Is that really you?

We often struggle with making decisions. From eating the last cookie to taking that huge step in our faith and getting baptized. I, personally, have struggled with many decisions. We face challenges every single day of our life. We may not know it but it’s true.

It may be hard to believe but YOU ARE PERFECT. No matter what way, shape, or form, God made you perfect. I’ve struggled with accepting that. A few years back I was the kid that was shy and casted aside. I never felt the feeling of not being lonely. This was a very hard time in my spiritual walk with God. I often questioned Him to see if He would answer me or at least give me a sign. One day I was sitting in the school office (because I got hurt) and I read a poem called: “Footprints In The Sand”

It says:

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord. Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.

In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand. Sometimes there were two sets of footprints, other times there was one only.

This bothered me because I noticed that during the low periods of my life, when I was suffering from anguish, sorrow or defeat, I could see only one set of footprints, so I said to the Lord,

“You promised me Lord,
that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life there has only been one set of footprints in the sand. Why, when I needed you most, have you not been there for me?”

The Lord replied, “The years when you have seen only one set of footprints, my child, is when I carried you.”

I then thought that God never left me, He was always by my side. He didn’t want to see me sad, but I was. I soon realized that stepping out of my comfort zone was one of the hardest decisions that I’ve made at that time. I soon realized that taking chances and believing it or not, God wants to see you take that step. It was very hard to take at first but after a while I got the hang of it and I don’t regret a thing.

He leads us to many different places and gives us many challenges but there is always a reason for why He does them. You and I both have challenges in our lives and we have to accept that God gave it to us for a purpose. He’s almighty, all knowing, and our one true creator. He made you and I and he knew us before we were born.

We face many challenges but it’s up to you whether to follow them or not. Always remember that God is by your side no matter what. He never leaves you and He’s always there to talk.

God's Voice?

Afraid of Making The Wrong Decision?

Rick Warren

“He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.” (Psalm 23:3b NIV)

Sometimes we’re afraid of making the wrong decision. And that creates stress.

But God says there is an antidote to our indecision. Psalm 23:3 tells us, “He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.” We handle the stress of decision-making by letting God guide us.

You may be thinking, “But I’ve tried this!” You asked God to guide you, but then you became more confused than before. You still couldn’t figure it out. You wonder, “Why is knowing God’s will so difficult?”

Is God playing games with us? Of course not! God wants to guide us. He wants us to know his will more than we want to know it. Our problem is we often look for the wrong thing when we’re trying to find God’s will.

Some of us look for a feeling. Some of us want a methodical approach to God’s will, a recipe, or a formula to apply. Some of us take a magical approach and look for God to do some fantastic sign.

All of these ways lead to frustration and cause us to miss God’s will.

God does not want you confused, and he does not want you stressed over making any decision. He is there, guiding you every step of the way.

This is his promise, so you can believe it to be true: “He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.”

SPEAK TO ME. :) This has to be a sign right? I totally struggle with this EVERY day with ALL the decisions i cant make. For instance, that missions one (refer to posts below). Its good to know that God doesnt want me stressed or confused, but could he be more clear then? Unfortunately, after reading the devo it didnt answer any of my questions... so it wasnt the most helpful.

Everyone has different ways of interpreting God's voice. It may be through dreams, through other people (thats a reliable one), through reading scripture (which is also reliable because.. he wrote the bible), through signs, like if things come up often, there are just so many things that CAN be God's voice, but how are we to know if they are or arent?

BUT something that i can talk about is what i learnt at a devo at my Quebec's missions. It was based on waiting and watching. Here it is:

Throughout the missions at Ouje-bougoumou this summer, different people got to lead night devotionals each day regarding anything. They just had to share something with us. The following regards prayer and it just really really really stuck with me. I hope to be able to work it out more in my life, apply it more and watch it grow through me. It's based on one word in this passage;

⁴¹ “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” - Matthew 26:41

This was said by Christ Jesus during his last moments with his disciples in Gethsemane as he went to pray. At first when i read this passage, what stuck out to me is "pray so that you will not fall into temptation". But that day, what our leader pointed out blew my mind. WATCH.

There's a reason why God put WATCH and PRAY instead of just PRAY or WAIT and PRAY. The disciples stayed behind as Jesus went to pray. Why didnt he say WAIT and PRAY? Here's why. There's a distinct difference between WATCHING and WAITING. Let's look at 2 different scenarios that'll maybe help us understand.

"Today we went to the park for summer camp, but there was only one bus that had to take two trips to pick up the group in two different sections. During this hot hot hot day, (like 39 degrees), the group that is picked up second frolicks in the grass, looking at animals, and plays hand games while the bus returns for its second pick up."

"At the park, the sun shone brightly and strongly on all the kids. As groups C&D, the remain groups stayed behind as group A&B were returning to church, they continue to complain constantly about the heat, fatigue, hunger, and thirst. Although they were complaining, they stared at the park entrance and got excited whenever they saw something yellow pass by."

There is one scenario above that describes WAITING and another that describes WATCHING. Can you guess which one it is? Scenario one described waiting, and scenario two described watching. The dictionary provides a deeper understand with another perspective.

Waiting: to remain inactive or in a state of repose, as until something expected happens.

Watching: to be alertly on the lookout, look attentively, or observe, as to see what comes, is done, or happens.

(definitions from dictionary.com)

I love the one word in the waiting definition. INACTIVE. Waiting is INACTIVE, where as Watching is ACTIVE. Like the scenario, the kids were FOCUSED. EXPECTING for the bus to arrive, where as the other, the kids were just minding their own thing. The bus could have passed by, they could received a phone call saying a blue bus was coming instead, but they would have missed it.

Jumping back to the passage. Jesus said to the disciples, WATCH and PRAY. This gives us a CLEAR outlook and guide line on how we should pray. We have to pray and whenever we call out to God, God listens to you. He will always provide an answer. 3 main answers, YES. NO. and WAIT. But, we have to WATCH. We always say things like "if its according to your plan" but, not we have to EXPECT an answer because he WILL reply. When we expect an answer, it doesnt mean, do whatever you want and the next day you'll see a YES/NO/WAIT word made of clouds in the sky, but it means to be FOCUSED. Watch for the answer. Watch for his signs. If we just WAIT for an answer, its really easy to miss God's opportunities he gives us, the gifts and blessings we get, and what we want too. In fact, waiting causes distractions and maybe you wont even see the giant cloud providing your answer either.

We have to learn to WATCH instead of WAIT when we pray. Its something i need to improve one, and actually WATCH. EXPECT IT. FOCUS ON YOUR SURROUNDINGS THAT GOD WILL ANSWER. Watch and Pray.

That you God?

You always hear those intense stories where something tragic happen then someone came to Christ or heard his voice. Those happen to some people, not all. Personally, I’ve never been through any of those hardcore “I touched Christ” or “He was standing right in front of me” moments.

We’ve all been through challenges and through Christ we overcome them. From as simple as walking up those many stairs to struggling with a relationship. Believe it or not He’s by our side every single second of our lives. From when we were in our mother’s wombs till now. Young and old.

It may be hard to hear God’s still voice and we have to be careful with what we are listening to. Satan’s voice can be very similar to Christ’s but those tricks and obstacles that he makes us face involve him. Everyone has a purpose in their life, from striving to become your dream career to serving God in your own community. He speaks to everyone in a different and unique way, whether it be from an incident or through worship, He knows how to speak to you. We have to be patient and obedient with God.

Christ is accepting and He’s always happy to hear you confess your sins to Him. Overcoming an obstacle is very challenging and sometimes we may take the wrong path and regret it. Christ gave that reason for you to take that way, He’s willing to forgive your every move but only if you are willing to confess and come up front to Him about it. Be honest to Him and don’t lie.

Fully rely on Him because he creates your every move.

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

We need to talk.

There are conflicts everywhere people go. From school, home, workplace, everywhere. There’s never a place without a conflict (cept Heaven). We all strive for the best and we tend to have a mentality that we always have to be right.

One relationship that I’ve been through had constant arguing. Every week there would be an argument. Either one of us was right and we both didn’t want to admit it. All these fights were over stupid things that just teared us apart. I regret every little thing that we fought about. Stubbornness lead to all these fights. We both wanted our way and there was no way that we could compromise it was one or the other. I soon realized that these conflicts got us no where. Made us both cry constantly. That’s all. I honestly, regret having that mentality of being right. It kept our relationship from strengthening.

10 months passed on by. It was time to stop these fights and go up front. After that, there were constant tears rolling down cheeks. As I stood there I wanted to ensure our trust for each other but we both turned around and as one walked away the other stood there not knowing what to do.

Conflicts always get in the way of relationships. After all that I’ve been through I learned an amazing lesson. You are not always right. It wasn’t easy to accept it but it was the ugly truth and I learned it the hard way. Relationships have the good and bad side.

Learn to accept the fact that God put you in that conflict not to hurt you but for you to learn from past experiences.

At War?

The Same Spirit at Work

Jon Walker

“For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.” (Ephesians 2:18 NIV)

A time long ago and in a land far away, I found myself frustrated one day with a co-worker. Actually, frustrated is a mild word because, as my sweet southern aunts might say, I perceived this co-worker as contrary.

Just to be clear: I’m no choirboy, either.

In a Cold War sense, there were fights and quarrels between us, both wanting something, but neither one of us able to get it. Jesus’ brother, James, says this sort of conflict is evidence of ungodly desires (James 4:1–2). I realized that at the core of my frustration was our inability to get along, even though “the Holy Spirit, whom God has placed within us, jealously longs for us to be faithful” (James 4:5 NLT).

This is what God whispered into my ear: “The same Spirit at work in you is the same Spirit at work in him.”

Did you catch that? The same Spirit at work in you is the same Spirit at work in him.

Is there another believer with whom you have trouble getting along? Remember, the same Spirit at work in you is the same Spirit at work in him or her.

This year, what will you do to try and bring peace between you and this person?

Conflicts, we're always in them. Whether it may be with family, with friends, with yourself. They can be small conflicts over who's the pick up the phone or big conflicts that can cause destructive consequences. According to this devotional, it states that when these conflicts arise, it is evidence of ungodly desires. This does make sense. Whenever we're in conflict we have a desire for something, something for us to go our way. For instance, when the phone rings and you're arguing with someone else to pick it up, you yourself dont want to move, you want keep on doing what you wanna do. Its just you you you you. These are not godly desires. The passage (James 4) speaks about dealing with worldly things, within the scripture it even says "flirting with the world" God is a jealous lover, he wants you to be faithful, so when we "fight" with others, there are no godly desires present, and becomes something God isnt pleased with.

This is an interesting line. “The same Spirit at work in you is the same Spirit at work in him.” The same people you have conflicts with have the same spirit as you. What does that even mean. Thinking about it, here's my stab. Like we're somehow all connected? What do you think? comment below.

Are you in conflict with anyone? Are your desires aligned with Christ's? Or are they selfish desires? Are you "at war"? How are you going to re-establish that peace with them?

this was a more difficult one to understand,

Jason

Where to God?

Day 2. First day of 2012 is over. Now what? What does God have in store for me this year?

Last year was one hectic year. Let’s start from the beginning. Dislocating my knee. How else can I describe it? While competing at a track and field meet I was in mid air and SNAP my knee dislocates and I land on the same leg. I didn’t know what to think about. Did I win? Obviously not. Can I walk? Who knows I was still on the floor. All of a sudden I bursted out in tears. Why? I was thinking to God why would you do this to me? What have I done to deserve this? There was no way I could compete for the rest of the year. This was my only way to take out my stress. Through sports and all of a sudden in one jump it’s all gone. As I was going back home I was thinking about what my restrictions were, now that I wasn’t able to walk. I was thinking about Church. We had an event called Acupe coming up and I was one of the main characters in a skit. How was I able to act without walking. It’s just not possible. As the day came closer and closer I prayed harder and harder asking God to just heal my leg. A week before the night I tried walking without my crutches and guess what? He DID answer my prayer! It was such a miracle and I didn’t know what to say.

I thought that this would be the first and last obstacle that I’d face in 2011 but I was wrong. Going to Kenya for a mission’s trip I didn’t expect any big challenges that I’d face (since I went the year before). 5 days into the camp I realized that my breathing pattern wasn’t very stable. I asked the doctor what could it be? He asked if I’m asthmatic and I said that I got it in grade 3 but grew out of it. he quickly got his stethoscope and examined my breathing. In my head I was asking God why me? (again) after dislocating my knee and now this. What is he trying to tell me? I was quickly diagnosed with asthma once again and I had to take my puffer once every 2 hours. It wasn’t easy living a life like this back in grade 3 and nothing would make it better now. There’s no cure for asthma so I knew that I’d have to deal with this my whole life.

After 2 big challenges that I faced I quickly got back up and continued my race. October 30 came along and this meant our annual fall retreat. Retreat is when our fellowship at RHCCC goes to a campsite for the weekend to spend time with God and each other. We were playing games and once was called Spokes. The objective of the game is to pop a balloon that is set in the center of a circle with whatever body part that is called out. So the last round came and I was called. i was about to pop the balloon and before I knew it I got tackled by a counsellor. He’s in his mid 20s and pretty big of a guy. It wasn’t easy to get up. He hit the knee that got dislocated a few months before and I realized that he had dislocated it. my mind went blank. I hit the floor with my head and it all went black. I didn’t know what to say or do. After 15 seconds of being on the floor I realized that my knee wasn’t in place. I quickly popped it back in (I know that sounds gross but its true :s ) and asked for help to get up.

Those were the most intense and scariest moments of 2011 for me. Going into 2012 I honestly don’t know what God will do to me. Getting my knee dislocated twice and being diagnosed with asthma is something that isn’t fun to deal with.

Today’s devos is about missions. (Jason posted it so ya’ll can read it off his so it won’t take up that much space) I wanted to go to Belize and thinking bout the past year I’m a little bit iffy bout it. Getting asthma in Kenya and having a not very stable knee. Where would God send me? What would he do next? Being away from my family may not be the best since I do get hurt a lot :$

I honestly don’t know where my next field will be. Somewhere across the world or back here in my own community. Knowing that God will guide and provide it’s all up to him to decide.

After praying for healing I now know that he answers prayers. I’ve seen it for myself. But the worst part is that it takes time. Patience is key in a relationship. It may be hard to wait but God has a purpose for his every move.

In Isaiah 6:8 it says: “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’”

We should always be ready for what God has in store for us. No matter how many obstacles he’s given us. He gives us these obstacles and challenges because he knows that we can conquer them one at a time.

I’ve learned to keep an open mind no matter how much I’ve been through. Holding a grudge on God is just a waste of time. He’s provided us with everything and he wants to see us happy.

Be happy with where you get sent because there’s a reason for everything.

"Here I Am, Send Me!"

Second Devo of the year!

So now its starting to become a mix, i've subscribe to Daily Hope by Rick Warren, so my posts may also come to here as well. And wow, perfect timing. This summer, im stuck in a conflict on missions. Here my dilemma in a nutshell.

The past two years i've done Day Camp/Overnight Camp as well as a Quebec missions trip and both years i've had so much fun, getting to know more people, working with kids, and it has impacted me so very much. I honestly LOVE working with kids, it brings genuine and true happiness into my life and i miss them so much. Now this year, i can go again with that route for the third year in a row, OR ive been asked to do a China's missions trip with my family, tagged along is also a vacation to HK/Japan/Korea, places like that. And I honestly dont know what to do. I feel like i should focus on family more this year.. but i feel like i cant give up my kids. At first i was planning to do missions according to Acts 1:8:

"But you will recieve power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all of Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

I was planning to do Urban Promise (gr 9), Quebec, OJ (gr 10), Belize/China (gr 11/gr 12). So basically starting small and going out and further. That makes sense right? But then my first year of OJ, one of the pastors said that maybe it should be the other way around, be more concentrated. Focus on ONE missions to build your relationship in that community, thats why i went to OJ again last year. So now what... :S

But today's devo was exactly about missions. Not really answering my question, but its a sign right?

Jesus Cleanses and Calls

by Jon Walker

“‘Woe to me!’ I cried. ‘I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips ... and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.’ Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal ... which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, ‘See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.’ Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’” (Isaiah 6:5–8 NIV)

One of the most effective tools the enemy will use to keep you from serving God this year is convincing you that you’ve either messed up too much or that you must clean up your life before you can get God’s attention. When these thoughts pop into your head, sniff the air for the scent of sulfur because they are lies straight from the fires of Hell!

God’s intention when he convicts us of our sins is not to condemn us; rather his breath of life disperses that satanic smoke the father of lies uses to keep us on the run from God.

If you follow the sequence of Isaiah 6, you’ll see how God initiates the process that brings you into his holy presence and purifies you to remain in his presence, and that your new guilt-free, sin-atoned status will compel you and prepare you for the unique mission God sets before you.

Isaiah reports that God’s fire is a cleansing fire that burns your guilt away and purifies you from sin, sealing within you the work of Jesus Christ. The prophet also suggests God’s ultimate purpose for cleansing us is to prepare us for mission: “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’” (Isaiah 6:8 NIV)

Prior to God taking the initiative to cleanse Isaiah, the prophet felt overwhelmed and unprepared for any mission on God’s behalf.

After the cleansing, Isaiah is energized with a desire to serve God.

If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, God has done the work of preparing you for whatever task he will ask of you. How will you seek God and his mission for you this year?

One of the most effective tools the enemy will use to keep you from serving God this year is convincing you that you’ve either messed up too much or that you must clean up your life before you can get God’s attention. - i think i've struggled with this, maybe not with the missions field, but with baptism (totally off topic i know). But i'd always think i'd need to be completely "pure" for me to get baptized, but i soon realized that baptism isnt some sign of you being pure, its just a proclamation of your commitment to Christ. Baptism is the next step of faith after accepting Christ when you're ready to tell the world that you're a Christ follower. After you get baptized, you dont all of a sudden become perfect either, life is still a journey and you'll still face obstacles, but with Christ and that commitment you have the power and the faith to carry on.

If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, God has done the work of preparing you for whatever task he will ask of you. How will you seek God and his mission for you this year? - i really dont know. i dont have much time either to make my decision. Im really bad at hearing God. When do you know if its just you talking, or if its the devil? How do you know when your thoughts/desires align with Christ? What is a sign from God and what is just a coincidence? i'll have to continue to pray for these signs and an answer, please pray for me too! :)

where will God send me this year?

Jason

Day one. Thankfulness.

It's just another start to a new year. I thought it would feel like another day at Church. Another night spent with friends. but I was wrong.

I realized that spending the last moments of 2011 and the first of 2012 with my friends it hit me hard: What was I praying for all these years? Having friends by my side is something I took for granted. I only prayed for their requests and only thanked God for them once in a while. Who knows what's going to happen this year. From starting off the year with an earthquake in Japan. It could happen anytime in Canada and friends can go just like that. From tickle wars to first and last hugs. I realized that my friends have been by my side since the beginning. I never really thought of what my life would be like if I didn’t have them. No one there to support, encourage, make me smile, and just about everything.

Sitting at church on the first day of the year I prepared myself for the sermon. I wasn't expecting anything to come out of it till I turned and realized that Jason was missing. I thought to myself where could he be. 15 minutes ago we were texting each other and all of a sudden it stopped. I quickly asked him where he was and a few minutes later he replied. It was such a relief for him to show up. I realized that anything could have happen within those few minutes. We need to be thankful for what we’re given and not take things for granted. From simple friends to accountability partners. We all have our separate friends but, knowing that they’ll be there for you is such an amazing opportunity to have. Knowing that you’re loved, blessed, and trusted. A simple hug can’t hurt someone but not thanking them for something can. Take the time to reflect and thank those who you love the most.

As I sit here listening to Justis Kao's worship CD I came across this song called: "Everyday/Trading My Sorrows"
Here are the lyrics to "Everyday":

What to say, Lord? It's
You who gave me life and I
Can't explain just how
Much You mean to me now
That You have saved me, Lord
I give all that I am to You
That everyday I could
Be a light that shines Your name

Everyday, Lord, I'll
Learn to stand upon Your word
And I pray that I
I might come to know You more
That You would guide me in every single step I take, that
Everyday I can
Be Your light unto the world

Everyday, it's You I live for
Everyday, I'll follow after You
Everyday, I'll walk with You, my Lord

Everyday, Lord, I'll
Learn to stand upon Your word
And I pray that I
I might come to know You more
That You would guide me in every single step I take, that
Everyday I can
Be Your light unto the world

Everyday, it's You I live for
Everyday, I'll follow after You
Everyday, I'll walk with You, my Lord

It's You I live for, everyday

Everyday, it's You I live for
Everyday, I'll follow after You
Everyday, I'll walk with You, my Lord


These lyrics hit me hard. Like a slap in the face. Why am I on this earth? To please others? To help people? None of those. I had to give my all up to God. God created you and I to serve Him, for Him alone.

He made each and every one of us perfectly and for a reason. Some of us may still be seeking while others know for sure.

In 2011, to be honest, I wasn't a very humble leader. Some may say I am but personally, I don't think I was. Some things I did were for pride and acknowledgement. In 2012, I want to live like Christ. He gave us HIS all and it's time for us give Him our best.

Be thankful for what you’re given. Friends. Family. Food. Shelter. Schools. Church. And everything in between. You never know when your last day is. Christ gave us all a purpose. Yes, you’ll be given many challenges but He gives us these challenges because He knows that we can conquer them. It may take hours, days, months, sometimes years. But we strive to be like Him. He’s given us so much. It wouldn’t hurt to say thanks.


"I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy"
-Philippians 1:3-4

Starting 2012's Walk: In Love.

Lets start this devo thing. Or else ima forget about it and who knows where that'll lead us.

I was kinda unsure of what to do today, but i opened my ESV bible app and i was on Ephesians 5. Walking In Love. Here's what it says.

¹ Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children ² and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

³ But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. ⁴ Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. ⁵ For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.^{[a] 6} Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. ⁷ Therefore do not be partners with them.

⁸ For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light ⁹ (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) ¹⁰ and find out what pleases the Lord. ¹¹ Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. ¹² It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. ¹³ But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. ¹⁴This is why it is said:

“Wake up, sleeper,
rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.”

¹⁵ Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, ¹⁶ making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. ¹⁷ Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. ¹⁸ Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, ¹⁹ speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, ²⁰ always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

ephesians5:1-20

Walking in love. This is how we should be walking in 2012, and we can use it as a guideline to keeping on track with God and staying right with God. Lets just dissect the passage.

v1. be imitators of God. Something extremely important here is the fact that we cannot be imitators of God... if we dont know who God is or what he did, and there's only ONE place where you can find that, in the bible. So in other words, study his Word. I've been reading a book; "You Can Change" by Tim Chester. Here's a quick quote. "Our job is to study the glory of God revealed in the life and death of Jesus. We're to study his character, learn his role, and understand his motivation, so that in every situation we can improvise the part. We'll face situations that Jesus never faced. But if we understand his character well enough, we'll be able to improvise. We'll be a good Jesus." By studying the Lord, we'll know how to act and we'll learn to naturally live it out.

v4. no foolish talk, but let there be thanksgiving. Our mouths are strong and powerful. They can either be a weapon, used for deceit and destruction, or as a tool, used for thanksgiving and encouragement. Like it says in the verse, let there be thanksgiving. But think about it, why would you talk foolishly, and hurt others with your mouth. What good does it do you? Why not instead, praise God, thank God, thank others, and support others. We have to learn to control our mouths in 2012. Things you say can NEVER be taken back, so watch what you say.

v8. walk as children of light. Light, the properties of light are that the light waves move in all directions and it never stops. They can reflect, refract, diffract, and bend. Thats how we should be. As children of LIGHT, we radiate, our World and society today is black, is dark, filled with chaos, sin and evil and we are the little specks of light that are used by God to brighten up the lives of others. Through our actions, and through our words, God's name is glorified. This brings up and issue that i have problems with. I've learnt (from that book again) that we are representatives of God. It pains me to see people that say they are Christ followers, but then decide to radiate something else. If we represent God, let us represent in UNITY. By radiating something different, people change their thoughts about who we are, as a WHOLE. Think about how your actions affect others. Im not saying i radiate pure light and pure holiness, but at least learn to work at it.

v15. look carefully then how you walk. Kinda just adding on to what i said before. But as the new year starts, take some time to reflect on your past and how you've been walking. Are you radiating God's love? or are you showing something else?

v20-12. giving thanks always to God the Father and submitting to one another. Be thankful. Sometimes i wake up and realize how great God is to me. Count your blessings. The fact that you can read this blog post means your already blessed. That means you have internet, while means you have a computer if not a mobile device, which means you have electricity, probably a house, and depending on where you live your own room, a car, a job or a school. Think about how much God has blessed you with and think about how you can pour some of that blessing into other people. Submitting to other people. I've learnt that support and accountability is amazing and important in one's life. Life is a long hard journey. Being a Christian is not an easy life as some may think. But God fills our live with obstacles and struggles so we can grow in our faith and learn to trust in our almighty God when we're failing. But also, build a community where you have people to reach out to and ya'll can push each other up when you're falling. You are running a race alone, but you can have many many many people cheering you on from the sidelines.

That mustve been a long post. But think about it. How are you going to walk this upcoming year in 2012. In love? or Out of love?

cheers to the new year!

Jason