Wednesday, January 17, 2018

Noah

 
      There are times in our lives that we just have to trust God because what He is telling us to do might seem ridiculous. Sometimes we question what God tells us to do because we might get persecuted or made fun of or it may just seem hard. God has a purpose and plan for everything He does, whether we see it or not.  Sometimes things can seem so out there that we may not do it or do it reluctantly. But we need do what He tells us because we might not be able to see it but there is a much bigger picture than what we might see in front of us. You never know how God will use what you do for His kingdom and further cause.
    One example of how someone trusted God, did what He said, and everything turned out for the better was with Noah. Noah was a man who was trusted God when no one else around him did. He stayed true to God and didn't allow the foolish men around him to affect him and his beliefs. He was fully surrounded by evil but he still stayed faithful to God. The earth was so evil that God regretted creating it. So He told Noah to build an ark in order to spare him, his family, and the animals. Now Noah was no where near the ocean or any big water surface so imagine how much persecution he got from those around him. This persecution wasn't a short time thing either. It took Noah up to 100 years to build the ark according to God's requirements. Noah is a great example of how sometimes we have to push through the hard times to get to the good times. If he had quit and caved to what others were saying, he would have died along with the rest. This should show us that we need to trust God even when it is hard and may seem difficult. He has a plan and even if we can't see it, He is in charge and everything will turn out as He says and plans. Don't let what other people say or think affect what God has for you to do.
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Saturday, January 13, 2018

Psalm 9:9

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Psalm 9:9
9The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.

Sometimes in times of trouble and oppression we tend to think that we have whatever we are going through and totally forsake God or we think that He won't understand or won't be able to help which is such foolish thinking because He knows exactly what is going on and how to help the most. God is our Father and being such He is there to hear our every problem, our every heartbreak, our everything. He will be there to help us and be there an ally to you when it feels like everyone else is against you. He is the one we can turn to when we feel like no one else will. God loves us at all times no matter what we do or have done and will never stop and He can help us through everything. Like Psalm 9:9 says, the Lord is our refuge and our stronghold in times of trouble. He will be the safe place for us to run to and will always be the one to hold you tight and protect you from all evil. He is willing to do all this for us. We just have to turn to Him. We have to be the ones to turn to Him as He made us not to be robots but to make decisions for ourselves. He is right there for us always no matter what we have done or what is going on...He always loves us and will always accept us.
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Tuesday, January 2, 2018

Failure

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       Failure is a part of success. We need to fail sometimes in order to succeed. If we never fail then we would be perfect and as none of us are perfect we will always have some sort of failure in life. Failures can bring us down and make us feel like a terrible person. But we need to fail sometimes in order to see God is trying to tell us. God can use our failures and turn them into beautiful successes. He can take our failures and help us see a lot of things we may take for granted. He can show us that He is right there and will help us. He can also show us when we are distant from Him and have gotten a high and mighty attitude. After all pride comes before a fall. He can show us that we need Him and that we can't do it by ourselves.

Psalm 119:71
It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees.

Proverbs 3:5-6

       Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

Psalm 73:26
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

1 Peter 5:7
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.


Friday, December 29, 2017

Matthew 19:26

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Matthew 19:26
26Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

      Sometimes we all need the reminder that when things get rough and things seem impossible, they are...but God can do something about them. Sometimes things can feel like they are getting out of hand and that things are spinning out of control and that no one is ever going to gain control again. God has everything in control and will work out everything to be just the way He planned.
      Many times when we think we, humans, can't do something that neither can God. We sometimes don't remember that God created the whole world with just speaking it into existence. He created each of us differently and He did the impossible according to humans...He made life out of nothing. He can do anything because He created it all. Things may get hard for us and it may seem like we will never be able to face life again. But if we will just humble ourselves enough and ask for help, God will help us. He can do whatever you think is impossible and He will always provide for you.            God will never leave you nor forsake you even through 'impossible' trials and hardships.
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Thursday, December 28, 2017

1 Corinthians 10:13


1 Corinthians 10:13
No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man.  God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

    Different people struggle with a lot of different things. We all struggle with something different. It affects us in different ways and the intensity is different so everyone has it differently. Sometimes we may think that we are alone but as 1 Corinthians 10:13 says no temptation (or struggle) is not common to man meaning that many others struggle the same way you do. 
     When we are tempted to sin and we feel like we just can't say no to it we need to look for a way for anyway to outsmart the devil and his ways. He can be outsmarted and won over if we just try. We can resist the devil and he will flee (James 4:7). As hard as it may seem at the moment but we can resist him and make sure he doesn't win.
    Temptations are like traps that the devil sets for us. Every trap can be escaped somehow. You just have to be cautious and not let it keep you stuck in that trap. Our temptations can control us sometimes and the devil will use that against us but we need to be able to get out of the devils control and resist him. (2 Timothy 2:26). 
    God will always provide a way for you to resist the devil and for you to flee from temptation...it's up to you if you will take it though. 

Wednesday, December 27, 2017

Proverbs 13:20


Proverbs 13:20
Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.
    
       People can be very easily influenced by who they hang out with. That is why it is heavily stressed by older wiser people that we need to pick our friends very carefully. A good friend can bring us up and help you in your spiritual walk while a bad friend can lead you down the path of destruction. A good friend will help you with everything in the right way while a bad friend can suck you into the world and its way of thinking.
      Because of our sinful nature we tend to follow the bad friend's influence because usually its a lot more appealing to us because its what our flesh wants to do. When we follow what the bad friend wants us to do, we will grow farther and farther from our Father. We need to be able to chose our friends so that they will encourage us and not bring us down.
     In Proverbs 18:24, it says that a friend is closer than a brother than we need to choose who those people will be very closely because siblings and family will influence us greatly in our lives. our friends are the ones who know us the best and who care about us and our future. They will be the ones who help us through difficult situations and help us make big decisions. If we don't have a good friend that is closer than a brother than where will our lives go?
     We need to be very careful in who we let into our lives and those we let influence us. 





Monday, December 25, 2017

Philippians 4:6-7



Philippians 4:6-7

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.


    This verse is quoted a lot but usually out of context. People will take out different parts of these verses like do not be anxious but leave out every other part. Each part is important in its own individual way. 
    "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition,..." Sometimes work or life will hit us so hard and we will get stressed or anxious about it. Most people will try to figure the things that are hard all by themselves and spend less time with God because they don't have time. God tells us that we shouldn't be anxious about anything but instead bring all of our worries straight to Him. He can help us and is very willing to sometimes all we have to do is ask.
     When we have a problem or a need that we bring before God we should always pray to Him and petition our needs but with thanksgiving. We shouldn't expect Him to fulfill all of our needs and just be like a genie. He created the world with His great power. He deserves in the least bit our thanksgiving for all that He has done for us. We can't go to Him demanding everything. He isn't there to serve us but we are there to glorify Him by all we do. 
    When we pray we should do it with thanksgiving and respect to the One who created us and this world.