Tag: personal

Our Time

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Our Time

When the morning sun rises over the horizon and you see the first rays of light, you don’t often question if it’ll be your last. We live by the minutes we have, but we rarely put thought into the actual thought of living. When you look at the sunrise and think how beautiful it is, or how you see the person you love, we don’t wonder if it’s the last time. There was a day so many years ago now, which brought all these questions to mind. As time has moved passed I often forget how quickly that life can be. In just a fleeting moment the world as we know it can be rocked by change, and how we are forever changed. As we wake this morning and we go about our day, for me today is a reminder to be vigilant in my thoughts. We suffer so much pain, and we suffer so much loss, but when we forget to live, that’s the true tragedy. How do we honor the dead? We honor the dead by fighting. We honor the dead by living, and to do so with thought. We cannot just wake up every day and exist, that we must truly live our lives. The day will come when we are called home, but if that day is not today, we must live life with zest. We must open our eyes every morning, and be grateful to the one who gives life. We live this life and this is our time, but it’ll never come again.

When the days are numbered, how can we say we lived our life? Will we count our days by missed opportunities? Will we count them by the number of lives we touched? Will we count them by the number of lives we destroyed? No matter the form of measurement in your life, be sure to live your life for the moment. Be sure that in that moment, the fleeting moments we are here, make a difference. Live a life that is full of love and a life that is pleasing to God. Be a beacon of hope in a world full of darkness. Live your life in the light so others can see. We only get one shot at life, and we never know when the day our ticket gets punched, so live every day with the heart for God. Live every day loving your friends, loving your family. Live every day with the thought, tomorrow may not come. Don’t live out your days thinking ‘I thought I’d have more time.’ Today is the day you have, and tomorrow isn’t promised.

John 10:7-15 “7 So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. 11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.”

We are the lost sheep living this life, and a shepherd came to give us hope. In that hope we now live, no longer in the darkness, but the light of the world. Although we live dust to dust, we are more then the sum of our flesh. We have the living waters that flow over our hearts when we open them to the Lord. Genesis 3:19 “By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” No longer are we here to live and die, but instead we are here to live and live. We live this life so one day we can live in eternal life. Ecclesiastes 3:20-21 “All go to one place. All are from the dust, and to dust all return. 21 Who knows whether the spirit of man goes upward and the spirit of the beast goes down into the earth?” We are given the choice of how we want to live, and in that choice so shall we be judged.

Today as I remember the dead, I recall the valley, which I gazed upon. I saw the face of evil and I will forever remember the horror, which lives in the hearts of man. The ability to take life, to extinguish a child of God, with no remorse or conscious, is truly a terrifying place. To witness such evils, reminds us that though Christ died to break the bonds of death, we still fight for the souls of the living. Not all who live shall live, and all the while not all that die shall die. If you are to live, live for love, live for Christ, and in Christ love all. Love all who live and pray for those whom you love, but in turn, pray for those whom wish to do hate. As it is said, love the sinner, and hate the sin. Today which is a day to remember, I pray for the souls of those who sought to do harm, and I pray with forgiveness in my heart, yet a prayer of God’s righteous vengeance. For it is not my place to judge the living, nor is it my place to judge the dead, but to love and pray for both. Romans 12:19 “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.” I place my belief upon the Lord, and I pray for those who have trespassed against me, and I pray for my own heart that it be healed in my time of pain. I pray that I shall find peace in the knowledge that vengeance is not of my own hand, but in the hand of the Lord. I pray that we in this life find justice, not vengeance. Deuteronomy 32:35 “To me belongeth vengeance, and recompence; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste.” Justice is restoring balance, and I trust in the Lord, which holds eternal balance in his righteous hands.

 

The Cake Is a Lie

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The Cake Is a Lie

Don’t be fooled by the joys of sin, so many things are promised by the Devil in his attempt to draw us away from the light of God. I remember playing a game when I was younger, a game called Portal. In the game you are a lab rat being forced to run a maze, and in the end you’re promised a cake. But when you reach the end you’re told the cake was a lie. There was no great prize waiting for you, just nothing. If you live your life in sin, and you continue along that path, you will also find the promises made by the devil will also be just as empty, just as unfulfilling as not getting your slice of cake. While the promises sound good, they are empty and we don’t want to fall for those kinds of promises. The Devil is master of deception, and although it may feel good in the moment, it’s certainly not worth the potential outcomes. Now, the promises made by God are something you can take to the bank. Those promises are true, and full of hope.

What are you willing to do to follow your sinful desires? Are you willing to hurt people, destroy lives, step on everyone you meet just to follow what you want? Are you chasing the feel good drug? Have you ever thought that sin is like a drug? When we chase the sins that make us feel good, or forget about our walk with Christ, we often loose sight of what’s truly important. I’ve seen loved ones fall to sin, and throw away everything for the feel good drug. Following the high of something new, something exciting, all because things didn’t go the way they thought it would. What is it you desire most? Are you considering the cost to take what you want? Are you doing what you do to glorify God? When you follow the wrong path, the path that travels separate from the Holy Spirit, the joys you have in your life aren’t real. When you follow the path of darkness you have to understand that the things you have, the things you’ve taken may not last forever. Are you willing to gamble away your eternal cake for the feel good high right now? I’m reminded of a song,

He Knows My Name By,Francesca Battistelli

Spent today in a conversation
In the mirror face to face with
Somebody less than perfect
I wouldn’t choose me first if
I was looking for a champion
In fact I’d understand if
You picked everyone before me
But that’s just not my story
True to who You are
You saw my heart
And made
Something out of nothing
I don’t need my name in lights
I’m famous in my Father’s eyes
Make no mistake
He knows my name
I’m not living for applause
I’m already so adored
It’s all His stage
He knows my name oh, oh,
 

Would you rather have the cake right now, or would you rather have the eternal cake? I have to believe that the promises of salvation are better then anything you might receive in this life. I believe that if we truly want great things we must follow salvation. While there’s something to be said about fame and fortune, the ones who are the happiest with it, are the ones who got there by God’s grace and blessings. The ones who keep their fame and fortunes are often the ones who live a Godly life. The ones who squander God’s gifts often find themselves miserable in their fame, and sadly they often loose their gifts. If God can’t trust us with the little gifts how can we expect God to entrust us with more? In our life we must be able to investigate our good fortunes. While the cake may seem real and enticing, we must determine the source of the gifts. The Devil will try a number of ways to draw us away from God, and false promises, false gifts is one way he will try to trick us into following the dark path.

If we trust in the Lord and we truly give the Glory where Glory is due, then we show God we can handle what we have. God knows what’s best for us, and if we aren’t given something, or something is taken away, there’s a good reason for it. We must learn to rely on our faith that good or bad, there’s a reason and we must accept our circumstance and in all we do, keep our focus on the Lord. We don’t need fame and glory in this world, but if it comes, we know where it came from. We don’t need riches and things because true wealth comes in the gift of Heaven. We will always be provided for when we follow Christ. We may not have an abundance of the things we desire, but we will always have the basic needs. So, when the cake is dangled in front of your face, be careful how you follow it. It could very well be a lie, so don’t believe that every thing in front of you is a blessing. The cake is a lie.

The Sinner’s Hatred

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The Sinner’s Hatred

Sinners have a tendency to hate those they’ve sinned against. Anger or convicted, but you decide which one is it? If you’ve ever been wronged and you’ve tried to share your feelings with the person who wronged you, have you ever been made to feel somehow it was your fault? We often see this as someone makes a large mistake. In my own life I’ve seen how someone can have an affair one of the most awful things you can do to your spouse, and instead of feelings remorse, the person was filed with hate, and cruelty. How quickly the love shared between two people can vanish in an instant. 2 Samuel 13:17-19 “17 Then he called his personal servant and said, “Get rid of her. Put her out, and bolt the door behind her.” 18 (She was wearing a long-sleeved gown. The king’s virgin daughters wore this kind of robe.) So his servant took her out and bolted the door behind her.” Instead of facing the sin Amnon who had lust for his half sister hated her for his sin. Insult to injury as it were.

People don’t want to be wrong, and they certainly don’t like taking the blame for things they’ve done wrong. As the old saying goes it’s easier to hate then it is to love. When we place our desires in the hands of sinful natures the desires become infected and they change. I’ve seen good people, loving people change their personalities overnight. I’ve seen people walk away from the path and the compass that once pointed north, spun out of control and the darkness spread and took over blinding them of the good natured person they once were. People who fall to sin hide from the truth. The sin inside builds and eventually builds upon itself. If it’s not taken care of it spreads in the body, and eventually affects everything we do.

When someone you love attacks you in their own sin, all we can do is remember that sin is like an illness. We must return hatred with love. We must learn to stay calm and learn when to walk away to save face. Sometimes all we can do is pray for our loved one. Pray they find their way back and allow God back into their heart. We need to remember that most disappointment is because we expect too much of people and to little of God. Matthew 18:15 “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.” Now it won’t always be that easy. Most people will probably fight you when you point out their sins. If someone fails to listen to you, perhaps you may have better luck with strength in numbers. Matthew 18:16 “But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses.”

Knowing and understanding why someone is so mean and cruel sometimes, especially when it’s from someone you care for, doesn’t change how much it hurts. Knowing that hurting people hurt others isn’t going to alter our perception of their actions. I have watched my loved ones turn on me and say and do things I never thought possible. While they have shown the struggle within, ultimately I saw them loose the fight of sin, and succumbed to the darkness. We cannot watch the people we care about succumb to the darkness inside, and succumb ourselves. We must learn to step back and pray for those around us while at the same time protecting ourselves. We cannot be baited by sin into the dark emotions. Fight the darkness by loving. Love others as God so loved you. God’s guidance is eternal, and we must stay on the path of light.

 

God’s Got This, All the Little Things Too

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God’s Got This, All the Little Things Too

 Giving up ourselves completely, and relinquishing our own self-interests is perhaps the hardest thing we may ever do. We as Christians must learn to grow in our faith. When we are born we nurse from our mothers. We thirst for milk, and love, and the warmth of our parents. We are completely helpless in life, and yet, we grow quickly. Christians are the same way. A new Christian is like an infant. They must study, and grow, and be nurtured by other Christians. Learning to let go and allow God to set our course, and trust that in all things God’s plan will work out, is difficult and doesn’t happen over night. Romans 8:35-36 35 “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written,” Jesus tells us the parable of the birds how they don’t worry about tomorrow because it will take care of itself. Matthew 6:25-34.

In no way am I saying live a carefree life. I’m saying we mustn’t allow anxiety and worry to take hold of our lives. To much stress and anxiety is bad for us. While stress comes to everyone, we must learn to deal with it in a Godly way. First we must go to the Lord in prayer. Ask for the guidance and wisdom to face every situation we come to. We must learn to always ask “What Would Jesus Do?” and we must learn to live the scripture we read. We aren’t perfect and of course despite how hard we try we will always be sinners. We must not only trust in the Lord in the big things, but also the little things. We must trust that in the good and bad things we experience God is working through all of it.

1 Peter 5:7 “casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” Have you ever been made a promise by someone and they broke it? I’ve been married twice and both times the promises made were broken. My whole life I’ve had people make me promises and in time one by one they broke them. The thing with God however is He never makes a promise he won’t keep. God’s isn’t in the business of forsaking his children. Even when we don’t feel like God is with us, he is. If we feel like God isn’t listening, perhaps it is us that isn’t listening. Sometimes as a parent we must allow our children to make their own mistakes. We can warn them, and try to guide them to a better path, but some days they just need to go their own way, and face the lesions on their own. Psalm 34-6 “This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles.” The struggles of the world are real, and to claim they won’t provide deep feelings is ridiculous. Troubles come to all regardless of race, or creed, or background, but if we are to improve our relationship with God, we must learn to trust, and trust fully. Psalm 34:17-8 “17When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. 18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” God’s got this, and you can find peace knowing you aren’t alone.

God looks over the people of this world, the smallest of creatures, and all the plants big and small. We often fit God into our own little box, making God smaller for us to be more comfortable with the idea of an infinite being. Next time you’re out and about take a look around, look at the small insects, the plants, and focus on the idea that God is sovereign over all. God is in control, never forget he’s there with you, in the big problems, and in the smallest. The greatest joy, and the small smiles, God’s always with you.

Shields Up

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Shields UP!

Do you have insurance for your home, or your car, or how about life insurance? There are so many promises out there in insurance, but not all policies are created equal. We don’t want to move our money into a place that is just draining our resources, and not actually giving us the protection we need in an emergency. There are so many things we are told to sell us on our insurance policy, but we need to do our homework to actually realize what’s a good deal and what isn’t.

In the case of insurance for your life, and I’m not talking about what you pay for in a policy, I’m talking about the life insurance I like to call fire insurance. Jesus Christ paid the bill for us, and of course I’m talking about our eternal life, not the mortal body. Now, I want to be clear, this isn’t an emergency policy to allow you to do what you want, and right at the last minute you can say, ‘I’m sorry, please forgive me.’ We are judged for all of our actions, and our sins. You have to have Jesus in your heart, and God knows the feelings in your heart. We can’t live our lives how we want to thinking all we need to do is say an I’m sorry and still think we will be accepted into Heaven. Do you believe that Jesus Christ is your personal Lord and Savior, and that you will be made to answer for your sins? When you follow Christ and you allow the Holy Spirit into your heart, you will not live life the same way. You will be filled with convictions, and you will have repulsion to sinful behavior. If you have Christ in your heart you will have a physical reaction to sinful behaviors. You will notice a change within your life, and how you choose to live. This will change the types of behaviors you engage in, the friends you have based on their behaviors, and you will undoubtedly loose friends when you find yourself living in Christ.

It’s important to remember that the Devil will try to give you short-term policies. I can do this sin, and all I need to do is ask for forgiveness. The thing with this idea which is very popular in our society now, is that it’s a lie straight from the Devil. The Devil whispers in our ear pulling us into temptation, trying to get us to follow our desires, and to get us hooked. Our insurance policy that was paid for my Christ covers us, but the catch we have to submit ourselves to the Lord. We must learn the difference between scripture and societal worldview.

We must withstand the fire from above, and below as the Devil will try to hit us with volley after volley. Ephesians 6:16 “In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;” We must guard our hearts and our minds from attacks that come in all manner of shapes and sizes these days. The battle for our hearts and minds wages on, and we must remember that salvation is not just fire insurance, but like a contract we must uphold our end of the bargain. We must look to our own sins, and remember that sin is not freedom. We cannot burn our own house down and expect insurance to pay for it. Thus we cannot sin freely and expect to be welcomed into heaven. Yes the blood of Christ paid for your sins, but a soul truly saves, that truly understands the blood sacrificed on Calvary’s cross has a repulsion to sin. Matthew 26:28 “For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” Keep watch for the predator that tried to creep his way inside. Protect yourself and know that you do have the blood assurance that you will be saved on the Day of Judgment, but salvation isn’t free. We must offer up ourselves to serve the Lord. Our hearts and minds are our payment. When we follow Christ, we know our sins will be forgiven. Remember we must go to the Lord in prayer, ask for the forgiveness of our sins, ask for repentance in our hearts, and ask for protection of our minds. Hebrews 13:20 “Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,”

 

 

 

Heart Beat

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Heart Beat

It hurts when someone you care about dismisses you and walks away. It hurts when it feels your hearts been shattered into a million pieces. I tell my heart to beat, and I pray for healing from the Lord. I have allowed my heart to be manipulated and I’ve felt as it’s been crushed under the cruelty of one person I’ve cared for. I’ve let them into my life, and I’ve let them hurt me time and again. What kind of fool am I to trust my heart and hope for a change in someone who obviously doesn’t want the warmth and conviction of the Lord. A life that was torn down in a single day, destroyed and buried under the rubble of the palace that once stood. A perfect place it was not, but a home nevertheless. I have tried to move forward, but my instincts were to be there when I was needed. My instincts were to forgive, and offer the benefit of the doubt. How wrong and foolish I was. I attempted to shield my heart, but just the sight of her would be enough to lower those defenses and I was left vulnerable to even the simplest of words. I failed myself, and I have been left with the knife still sticking out of my chest. I was foolish and like a fool who listened to no one, I am left with the shattered pieces crushed under a boot.

If you’re like me and trying to put your life back together after an affair, or divorce, or a loss of a loved one, rest assured though the path is long, the path is hard, there is light on that path. Psalm 34:18 “18 The Lord is near to the broken hearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” In all things God can heal. We need to look to the one true King and never place our self worth on those around us. People aren’t perfect and they will fail you. Psalm 71:20 “20 You who have made me see many troubles and calamities will revive me again; from the depths of the earth you will bring me up again.” No mater how far down you feel, no matter how muddy the waters, the mud and the muck can’t hold you forever. We must dig deep and pull the strength that God sees within us out. We must trust where our strength comes from, the true source of power, the Lord Jesus Christ. We must have faith that in all things God is working to shape us, to guide us, to show us the way. No matter the pain and suffering we may face, the pain won’t last forever.

God will start healing our broken selves as soon as we allow the Spirit into our hearts. God wants to help us, God wants to heal us, but we have to make the first steps. We have to be willing to let that pain go. We have to be willing to free ourselves of that pain. We as people often hold onto that pain, as if it becomes a part of us, who we are. We must learn to let God take our pain, give into that and release everything to God. Don’t hold onto that pain because it grows, and it spreads, and it infects everything. Don’t loose sight of what’s important. 2 Corinthians 4:8-10 “8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.” Truly the only thing that matters is the Love of Jesus Christ who was tortured and hung on a rugged cross for the sins of you and me. He became separated from the God above to receive the full wrath of God and when you talk about that kind of sacrifice, that kind of Love, the pain inflicted by another person doesn’t seem so bad. People are sinful, they make mistakes, they are selfish, and if we are to understand the nature of love, the love of the Lord is a love that is never ending, and it will never fail us. We may never deserve it, and we should have to suffer for our sinful selves, but God’s love and forgiveness is more powerful then anything we could ever imagine. So when you feel as if you’re in pieces on the floor, let God wrap you up in the wings of the angels on high and find yourself being put back together. Have faith and trust in the love that rules on high.

Dear Older Me

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Dear Older Me

It’s been one year since you’ve started blogging, and I hope in another year you continue to grow in your faith and your understanding of biblical principles. In the last year you’ve experienced a great amount of loss and in a year I want you to remember looking back that you’re still standing. You’ve made it through hell and back, and while there is no doubt that this has been a challenging year, just know you’ve already made it through so much. No matter where you are in this life, just remember that you will never truly be alone. I cannot express my concerns for the next year enough, but on this day, I do feel afraid as to what the next step will be, but have faith in the life you’ve got. Tough times will undoubtedly come and in those moments remember back and draw strength from the trials you’ve already faced.

I want you to remember how far you’ve already come. I want you to keep a hold of your faith in the good times and the bad. I want you to remember where you’ve been and where you’re going, and know that in one year, you’re not home yet.

In a year you will undoubtedly have a new job, maybe a new girlfriend, but keep in mind as you have grown in a year, be sure to continue to grow in the Lord. Never fall silent on your growth with Christ. I hope in a year you are able to be encouraged by your failings, that in our failings is where we often grow the most. Be calm in the storm and keep your head high. I hope for you a position of strength in your life. Continue to grow in your financial strength and use what you are given to glorify the Lord. You will stumble and you will fall, but you will always pick yourself up. Look forward at your life, but be mindful of where you are, and what you are doing.

I want you to remember to guard yourself from pain, but allow yourself to feel. Don’t be afraid to let someone in and be a part of your life. Don’t be afraid to take the chances you need to take. You will learn a great deal over the next year from now till then, and I hope in the pain that will come you don’t grow cold. Do not harden your heart if things go badly. Be conscious to continue to save money and be responsible with it. God has led you through this maze of trials and you will have to take some time to evaluate what you’ve learned. Be grateful for the hardships, and the joys you’ve experienced.

I hope for you in a year you have made friends, and family connections. No matter what friends have come and gone, you will be able to make new ones. You will always have the ability to change small parts of your life. Do not be discouraged, and I hope you are happy in your current situation. Be happy in your new home, your new position at work. Be happy where you are in school, and continue to work towards your goals. Keep writing, and keep spreading the Gospels. Be sure to continue your work to get the word of God into as many hands, as many countries as possible. You’ve reached so many lives in one year, just keep driving on and reaching more as you’ve completed two full years.

I hope in one year to be doing well financially working on a new home. I hope for a new job or at least something stable. I hope for a new solid loving relationship. I hope Riley and Cooper are still in wonderful health. Keep staying strong, and keep driving forward. Remember forward always… always forward.

Dear younger me (1 Year Anniversary)

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Dear younger me (1 Year Anniversary)

Dear younger me the road will be long. You will stumble, you will fall. You will get back up, you will put one foot in front of the other. You’ll stand your ground and though it won’t be easy you’ll take it like a man of Christ. You will struggle at times and there will be days where it hurts so bad you can barely breath. There will be days when you aren’t sure how to carry on. There will be days when you will want to quit and give up, but you never do. You’ll stand tall in the rain, and in the storm you’ll weather and you’ll be all right.

No matter what you go trough you’ll manage through it, and in it you’ll praise God for what you’ve been through, what you go through in the present, and pray for the storm to end in the future. You will watch the world around you change and you will loose much. You will watch as people you thought were friends leave you. You will be told awful things and you’ll endure long lonely nights. You’ll be angry, and you’ll cry to the Lord to save you from this pain. You’ll cry at night and you’ll ponder why you’re still in the world. Your heart will be shattered into a thousand pieces, but you keep pushing on. Your strength to carry on is in the fleeting moments of hope, but more importantly the trust you have in God that the storm will pass you by.

Dear younger me, you’re stronger then you know. You’ll be okay even though it doesn’t look like it. You will find the strength to write for a full year and touching thousands of lives. You will create beautiful pieces of art and you will glorify the Lord. You’ll find the story isn’t complete and you’ll keep praising the Lord in your good times and your bad. You will worry about being alone, and even though at times you will be, you’ll carry through. You won’t always put your best foot forward but have faith that you’ll pick yourself back up. You’ll be all right and the future will have its bright moments.

Don’t worry about the people who will leave you. Don’t worry about those who will turn on you, because the stress you’ll feel won’t change any of that. People will come and go in your life. They will lie to you, and pretend to want you in their life, but most will vanish like wisps in the wind. You can’t worry about everyone that comes and goes. You can’t worry about those people who are fickle, and skittish. You can’t control what people think, or why they think what they do. You can’t fix peoples past to make them more trusting, or less likely to leave at the slightest thing. What you can do is realize that anyone who leaves is out of your control, and you can’t worry about why. I say to you, remember Matthew 6:25 “Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?” Remember this, and let it into your heart. Remember people will come and go, but God never changes. Remember this and a year later you will find yourself more faithful and stronger. No matter your hardships, heartbreak, or trials, keep pushing forward. You’re going to find you’re stronger then you know, and you will have people when you need them. No matter the weight on your shoulders, you’ll be just fine.

Dear younger me, no matter how you feel right now, it’s not your fault. The losses you’ve experienced are beyond your control. The Devil has infiltrated and has destroyed your life as you know it. There will always be things you can do differently, but you can’t blame yourself. You’ll endure more then you think you can handle, but you’ll somehow find your way through it. No matter what you need to keep going, you need to keep fighting, and you need to keep pushing forward because, it gets better. Remember, hind sight is 20/20 and as much as we’d like to change things in the past, we have to remember, the fire we find ourselves in, forges steel. Do not wish for the past to be changed, instead, pray that the fire you’ve endured, that you are enduring continues to forge you into something strong, something unbreakable. Don’t waist your time wishing for the past to be different. It is what it is, and we must learn to embrace it. We must learn to listen to the voice of truth in the storm and find the blessings hidden in the pain. We must learn to decode the message and use it, as all things, use your pain and your trials to bring Glory to Christ. Bare your burdens with honor, and lift them on High. Don’t forget to go to the Lord in constant prayer and thank the God of all for providing the things you need, and that includes the pain you will endure. God will never forsake you, and that promise will be kept. Jesus bore your burden of Sin so you will live. So live in the moment, learn from the past, and keep forging on. You will not become brittle under the stress, instead you will find your story will lift others up, and you can be a shining example of grace. Don’t loose sight of who you are, and never place your worth in the hands of man. Your worth is that of the Lord Jesus Christ, because he Loves you, and is always with you.

Dear younger me, keep moving forward in these hard times. Dark days lie ahead, but you will find the light, even when it seems all hope is gone. You will find that Jesus shines brightly, and will remain in your heart. Don’t loose hope, never loose hope, and keep moving forward.

 

The End Draws Near

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The End Draws Near

A little over a year ago I began taking my thoughts on scripture and suffering to Facebook. My intent was to add a little hope to my own life and to provide that same hope to anyone who may read it. Over a few months my posts created quite a lot of controversy, and sadly, I lost a few contacts in the process. Nevertheless, I continued with my work, writing, and going through the word to attempt to draw comfort to the suffering in the day. Eventually I found my way to WordPress with the help of a good friend. It was recommended that I move to the venue of blogging and from there and with the help of two of my close friends, the Arrow Preacher was born. In the year to follow I would post 434 in that time. In that time I would have nearly 10,000 views. I would have over 5000 visitors in the time my blog has been up and running.

When I started out I told myself I would work for a year posting every day if I could. With the exception of two days, I have been successful. While I never reached my goals within the blog numbers, I cannot consider success or failure based on those numbers. I must consider the lives that I have touched, and hope, and pray that in all this time I’ve had some small impact. At the end of my journey I find myself looking forward to my next one. While I don’t know what God has in store for me, I await with open arms.

My posts will continue, however the frequency will be drastically different. I will no longer be posting daily, instead I will be posting as inspiration hits. I feel in every journey a time comes when you need to rest, take a break and recharge, refocus on God. It’s easy to not see the forest through the trees. Sometimes I feel as if I’ve gotten lost in the day to day blog, and I have forgotten to actually use what I write in my own life. I know for me one of the biggest struggles I have is being content in my current situation. I feel as if I have forgotten what’s really important, and I’ve let my own desires get in the way of my trust in God. I’ve always realize I’m far from perfect, but my greatest character flaw has been my need, my desire to be around people. I loath being alone, and that feeling deepens my frustrations the longer I am on my own.

While I am not truly leaving, I find that this journey has drawn me closer to an understanding of Paul. The great hardships he faced, and even till the very end he found himself standing firm on his beliefs, and his faith. 2 Timothy 4:7 “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” Paul wrote this to Timothy on the eve of his execution. Paul was relentless in his devotion to evangelize. Paul faced great hardships along his journey but never gave up the fight. As he endured great trials and tribulations along his journey, I see myself on a similar path. I am not even half the man he was, and I cannot say with any truth that I have lived a remarkable life. Unlike Paul I have fallen, and I have questioned my own place in this world. While I have faith in the Lord I stumble more then I’d like. This journey has been one of self-exploration, as an attempt to grow and to find myself in the Lord. As the road ends, I will journey into the unknown and find my own path. There’s plenty of life left to explore, and where ever the Lord takes me, I know this journey has prepared me for whatever lies ahead.

I don’t know where I am meant to be, but I will continue to travel along the path and seek for my place. I trust in the Lord and I will continue to do works for God as God blesses me to do so. I hope that my blog continues to grow, and continues to touch lives all around the world. I want to thank everyone for such wonderful support over the last year. I don’t know if I could have come this far without the love and support of my pastors Glen, and David. My friends Heather, who helped me to wordpress, and Niki for seeing me through my tough days. Glen my best friend and pastor who’s been my guiding rod keeping me on my path. There have been a smattering of others who’ve come and gone and had their place, but those 3 in particular have been regulars in my life. The ride isn’t over, but as one chapter closes, so begins a new. To quote Spock, “Live Long and Prosper”

 

He Bled For Me and You

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He Bled For Me and You

You bled for me so I may be free. You gave your life, through all the strife. They nailed you to a wooden cross, oh my what a treacherous double-cross. You came to show the love to us, the masses around raised quite a fuss. They hung you on a tree, for all the world to see. We in this world must have trust, when the time comes we are more then dust.

Matthew 27: 45-50 “45 Now from the sixth hour[a] there was darkness over all the land[b] until the ninth hour.[c] 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 47 And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.” 48 And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink. 49 But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.” 50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.” What would you give up for your friends? Would you be willing to sacrifice yourself for your friends? Would you be willing to give up everything to save someone you didn’t know? What about people that hated you? Would you be willing to give your life for your enemies? John 15:13 “13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

I’ve been thinking a lot about my life lately. I’ve been thinking about my friends, my enemies (not that I have any) and those whom are no longer apart of my life. I consider my place in this world, and what I would to for my friends. When I was in Iraq I always thought I would die doing something heroic. I would dream about it, always wondering how my last day would go. If we are to truly be one with Christ we must allow ourselves to think like him. Life is hard enough as it is, when you add the cruelty in this world, the horrible things we do one another must not continue. We must learn to love one another, and to lift one another up, not tear each other down.

Christ knows my pain, he knows my sorrow, and he knows your suffering. The Lord who is on high loves and cherishes you, and he bled for you so we may be free from the bondage of sin. Christ died a sacrificial death, a hero to give us hope in a world that was dark. If Christ died for you and me, what will you do with the life you’re given? To take upon the full wrath of God, the man that died on the cross suffered tremendously. The least we can do is put love in our hearts, and treat others with respect. Life’s ups and down aren’t easy for anyone. We are all in this together, and if we look out for one another, we would all be a little happier.