Don’t Follow the World’s Standards

Your actions speak so loud, I can’t hear what you say.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

“I wish I was popular” so I find the newest clothing item that all the cool kids are wearing.

“I just want to feel included.” so I start using curse words to fit in with how they talk.

“I wish I was smart enough…good enough…pretty enough.

Everyone wants to feel included when it comes to certain situations. We don’t want to get laughed at, talked about or looked down upon. So we dress differently, we speak differently and go through many different changes in order to fit in.

I’ve been struggling at work lately, trying to fight Satan as he convinces me that I really do want to feel included with the non believers.

I’ve been giving in to this desire every day. I find myself becoming more OF the world rather than just IN the world.

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect

Romans 12:2

This world is such a hot mess. So much evil. So much negativity. It’s become a self absorbed world. A quote I found from Billy Graham really hit home.

As Christians, of course, we must live in the world. We must infiltrate the world with a purpose to help win the world. But we are not to participate in the evils of the world. There are certain things that a Christian must say no to—in politics, in the shop, in the office. We must show that we are citizens of another world, and many times we may suffer misunderstanding and persecution because of it.

Billy Graham.

Once again I feel like I’m focusing too much on what people think and whether or not I’m measuring up to their standards. It shouldn’t be this way. It shouldn’t be me trying to be like others. It should be ME being the person GOD created me to be. I’m trying so hard to fit in when I should be listening to God and remembering that He created me in His own image. He loves me and He longs to have that relationship with me. And here I am, pretending to be someone I really am not.

How are we to spread the love of God to the world when we are distracted by the same world?

Start Right Here

So apparently this song came out in 2018 and I’m just now hearing it! I was listening to Amazon Music when this song popped up and literally stopped me in my tracks.

Take a look at some of the lyrics!

We want our coffee in the lobby
We watch our worship on a screen
We got a Rockstar preacher
Who won’t wake us from our dreams
We want our blessings in our pockets
We keep our missions overseas
But for the hurting in our cities
Would we even cross the street?

But we wanna see the heart set free and the tyrants kneel
The walls fall down and our land be healed
But church if we want to see a change in the world out there

It’s got to start right here
It’s got to start right now
Lord, I’m starting right here
Lord, I’m starting right now

What are we doing to bring others to Christ? What are we sacrificing? ARE we sacrificing? Or are we too caught up in our comfort zone to even think about lost souls?

As we say goodbye to 2020 and hello to 2021 may it be our mission to start right here! To reach those who are lost, to proclaim the Gospel!

Why do we find it difficult to break the silence about the best news and most important Person the world has ever known?

Herb Vander Lugt

Jeremiah 29:13, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

Spiritual Warfare

Satan has been on the war path in my life as of recently. He saw a particular weakness and took full advantage of it, using it to bring me down and to quit spending time with the Lord.

I wasn’t prepared to fight him. I wasn’t prepared to push him away. He probably thought to himself that he was going to win. I mean, let’s face it…he has been successful in getting me to stop doing my devotions, from spending time with the Lord. But at the very last minute, I recognized my absolute need for God and have jumped off the path Satan had started to pave for me and hopped back into my walk with the Lord.

Guess what Satan? NOT TODAY! My GOD is SO MUCH BIGGER THAN YOU AND ALL YOUR TACTICS! My God rescued me from the pit of depression I was about to fall into.

This is what Satan does! He sees that weakness in us and uses it to try and destroy us. He whispers to us that we don’t matter and to just give up.

As I type this, the song Our God by Christ Tomlin came on. I love this song! And it’s so fitting for this post!

Our God is greater, our God is stronger
God You are higher than any other
Our God is Healer, awesome in power
Our God, Our God

God IS greater. He’s bigger than any problem we go through.

How do we fight Satan? With the Armor of God!

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breast plate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

¹⁸ And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people

Digital Missionaries

**This post was previously published in 2017 as “Being Jesus Online” and I thought I’d tweak it a little and add some more thoughts.**

So yesterday in the mail I received some booklets I had requested from the Discovery Series on various topics. (They’re FREE!)

One of them was: Being Jesus Online, Biblical Wisdom for a Wired World.

The topics discussed in this particular booklet were:

• What Would Jesus Tweet?
• The Heart of the Matter
• Turning on the Right Filters
• Clicking Share

I’m just going to discuss a couple of them but this topic was very eye-opening and really made me think about the things I post online. Is what I’m posting bringing glory to the Lord? Or are my words tearing someone down?

In “What Would Jesus Tweet”, the author shares his thoughts on whether Jesus would have a social media account in today’s age. What would He share? What would He tweet? How would He relate to His “friends” and “followers” and to those who disagreed with Him?

This thinking, in turn, led to thoughts about his own personal tweets, posts and comments. According to Dennis Moles, the author, “If Jesus is the ultimate revelation of God then shouldn’t His actions and attitudes serve as a guide and example for every area of my life–even my use of social media?”

In “Turning on the Right Filters” Moles makes a good point by saying that “not all moments that can be shared should be shared.” Some thoughts should just be left off social media and kept to ourselves. 

As followers of Christ, we must represent Him in everything we say and do…and whatever we share online. Whether we remember it or not, “we are always representing Jesus.” Moles reminds us that just like the first disciples “we have been sent out into the world to spread God’s message of hope and life…and “because the world sees our lives and doesn’t just hear our words it is our responsibility to think twice before hitting send.”

Moles goes on to say that representing Jesus in digital space is “difficult” “What may be common sense, self-evident, funny or helpful to us, may be frightening, rude, offensive, or confusing to someone else.”

This booklet was really helpful and really opened my eyes. If you want to check this one out and read up on other topics visit the Discovery Series site.

---

As Christian bloggers we are digital missionaries. We have the opportunity to spread the Gospel to the other side of the world all while sitting behind a computer screen.

What we say and do on social media has the opportunity to either build someone up or tear someone down. How can we show Christ to the world if we are tearing someone down? Be careful what you say on social media. 

I Corinthians 10:31 says “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”

 

Blogging For Jesus

I came across a quote the other day that really got me to thinking.

As a Christian blogger, you are a digital missionary.

I never thought about that before. But it is so true! As Christian bloggers, we have a duty to reach out to the lost. We have a duty to inform them of Christ’s love for us and what He sacrificed in order for us to find freedom.

For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved! But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in Him if they have never heard about Him? And how can they hear about them unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news?

Romans 10:13-15

Christian bloggers….we are blogging for Jesus! We should be wanting to see others come to know the Lord.  As bloggers we are the digital feet!

Does this mean we might offend someone? Unfortunately, yes.  But we still need to get the truth out there for the whole world to hear. We must not live in fear of offending someone.

Sometimes we will have to step out of our comfort zone in order to reach the lost. It will feel uneasy at first, we might be tempted to give up but if we just persevere, God will see us through the uneasiness.

We can’t live for the approval of men. Living for the approval of men will let us down. Living for the approval of men will most definitely disappoint us.

Living for the approval of people will keep you from living for the purposes of God.

Craig Groeschel

 

Glorifying God

A life that glorifies God is a life that reveals God

Beth Moore

Does my life glorify God? In all that I say and do, does my life reflect Him? It’s a question I ask myself constantly.

Life can get overwhelming at times, we all know this. And in those difficult times, are we focusing on the Creator rather than the created? Is our focus half-hearted? Or does our light shine before men, oozing out Christ’s love for others?

¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.¹⁵ Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Matthew 5:14-16

We are called to lead others to Christ. We are called to love these people and show them Christ’s love. After all, Christ died for our sins. He literally took our sin upon Him. Why? Because He loves us so much. He loves us unconditionally and undeservedly.

Does our life glorify God? Or are we just going through the motions, just pretending? Pretending to be on fire for God? Do we act one way around our Christian friends and a completely different way around non believers? How will that bring others to Christ?

Christians are called to walk through the world with the heart of Christ.

Louie Giglio, “Goliath Must Fall”

I struggle with selfishness. I will admit that. But if I’m being honest with myself, being selfish is definitely not Christlike. Unfortunately, while I have selfish tendencies, I also tend to be a people pleaser. Kind of weird, huh?  I struggle with how and what people think about me and strive to please them and because of that I lose my focus on God.  I take my eyes off of Jesus and I start to sink like Peter did when he got out of the boat to walk on the water to Jesus. I should live in a way that pleases God and not man.

Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Galatians 1:10

 

And whatever you do, do it heartily as to the Lord and not to men

Colossians 3:23

Now, as long as we live on this earth we will never be perfect. We will slip up from time to time. But thankfully we have a God who welcomes us back into His arms. His love is that strong. He IS love!

 

 

Give Me Your Eyes

Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so I can see,
Everything that I keep missing,
Give your love for humanity.
Give me your arms for the broken-hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach.
Give me Your heart for the ones forgotten.
Give me Your eyes so I can see.

I love this song by Brandon Heath.

I want to have a love for people like Jesus does. So many times, we can get wrapped up in ourselves that we never take the time to love other people. But we are CALLED to love others!

I want to love people with a heart of compassion and see and love people as Jesus does

Masey McLain

I’m tired of being wrapped up in myself and acting selfish. It’s time I put myself out there and love on others.

---

Prevail Church is slowly getting started! We had our first launch team meeting last night and we made commitments to getting on board with launching this new church. Is it scary? Yes, sometimes it can be. But God is with us and He promises never to leave us.

Our name for our church comes from the verse in Matthew 16:18: “ And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Check out our website! Prevail Church

Please continue to pray for us as we venture out on starting this new church. We still don’t have a location so please pray specifically that we find a location soon. We’ve been meeting in our pastor’s house for the time being but as we grow we’re obviously going to need a bigger meeting spot.

 

More Than Anything

I heard this song the other day on KLOVE and while I’ve heard it before, this time I really listened to the words. And boy did they speak to me! How many times have I been so selfish and only thought of me, of what I can gain from something. This song has special meaning and I encourage you to check it out!

I’ve included the lyric video down below so you can take a listen .

More Than Anything
by Natalie Grant

I know if you wanted to you could wave your hand
Spare me this heartache and change your plan
And I know any second you could take my pain away
But even if you don’t I pray

Help me want the Healer more than the healing
Help me want the Savior more than the saving
Help me want the Giver more than the giving
Help me want you Jesus more than anything

You know more than anyone that my flesh is weak
And you know I’d give anything for a remedy
And I’ll ask a thousand more times to set me free today
Oh but even if you don’t I pray

Help me want the Healer more than the healing
Help me want the Savior more than the saving
Help me want the Giver more than the giving
Oh Help me want you Jesus more than anything

When I’m desperate and my hearts overcome
All that I need you’ve already done
When I’m desperate and my hearts overcome
All that I need you’ve already done

Oh Jesus Help me want you more than anything

Help me want the Healer more than the healing
Help me want the Savior more than the saving
Help me want the Giver more than the giving
Help me want you Jesus more than anything
Help me want you Jesus more than anything 

 

More Ramblings

As I sit here, listening to a little Casting Crowns (great group by the way) I’m doing my best to come up with something to write about. I’m sure a lot of people plan their posts in advance but not me. I like to sit down and let the idea flow in that moment. And right now there are no ideas flowing so ramblings it is!

Today has been a pretty good day! Went to church this morning, heard an excellent sermon by my pastor, went to the grocery story (which was a bad idea because not only is it the 1st of the month, the 4th of July is right around the corner) but we got out of the store unscathed and now I’m sitting here, listening to great songs and just relaxing until it’s time to head back to church for evening service.

My 13 year old nephew went to Camp Jacob this past week and I’m so excited for him, he got saved! He had an excellent time and met some wonderful kids his age who he is going to keep in touch with! Praise the Lord, He is so good!

My prayer for him now is that he will remain faithful to God and keep true to his decisions. He starts high school in the fall and without the proper guidance, it is so easy to fall away from the Lord. So that’s a prayer request to all who read this. Pray that he will grow in the Lord and remain faithful as he starts high school. He is so excited about his new faith and I’m so excited for him!

A song that I have recently come to love is To Know You by Casting Crowns. I’m not going to post the lyrics but I have posted the video which has the lyrics with it. I encourage you to check it out. It’s a great song with a powerful message.  “To know You is to want to know You more”

I want to know Him more. Do you?

 

Proper Perspective

Photo by Alex Woods on Unsplash

So on Sunday mornings, my pastor has been going through the book of Philippians and has titled his series “Everyday Joy”

He has been talking about finding perspective in our situations. He shares with us that JOY is what we need. Not happiness because happiness is fleeting.

Now I’ve missed a few Sundays due to illness and being out of town but I thought I’d share with you some of my notes from the Sundays I was there.

Life lived independent from God is empty

Happiness is fleeting…..Joy is Eternal.

True joy delights in God, not our circumstances.

The key to joy and contentment is having the mind of Christ……the key to the mind of Christ is fellowship with Christ.

Our JOY is centered in Christ

A test of godly joy is the degree to which a believer prays more for the needs of others than for his own.

Our JOY is found with living the proper perspective!

How we behave when hardships happen tells unbelievers that our faith is more than a form of life, it is a force in life. It says that Christianity is REAL!

If a Christian behaves as a Christian when things are tough it is proof of 3 things:

Faith is real

We are real

God is real

How do you behave when hardships arise?