So, I was talking to a couple of my friends today and we were talking about how God has been using me lately and everything that is going on in my life. And then it hit me.
A year ago, I was not thinking like I am now, I was not doing the things I am doing, I was not trying to start new things in my community, I was not caring about the people I come in contact with, and I was not living my life according to God's Word like I should. God has been able to open my eyes to the Truth. And I am truly thankful and grateful for that. I will admit that giving EVERYTHING over to God was not the easiest thing to do, but it the absolute best decision I have ever made. We have to surrender ALL to Him, not some or most, but ALL. I am now in complete and total peace about everything in my life. I have a joy I cannot describe! And I am the happiest I have ever been!
I do not why I have been so comfortable in everything I was doing and not caring about the Gospel being preached and heard, not having a right relationship with my God, and not pouring my life into others so that they can be encouraged. What was I thinking? How can you sit there and not want to bring God glory and honor? My mind has been blown by God everyday in the past month and a half. My mindset has completely and totally transformed and I am thankful for that. God has given me opportunities to share with others about Him and form new relationships. There are things are happening in my life that I am SO excited about! :)
What is going on in my life is definitely not what I had planned for myself, but I so glad that this is what God has planned for me. This is 100 times better than what I had planned for myself! :) God is so very good to me!!
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
REAL!
I have been back in the country for 3 weeks now. It doesn't seem like it has been that long, but a lot has happened and kept me busy so it has flown by. God has given me SOOO many opportunities to share about my time in Asia with people. I am thankful for those opportunities and it seems that everyday I get a new one!
God has drastically changed my life and it is change for the better. My eyes are opened and I feel like I am actually able to breathe. I have a renewed heart and spirit. I feel like I am getting bits and pieces of the "bigger picture" everyday. I am constantly learning from God whether it be through my prayer time, His Word, or His people.
I have learned that Americans have NO CLUE what it means to be a Christian. We have no idea what it means to lay down our lives for our Lord and Savior. We cannot get over ourselves for even 5 minutes in a day to spend time with God. What is up with that?? Geez! I mean, the only reason we live, move, breathe, speak, and everything else we do is because of God and we cannot give Him the time He deserves. We stink. Horribly.
We have been given a message to proclaim wherever we go and do we do that? No. This message (AKA: THE GOSPEL) is pretty important. I mean, it does save lives. Who are we to sit in our little comfortable houses, comfortable cars, comfortable churches and not share with others the most important message that they will ever hear? I know stepping out of our comfort zones can be a big deal and all, but Jesus said to deny ourselves, pick up the cross and follow Him. When someone dies and rises from the dead 3 days later and gives instruction to us..um, we are supposed to do it.
So, what does it mean to be a Christian? It means denying yourself DAILY, picking up the cross DAILY, being bold DAILY, sharing the Gospel DAILY, overcoming sin DAILY, giving glory to God DAILY, reading His Word DAILY, praying to our awesome God DAILY, and seeking in everything you say, do, think, eat, and drink to bring God's holy kingdom glory! As important as these things are, we tend to forget them or let our flesh become more important. We would much rather have something else have priority over God, right? It is easy to do though if you are not constantly keeping yourself in check. Watching tv/movies, Facebook, Twitter, boyfriend/girlfriend, reading other books, pointless conversations..these are just some of the things we put before God. Why? Why are these things so important to us?
American Christianity is so crazy to me. It makes me really frustrated. We take EVERYTHING for granted. Like praying in a public place, openly reading your Bible, not having to talk about your God in code, and everything else. You know, some countries you are not allowed to talk openly about God, the one who can radically change your life. You are not allowed to pray in a public place. You have to watch everything you say because if you say the wrong thing then you get yourself into trouble. What if the US was this way? Who would be left to fight for their faith? Who would proclaim the Gospel? Who would withstand the persecution and count it joy to suffer for Christ? Would you go through trials upon trials and never deny your faith? These are the things I have been thinking about for weeks. I was in a country where the above mentioned things are not allowed.
My eyes were opened to Christians who were truly real about their lives with Christ. If you are a Christian in that country, then you are risking everything and everyone you know. There is no lukewarm Christians there, praise the Lord! They understand the urgency behind the Gospel and share it everyday, day in and day out. They read their Word. They study their Word. They risk their lives everyday. God challenged me while I was there and still is because I cannot get these people out of my head. I know what they are going through and what they face and they are not giving up. Their country's Christians are praying to send missionaries to the US. They are also praying that we face persecution, trials, and tribulations so we can stand up for our faith. I am praying with them. The United States of America needs the Lord something fierce. We really do. We need to take the God seriously and fear Him.
I just want people to be real.
How can God change your life? How can God use you to impact your community, state, country, and other countries?
God has drastically changed my life and it is change for the better. My eyes are opened and I feel like I am actually able to breathe. I have a renewed heart and spirit. I feel like I am getting bits and pieces of the "bigger picture" everyday. I am constantly learning from God whether it be through my prayer time, His Word, or His people.
I have learned that Americans have NO CLUE what it means to be a Christian. We have no idea what it means to lay down our lives for our Lord and Savior. We cannot get over ourselves for even 5 minutes in a day to spend time with God. What is up with that?? Geez! I mean, the only reason we live, move, breathe, speak, and everything else we do is because of God and we cannot give Him the time He deserves. We stink. Horribly.
We have been given a message to proclaim wherever we go and do we do that? No. This message (AKA: THE GOSPEL) is pretty important. I mean, it does save lives. Who are we to sit in our little comfortable houses, comfortable cars, comfortable churches and not share with others the most important message that they will ever hear? I know stepping out of our comfort zones can be a big deal and all, but Jesus said to deny ourselves, pick up the cross and follow Him. When someone dies and rises from the dead 3 days later and gives instruction to us..um, we are supposed to do it.
So, what does it mean to be a Christian? It means denying yourself DAILY, picking up the cross DAILY, being bold DAILY, sharing the Gospel DAILY, overcoming sin DAILY, giving glory to God DAILY, reading His Word DAILY, praying to our awesome God DAILY, and seeking in everything you say, do, think, eat, and drink to bring God's holy kingdom glory! As important as these things are, we tend to forget them or let our flesh become more important. We would much rather have something else have priority over God, right? It is easy to do though if you are not constantly keeping yourself in check. Watching tv/movies, Facebook, Twitter, boyfriend/girlfriend, reading other books, pointless conversations..these are just some of the things we put before God. Why? Why are these things so important to us?
American Christianity is so crazy to me. It makes me really frustrated. We take EVERYTHING for granted. Like praying in a public place, openly reading your Bible, not having to talk about your God in code, and everything else. You know, some countries you are not allowed to talk openly about God, the one who can radically change your life. You are not allowed to pray in a public place. You have to watch everything you say because if you say the wrong thing then you get yourself into trouble. What if the US was this way? Who would be left to fight for their faith? Who would proclaim the Gospel? Who would withstand the persecution and count it joy to suffer for Christ? Would you go through trials upon trials and never deny your faith? These are the things I have been thinking about for weeks. I was in a country where the above mentioned things are not allowed.
My eyes were opened to Christians who were truly real about their lives with Christ. If you are a Christian in that country, then you are risking everything and everyone you know. There is no lukewarm Christians there, praise the Lord! They understand the urgency behind the Gospel and share it everyday, day in and day out. They read their Word. They study their Word. They risk their lives everyday. God challenged me while I was there and still is because I cannot get these people out of my head. I know what they are going through and what they face and they are not giving up. Their country's Christians are praying to send missionaries to the US. They are also praying that we face persecution, trials, and tribulations so we can stand up for our faith. I am praying with them. The United States of America needs the Lord something fierce. We really do. We need to take the God seriously and fear Him.
I just want people to be real.
How can God change your life? How can God use you to impact your community, state, country, and other countries?
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
What are you going to do about it?
So I just returned home from the most amazing experience of my life. I cannot describe in words what all exactly I experienced. I really cannot. It was definitely humbling and God revealed so many things to me. I was away from all technology and everyone I knew. Sometimes it really does take God getting you away from your comforts, your cellphone that is constantly going off, your family, your friends, your computer that is a constant distraction, and all sense of time to show you things. I am so glad that I was away from those things. To be completely honest, I did not miss those things. I did not even think about my phone until it accidentally went off one day while I was there. When I was asked what I missed about home my answer was that I wish I knew how my family and friends were and how their Christmas was, but other than having a small conversation with each of them I was good.
Things I learned
1- I lack a lot of things in my life starting with faith. I tend to forget that my God is real and alive and can do anything and everything He wants to. I do not take my faith serious all the time. It is so easy to get bogged down into a routine and get stuck in a rut in your relationship with Him.
2- Another thing I lack is boldness in my relationship with God. We studied the book of Acts everyday while in China and it was awesome to see the Holy Spirit leading in every verse of it. Peter prayed for boldness. He would preach the Gospel, go to jail for it, get out of jail, and then go back to preaching the Good News again! Who does that?? I should!
Side note:We should risk it all for the glory of God! I am not holding back anymore! I pray that I am intentional about everything I do and say and that it all brings my God and Savior the glory! We are pathetic!! China is a closed country to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and Christians there risk EVERYTHING for the sake of His holy and precious name and what do we do? American Christians have the freedom of religion, we risk nothing, and STILL sit around not doing a thing about sharing the Gospel! Who are we to not share the most amazing thing in the world?! They risk their lives day in and day out and we do nothing. We were studying one day and were talking and came to the realization that America needs persecution of our Christians. Maybe then we see everyone's true colors and stand up for what we believe. Our country NEEDS to hear the Gospel!! So, what are you going to do about it??
So since I shared with my team that I felt like I lacked faith and boldness and prayed about it..God gave me opportunities to share with others.
3- I lack a lot of patience. I thought I knew how to patient. I was wrong. Ha! What is new? I have NO IDEA where God is taking me and I thought I was okay with that..but I was wrong..again! I mean, for the most part, I am okay with God leading and guiding me. I just wish I knew WHERE He is taking me and WHEN I am going to get there and WHO will be around in my life once I get there. I just need patience and I have decided that I am not going to wear a watch anymore. I need not to put God on a time table. We holds the most perfect plans for my life. And that is all I need to know. He is sovereign. End. Of. Story.
This is just a little snipit of my time spent in China. More to come later.
Things I learned
1- I lack a lot of things in my life starting with faith. I tend to forget that my God is real and alive and can do anything and everything He wants to. I do not take my faith serious all the time. It is so easy to get bogged down into a routine and get stuck in a rut in your relationship with Him.
2- Another thing I lack is boldness in my relationship with God. We studied the book of Acts everyday while in China and it was awesome to see the Holy Spirit leading in every verse of it. Peter prayed for boldness. He would preach the Gospel, go to jail for it, get out of jail, and then go back to preaching the Good News again! Who does that?? I should!
Side note:We should risk it all for the glory of God! I am not holding back anymore! I pray that I am intentional about everything I do and say and that it all brings my God and Savior the glory! We are pathetic!! China is a closed country to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and Christians there risk EVERYTHING for the sake of His holy and precious name and what do we do? American Christians have the freedom of religion, we risk nothing, and STILL sit around not doing a thing about sharing the Gospel! Who are we to not share the most amazing thing in the world?! They risk their lives day in and day out and we do nothing. We were studying one day and were talking and came to the realization that America needs persecution of our Christians. Maybe then we see everyone's true colors and stand up for what we believe. Our country NEEDS to hear the Gospel!! So, what are you going to do about it??
So since I shared with my team that I felt like I lacked faith and boldness and prayed about it..God gave me opportunities to share with others.
3- I lack a lot of patience. I thought I knew how to patient. I was wrong. Ha! What is new? I have NO IDEA where God is taking me and I thought I was okay with that..but I was wrong..again! I mean, for the most part, I am okay with God leading and guiding me. I just wish I knew WHERE He is taking me and WHEN I am going to get there and WHO will be around in my life once I get there. I just need patience and I have decided that I am not going to wear a watch anymore. I need not to put God on a time table. We holds the most perfect plans for my life. And that is all I need to know. He is sovereign. End. Of. Story.
This is just a little snipit of my time spent in China. More to come later.
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