GUEST BLOGGER JANUARY: Obey God

For the past 2 weeks we have been going strong by sticking to our bible challenge. YAY Team!!!

A week before we started this I had a dream that the devil was going to come after us even harder because he can't have young adults on fire for God.

The next day I told one of my “team mates” (that's what we are team mates, like a team we all have to hold each other accountable while we strive to be closer to God.) and she said "the devil is obsessed with me" we laugh but she is so right. The devil is obsessed with us because his plan is very simple to steal, kill, and destroy. He wants to steal our joy, kill our dreams, and destroy our lives. And by us arming ourselves with His sharp sword he is becoming frazzled. He does not want us to have a sound mind and see Gods plan clearly. With the daily bible challenge that is exactly what we are doing.

They asked me to be the first guest blogger and when they started this I was so excited to be on that list, then when the time came I just could not find the time to do the most simple thing and that was to write about the most amazing thing in my life, The Lord our Father Jesus Christ. Now if that is not the devil then I don't know what is. Things that should be simple are no longer simple because he is trying with all his might (he has no heart) to distract and deter me from my destiny that God has set for me.

This week the scriptures we read were about truly believing God and accepting the fact that he is real, he is here, and he is there for us no matter what. God is everywhere even when we feel he is not. When you feel that God has forgotten about you remember that's when he is holding your hand. Whatever we want from our Heavenly Father who has more than we could ever ask for, wish for, or even think of all we have to do is ask. He will supply our needs and then some. He will help you better oneself, just ask and ye shall receive. It may not happen when you want it but it'll be right on time. God is a man if his word and his promise is worth more than gold.

God has a plan for your life it is just up to you to obey. When we obey him that is when we will be truly blessed. This is just what I have gained thus far from this journey in Christ, I hope that you have gained just much insight as have, and have seen what God can do for your life just from these two weeks of consistency. He is consistent in our lives now we have to be consistent with him.

Thank you for this opportunity, love thy neighbor, and if God has a message for you obey The Lord. And never forget your "father" knows you better than you will ever know yourself. He has your best interest in mind, just say yes and let his will be done.

Love ya'll

Victoria aka Tori !! :)

Salvation Sunday: Praise You in this Storm

Hebrews 13:5 reminds us that God said I will never leave you not forsake you. Now, in psalm 13, David talks about being distant from God. Have you ever cried out to God and prayed fervently and never got a response? Have you ever felt that God has stopped listening to you? Or that God has forgotten about you?

Well, David felt this way. And the thing is that David was a man after God's own heart. Even Jesus felt this way. On the cross, He said "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me." so, it's not an issue to feel this way. Actually, in these times, that is when you have to press further and praise God. Right now you may be experiencing storms and hardships, but I want to encourage you to praise God. David even said "But I have trusted in thy mercy; my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation. I will sing unto the Lord, because he hath dealt bountifully with me." So don't lose hope because God has not forgot about you. You just have to trust in God and just praise Him through your storm. Now what you need might not come right away. But, it will come right on time. Therefore, trust god and continue to praise Him because He will see you through it.

This song is called Praise You in this Storm by Casting Crowns. It's a wonderful song and it just says that God no matter where I am or what I am going through I will praise You.

 

 

Remember that God is always right next to you and that He will never leave you. Praise Him through whatever you are going through and He will see you through it. Be blessed!!!

 

 

Salvation Sunday: Steven Gable

Saturday Sacrifice: Father Knows Best

God is our heavenly Father. Right?—Yes!...If you didn’t know, now you know =). So, like a father he teaches us things “…one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray…And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil” (Luke 11:1-4).

He also gives us gifts when we ask for it, “…And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened” (Luke 11:9-10). For instance, the gift of the Holy Spirit which is his spirit living inside us. Jesus states in Luke chapter 11 verse 13 “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?”

He also protects and favors us. The Lord protected Lot and his family from being destroyed with the other citizens of Sodom and Gommorah. This is due to the fact that Abraham asked the Lord to spare the city for the sake of ten righteous people (Basically Lot and his fam!), so because of the Lord’s favor on Abraham’s life the Lord “…remembered Abraham” (Genesis 19:29).

Lastly, our heavenly Father knows exactly what is best for us even when we think we know what is best for ourselves. After all, he created us, knows us better than we know ourselves and he is a PERFECT FATHER. Think of it this way, all those TV shows where the Dad was like the ideal father, like Carl on Family Matters, the father on Full House (can’t think of his name), Bill Cosby on the Cosby Show. Our Heavenly Father is MORE PERFECT AND GREATER than all of those TV show fathers put together. Jeremiah 1:5 says, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew^[a] you, before you were born I set you apart…” So, trust that our heavenly Father has you in his hands, and that the plan that he has for your life is exceedingly and abundantly greater than the plan that you can imagine or think of –“Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us”, Ephesians 3:20.


Saturday Sacrifice: Hannah

 

 

Check out this video!! A really sweet song about our Heavenly Father’s Love for us. Its by Israel and New Breed, called He Knows My Name.

Friday Fellowship: Knowing God is Loving God

Do you believe in God?  “Certainly!” most people reply.  The definition of certain is free from doubt, confident and sure.  Conversations I've had usually end here, as they answer certainly yes like an automated message. If you do believe in God, then WHY?

Most people I've talked to claim they believe in God because of: the creations of the world, extravagant locations, formations of the world, knowledge, and they mention everything except which makes somebody FULLY BELIEVE IN GOD, which is that the INVISIBLE GOD became VISIBLE in YOUR OWN LIFE.

In Genesis 18, there were men sent from the Lord to deliver the message that certainly according to the time of life, Sarah should have a son.  When Sarah heard this she laughed within herself in doubt analyzing her age and state. She was certain that wasn't possible.  However, Corinthians 2:5 says, "That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men but in the power of God."  After she laughed the Bible says the Lord asked Abraham why she laughed?  Then he continued saying "Is there anything too hard for the Lord?"  Sarah denied laughing and doubting within herself as she was scared. 

God says to Abraham that the promises he gave him shall certainly come because he KNOWS HIM.  God, in verse 19, describes Abraham as a faithful man. If someone asked you do you know (your parents name)?  You would automatically and confidently say YES. 

Do you know God?

If you had to think on this, then you don't.  Be encouraged and get to know God. God is not unreachable, unattainable or difficult.  Jeremiah 29:13 says, "And ye shall seek me and find me when ye shall search for me with all your heart.” 

Later in the chapter, God reveals to Abraham he was going to Sodom and Gomorrah because the sins in both cities were great.  So Abraham prayed for the cities, because he knew that once God arrived, he would judge their sins by destruction. 

In Luke 10, where the lawyer asks Jesus what shall he do to make heaven his home, Jesus responds and asks him what is his understanding of the law.  The lawyer responds, “Love the Lord with all thy heart, soul, strength, mind, and love thy neighbor as thyself.”  God then told him to do this and then thou shalt live, referring to heaven.  A neighbor is defined as someone who is near another.  Who do you consider your neighbor?  Jesus then told the lawyer the “Good Samaritan Parable” where the priest is seen walking past the needy man. 

Sometimes Christians can become so self-righteous in their own walk with God, that they tend to look down on other people’s sins or lifestyles.  However, God said that we should love our neighbors as thyself, and in the story the Good Samaritan who was a neighbor, had compassion on the needy man.   In this story, the priest and the lawyer are the same person, who is similar to that of a self-righteous Christian who looks down upon those who don’t know God.  This is not the type of a love for a neighbor that will inherit eternal life.  God wants us to be like the Samaritan who showed compassion on the man in agony.  Romans 14:4 says, “Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.”  Do you know your neighbor?

Knowing God is LOVING God.  Loving God is Loving ANYTHING that he Loves.

Do you love your neighbor?

Point to Ponder: Have you ever noticed that once you fall in love with someone it is so much easier to love anything that they love.  For example, if you were to fall in love with someone with children, it would be so much easier for you to learn to love their children.  This should be the same with God! If we love him, like we say we do, then it should be so easy to love our neighbor. I challenge you to do a good deed for someone today (nothing major), it could be a simple hello to a stranger or even a smile to someone who looks down.

Friday Fellowship: Christian

A Good Samaritan Catches A Little Girl From A 3-Story Fall

Thirsty Thursdays: Trust in The Lord & Have Faith

The glory of God is magnificent. His power, his presence, and his love is immeasurable. For us human beings bound by limitations, it can be hard to understand and truly grasp the concept that "Nada es imposible con Dios "(NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE with God). This is where faith comes in. That good ol Now Faith, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” Hebrews 11:1. It’s the now faith that truly allows God’s miracles to be present in our lives. Believing although we can't see it.  Faith doesn’t make sense, it's not something that can be proven scientifically, mathematically, or logically. It isn't a feeling, but a belief that what God said, will be. It shouldn’t be possible, but it is!  In Luke chapter 10, the Lord appointed 72 men and sent them out to do his will. He provided them with certain instructions in which they should follow. “5.When you enter a house, first say, peace to this house. 6 If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you. 7 Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages.  Do not move around from house to house. 8 When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. 9 Heal the sick who are there and tell them “The kingdom of God has come near to you.” These faithful individuals were able to heal the sick as Jesus did. “The seventy-two returned with joy and said, Lord even the demons submit to us in your name.” Luke 10:17. Here the disciples moved by blind faith believing and obeying what the Lord had said, and it worked! We to should believe and obey.

God has a plan for our lives, we may not see it, understand it, or feel that it is possible, but he has a plan for each of us.  Ironically, I had a discussion about this the other night.  Often in life we do what we want, thinking it’ll get us to where we should be. We concentrate on reaching a point metaphorically speaking 100 yards away. We focus so much time and effort trying to get there, allowing ourselves to believe in the "progress", that we lose sight of God's plan for us. God could be calling us to just go 10yards HIS WAY. If we would go HIS WAY, he’ll take us a million yards further then we ever imagined or dreamed possible. Instead, we do it our way and struggle to even get 2 yards. When Abram and Sarai took it upon themselves to have a child, (talk about DRAMA!!), they learned the hard way to trust God's way and not do their own thing.  

In Genesis chapter 17 we see God's plan for Abram. Abram's success was contingent upon following God's direction. “1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be blameless. 2 then I will make my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.” God went on to tell Abram he will no longer be called Abram but Abraham, he will become the father of many nations, he will be very fruitful and that Kings will come from him. At Abraham's and Sarai's old age you would think there was no way they could have a child, however they did. When we are faced with what seems to be impossible lets not look at the situation with our carnal eyes, but remember that with God all things are possible. 

                                   (God Bless)

Dios Bendiga and Stay Thirsty mis amigos

 

Matthew 5:6 "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled."                                                                    

Thirsty Thursdays: Ron

Warrior Wednesdays: Waiting on the Lord

No one enjoys waiting, which is why we have invented ample ways to avoid it. At the grocery store, self checkout was created so we do not have to wait on a cashier. We do not like to wait for our food to heat up, so we nuke it in a microwave. If we don't want to wait on a home cooked meal we can eat at a fast food restaurant.  I am still waiting for a suitable flying car so I can get places quicker. Since we do not like to wait, it should come as no surprise that waiting on the Lord can be a struggle. Today's reading is a perfect example of the dilemma that may arise when we decide not to wait on the Lord.

Waiting on God to move can seem like it is taking entirely too long, especially when we have been longing for something like Sarai (Sarah) and Abram were longing for a child. Although God had promised them a child, they took it upon themselves to speed up the process and help God out by giving Hagar, Sarai's maidservant, to Abram. Once Hagar conceived, (much to Sarai's dismay), she began to look down on Sarai. This eventually led to jealousy and conflict between Sarai, Abram, and Hagar. One simple plan to help God, led to an entire household being turned upside down! Sarai became jealous of Hagar and treated her harshly, Hagar looked down on Sarai and fled from her because of cruel treatment, and Sarai was mad at Abram and blamed him for the whole situation. All of this could have been avoided if Sarai and Abram had patiently waited for God's plan to come to fruition. When you have trouble waiting, remember God has your best interest at heart, do not try to rush the situation because you will only make matters worse. Trust God!

Questions to consider:

When waiting on God do you become angry, frustrated, or upset? Do you try to rush God's plans by doing things your way?

When you try to fix a problem and it doesn't work out quite as expected do you blame others like Sarai or do you own up to it?

Is there anything in your life that you are currently waiting on (i.e a job, a relationship, a car)? If so continue to pray about it, prepare for it, but trust God to bring the right opportunity your way.  Write your prayer request in our prayer request section.

Stay Blessed and Continue Warring for Christ!

Warrior Wednesday: Brittney

TRANSFORMING TUESDAYS: Faith in a Vision From God Has Authority

Has God ever given you a vision?  I’m sure he has!  The first step in carrying out a vision properly is listening to God’s voice and being obedient to his will.  And also, you CANNOT doubt God!  He has NEVER failed us and it’s impossible for him to.  ß Just a friendly little reminder!

God ordered his twelve disciples to go and spread his goodness.  He gave them the authority to heal the sick and drive out demons.  Did you even realize that just as his twelve disciples, God has given us the authority to do the same.  Have you ever laid hands on someone and they were healed? Now of course the person has to have faith, but just know that God has given you power.  As the Bible tells us, faith can move mountains and so if you can believe it, it shall come to pass!

Next the Bible discusses how Jesus fed 5,000 people with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish.  The disciples told God to send the people out of the town and into neighboring towns to find something to eat, because they had nothing.  God replied and told the disciples to feed them with the little bit that they had, and the disciples hesitated.  They hesitated because they saw that it was impossible to feed all of those people with the little bit of food that they had.  They didn’t think beyond what they saw through their carnal eyes, although God called them and performed miracles before their eyes.  Why was this?  The same thing happened with Abram in Genesis.

Abram worried that his inheritance would be given to one of his servants in his house because he was childless.  The Bible says that God took him outside and told him to look up at the stars and that would be equivalent to the amount of heirs he would have.  Everyone knows that stars are impossible to count and there are so many of them, so just imagine the heirs of Abram!!! Even through all of this Abram had doubt, because he was seeing God’s plan through his carnal eye.  This is no different than the way that we think.

Often times our visions don’t even make sense to us and as long as we stay fixed on them with our carnal eye, WE DON’T PRODUCE RESULTS.  Don't forget that if HE said it, HE'LL do it.  Why can’t we trust him?  Why do we hesitate just as the disciples did, even though we ourselves are living proof of WHO HE IS and WHAT HE IS CAPABLE OF???

When God blesses you with a vision, believing in him is seeing your vision.  Trust God enough to know that he will NOT fail you.  We all have been or will be blessed with a vision, so for 2013 stop seeing with your carnal eyes, and start seeing through your spiritual eyes! God and his disciples were able to feed a multitude of people, even allowing room for leftovers and he gave Abram an abundant amount of heirs.  If he did it for them he can surely do it for you!

Lastly, trusting in a vision from God means taking up your cross and walking with him daily.  Remember that we are just passing through this world…this is not our last stop (Well I don’t consider it to be my last stop!). Our ultimate goal is heaven (that is where our reward lies) and so we must not be ashamed of who he is, and continue to trust in his plan for our lives.  Take up your cross in the way that you walk, the way you talk, the way you make others feel, the way others make you feel, and in your thoughts! Your vision ordained by God has authority!

***THIS BLOG WAS A VISION FROM GOD***

Transforming Tuesdays: Jamera

Patrick Love - "The Vision"

Merciful Monday: God Will Fight Your Battles!

Have you ever been at war with someone or something and just wished that the battle would somehow end? Today’s scriptures showed me that we serve a God that can and will intervene on behalf of his people, even when we don’t know that we need his help.

The demon possessed man, the woman with the issue of blood, and Jairus’ daughter are all examples of this. The demon possessed man was in a mental battle against legions of demons, warring for his sanity! The woman with the issue of blood was battling an ailment that crippled her; for years she searched for a cure. And Jairus’ daughter was battling for her life, while everyone just knew that she had little time to live. In each situation, God intervened and worked miracles. They all were made completely whole and like Jesus told the woman, they were able to “go in peace” (Luke 8:48 NIV).

In Genesis, we read about a dispute between Abram and his nephew Lot. They followed God’s commandment to leave their native country and travel to a new land, but when they got there, they encountered problems (Isn’t that just like the devil! When you begin doing the will of God he always gets in the way to discourage you). Just as the argument was about to get out of hand God intervened and gave Abram the words to say to peaceably end the dispute. Then God said, “I will give you so many descendants that like the dust of the earth, they cannot be counted! Go and walk through the land in every direction, for I am giving it to you” (Genesis 13:16). I took this as a sign that the dispute was settled by divine intervention, not by Abram’s doing.

Even after Lot was captured and Abram went to war, we learned of God’s ability to fight for his people. I am sure Abram feared that he would not be able to rescue Lot, but God was the one fighting the battle on his behalf. Afterward, the priest Melchizedek told him, “God the Most High has defeated your enemies for you” (Genesis 14:20).

David seemed to know God as his personal warrior. In this time of distress, he called out to God, “Stand up against the fury of my enemies! Wake up, my God, and bring justice” (Psalms 7:6). David truly believed that NO hater was too big for God and that God had his back no matter what!

This all goes to show that we will all have battles in life, but when we give our battles to the Lord, whether they are mental, physical, spiritual, etc., HE WILL INTERVENE.

Today’s Prayer: Dear God, I am going through a very difficult battle right now, and I pray that you intervene on my behalf and make a way. I know that no weapon formed against me shall prosper as long as I have you on my side. By faith, I will soon be able to look back on this and see that you alone brought me out and like the demon possessed man, I will tell everyone about what you did for me. Meanwhile, I want to thank you for bringing me peace despite my current battle. In Jesus’ name I pray. AMEN!

Merciful Mondays: Jael

 

 

Salvation Sunday: The Foundations of Life

Farmers have a lot to look at it when dealing with planting their crops. They have to look at the soil and they have to look at the weather and any other factors. As Christians, we need to have a certain foundation. One important foundation is faith. Faith is trusting in God that he will protect you and supply for you wherever you go. A way to increase your faith is reading Gods word. It's through this that you can trust God because you know who He is and what He can do.

With Genesis, Abram knew who God was but I believe that he had faith in God because He trusted God when he left his home. However, I believe that he didn't fully trust god at the time when he went to Egypt. When he got to Egypt, he told his wife to tell others that she is not his wife. He said this because he was afraid of what the Egyptians would do. Therefore the pharaoh took her in and as soon as that happened, God cursed Egypt with some plagues. The pharaoh asked Abram why he didn't say that she was his wife. And because of those around Abram were affected and they were sent away from them without having a seed planted into their life.

In Luke, Jesus talks about the process of outreach and spreading the word and love of God. He says that some will hit the ground and some will be eaten by the birds and some will just fall to the side. For the ones that hit the ground, some hit the rocks, some fell among thorns and some fell on good soil. Now this is in relation to Christians. There are some people who hear the word of God and are fired up. They don't have any foundation but they want to make a change in their life. But these people don't learn the word and are not using it to enhance their life. When hard times come, they don't know what to do and leave the church because they are not seeing the difference.

Now there are some that receive the word and are fired up but they are not surrounded or ready to surrender their will to God. They start to read the word and try to enhance their life but then they don't want to give up their old ways. Their past and the things of this world are too enticing for them to commit to the bible. They haven't made their decision about who they want to serve. And then there are those who are planted on good soil. They have received the word, they're on fire and they're accepting the word and fully trusting God to change and guide their lives. They use that seed to their advantage and allow God to change their lives. With the seed, they bring forth the fruit with patience. With this, they are waiting on god to fulfill what He promised. I know for myself that I will get excited and want to do things in my time. Sometimes I don't allow myself to wait on God to move and change my life.

Many times God is giving us a word and promises but we are still not fully trusting God as we are not waiting on Him to come through. We make things happen on our own and then they don't happen the way we expected. Therefore, the foundations of life are found through prayer and the word of God. The word of God will allow you to make the right decisions that will help you. And through learning the word and building your foundation, your faith will grow and increase. And then through your hard times in life, You will have something to stand on and be strong. Thanks be to God that when we are weak, He is strong. Therefore, continue to develop your foundation of life so you can fully blossom into your purpose that God has called you to fulfill.

Develop your foundation through God and not through the world!!!

Salvation Sundays: Steven Gable

Saturday Sacrifice: His Love + His Mercy = Our Worship

Ok, I don’t know if you know this but David in the bible (the guy who killed Goliath) was the best psalmist or musician of his time and the Book of Psalms is mostly comprised of David’s love songs to God. So, if you could please SING these verses out loud or to yourself (so you won’t scare the person next to you) it would be greatly appreciated!!!

“⁷But as for me, I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy: and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple.⁸ Lead me, O Lord, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; make thy way straight before my face… ¹¹ But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.¹²For thou, Lord, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.”

To me, these verses stood out the most. In a way, David’s song of worship was describing the Woman'sact of worship for Jesus. In Luke, it says that the woman a sinner knew that Jesus was in the Pharisees house. It goes on to say that she stood behind Jesus and began to wash his feet with her tears, wiped them with her hair, kissed them, and anointed them with perfume.

 The mercy on this woman was truly great. First of all she was an uninvited sinner woman, and she was touching Jesus! That was a huge mistake! Never the less, she continued to worship (You go Girl!). Now, the Pharisees of course repeated information to Jesus that he already knew about the woman…that she was a sinner and all. But, Jesus in all of his love and mercy defended the woman to the Pharisees. Jesus knew everything about her, down to the last dirty detail but he still loved her and forgave her.

 I believe this woman knew Jesus loved her, because in Luke chapter 7 verse 50 it reads, “And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace”. I believe she had faith that her ALL her sins were forgiven even before she came to the Pharisees house. You can’t just show up uninvited at the White House, and expect to get an audience with the president. That’s abnormal!!

So, obviously the woman was on another level. Her act of worship for Jesus (crying, kissing, wiping, anointing) was a byproduct of Jesus’ great love and mercy on her life. Because of that great love and mercy, the woman had to do something outrageous. Jesus did the exact thing for us. He has forgiven us of every sin, past, present, and future through the shedding of his blood, and has forgotten them so that we can live with him forever. So, because of his great love and mercy on our lives, we should be giving our Lord back all the worship he deserves. So what is holding you back??

Saturday Sacrifice: Hannah

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Ever wonder where CeCe Winans got the idea for this song from? Luke 7:18-50