Matthew 19:26

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.

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. 

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. 

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. 

1 Corinthians 15:58

1 Corinthians 15:58

 ⁵⁸Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the LORD, because you know that your labor in the LORD is not in vain.

      Sometimes we have a hard time standing firm in our foundation in the Word because of what the world says. We could be called names or made fun of or looked down upon but what is really happening? Satan is using what we would call peer pressure or our fragile egos to tear us away from the Lord. 

      We have to be firm and hold fast to what we know is true. If we are Christians, then we believe that the Word of the Lord is true. When we cave to the things of this world, we end up showing people that we really don't have that firm of a foundation in our faith in Christ. We need to be able to show people that nothing will change what we believe. We should have a faith in Christ that can't be swayed like a feather in the wind. We should always be ready to do the Lord's will no matter what that may be and not worry what others are thinking or what they might say.  Sometimes people don't do what they know is right and what the Lord would like them to do because they are scared of what other people might think or say. We need to not worry about what others may think or say to us and just do what we are being called to. 

1 Corinthians 12:12-28

¹² Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. ¹³ For we were all baptized by^[a] one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. ¹⁴ Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.

¹⁵ Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. ¹⁶ And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. ¹⁷ If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? ¹⁸ But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. ¹⁹ If they were all one part, where would the body be? ²⁰ As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

²¹ The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” ²² On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, ²³ and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, ²⁴ while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, ²⁵ so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. ²⁶ If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

²⁷ Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. ²⁸ And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues.

        When referring to a church sometimes it can be called a body. This can be taken very literally. God says that us, Christians, are apart of a body and that every one of us is important in different ways. Just like each different part of the body is important for different reasons. Each part is necessary for our body to function properly. We couldn't live without our eyes or our ears or anything else. God intended for everyone to use their own special talents in a special way. He didn't create two of you but only you. He intended for you to use your gifts to bring Him glory. Each one is important and each one is needed.
       We need to use our God given gifts to glorify Him and bring others closer to Him. Think about it this way. If we don't use our gifts for God is basically like we are denying other people from knowing God on a personal level. As a Christian we should always be prepared to share the gospel and what He means to us (1 Peter 3:15). God wants us to be the best we can be and He gave us the skills to do that but sometimes we don't pay attention and use them as He wanted us to. This is like telling Him that we don't think that He thought it was a good gift. Most people never take the time to consider that God has a plan for everything and that our spiritual gifts are ours for a reason. Each of our spiritual gifts are important for different purpose, they are all apart of a bigger picture, which we may never know until we are with Him.

The Reason of the Season

     

    The month of December is mostly known for how we celebrate the coming of the Christ baby. Jesus after all is the reason for the season. We should not only celebrate this joyous occasion once a year but instead year round. Christmas has turned into a major event. It should be a major event but should not just be remembered once a year. Many people don't think about what Christ did for us all the time but only on the major holidays like Easter and Christmas. It is a great reminder to have these holidays but they shouldn't be the only times we think of it. We should be sharing the Word of God and how He came into this world to save us from sin.
    Jesus came into this world through a virgin. Now don't think about it too much but with God everything is possible. He was born in Bethlehem, a tiny city, unlike Jerusalem. And he was born to two people that were engaged. They stayed in a stable and Mary had her baby in there. This was the King of the Universe and He was born to a carpenter and his betrothed in a stable in the tiny town of Bethlehem. With all these little and lowly things you wouldn't think that He was a King and many people didn't and don't even today. Jesus was just like us and did everything we do expect for one thing. He never sinned. Imagine that...to literally be the perfect child. As He grew up, He was a normal child but started to perform miracles and preach the gospel. He later died to save us from our sin and the consequences that follow what we do. He gave His life so that we could a personal relationship with His father, God. This is what the season is truly all about. Please take the time this Christmas and share this story of redemption with someone else. Merry Christmas!!

Isaiah 40:28-31

Isaiah 40:28-31

²⁸Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. ²⁹He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. ³⁰Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; ³¹but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

      Sometimes we can forget that God never runs out of strength or maybe we feel like He can't handle a situation. But we need to remember that He never sleeps nor does He ever grow tired. We can turn to Him with anything no matter how big or small and I feel that a lot of people, including myself, tend to forget this and think that they can handle it and that God doesn't have time or He can't help. Let's look at this verse by verse real fast. 

      Verse 28. This is basically saying what I said above. Isaiah is trying to remind people that God has an unlimited source of energy and He can do everything. I mean He created the world so that qualifies Him to handle anything you might need help with. He already knows what we are going to ask before we do and He is very willing to help if we just ask or just let Him help us. 

      Verse 29. This is a very helpful verse that we should all memorize especially when we are going through a hard time. When we feel weak or something has happened to make us feel down, we feel like we can't do anything but we need to know that God will give us the strength to get through whatever we are going through. He will always be there and be there to help us and hold us up even when we think no one cares or is there. He will never leave or forsake you. (Deuteronomy 31:6)

      Verse 30. Everyone gets tired and everyone has bad days. Even those with the most strength and the youngest. 

      Verse 31. But if we rely on the Lord, He will fill our energy levels to levels we never knew we had. There has been many stories about how people in suffering have just called out to God and He has helped them in so many ways whether they realized it or not. If you have ever heard of the book Hiding Place that is one of the numerous examples of how He has helped people in the middle of heavy suffering. But He also helps you in many small ways that we may think are not the beneficial but in the end we realize that it is exactly what we needed.

    In conclusion, the main thing that you should pull away from these verses is that God will give you what you need when you need it and He will help you in times of trouble and when you feel like you have nothing left in you. He will help you and has promised to, many times in His Word. He will help you through the hardest things and even the small things.  

Gentleness

Gentleness

What is gentleness?
     Gentleness can be defined as being patient and loving towards something or someone.

Why is gentleness important?
      Because without it you would always be firm and demanding and never be able to show love to another person and you would be no fun at all. You can't be rough all the time; you have to think about the other person and always treat them how you want to be treated. You don't want to be treated harshly and without them ever showing that they care, so we shouldn't treat others like that.

How to you obtain gentleness?
      You have to be humble (because if you are prideful you will always think you are better than them and that can lead to you treating them roughly) and loving and very peaceful (because if there is no peace then you can't have a good conversation or treat them well if you don't have peace around them).

What does the Bible say about gentleness?

^"54Even the most gentle and sensitive man among you will have no compassion on his own brother or the wife he loves or his surviving children,..... ⁵⁶The most gentle and sensitive woman among you-so sensitive and gentle that she would not venture to touch the ground with the sole of her foot-will begrudge the husband she loves and her own son or daughter" -Deuteronomy 28:54,56

This is just saying that to be truly gentle we can't just act gentle but when we are not with the people we are comfortable with, we have to act the same way you would anywhere else. We can't let the only way we are gentle be on the outside but also on the inside too.

^"1A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." -Proverbs 15:1

We have to be gentle in speech too. Sometimes, to be gentle is the opposite of being angry.

"¹⁵Through patience a ruler can be persuaded, and a gentle tongue can break a bone."-Proverbs 25:15

Being gentle can sometimes have better results than when you use force.

 "²⁹Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." -Matthew 11:29

We need to be humble while being gentle. We need to be gentle when comforting people, this will help them know that we truly care for them and the hurt that they are going through.

" ¹¹But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness." -1 Timothy 6:11

Most importantly, gentleness is something that God tells us to pursue on a daily basis.

Trust

Trust

What is trust?
     Trust is being able to depend and not doubt someone or something. Trust is being able to rely on that person no matter what.

Why is trust important?
     Because without it a relationship can't exist. You would always doubt them and expect the worst. You would always doubt if they had your best interests in mind instead of just what they can do for themselves. Whether that be by using you or bringing you down to higher their self confidence.

How do you obtain trust?
     You have to always be honest no matter what. You have to be able to trust the other person too at least try and understand. You have to be 100% honest all the time or else things might be miscommunicated and you get yourself in even more trouble than you would have if you had just been honest. Apart of people trusting you is that they know that you will always be there for them in times of hardship or trouble. Also, show interest in what they find interesting. This shows them that you care about them enough to do things that you may not want to do.  Listen to them.

What does the Bible say about trust?
      Better an open reprimand than concealed love. The wounds of a friend are trustworthy, but the kisses of an enemy are excessive. -Proverbs 27:5-6

      A friend imparts constructive criticism out of love, but an enemy gives kisses with deceit in mind. (Holman Christian Study Bible). This means that even harsh words from a friend are spoken out of love. Because they want you to be the best you can be, because they love you. Someone can tear you down though if all they are doing is building up your pride and we all know that pride goes before a fall. We need to be able to trust our friends to have our best interests in mind. Sometimes they can see stuff that we can't. They can see if something will hurt us or not benefit us in the future.

Fear

Hebrews 13:6   

So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”

          Fear is something I struggle with a lot. I heavily rely on what others think or say about me. Recently, though, someone brought to my attention that in order to be the best I can, I have to do what I know is right and not second guess everything just because others may disagree. In life, many people are going to go against what you say and you can't please everyone. You are going to make people mad, upset, and disappointed in what you do so that being said you can't try and please everyone because that won't ever happen.

          The biggest part of fear is being confident enough to face your fears. This is the hardest part for most people. You let that governor your life. This will only lead to more problems and eventually you will have to get help in order to break from that if it gets bad enough. Whether you think it or not fears can govern your life and that can lead to even worse situations then if you had just faced your fear. You also have to be willing to face them and not just let them be. Especially if you are letting them control your life. If you are controlled by fear, you might miss a very important chance to share God's Word and a chance that God could have used you.
       God will give you the strength to face what you fear and He will walk with you through the darkest parts. Even when you want to cower in fear, He will provide for you and never leave you. He will always be right beside you holding your hand. He will help us with all of our troubles no matter how big or small they may seem and will always be there to guide us through. We can always depend on Him. :)

Proverbs 31:30

Proverbs 31:30

³⁰Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

       Every woman on earth wants to be pretty and 'liked' by others. They want to be beautiful, thin, and the perfect model. The thing is that God made us all differently. We are never going to look just like someone else and we will never be what we think is perfect. You are perfect just the way you are no matter what other people say. Women shouldn't be under the impression that they have to be perfect to be the person God made them to be. God created us all with a specific purpose in mind and He created us the way we are for a reason. We shouldn't be so caught up in what the world wants us to be that we miss what God wants us to do.
       If we only focus on what the world wants from us we will miss what God has for us. We are so consumed in looking so good and being the best looking and the thinnest one out there when in reality we will never achieve what we are working towards in that sense. There will always be someone that we think has more than us.
      Charm is extremely deceptive because it's is basically people 'buttering' us up by multiple compliments. This does nothing but make us think we are better than those around us. That makes us have a huge ego and than we can treat others as lesser beings because of some compliments that someone gave us.
      Beauty is very fleeting. We will never be able to keep the amount of beauty we have. Beauty fades with old age, and not many people realize that so much time is wasted in trying to be the best looking and the skinniest. We could be using that time to minster to other people and using it to further God's kingdom and be sharing the love of Christ with the people around us.
    Most of the time this verse is associated with guys and girls and their relationships. This verse does apply in this area of life as well. True Christian guys will want someone that they can share that deep relationship with God with. They want someone to understand that God comes first and how much they love God and want to serve Him. When a non-believer marries a believer, this love for Christ and what He did for us can not be shared and the non-believer never really understands why their spouse does what they do. Basically, guys find a woman that fears (and knows) the Lord way more attractive than what they look like on the inside. (It goes the same way for a female looking for a male. They will look at what's inside than what's on the outside.) This is a really important verse because it reminds us to focus on God and His proposes and not on the world and it's deadly traps.
 

Laziness

⁴Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth.

-Proverbs 10:4

      How many of us don't want to sit around and do nothing? We all can be very lazy and this is something we have fight on a daily basis. Laziness is one of the seven deadly sins and it is for a very good reason. We are all very lazy and it is our natural response to not want to work hard and do everything that will take the least amount of time, with the least amount of energy.
     God wants us to honor Him in everything we do and we can't do that if we sit around all day. When we work we feel this feeling of satisfaction. God made us to work and to please Him through our hard work. When we work hard we are showing how great He is. Because when we work hard we are showing how fearfully and wonderfully we are made. We are using the gifts He gave us to glorify Him.
     We need to be diligent with everything we do and do it to the best of our ability to honor God. Since we all respect God and we want to honor those who we respect, we should honor Him with our actions.

The Importance of Wisdom

Proverbs 8:10

¹⁰Choose my instruction instead of silver, knowledge rather than choice gold,

        This verse is talking about how we should value knowledge more than riches in this world. God talks over and over about how wisdom is so much better than money and riches.

"God said to Solomon, "Since this is your heart's desire and you have not asked for wealth, possessions or honor, nor for the death of your enemies, and since you have not asked for a long life but for wisdom and knowledge to govern my people over whom I have made you king,"

-2 Chronicles 1:11

        As you can see in this verse, God is commending Solomon for asking to be wise instead of asking for things that normal and greedy people would ask for. Most people would be looking out for themselves by asking for things that would really profit them, but Solomon wanted to truly have wisdom to be able to rule his kingdom and God's people rightly. He wanted to be able to lead them with the wisdom and the maturity that a good king would have.

¹⁰The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

-Proverbs 9:10

      
        This is basically saying that in order to truly have wisdom we need to fear the Lord. This is not saying that we need to cower in fear of the Lord. But we do need to have a healthy fear of Him. It's just like when we respect someone we have a healthy amount of fear of them. We know that they love us and care for us but they will come down hard on you when need be. This is what we should be thinking about God. We know that He loves us and He cares us and would do anything for us, but He will correct when we are wrong. It is wise to have this healthy fear of God.

      We need to not be so consumed by what riches we have on earth but rather on what wisdom and knowledge we have of those around us and of God's Word. In the end, all earthly things can go away in the blink of an eye so we need to have a firm foundation in God's Word. 

Being A Failure

Lamentations 3:19-24

¹⁹I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. ²⁰I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. ²¹Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: ²²Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. ²³They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. ²⁴I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him."

        Have you ever felt like all you do is fail? Well so do I....quite often to be perfectly honest. These verses are such a great reminder that no matter what is going on in our lives, God has a hold on everything. Now we are not robots so we live nothing close to a perfect life. Instead we do make mistakes and we have to learn from them, but Christians have an advantage over everyone else. They have God on their side to help them and to pick them up when they fall or need someone to help them through the daily struggles.
      In verse 19 and 20 its saying that the author remembers something that they did and that they regret it. And he is not doing so great because he hates his sin but can't escape the feeling of guilt. But in verse 21 and 22 he remembers what that the Lord will never leave him. The Lord's love is so great and His love surpasses so much sin. God has so much compassion and love that He is willing to share if only we will accept it. Verse 23 reminds us that no matter what might have happened today, tomorrow will always be a fresh and new day with nothing to bring us down. We start with a clean slate every day with nothing weighing us down. Verse 24 is reminding us to lean on Him all the time and even when He feels really distant know He is always there, ready to help us with whatever we need. We can bring all of our failures to Him and He will supply all of our needs.