christians to go astray into certain sinful lifestyles they wouldn't have done originally. They creep into our church like the shade does as the sun starts to slowly go down and rub off onto the less seasoned, the slothed in faith, those who don't know the doctrine, & even those who do but are at a vulnerable place in their life.

   Those who do know the Word and detest those who lead others astray must stand out against them so that those they are trying to lead astray will turn to them & they can lead them to God before they turn to sin.

   The Word of God is written on flesh; Our Hearts. We must adorn in! By having God in our hearts we become different in the way we think,  speak and live. We become hyper aware of our actions and how they please or dishonor God. The same goes for the way speak and hold ourselves. Someone who doesn't believe in God should be able to look at you and know something is different about you and they want whatever it is. When they see you and make the discovery that you are who you are because of God and His glory, they will want to come to know this God you speak of. We should bring people to God by the way we "adorn" our lifestyles and our words.

   Many people decorate or "adorn" lampshades with ribbons that hold crystals or mirrors on them in an effort to let out more light in the room. We need to do just that. By mirroring how God says to live our lives. We should be so decorated and pleasing in actions, motives, words, thoughts, etc., that we set a room on fire for the Lord because of the amount of light shining from us.

When this happens not only will we bring others to Christ; but we we will also either push away the decievers or convert them as well.

   Yes! The Word of God is written on our flesh. It is inscribed in our hearts as our names are on His hands. Let us wear the jewels of life that were once diamonds in the rough. Worldy unhappy lifestyles, words, thoughts, everything that He turned around and made better for us to show His glory. That glory, is what we wear & how we can stand out and be the light He wants us to be, to help guide the lost, out of darkness and into Him.

Sons of Thunder

I often times get ahead of myself in thought, word, and deeds. I need to remember although God gave me a voice and permission to use it for Him, I must make sure that I am speaking for Him and not myself, that my words are pleasing to His ears, and that my actions following what I speak are pleasing to Him.

The following is a great example of two familiar apostles of Jesus' that had the loud voices & the passion for Christ but sometimes got ahead of themselves. So much so, He nicknamed them the "sons of thunder".

John 15:13

No one has greater love than to give up one's life for one's friend.-James

Boanerges

Sons of thunder

James son of Zebedee and his brother John.

Lets follow suit and never think timidly about Jesus again.

Let us be forthright about preaching the word and like fisherman calling out to each other over the waves we should shout praises to our Lord over crowds. Lets shake the world for God. Let us not be silenced. Let us worship so loudly that everything in hell is bending at the knee to the One and only God.

Let us not be as useless as thunder with no sight of lightening. How then can people see reason for our hollering? We will look like fools. Let us be the thunder that is followed by an act. Finishing our loud rumbling with lightening instead of those who thunder but never follow up with actions. When the disciples state they won't deny Jesus, with voices loud in assurance, only to have their fire fizzle out by lack of action during the arrest & crucifixion a passerby would never know real love for Christ and someone who was in their lives might have questioned their faith.

With our actions should be wisdom in Christ.

Much like James and John we often speak before we think and get ahead of ourselves by our own self-inflated egos.

When James and John asked Jesus if they should command fire to come down from heaven and consume this village for not receiving Him, He rebuked them saying, "you do not know which manner of spirit you are of. The son of man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them". Luke 9:51-56 N(KJV)

We must watch our thunder and our lightening and make sure our deeds create life, & love, ending in rebirth in Christ instead of ruin and death of faith. We are to be good examples and stewards in Christ. Bringing forth hope. Let us know the nature of ourselves. Let us show love for our savior Jesus Christ by giving our old selves to death and our new lives to Him so that His will may be accomplished through our thunderous preaching and love and our deeds that bring our words full circle. There is no greater responsibility.

Hectic Days

It's the close of another blessed day and I know some of y'all out there are grateful to see your beds. So here is what I had rolling around my noggin just for you.(:

There are those days, & everyone knows the days I am talking about. The ones where you have everything going wrong in hyper motion while you and your efforts to circumvent things for some reason are going super slow. You could swear the 1812 overture is going on in the background as you witness all those things that could go wrong... go wrong. By the time the symphony hits its last note, you look around the silent room you associate with your day, that has random papers with your plans written on them, slowly floating down around you toward your tired feet and you find yourself wondering "what in the heck just happened?" and "where in the world did your day go?".

Thank God for these days. They allow us to appreciate when things go right more fully. They give those "by the book planners" a look into how it could be if they allowed themselves and their schedules room to breath and give those "go with the flows" insight on how a little planning could help keep things from going awry. But most importantly, much like a lesson plan not being used because someone needed extra help on a certain subject, sometimes God turns our lives upside down in order to fulfill His glory. Whether by someone seeing how we handled such a day or maybe by us being led directly to someone who needed help we could give. We might never know why God allows the things He lets happen or brings into our lives but we can be sure it is a part of His amazing plan for us and those involved.

That lightens the load a bit, doesn't it?