great reminder.

I think Kelly's sermon today was really great. I've always loved her sermons and how she's so straight forward and direct. Ha, it was pretty hard to follow along because i didnt bring a pen, so i was doing everything on my iphone. It was pretty intense, having the put headings, and typing, and browsing through the bible on cue and at light speed, but i think it helped with keeping me focused. I guess i'll write the notes i took down today. (italized is my personal expression tonight)

Questions For The Heart:

a) Do you despise yourself and think you are a fake?

b) Do you discount your positive characteristics and feel you do not deserve praise?

c) Do you brag about your flaws?

d) Do you destroy your own personal success?

- it isnt healthy to dwell on these things and let it take over our lives!

To be honest, when reading these questions, i think yes is my answer to most of them if not all of them, and its not the best trait of mine. The series is called "Being More Confident" (or something along those lines), but i really am not. I do look down upon myself, and i never trust and have confidence in my work. I made it my resolution to be more confident about myself this year. See how it goes. Yah know, once i saw the title of the message today, i knew God was whispering in my ear, if not yelling. This was.. "my message".

How to Deal with Shame and Guilt

a) Accept that God's Forgiveness is REAL. (Romans 8:1-4)

- punishment for sin, which is death is paid for by God, by having Jesus Christ come and die for us

- its easier to accept God's forgiveness than the consequences of sin

- God DEMANDS that the penalty is paid

- to overcome shame, we have to believe that God has forgiven us, its real!

b) Change the way your THINK. (Romans 8:5-7, Galatians 5:22-23, Philippians 4:8)

- we need to live as SAVED people, not as PRISONERS to sin

- set out mind on the SPIRIT instead of the WORLD. This will give us peace and goodness

- Galatians 5:22-23 is the fruit of the spirit. If we continue to meditate on these things, they will be at the forefronts of our minds, replacing sinful desires, and we'll soon learn to embody these traits

- Philippians 4:8 says we need to change our mindset, know and believe that we are REDEEMED people who are loved by God.

- looking glass self: "you are what you think other people think you are

- every morning is a clean slate. As long as we realize, confess and repent in the present, now, the past is the past and has been forgiven. (this was so important to me, and i'll definitely need to continously remind myself of that)

c) Be FILLED with the Holy Spirit. (Romans 8:9-11, 2 Peter 1:3)

- if the spirit raised Christ from the dead and abides in you, wont it do the same?

- ACCEPT his forgiveness and CHANGE how you think.

- Dont let Satan take over!

"As we face condemnation, we can have confidence and know that we are free."

I found all these as great reminders. May we continue to change our perspective, dwell on God, The Spirit and eternal things, and stray away from the temptations of sin.

Remain.

This image is my iphone wallpaper at the moment.

I think this has really stuck with me the past few days, especially on Sunday when Pastor Ming was talking about it. I remember writing in Jacky's bookmark to forever remain in Him. Ha just going to side track. Im so happy and proud of him. He's shared his story with me and im honestly amazed at how much he's grown and how much he's changed, he's a true inspiration to me and hope i can experience some kind of change like that someday, or at least somehow find the willpower to make such a change. But writing that in his bookmark, and hearing Pastor Ming speak about it, i remember thinking, "i wonder what he's thinking right now" (that is if he saw the connection).

But i think this is a great reminder we need to constantly remind ourselves of. To remain in Him. This verse comes from "The Vine". The gist of it talks about how we are branches that are attach to the vine, the vine being God. The vine provides us with the nutrients, the minerals to grow and to thrive. We need to remain in Him. Its a scary thought when you read on and learn that the ones that fail to produce good fruit are withered, cut off, and then burned. We have to be constantly producing good fruit, that is the fruit of the spirit. And this only happens when we remain in Him. Whether if that is indulging in His Word, spending time in prayer with Him, or glorifying in Him.

Last night was a whirlwind. But after the wind blew, the things flew, and everything was messed around, i've come to somewhat of a weird... odd conclusion. I dont really know where i am in my walk with Christ at the moment. Pastor HM is my mentor, and he says that im on the right track, but many times, i think, and i dont know what im doing. Where i am. Doubt floods my mind. I feel like my faith has plateaued, and i havent progressed for a while now. I always say i need to step it up, but i never really do. Last night, I let Satan get the best of me. I was told that I meant nothing, that no one cares, that life is just too difficult to manage. I didnt feel worthy of anything. His love, his grace, his sacrifice, why he hasnt given up on me, and why he's still here. All that piling on top of school stress and friendships, i just felt really lost. I have to learn to remain in him. I have to learn to get right with God and i just have to have Him reassure me. No worries, last night, i just tripped and fell, but im slowly getting back up on my feet and trying to walk this out again. Who said the Christian Life was going to be a breeze? no one.

Remain in Him and He will Remain in You.

Procrastinating.

We all procrastinate. From school work to doing chores.
But with God... Does he really want us to procrastinate on HIS works? NO! He gives us time to think about certain things but if we don't act upon them then, we won't be able to accept the challenges that He has given to us.

It may take a while to get things done but, in the end, it will be done. It takes time. We have to know our limitations and work with them. If we just sit back and relax things won't get done. For example, if your parents tell you to wash the dishes or clean your room and you sit sleep or watch TV. Will anything be get done? NOPE! NOT AT ALL.

We need to work to achieve the goals that we have received. We CAN'T procrastinate on the tasks that God has given us. Being a servant of God we need to be sacrificial, obedient, patient, and everything in the Fruit of the Spirit (and many more characteristics).

God wants us to do that, too. He gave us what we have for a reason: to make a difference for him in the world. To do that most effectively, we have to be wise.

-Rick Warren.

Keep In Step!

This reminds me of that familiar song we sang years ago at church when we were young. "The fruit of the spirit, is love joy peace, patience kindess, goodness, the fruit of the spirit is faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." What fruits are you bearing in your life and what fruits are you lacking?

Let Us Keep In Step With The Spirit

Jon Walker

"Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." (Galatians 5:25 NIV)

When we ignore the Holy Spirit, there's little difference between the way we live our lives and non-believers who live their lives disconnected and independent from God.

"But people who aren't spiritual can't receive these truths from God's Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can't understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means" (1 Corinthians 2:14 NLT).

Our objective is to become sensitive to the Holy Spirit. Ask God to teach you to hear his still small voice and to be sensitive to promptings from the Spirit that he's placed inside you. Then, believe the truth that he will guide you through the decisions and details of your life.

As you learn to walk in the Spirit, God will never ask you to do anything that violates his Word. Promptings from the Holy Spirit will always line up with the Bible; however, they may not line up with your church-ianity traditions or pre-conceived notions.

For the next few weeks, keep a list of all the times you sense the Spirit prompting you. This will help you learn to be sensitive to the Spirit, but it will also strengthen your resolve to be obedient to God's guidance as you see his constant, loving interest in the details of your life.

And what if you blow it? Remember God's grace! If you misunderstand the Holy Spirit's prompting or disobey it, then confess your failure to God; he is faithful to forgive (1 John 1:9). Fall on his grace and remember that you are in the school of Christ. He knows you're learning; he sent the Holy Spirit to teach you.

The holy spirit has been given to us by God to guide us and to lead us through life. We alone cannot do much, we dont know, but with God's tools, His Word and The Holy Spirit, we are able to make the right decisions that will be pleasing and will bring us good for God knows what's best for us. We must also learn to have faith in Him. If we dont trust the savior of all creation, the maker of the universe, how are we able to give up our decisions, our wants for Him?

This last part i think is CRUCIAL for every Christian to be constantly reminding themselves of. That God is faithful to forgive because he loves us. Personally, i have times where after a "big sin", guilt will come and eat me up, and then i'd ask for forgiveness. But we should be repent on a daily basis if not hourly. We need to be constantly reminding ourselves that we are sinners and that we cant do anything without Christ.

The Fruit of The Spirit. Its quite the list, but learn to bear all the fruits equally. I've posted about the individual fruits themselves, click HERE to check it out! :)

keep in step with the spirit. a day at a time.

Jason