God is ALWAYS There!

"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me."

Psalm 23:4

The 23rd Psalm is familiar to most of us. We have heard it quoted many times, but have we ever really taken in the importance of it?

Psalm 23:4 is telling us that even when we are at our lowest point, when we are near death, when we are in danger and darkness, when we are giving up our Heavanly Father is still with us. He is guiding, protecting, and conforting us. We do not need to fear anying! We should have no fear of evil, because God is there with us!

He never ever leaves us! We may go through times when we feel like He is not there. We may even go so far as to ask Him, "Where have you gone? Why have you left me?" ,but He is there. When we feel like that it is not Him. It's us. We are the ones who are not there. We are not seeking Him. When we seek Him we will find Him! He is always there!

 ^"But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul."

Deuteronomy 4:29

Living for Jesus or letting Jesus live through us?

We are taught to live for Jesus, but what if instead of trying to live for Jesus we let Jesus live through us. We are called to be His hands and feet! We are called to care for those who are  hurting, alone, sick, lost, and unknowing of the Creator of the Universe. We are called to teach them who Jesus Christ is through our actions. We are called to show them Jesus, because telling them isn't good enough! We are called to be His hands and feet! How are we as meer humans to be Jesus? We let Jesus LIVE in us and through us! We let Him make our decisions and our reactions. We put Him first and He puts others first! We simple give Him control instead of taking control ourselves. We listend and listen hard for His voice! Then, when we hear His "still small" voice we do not ignore it! We act apone HIS Word and HIS will! Not our own! That is what we as Christians are called to do! We are called to let Him live in us! He will fill us with "unspeakable joy"! 

What  is the first step to leting Jesus live in you?

^"36 “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”

³⁷ When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”

³⁸ Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹ The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off —for all whom the Lord our God will call.”"
Acts 2:36-39

^"16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. ¹⁷ When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. ¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”"
Matthew 28:16-20


Repent (admit your sin to your Heavenly Father and ask for His unfailing grace and forgivness) and be baptised in the name of the Father (God), Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit. Then, you will receive the Holy Spirit (God's Spirit) to guide you! You will hear the "still small voice". He will guide you and you will recieve eturnal life! God is so very very good!
To HIM alone be the glory!
Praise His Holy Name!!!

Do we put our trust in Jesus or in this world?

A few days ago, I read Faith by John Wycliffe in school and was so inspired. Here is an excerpt:

"While Peter had true faith, he went upon the sea as upon dry land; but when the firmness of his faith failed, he began to sink, and therefore Christ reproved him as of little faith. Thus it fares with us, who are staggering and unsteadfast with the wind of each temptation or fear. Therefore, brethren, let us set all our belief and full trust on Him, Who is Almighty, and not in any vain thing may fail in any time. Trust we steadfastly that nothing may grieve us farther than He will suffer it, and all things which He sendeth come for the best. And let no wealth of this failing world, neither tribulation, draw our hearts from firm belief in God. Let us not put our belief or trust in charms, or in dreams, or any other fantasies, but only in Almighty God."

As I was thinking whether I put my faith and trust only on my perfect Savior and not on the things of this world, I thought of the hymn The Solid Rock:

My hope is built on nothing less

Than Jesus' blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus' name.
On Christ the solid Rock I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.

This hymn is one of my favorites; it is so beautiful! It makes me ask myself, "Do I built my hope on anything other than Jesus?" He is always faithful, and I want to encourage you all not to put your faith and trust on anything other than Him. Psalm 37:3 says, "Trust in the LORD, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness." The world says it has all we need: money, fame, possessions, entertainment, "happiness," popularity, success, and the list goes on. However, do you notice Someone who is missing? Jesus! Do you know what Jesus promises? He promises: eternal life, joy, peace, strength, mercy, grace, His constant guidance and power, and so much more! What the world promises pales in comparison to what Jesus promises. As we go about our day today, let's put our entire trust in our perfect Savior!

Are We Hiding?

On the day between Good Friday and Easter I would like to discuss something that probably not many people have been thinking about. The disciples. When I was younger, I used to think the disciples were smarter and braver than the average person. (I guess I was forgetting that most of them fished for a living before Jesus found them. Or that they were constantly being corrected and disciplined by Jesus for something they blurted out. Or that they ran for their lives when the soldiers arrested their Lord and then hid and locked the doors.) This year, Jesus really opened my eyes to see that His disciples were just like me: broken and sinful and in desperate need of a Savior. Let's take a look at what they were doing when Jesus rose from the dead: "Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, 'Peace be with you.' When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord." You might be thinking, "Wait, wasn't Peter the one that promised he would rather die than desert his Lord? Weren't they the people Jesus had called to be His followers, His disciples? What are they doing with the doors shut? They should be outside telling everyone they met, "Jesus, the Lord, has been crucified. But He will rise from the dead! Just wait, it will happen!'" We probably ask that question alot: what were they thinking? But let's remember they were human. They were just as sinful as us. Now, let's look at ourselves for a minute. Are we hiding behind locked doors? Let me just throw this thought out here: When Jesus was performing miracles and raising people from the dead and coming into Jerusalem on a donkey, the disciples were all about it. They had no problem telling people they were Jesus' followers. But remember what happened when Jesus was arrested? They ran......was Jesus any less powerful when He was arrested? Did Jesus somehow lose all of His glory and authority and strength when He was dying on the cross? Of course not! He was taking mankind's sin on His shoulders. If that isn't strength, I don't know what is! Why then were the disciples not shouting, "That's my Savior! He is defeating sin! One day every knee will bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord!" (Philippians 2:10-11) I think it is because in their human eyes, Jesus wasn't doing what they expected. Are we hiding behind locked doors? I know very well that sin is rampant today. But is God any less powerful? No! Our Lord Jesus is just as powerful today as when He defeated sin and death that Easter Sunday! As we prepare for the glorious celebration of our Savior's resurrection, let us take a look at ourselves: are we hiding behind locked doors?

Not "I hope you live!" But "I will make you live!"

These past few weeks, I have spend hours helping my mom plant trees in our yard, and once again God has shown me an example of His unending love and faithfulness. As soon as we had the first tree planted, my mom said, "I hope you live!" Because trees and vegetation are often used as examples in the Bible, I decided to think of the similarities and differences between my mom and I growing trees, and us growing in God. One thing really stood out to me. Yes, our Father plants us in firm, excellent soil (His Word and Truth); and fills us up with water (His living water); and buries us in mulch to help us grow (His love and guidance). But I have never heard Him say, "I hope you live!" We are never left wondering and worrying whether we will make it through the storms. We are never left alone. God is always right beside us; He is our perfect shelter and He will never leave us. Yes, He says there will be storms, but He also reminds us that nothing can separate us from His love. (Romans 8:38-39) Instead of saying, "I hope you live, Child!" , He declares, "I will restore you and make you live!" (Isaiah 38:16)

Show Me My Sins

We all sin. I sin everyday. I am human. Some of my sin I see and instantly recognize. For example when I am short with my siblings. However, recently I have been realizing that there are probably some areas of my life where I am sinning or not trusting in Him and I don't even know it. So I have been praying that God will reveal the areas of my life where I have strongholds and that He would give me the strength to over come them. So far He has shown me that I worry too much. I am a huge control person and I get to thinking about everything and what I need to do about it. However, God says,"So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’" (Matthew 6:31) "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." ( Isaiah 41:10 ) I have been praying and seeking God about my worries. I have been casting all my burdens onto Him. He has brought me great joy and I can feel Him working in my life! Now I am ask, "What is the next stronghold I can overcome through Your grace?" I know there will be one and I know I can overcome it through Him Who lives in me. God always gives you a way out of temptation. You just have to be listening and looking for Him. Praise His Holy Name, that we can have such a close relationship with Him through Jesus!