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Don’t Be Afraid

“Why are you so afraid? Don’t be afraid; just believe. Take courage. It is I. Don’t be afraid.” Those are the words of Jesus. He tells us to not be afraid on numerous occasions in the book of Mark. As I read through this book and hear these words I can’t help but feel like Jesus is preparing me for something. Preparing us for something.

Fear is a paralyzing thing. As humans we are afraid a lot; afraid of physical things like: bears, bees, spiders, heights, etc. We are also afraid of other things (more emotional things) like: the unknown, the future, the past, love, pain, etc. And if we are not careful those fears can keep us from living life. I was talking to a person recently who said she never wanted to have kids. When I asked her why she proceeded to tell me that the world we live in now is a bad place full of temptation, violence, and pain. She is right. Our world is a scary and fearful place. Bad things happen every day. There is always that chance where you’ll go to the movies, school, a marathon, and never come back. But if we live in fear we will never watch a good movie again, never learn, and never experience anything new. “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

Most of us have heard that saying that good things don’t come easy. I believe that saying is one hundred percent true! We are tested and put through trials every day so that we can be strengthened and so that we can ultimately appreciate what we have worked so hard to obtain. No one goes to the gym and works out one day and sees crazy awesome results. You have to sweat, work hard, be persistent, and even cry sometimes before you start to see the scale change, the muscles harden, the six pack come in. The same applies to life. If we give up at the first sign of difficulty or at the first scary obstacle we will never be able to receive all the blessings God has planned for us. God doesn’t say that we will never struggle, but he does promise that he will always be with us. If we believe that we should walk through the fire, storms, and conquer fear face to face. “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”

We truly do not know what is to come. We can’t predict the future and we definitely can’t run from it. The more we run the more lost we become. Everyone knows the story of Jonah and the whale right? Jonah was afraid (even though God was with him) and because of his fear he became lost (deep inside the whale’s belly). Don’t be like Jonah. Trust that the Great I Am is always with you and go forward. We can’t calm the storms, we can’t stop the wind, but Jesus can. Fear has no power over you. Live your life with God by your side and “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

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Great Renown

You are wonderful

I see your wonder in the mountains.

You are full of splendor

I see that in the stillness of the water.

You are majestic

I see that in the detail and beauty of your people.

You are faithful

I see that in the blooming of the trees.

I see you

In the past, present, and future.

I feel you

Here and now.

I am overwhelmed

By your presence.

King of kings

Great Renown.

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Voices

“Speak, for your servant is listening.” 1 Samuel 3:10b

 Have you ever noticed that people have a tendency to talk a lot? We hate silence so much we call it awkward. We say a lot, our friends say a lot, and the world says even more. It is so many voices talking all at once, that it can become really tough to understand anything at all. Or we will focus on only one voice and completely miss what others are saying.

As humans we tend to zero in on the negative voices. You know the ones; “you’re too fat, you’re too skinny, you’re too smart, you’re not smart enough, you’re too religious, you’re too broken, you’re not beautiful, you’re not good enough, etc.” Why is it that in the midst of so many voices, those are the ones that we hear? The answer to that is pretty simple. Those are the voices that are shouting. They shout this negativity at us so loudly that it drowns out any and every other voice. They play those words over and over again like iTunes on repeat. It becomes hard not believe. But did you know that God is also speaking? He is constantly speaking words of encouragement, love, wisdom, and absolute truth.

For the longest time I believed that God didn’t speak to me. People would tell me about their experiences with God and how he spoke to them so clearly, and I just couldn’t understand it. I would wonder regularly why he didn’t speak to me too. Then I realized. It wasn’t that God wasn’t speaking to me; it was that I just wasn’t listening to him. I was too busy talking and listening to the loud and chaotic voices; how then would I have ever been able to listen to God’s gentle whisper? It was in that moment that I stopped talking and starting listening. It wasn’t and still isn’t easy because there are A LOT of voices yelling at me constantly, but with constant prayer and devotion to the Lord’s word it became possible for me to zero in on the only voice that actually matters.

You see, the other voices shout because they know that they don’t amount to anything. God whispers because he knows that he is the way, the truth, and the life. Next time you become overwhelmed by all the voices be still and listen. The Lord speaks to all of us because he loves us. Because we are enough.

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Friend

“Always be joyful. Never stop praying.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-17

            I have a group of friends that I consider to be my family. We have grown up together and are living life together. Nothing brings me more joy than watching them get married, have kids, start new jobs, and come closer to God. We have been through a lot together. Ups, downs, and all arounds.

            2015 was quite a season for some of us. Let’s just say that the whole year was an emotional rollercoaster for all of us. There was a lot of darkness, tears, and pain in our group. But there has also been so much growth and unity between us. Where one of us lacks the other picks up the slack.

            Nonetheless it was hard on all of us. There were times where we (as individuals) just couldn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel.  Maybe you can relate that watching some of the people you love most in this world suffer hurts in ways you couldn’t even put into words. But for me what hurts most is seeing them drown and watching faith slowly starting to drift away. This feeling of uselessness overwhelmed me and I felt like there was nothing I could do but pray.

Now you ask, what made you think about your friends when reading this verse. Well- when one of us isn’t joyful another is enough for the both of us, when one is struggling the rest of us are praying without stop. You see, we have all individually questioned God at some point in our life. We have all lost our way here or there, including myself. But nonetheless through ups and downs they have been my constants throughout the years.

These verses jumped out at me when I read them. I have read them before but whoa, are they more powerful than ever right now. Prayer renews faith and strength; rejoicing in God’s greatness reminds us how great he actually is! Renewal and restoration comes when we surrender to God.

           I understand that it is easier said than done. That is why I praise God that he has given me a group that is united. When one of us can’t find the words to pray the other is praying twice as much, when one has lost all their faith the other has doubled theirs, when one can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel the other is there walking beside you reminding you that the light is shining bright. We hurt together, we laugh together, but most of all we love together. I will rejoice and pray continually for my family in Christ.

           My advice to all is to surround yourself by people who can be not just your friends but your family. Link up with people who want to live life with you, love God with you, and share moments with you. It is vital to your spiritual growth to have people who can keep you accountable, who keep you centered, and who ultimately love you like Jesus. I’m sharing a part of our story because family is not just blood but it is a group of people who share the same faith. Every moment in life is different when you have people by your side who are living these moments with you. Pick your friends wisely. Ask yourself, are my current friends living life with me or just living their own lives beside me? Are they lifting me up or dragging me down? Do they love me like Jesus?

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Skeletons

“For your ways are in full view of the Lord, and he examines all your paths.” Proverbs 5:21

 I don’t know if this has ever happened to you, but I have caught myself thinking in the past “oh if no one sees me sinning, than I’m not really sinning.” My excuse for everything was that if I wasn’t being a bad testimony or leading anyone else into temptation than I was good. As long as I kept my skeletons in my closet I had nothing to be sorry for. I wasn’t really sinning because I wasn’t really hurting anyone else. I was obviously not the sharpest tool in the tool box.

           This verse really sucker punched me in the gut. First, it made me realize that I was hiding my sins from the wrong people. Why was I trying to hide my failures from other people who fail just as much as me? Why was I trying to leave this impression on people who in reality, it doesn’t matter one bit what they think or how they feel? Second, I could not hide my sins from the one person that actually does matter. There aren’t any skeletons that God doesn’t already know about, there isn’t one dark place that God can’t see me in, and God sees my heart. I can’t hide from the Lord.

           In that moment I felt naked, vulnerable, and ashamed. I felt naked because I realized that God saw me for who I really was; vulnerable because I didn’t know how to act in that moment; and ashamed because I knew that God was unhappy with me, and that I wasn’t living a life that Glorified his name. It was a horrible feeling! But thank God for that moment, because in that moment I learned some more lessons. Jesus died on the cross to take away my shame, and also that he rises and uses us in our most vulnerable and naked states. God doesn’t care about perfection, but he cares about your pure intentions. He sees us for who we really are all the time. He wants us to be the same in the dark and in the light, in our rooms and in a crowd, in the church and in our schools. We aren’t called to glorify ourselves. We aren’t called to glorify the world. We are called to glorify the Lord, with our whole lives. “Who may stand in his holy place? The one who has clean hands and a pure heart,” Psalm 24:3b-4a

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Through the Storm

           After writing my last post about praise this question arose. How does one praise in the storm? When thinking about how to answer this question Psalm 112:6-8 comes to mind: “Surely the righteous will never be shaken; they will be remembered forever. They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord. Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear;” This verse pretty much says it all! If we are secure in the Lord not even the toughest times can bring us down. Now, to make it clear it doesn’t mean we won’t be sad, frustrated, hurt, or confused. But it means that even through all those feelings we will remain firm because our rock is the Lord.

           Someone once told me that happiness doesn’t depend on your circumstances, but depends on the God whom you serve. So during the toughest time in my life, I found that one of the best ways for me to coup and to praise God was through service. I engaged in my church like I never had before. During a time where everyone wanted to serve me as a way of comforting me, I found the most comfort when serving them. Whether that meant teaching Sunday school, leading worship, going to work, or helping a friend it was all for the glory of God. I wasn’t in a happy place, but God was with me and through service I was able to show others that. But service was only one way I was able to “praise God in the storm.”

           Cry and praise. That has become my motto! When you feel like crying, do it up. But while you cry lift God up, out loud. At times it becomes very easy to complain. We complain about our problems, complain about our pain, and complain just about anything really. So during a tough time condition yourself. Every time you want to complain or question God, shoot up a word of praise; “Lord you’re holy.” When the waterworks start to come “God you’re mighty.” When you feel overwhelmed “You are the beginning and the end, I will rest in you.” You see, it’s okay to feel. Feel it all! But it’s what you do with your feelings that matters.

           Last but not least, a positive note. For every bad thing that is happening in your life, think of one good thing God has blessed you with. For example; I lost my dad, but my heavenly father will never abandon or forsake me! The world is full of bad things. We are all bound to suffer, and many times it’s easy for us to be clouded by our suffering. But I’ve learned that God’s hand is in everything! And where there is suffering there is also blessing. You just have to be open to finding it. Sometimes it will seem so small in comparison to your pain, but none the less thank God for it. The more you do this the more you will see Gods hand in your life. The darkness won’t be so dark anymore. “Where one door shuts, two more open.”

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“Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things;” Psalm 98:1a

“Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music; make music to the Lord with the harp, with the harp and the sound of singing,” Psalm 98:4a-b

Have you ever stopped to think about what it literally means to praise and worship? I hadn’t either until my pastor decided to teach a series on it. He defined praise as the act of exalting the Lord for who he is and worship as the act of expressing his holiness, goodness, and love. Many times we find ourselves saying that we are worshiping and praising the name of God, but we don’t actually even know what that means. How can that be a true and pure worship?

Though there are many forms of being able to express praise and worship my own personal opinion is that music is the one most pleasing to the Lord. Also the one most pleasing for us! Who doesn’t like music? When we are sad we listen to music, when we are happy we jam out to a certain song, when we want to get amped up we listen to music. Music is a form of expression. Music plays a very large role in the world and personally in my life. When I say “Lord I give you my life” I also mean my songs. My life song I have dedicated to the Lord.

Not too long ago I lost someone, and I realized that the phrase “praise you in the storm” isn’t as easy as it sounds. For me in time of darkness and sadness; where I couldn’t find the words to express to God, music helped me. Not only in a way that it helped me express my hurt but it also helped me “praise God in the storm”. Songs that I have been singing for so long had new meaning to me. It was like I was singing them and understanding them for the first time. I would sing “Worthy is the lamb who was slain, holy holy is he.” Or “I believe your my healer, I believe you are all I need.” And as I sang these songs I realized how true they were! My hope and faith was reignited. Then I began to sing a new song, “It is well with my soul”.

You see, God is constantly moving. In the good times and in the bad. And through every season we should sing a new song! We should praise his name for what he has done and continues to do. Even when we don’t see it. We should burst into song even when we don’t feel like it. Music is a gift from God. We should sing and dance all for the glory of God.

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You are Beautiful

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” Psalm 139:13-14

              Image is something that everyone (especially girls) tend to struggle with at some point in their lives. We are constantly looking to fit what the world deems beautiful. We look in the mirror and when we don’t see that certain model, celebrity, or even that girl in one of your classes we become discouraged. We start to believe this lie that if we don’t look exactly like “fill in the blank” then we aren’t beautiful. We change ourselves, we degrade ourselves, and we hide behind filters and Photoshop, because someone or something made us believe that who we are isn’t beautiful enough.

           I grew up in a very white community and being one of the few nonwhite people at school made me extremely self-conscious. I believed that because I didn’t look like everyone else I wasn’t beautiful. I questioned why God made me the way I am. I would constantly catch myself saying “well if only I was white I would…” I was completely unsatisfied with who I was. And it took me a very long time to be able to really love myself, all of me.

           This psalm is so powerful and I wish more girls would read it regularly! I think the first step to really loving yourself and accepting yourself is understanding that God; Creator of the Universe also created you and me! He took his time and made us in His image. The Lord doesn’t mess up. There is nothing about us that God didn’t intentionally mold or knit the way it is. Sometimes I will be looking at a sunset and think wow, the same God who created this beautiful sunset created me! If you know this and really understand this there is no way you can look in the mirror and not see beauty.

           We are all beautiful! It doesn’t matter if you’re black, white, yellow, a size 0, or a size 12; as long as you take care of yourself, know that God makes no mistakes! Have you ever heard that saying “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”? I believe that the beholder is God. He sees beauty in each one of us independent of what anyone else sees.

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Jesus Take the Wheel

“The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does.” Psalm 145:13b

          I’m the type of person who likes plans. I like to be in control and know what’s coming next. I was the type of person who would always pray “God have all of me, I put all that I am in your hands.” But realistically I wasn’t giving God ALL of me. I was giving him half, and the other half I wanted to still be in control of. I knew that the Lord is faithful, but I didn’t fully believe it.

           I always tried to fix my own problems or take care of myself, and I always ended up making things worse. The more I would try to make things in my life fit into place the farther apart they became. And to top it all off, the more I tried to take the wheel of my life the farther away I was driving myself from God. Unfortunately, I was one of those people who needed to suffer in order to completely surrender to God. But it was in that surrender that I saw for myself how trustworthy and faithful he really is. From that day forward I let God take the wheel in every single area of my life; finances, love, education, ministry, friendships, etc.

           You see, I realized that any bad day with God is better than any good day without him. I realized that if I am faithful to him, he will always be faithful to me. So I stopped asking myself “how am I going to pay this bill next month?” and started asking “Am I living a life that pleases God and brings him glory?” I cast my anxieties on the Lord.

          When you do that, for real, you stop worrying as much and when you stop worrying you have way more time to dedicate to God. Matthew 6:33 says “But more than anything else, put God’s work first and do what he wants. Then the other things will be yours as well.” Psalm 23:1 says “the Lord is my shepherd I lack nothing.” These three verses don’t say I’m never going to struggle, but they say that in the midst of struggle God is with me. My struggles are nothing compared to the Great I am.  

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Happy New Year!

“For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” 2 Timothy 1:7 NIV

I've read the book of 2 Timothy before. Actually probably this exact time last year, but this verse in no way moved me then the way it has moved me today. Nor could it have presented itself at a more appropriate time; New Year's Day! As we all say goodbye to one year and hello to another we being to reflect, set goals, and make changes to ourselves. I don't know about you but I have set so many goals in past NYE and never ever accomplished them. It's like we get caught up in the high of the moment, then the next day real life sets in, and those goals made in the moment are flushed right down the toilet. And as the New Year roles by we become unmotivated, we get lost, or even just become sidetracked by other things going on in life.

I will be the first to admit that I have fallen in this cycle before. I would set unrealistic goals. Or I would set goals but then become unmotivated, or just plain ol’lazy. But on top of that I would start my years without ever once asking God what his direction was and what he wanted for me in the New Year. So as I sat in a beach chair, watching the waves, I laid before God what my goals and dreams were for this New Year (because he does care what you want!), and I also asked God what he wants. I decided that in 2016 I will live fully the truths of 2 Timothy 1:7. I know real well that the Holy Spirit dwells in me; so this year I will have no fear, I will love fiercely, and I will be stronger than I was in 2015.

I know that NYE has come and gone, but you don’t need one day out of the year to make life changes or to set goals for yourself. As you set your goals for the new year I suggest everyone go read 2 Timothy 1. Paul declares over God’s people that The Spirit of God gives us power, authority, courage, motivation, discipline. If you’re living life always afraid it's time to ask yourself is the Spirit of God really dwelling in me? Have I allowed him to take control of my life? There is no time like the present! It's time to stand up and stand out! Let's make 2016 a year where we live (as Jeremy Camp would say it) unashamed of the gospel.

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Double P’s

There was a time in my life where after a lot of self-reflection I realized that every time I prayed I was only asking God for things. I would close my eyes and just think about all the things I wanted, needed, and that’s all I prayed about. Once I was done asking God for whatever it was I needed that week I would quickly say amen and move on with my day. I wouldn’t have any other encounters with God except for Sundays at church. I realized later that I was never really having a conversation with God because the only person talking was me.

           Prayer is so much more than just asking God for things. It’s is so much more than just being heard by God. When we sit down to have a conversation with a friend do you do all the talking or do you stop to listen to what your friend has to say? If you’re doing all the talking I’m sorry but you need to reevaluate what kind of friend you’ve been... just sayinnn. Conversations usually are never one way, so why should prayer be? Prayer is a form of us communicating with God and our misconception is that God doesn’t communicate back while we pray. But if we stop, clear our minds, and just become sensitive to God he will communicate with us. Maybe not always, maybe not exactly the way we would imagine, but nonetheless He will. When I sit down to pray I make sure to take a few seconds to just be silent. Just allow the Holy Spirit to move.

           We also must realize that prayer isn’t just about you/us. It’s about Him. We should acknowledge God while we pray. Acknowledge His greatness, faithfulness, and sovereignty. It should be a moment of praise. It should be a moment where we don’t just ask God for what we want, but ask God what he wants. It is so common for us to ask everyone around us “what is my purpose?” we search the world high and low for the answer, but we never ask the one person who can actually give us the answer to the question. I believe that prayer is an intimate moment with the Lord. And I believe that in this moment between you and God he wants to reveal himself to you. He wants to bring to light his purpose, desires, and hopes for your/our lives. It’s in these moments that if we stop asking what we want and start asking what He wants that life gains purpose.