April 30, 2008

"When the hard times come, just remember that God is bringing it to tell you that its time to grow!" - Mr. Huber

Take the Initiative

“… add to your faith virtue …” (2 Peter 1:5).

Add means that we have to do something. We are in danger of forgetting that we cannot do what God does, and that God will not do what we can do. We cannot save nor sanctify ourselves—God does that. But God will not give us good habits or character, and He will not force us to walk correctly before Him. We have to do all that ourselves. We must “work out” our “own salvation” which God has worked in us (Philippians 2:12). Add means that we must get into the habit of doing things, and in the initial stages that is difficult. To take the initiative is to make a beginning—to instruct yourself in the way you must go.

Beware of the tendency to ask the way when you know it perfectly well. Take the initiative—stop hesitating—take the first step. Be determined to act immediately in faith on what God says to you when He speaks, and never reconsider or change your initial decisions. If you hesitate when God tells you to do something, you are being careless, spurning the grace in which you stand. Take the initiative yourself, make a decision of your will right now, and make it impossible to go back.

We have to get into the habit of carefully listening to God about everything, forming the habit of finding out what He says and heeding it. If, when a crisis comes, we instinctively turn to God, we will know that the habit has been formed in us. We have to take the initiative where we are, not where we have not yet been.

(exerpt from My utmost for His Highest" ~ Oswald Chambers )

Keep Growing!
Rachel

Prayer Request

Hey ya'll,
Tonight i am leaving with my mom for New York City, because tomorrow I will be applying for my Brazilian visa and hopefully picking it up Friday. Please please please please pray that I will get it! Right now the Brazilian government is being a pill (what else is new?! lol) about giving out visas and if I dont get it Friday, I really dont know when I could get up to New York again.
Also, please pray that my mom and I will be safe in New York. We have both been there before but we had guys with us then. So just pray that we will stay safe and alert to our surroundings.
Anyways, I'll miss seeing ya'll tonight! Have fun with the Sigmies!
Love in Christ,
Kristin
Ps 73:28

P.S. Since i posted the above this morning we found out new information.
My mom and I checked the Brazilian Embassy's website a couple days ago but this morning before we left figured we should check it again. And guess what?! yep they changed it! Now I have to go to DC and it takes 4 days to process the visa application. So we are now planning on leaving tomorrow morning, coming home tomorrow night, and going back to DC sometime next week to pick up my visa. So yeah.. i should see you all at church now! haha gotta love government! jk lol

April 28, 2008

Bible before Breakfast

"Do you look at the map before or after the journey?"
- (Ron Comfort)

April 26, 2008

Terms of surrender

Think you've surrendered completely to God? Think again. I can't count the number of times I thought I had “laid my all on the alter.” However, I have a “self” that is healthy and strong, and without fail, it comes up with something new. When I was very young, I thought my pacifier was the best thing in the world. If I had my pacifier, I could take on the world. Not totally for religious reasons, I have since given that up. Something new and better came along: trucks. This lasted for a while, but soon I was on to bigger and better things . . . nambely my bb gun. I logged more hours on that piece of plastic than I care to remember. However, even that didn't last long and soon I was off in search of something better. Eventually, I got wise to the game. Everything I had, everything I loved that I thought would bring me joy and happiness left me down. However, there was always something new to take it's place. That pattern has continued unbroken to this day. I don't still struggle with trucks and pacifiers (I think I'm past that stage now) but that does not mean I don't struggle with other things . . . and some of them are even good! I've already taken something that I believe to be in the will of God and built a ten year plan around it that becomes “Mike's will for his life” and eclipses “God's will for Mike's life.” Then, when God sends something along my way that doesn't fit in “my plan,” I get upset and blame God for messing up “His” own will. I know in my head that I want to be in God's will in the future, that it is the only place I will be truly happy, but in my heart, I always hope that God's will conforms to mine, not vice-versa.
I don't mean to be pessimistic. I do believe a life of surrender can be lived, but it is a path you walk over the course of your life, not a sliding board from which there is no return. I wish I had the ability to surrender now and completely for the rest of my life, but I don't. No one's self is so completely dead that it won't raise up imaginations against God's hand (2 Cor. 10:5) and if you're anything like me, you will spend the rest of your life finding new battles to fight with yourself. Life changes, and so do the struggles. Just when you think you've reached a stage in your life where everything you have is God's, the stage will change and you will be tested again. God will bring new people, relationships, and opportunities into your life, all with the potential to do great good, and your “self” will find new ways to try to shove them between you and God.
The Bible is full of examples of people who had given God everything, only to find out they have aqquired something new. David thought he was fully surrendered to God, until he met Bathsheba. Moses thought he had given God everything, until he lost his temper and hit the rock. Peter thought he had died to himself until he realized what dying included. All them thought they were fully surrendered, until they realized the terms of surrender.
Think you've surrendered completely to God? If so, get ready, you'll probably be tested soon. Life is a struggle, and recently I've found myself to be my own worst enemy. I love myself too much. However, while this is not a fun realization, it hasn't led to despair. Quite the opposite. For one, God knows me, and He knows I'll never be perfect. He expects the Christian life to be a struggle, and He has promised his grace to overcome it and the forgiveness to pick me up when I fall. Secondly, while it is hard to lay myself on the alter, what good is a sacrifice that isn't hard? How valuable is a sacrifice if, once it is given, it no longer means anything? God can accomplish his will without your sacrifice, but the point is, He still wants it – not for His sake, but for your's. The benefit of sacrifice is in the giving, not the gift and so don't be discouraged when you struggle and find yourself loving yourself too much – you've just been given another chance to give. God knew I needed something of worth to give back to him, so he gave me something He knew I would prize: myself.
Eph. 5:29 “For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church.”
Phil. 3:8 “Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ.”

Pray for me. I didn't just post this because I wanted to post something. Let's just say I have a lot to surrender right now.

Mike.

April 25, 2008

For me to live is Christ

I know my last post was also about a song but I listen to music while I do school and sometimes I will either hear a song that I haven’t heard in a while or has a powerful message to it. And I found another one; it’s called “For me to live is Christ” this is how it goes:

There often are distractions from devotion to my Lord, I’m tempted with the things of earth and pleasures of this world.  Lord may there be but this one thing in my life I pursue, to know thee more, to love thee more, and be consumed with you!

For me to live is Christ and nothing more, for me to live is Christ whom I adore. Lord help me be consumed with thee, so that for me to live is Christ.

In my life there’ll be trials and testing that he will ordain, but selfishly I ask him for relief from all my pain, may I be so consumed with him that even when I’m tried.  My only prayer when suffering is Christ be magnified!  And when someday God calls me home through deaths dark fearful door, to enter to eternity with Christ forever more, If on this earth my only goal in goodness and in pain, for me to live was Christ alone then death would be my aim!

For me to live is Christ and nothing more, for me to live is Christ whom I adore.  Lord help me be consumed with me, so that for me to live is Christ.  Lord help me be consumed with thee, so that for me to live is Christ

This song convicted me because I haven’t been living for Christ the way I should… ive been using Chrystals verse a lot; “a just man falleth 7 times but rises again”.  So if you could I would appreciate prayer in this area of my life



Erik

April 22, 2008

True Revival

I don’t know about you but generally when I am doing school I don’t learn/get spiritual applications from it. So I was amazed that I actually learned something spiritual in British Literature this morning! Now I confess, while I LOVE reading, English in general is not my favorite subject (I prefer the sciences), so while I was reading literature, I wasn’t exactly too excited about it, but I ended up being pleasantly surprised.

I am reading excerpts from John Wesley's journal and the first heading was "True Revival". Honestly, to start I didn’t really think about the topic, but the more I read the more it reminded me of situations in life today.
Wesley tells the story of a town in southern England that was notorious for its wickedness. Everything there was filled with drunkenness, blasphemy, and uncleanness, kind of like a modern day Las Vegas. Many people said that even an act of God couldn’t improve the conditions.
Wesley, of course did not believe this and set up revival meetings in this town. The town experienced HUGE revival, almost immediately atmosphere of the town completely changed. People began caring for another, they even gathered together to build a house for the orphans and widows. Wesley wrote that he attributed it God and the belief that revival was possible.

Sometimes I personally have a problem believing that the kind of revival described in Wesley’s journal is possible. The thought of Las Vegas becoming a place of revival, to the point that everyone started going to church, taking care of one another, and basically started living a Christian life is almost humorous. But as I was reading, I realized that maybe sometimes the reason we don’t have revival is because we Christians don’t think it’s possible. It’s almost as though we don’t believe that God is powerful enough to revive the unsaved people of the world. Maybe if we were to truly believe that it is possible and probable for revival to happen, it would!
This can even apply sometimes in our (at least my) prayer life. I may pray for something over and over again but I have to ask myself, do I really think that God will answer it? But then again if I don’t have faith that God will answer my prayer or give us revival, why should He do it? In I Peter 1:21 it says “that your faith and hope might be in God.” If our faith and hope for revival in anything isn’t in God, then why do we even bother asking?

I hope ya’ll are learning lots, even in school! ;)
Love in Christ,
Kristin Hanson

hidden men

1 Peter 3:4- "But let it be the hidden man of the heart in that which is not corruptible..." Are you the one that does something nice, but thinks "I Hope he/she notices?" or are you the one that sends the money through an envelope without a name on it?
jordan d

The Touch of the Masters Hand

Twas was battered and scarred,
And the auctioneer thought it
hardly worth his while
To waste his time on the old violin,
but he held it up with a smile.

"What am I bid, good folks!", he cried,
"Who starts the bidding for me?"
"One dollar, one dollar, Do I hear two?"
"Two dollars, who makes it three?"
"Three dollars once, three dollars twice, going for three,"

But, No,
From the back of the room, a gray bearded man
Came forward and picked up the bow,
Then wiping the dust from the old violin
And tightening up the strings,
He played a melody, pure and sweet
As sweet as the angel sings.

The music ceased and the auctioneer
With a voice that was quiet and low,
Said "What now am I bid for this old violin?"
As he held it aloft with its' bow.

"One thousand, one thousand, Do I hear two?"
"Two thousand, Who makes it three?"
"Three thousand once, three thousand twice,
Going and gone", said he.

The audience cheered,
But some of them cried,
"We just don't understand."
"What changed its' worth?"
Swift came the reply.
"The Touch of the Masters Hand."

And many a man with life out of tune
All battered and scarred with sin
Is auctioned cheap to a thoughtless crowd
Much like that old violin

A mess of pottage, a glass of wine,
A game and he travels on.
He is going once, he is going twice,
He is going and almost gone.

But the Master comes,
And the foolish crowd never can quite understand,
The worth of a soul and the change that is wrought
By the Touch of the Masters' Hand.

Written By: Myra Brooks Welch

April 21, 2008


Happy 14th Birthday Matthew Hefflefinger! Keep digging into God's Word, spending time with Him and allow Him to use you for His purposes! Thanks for your part in SIGMA!

April 17, 2008

"Let us see that we keep God before our eyes; that we walk in His ways and seek to please and glorify Him in everything, great and small. Depend upon it, God's work, done in God's way, will never lack God's supplies." - Hudson Taylor

Can You Come Down From the Mountain?

“While you have the light, believe in the light …” (John 12:36).
We all have moments when we feel better than ever before, and we say, “I feel fit for anything; if only I could always be like this!” We are not meant to be. Those moments are moments of insight which we have to live up to even when we do not feel like it. Many of us are no good for the everyday world when we are not on the mountaintop. Yet we must bring our everyday life up to the standard revealed to us on the mountaintop when we were there.
Never allow a feeling that was awakened in you on the mountaintop to evaporate. Don’t place yourself on the shelf by thinking, “How great to be in such a wonderful state of mind!” Act immediately—do something, even if your only reason to act is that you would rather not. If, during a prayer meeting, God shows you something to do, don’t say, “I’ll do it”—just do it! Pick yourself up by the back of the neck and shake off your fleshly laziness. Laziness can always be seen in our cravings for a mountaintop experience; all we talk about is our planning for our time on the mountain. We must learn to live in the ordinary “gray” day according to what we saw on the mountain.
Don’t give up because you have been blocked and confused once—go after it again. Burn your bridges behind you, and stand committed to God by an act of your own will. Never change your decisions, but be sure to make your decisions in the light of what you saw and learned on the mountain.

April 15, 2008

Quotes

Here are some quotes I found recently that have been very thought provoking to me...

God gives us the grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed, courage to change the things which should be changed, and the wisdom to know the difference. - Reinhold Niebuhr

The higher a man is in grace, the lower he will be in his own esteem. - C.H. Spurgeon

The greatness of man's power is the measure of his surrender. - William Booth

God will often use our emotional wounds to create in us a greater thirst for Him. - Pastor Walters

In Christ,
Kristin

Help in the Midst of the Battle

Mark John said something interesting in S.S. on Sunday when he was talking about the battle that the Israelites fought against Amalek. He mentioned how Moses went up into the mountains to pray while Joshua went down into the actual trenches and fought. One of these things seems more important than the other and yet both of these things were needed in order to win the battle. If Moses hadn't gone into the mountains and Joshua hadn't gone into the fight, the battle would not have been won. It sort of dawned on me that the same thing can be true today. Each of us are fighting battles every day...whether it is with pride, selfishness, anger, gossip, etc. We need to be fighting the battles and we also should be praying for each other about them! Without fighting, the battles won't be won... and without prayers, the battles are going to be a whole lot harder to win!

And speaking of prayer...could you all please be praying for me on wed. morning? I have a very big unspoken request that needs a lot of prayer and I would appreciate any help I can get...Thanks!

Chrystal

Habakkuk 2:1a- 1 "I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what He will say unto me..."

April 14, 2008

"This is strength; this is peace; to feel, in entering on every day, that all its duties and trials have been committed to the Lord Jesus — that, come what may, He will use us for His own glory and our real good!" - John Paton

April 11, 2008

What a Day!!

When I struggle, sometimes I find it hard to believe that God is really there. But then, God shows Himself to me in a very real way. The past couple of months I've been struggling spiritually (desire, consistensy, you name it!) But on Monday (after our Sun. powow and talks with Chrystal and my being tired of going on this way), I decided to "get back up again." My whole week has been going so much better! God has shown Himself to me in several ways. First of all, he has answered at least 3 of my prayers...and they were all miracle-prayers! God is actively working in lives! I think God knows that we need HIm to show Himself to us when we're down to see that He is really there and cares. I'm finding the verse, "Draw nigh to God and He will draw night to you" very true in my own life. I've been reading Psalms and I came across a verse: " I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness." Jesus is all we need! I love just going throughout the day and talking to Him, praising Him, and asking for His help. THanks for listening as I just had to share! I'm basically on a spiritual high right now! Keep dwelling on what God has done and how much you don't deserve his love and grace, and you'll be satisfied, content, and happy.
God really does hear and answer prayers...
biz

April 10, 2008

Finding God's Will

I don't know about you guys, but finding God's will for my life has always been kinda an intimating thought. I mean what if I thought I knew what God's will for me was... and I find out later I was wrong? I guess what i am trying to say is, how do I find God's will for my life and be confident that I know exactly what it is?

When my mom got home from BJ last week, she told me something she had heard Dr Bob III say and it has been really encouraging to me. It's kinda a story so bare with me...
Dr Bob was apparently sitting with a woman that was about 90 yrs old, and she was commenting on how she didn't know why the Lord still wanted her alive. She had done everything she thought she could do for Him, and did not understand what His will for her possibly could be. Dr Bob's response was what caught my mom's attention, he said "Why Ms - As long as you are willing to hear God's will, He WANTS you to know what it is. He doesn't want it to be a mystery, he WANTS you to obey him!"

The last comment there about God WANTING me to know God's will was SO encouraging to me! Sometimes it does feel like God's will for me is some great mystery that no one can really understand, but in reality if we are asking Him to make His will made clear to us, He WILL! Its not something that I have to *find* God will SHOW his will to me if i am seeking it diligently!
I Peter 3:12 kinda points to this saying "The eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil."

I hope this encouraged you as much as it encouraged me!
Kristin Hanson

The Downfall of Nineveh

(I told myself to keep this post short, but once I got started...well, sorry....it just isn't happening! ;)

I just finished a short study in Nahum and though it only has three chapters, there were a lot of neat things in there! The book tells Nahum’s prophecy of the destruction of Nineveh. I am not sure if I realized before that Nineveh ended up getting destroyed. I always think of Jonah saving it and that’s the end of the story…but Nineveh turns its back on God again and this time it is utterly destroyed. The book of Nahum starts out by stating why Nineveh is going to be destroyed. Vrs. 2 “God is jealous (demanding of exclusive loyalty), and the Lord revengeth; the Lord is furious; The Lord will take vengeance on His adversaries, and reserveth wrath for His enemies.” Because God wants to be the one and only priority in our lives, when we turn our attention to other things, He will take action, in order to bring us back to Him. And if we refuse to allow Him to do that, then we are in for BIG trouble. Vrs. 6 “Who can stand before His indignation? And who can abide in the fierceness of His anger? His fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by Him.” Lets just say that after reading that I was feeling a little bit weak! ;) But Nahum goes on to give such an encouraging promise in the very next verse. Vrs. 7- “The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.” Though we may go through times of hardships, often because of the mistakes of others, God knows those who are trusting in Him and He will be there for them every step of the way! However Nahum goes on describe how Nineveh has slowly let their guard up until the enemy is able to walk right into their city and because of that they are ruined. 2:10-13 "She (the city) is empty, and void, and waste: and the heart melteth, and the knees smite together, and much pain is in all loins, and the faces of them all gather blackness. Where is the dwelling of the lions, and the feedingplace of the young lions, where the lion, even the old lion, walked, and the lion's whelp, and none made them afraid? The lion did tear in pieces enough for his whelps, and strangled for his lionesses, and filled his holes with prey, and his dens with ravin. Behold, I am against thee, saith the LORD of hosts" I didn't quite understand all that talk about the lions etc. the first time I read through those verses, but the more I studied them, I think I started to understand. Nahum is referring to the enemy as lions. He says that they are able to just roam the streets, and even the mother lions let their babies go off by themselves, because they know they don't need to be afraid. Who is going to stand up and fight against them? The city has just completely given up and allowed the enemy to take over, so that they no longer even need to worry about someone fighting against them. He goes on to say what the result of their surrender to the enemy will be...3:3 "The horseman lifteth up both the bright sword and the glittering spear: and there is a multitude of slain, and a great number of carcases; and there is none end of their corpses; they stumble upon their corpses:" (Yeah, I know! Thats so disgusting!) Because the people of Nineveh refused to turn back to God again, He in turn, let them have their way and turned His back on them. Nahum tells the people that though they think they will be able to fight against the enemy when the time comes, because they don't have God on their side, they will have no strength. Vrs 12"All thy strong holds shall be like fig trees with the firstripe figs: if they be shaken, they shall even fall into the mouth of the eater." Nahum continues on throughout the rest of the book to describe the defeat and end of Nineveh. Unfortunately they never turn back to God and their destruction isn't very pretty! After reading the whole story though, I was left with two thoughts. 1. Wow! What a sad story! and 2. If I don't continually trust in God, continually ask Him for His forgiveness and help and continually fight my battles, I will end up just like Nineveh. The enemy will be able to walk right into my life and won't even worry about me trying to fight them, because they know that I have no strength on my own. Nineveh was completely wiped out simply because they did not keep God first in their life. I need God! I need Him to be my support. I need Him to be my comfort. I need Him to be my Counsellor. I need Him to guide me. I need Him to save me. I need Him to be my judge. I need Him to be my Redeemer. I need Him to be my refuge. I need Him to teach me. I need Him to be my light. I need Him to give me a passion for Him. I need Him to lift me up. I only need Him!

Chrystal D.

Psalms 44:3- For they got not the land in possesion by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them: but Thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of Thy countenance, because Thou hadst a favour unto them.

April 9, 2008

Spring shows what God can do with a drab and dirty world. ~Virgil A. Kraft

April 8, 2008

I just wanted to share a verse that caught my attention on sunday during Pastor Walters sermon from 1 Samuel.

It is 1 Sam. 2:4

The bows of the mighty men are broken, and they that stumbled are girded with strength.

So when we are struggling and are weary, remember that God will give us strength.. and those who seem so mighty will fall in the end!

The rest of that chapter is really good too, and i have been spending a lot of time in it!
but, I think this verse has now reached my favorite list ;)

April 7, 2008

Encouraged

Our little pow-wow in the nursery yesterday was so encouraging to me! I really appreciate everyone's willingness to share their weaknesses and spiritual downfalls with each one listening. It reminds me that I am not alone (we're in this together!), and it encouraged me to "keep up the faith!" I haven't done my part in encouraging others (Pastor walter's message on Sun. morning!). Posting is part of that! (Chrystal...a-hem, I'm posting!!) But yes...I am trying to remember you all in prayer. Isn't it just so wonderful to be in such a close youth group who all have a common goal? Thank you all for your prayers, love, and support. I love you all!
"Jesus you're my all in all!"
biz
p.s. Chow, you may finally post!! yah!!

April 6, 2008

Have God, Like God, or love God?

HAVE GOD: those who are saved and thats how deep their roots are (very shallow)
LIKE GOD: Those who are saved and want to love God but cant quite get it together
LOVE GOD: Those who desire to not only to talk the talk but to walk the way a CHRISTian should live in christs likeness and following God.

Interesting thought: We know Goliath as a Giant but you could desribe him as a BEAST. He was a BIG guy! "And the(Beast)Goliath defiled the living God" 1 Samuel 17:26, 36-37 "And David spake to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?...Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God. David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the LORD be with thee." If we could have the same anger that David had, when we hear someone swear, think how we could change some of the language people are allowed to use in the Media today! In movies and the internet there is no limit in words people are allowed to say. (And its not just in the area of media that people need to start taking a stand but its in other areas as well) One problem is Christians are using the same language unsaved people so that there is almost nobody going against the flow.


Jordan D

April 4, 2008

The Way to Permanent Faith

I was reading this today and thought it was  good... it seemed to really apply to me..


“Indeed the hour is coming … that you will be scattered …” (John 16:32).

Jesus was not rebuking the disciples in this passage. Their faith was real, but it was disordered and unfocused, and was not at work in the important realities of life. The disciples were scattered to their own concerns and they had interests apart from Jesus Christ. After we have the perfect relationship with God, through the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit, our faith must be exercised in the realities of everyday life. We will be scattered, not into service but into the emptiness of our lives where we will see ruin and barrenness, to know what internal death to God’s blessings means. Are we prepared for this? It is certainly not of our own choosing, but God engineers our circumstances to take us there. Until we have been through that experience, our faith is sustained only by feelings and by blessings. But once we get there, no matter where God may place us or what inner emptiness we experience, we can praise God that all is well. That is what is meant by faith being exercised in the realities of life.

“… you … will leave Me alone.” Have we been scattered and have we left Jesus alone by not seeing His providential care for us? Do we not see God at work in our circumstances? Dark times are allowed and come to us through the sovereignty of God. Are we prepared to let God do what He wants with us? Are we prepared to be separated from the outward, evident blessings of God? Until Jesus Christ is truly our Lord, we each have goals of our own which we serve. Our faith is real, but it is not yet permanent. And God is never in a hurry. If we are willing to wait, we will see God pointing out that we have been interested only in His blessings, instead of in God Himself. The sense of God’s blessings is fundamental.

“… be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (16:33). Unyielding spiritual fortitude is what we need.

Keep growing in Christ!
Rachel

In my weakness

ive been learning alot through my bible study, but i listened to a song from soundforth and it really spoke to me. the song is called "In my weakness". the song goes like this:

when living life for jesus christ becomes too hard a task, when obedience means sacrefice that seems too much too ask. that's when i learn that my own strenght isn't really strenght at all. and i find rest in humbleness when i surrender all.

In my weakness he is strong, in my need he leads me on. When i come to the end of all i am, and i place my trust in him. That's when his strenght begins, in my weakness.

when failures in my human strenght have weakened all my pride, and ruined hopes in fallen dreams have crumbled me inside. it's then by grace that i finally see, the strenght of jesus christ his victory is real in me, when my weakness stills my life.

In my weakness he is strong, in my need he leads me on. when i come to the end of all i am, and i place my trust in him. that's when his strenght begins, in my weakness. (repeat) In my weakness he is strong, in my need he leads me on. when i come to the end of all i am, and i place my trust in him. that's when his strenght begins, in my weakness.

i think the reason this song spoke to me is because it deals with 3 things. it deals with encouraging the discouraged christian, with surrendering you'r life to our lord and savior, and with pride. and i'm sad to admit but i have been dealing wih all 3 of these, so if you could pray for me in these areas it would be very appreciated. i also encourage you to listen to this song, it's by soundforth. tha cd is called "a quiet heart" and the title is a given. lol

Erik

April 2, 2008

Don't Give Up

A story called "Don't give up".....

One day I decided to quit...
I quit my job, my relationship, my spirituality... I wanted to quit my life.
I went to the woods to have one last talk with God.
'God', I asked, 'Can you give me one good reason not to quit?'
His answer surprised me...
'Look around', He said. 'Do you see the fern and the bamboo?'
'Yes', I replied.
'When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very good care of them.
I gave them light.
I gave them water.
The fern quickly grew from the earth.
Its brilliant green covered the floor.
Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo.
In the second year the Fern grew more vibrant and plentiful.
And again, nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo. He said.
'In year three there was still nothing from the bamboo seed.
But I would not quit.
In year four, again, there was nothing from the bamboo seed. I would
not quit.' He said.
'Then in the fifth year a tiny sprout emerged from the earth. Compared
to the fern it was seemingly small and insignificant...But just 6
months later the bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall.
It had spent the five years growing roots. Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive.
I would not give any of my creations a challenge it could not handle.'
He asked me. 'Did you know, my child, that all this time you have been struggling, you have actually been growing roots'.
'I would not quit on the bamboo.
I will never quit on you.'
'Don't compare yourself to others.'
He said.
'The bamboo had a different Purpose than the fern.
Yet they both make the forest beautiful.'
'Your time will come', God said to me.
'You will rise high'
'How high should I rise?'
I asked.
'Ho w high will the bamboo rise?' He asked in return.
'As high as it can?' I questioned.
'Yes.' He said, 'Give me glory by rising as high as you can.'
I left the forest and brought back this story.
I hope these words can help you see that God will never give up on you.
Never, Never, Never Give up.
For the Christian Prayer is not an option but an opportunity.
Don't tell the Lord how big the problem is,
tell the problem how Great the Lord is!

April 1, 2008

Psalms 34

Since I finished the I Peter book I have been reading some of the Psalms in my devotions, and have basically fallen in love with the book. (yes, Chrystal I know I know you were right lol)
I actually wasn’t planning on reading thru Psalms, but while I was in FL I was kinda depressed, I came across chapter 34 and it has become my favorite chapter! I love it how God will sometimes lead me to a certain passage that will directly relate to what I am going thru at the moment!

Chapter 34 is basically David worshipping God and asking for his help/protection. The first verse says “I will bless the Lords at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.”
While I was in FL I confess “his praise” were not continually on my lips. But through out this chapter David (whose son is trying to take his throne from him) praises God 10 times! He acknowledges the fact that he is going thru a hard time but over and over again praises God for providing for him.
The beginning of verse 4 says “I sought the Lord, and he heard me…” this was SO encouraging to me! Of course I know that God hears my prayers, but at the particular point in time it was such an AWESOME reminder that I can talk to God whenever I need/want.

The verse that really spoke to my heart was verse 18 and it says “The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.” I looked up the words “nigh” and “contrite” because I didn’t exactly know what they meant. The definition of “nigh” is: near in place, time, or relationship. And the definition of “contrite” is: feeling or showing sorrow and remorse for a sin or shortcoming.
So basically what this verse is saying is that the Lord is close to them that have a broken heart, and he saves those that are feeling sorrow for their sin/shortcomings. I can not tell you how encouraged I was by this verse! My heart was broken watching the people I had grown up with living in ways that do not please God. At the same time though, watching them made me more conscience of my own sins/shortcomings. So God saying that He is near my broken heart and He saves me from my shortcomings was possibly the most encouraging thing I had ever read!

Another cool thing in this chapter is that Peter quoted verses 12-17 in I Peter 3:10-12. As I was reading it I was like “hey I know those verses!” So it was cool to see how the Bible referrers from the Old to the New Testament.

Anyways, that’s a little bit of what I have been learning. I hope ya’ll have been learning tons too!
Praying for you all,
Kristin Hanson