I Can Do Anything!

My school semester is coming to an end so things are CRAZY! My motto for this past semester has been "I can do anything for 16 weeks" and so far I have.

Everybody goes through crazy times when you just think that you can't keep going.  You're out, down for the count, dead.  But there is hope and strength to be found in the Lord!

I have relied heavily on Christ these past fews months.  You can find such strength and courage in this verse.  It's so encouraging knowing that God has our backs.  Always. Through lots and lots of prayer we can get through anything!

Keep on praying! He really does hear you and care.  God bless.

Trusting God (Even when it seems like He's procrastinating)

This week has been incredibly stressful for me.  I have been trying for months to find a job so that I can move into this rent house and out of the dorms.  The dorms are fun and all but after three years I'm ready move!

I've been praying and hoping that I would find something.  I was really beginning to get discouraged about the situation after so many no's.  I was so disappointed that I wouldn't be able to afford this rent house and would have to live in the dorms yet another year.  It just seemed like things were not going my way.

Yesterday was the final date to get in my security deposit for the room I wanted.  The deadline was 7 pm.  Talk about cutting it close.  I went in to talk to the manager of the millionth store I applied to at about 2 pm yesterday afternoon.

I walked out an hour later with a job.  Praise God!

My good friend had been trying to tell me that God would provide and things would be okay, but I was convinced that this was just going to be a disaster.

Now I'm convinced that God will provide but it will be on His time and not mine.  I clearly need to work on trusting Him and His will.  I believe this was definitely a test to show me that He's got a plan and He will take good care of me.  Even if it does seem like He's procrastinating.

Keep on praying! God WILL provide. God bless!

Real, Genuine Joy

Joy isn't an emotion that can be faked and it doesn't just come from anywhere.  The purest form a joy comes from our Lord and Savior Himself.

This joy can't be taken away by anyone and it isn't situational.  "For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock. Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me;  at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the Lord. Hear my voice when I call, Lord; be merciful to me and answer me."  Psalm 27: 5-7.

Although we will endure harsh and trying times we can trust in the Lord and he will grant us an inner joy that cannot be stifled.

Find your joy today! Keep on praying. God bless!

Belated Easter Greetings

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Easter and you are in good health.  It is important to remember the point of this holiday as we celebrate!

God sent his one and only precious son to die a most painful death so that someday we will be reunited with Him in heaven.  It's amazing to think that someone loves us so much that He would sacrifice His beloved son.  Try to imagine that loss.  Would you have the strength to sacrifice your child? or sibling? or a parent?  I know I wouldn't be able to do it.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" John 3:16.

Keep this crazy love in mind as you continue to eat those leftovers and keep on praying.  God bless and happy belated Easter!!

The Beginning of the End

People have been yelling "the sky is falling, the sky is falling" for years.  Many have believed that the world is truly ending.  Where's the proof? How do we know it's truly the apocalypse?

"Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains" Matthew 24: 7-8.

This seems pretty obvious to me.  In Oklahoma alone we have had an increase in earthquakes within the last few years and there has been a lot of war all around the world.  The beginning of the end is clearly here.

Now I'm not saying the rapture will happen tomorrow or anything like that (it totally could though).  I just think that it's important that we are all ready for the return of our Lord.  No one knows when it will happen but it WILL happen.  It may be soon or it may not even happen in our generation, but we really need to pay attention to the signs that the bible has given us as a warning.

It's always been important to be strong in your faith but the urgency is becoming more present.  I encourage you all to get right will God.  Don't let everything else get in the way.  He is the most important thing we could have in our lives.

Stay strong and keep on praying.  "The sky is falling!!" God bless.

Love your neighbor (no matter who they are)

I'm sure most of you have heard about the incident at OU this past week.  I am so frustrated by this show of ignorance.

"The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:31)

Who is our neighbor? EVERYONE. No matter the color of their skin, their sexual preference, or anything else you could possibly think of to discriminate against.  Should we ostracize people for lying?  How about adultery? Oh or what about coveting others belongings?  I didn't think so.

I don't support gay marriage because of my beliefs but that is no reason to treat them any less than I would anyone else.  I also don't differentiate between black, white, red, yellow, or blue.  We're all people on this earth fighting the same struggles and daily battles as everyone else.  We should be helping each other not bringing them down.

We should love one another and treat each other with respect and kindness!  There is no excuse for what that fraternity did and I hope that others will see this and realize that discrimination is still a problem in our society. We are society.  It's time to fix this.

Love one another as the brothers and sisters that we are.  Keep on praying.  God bless!

Having courage in the face of fear

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1:9).

Do not be afraid? This is the hardest part of this verse. As humans we're afraid of a lot; the unknown, change, death, rejection, jellyfish. The list goes on. Fear is part of human nature. Well how can I be courageous if I'm afraid??

Courage is the ability to do something that frightens you. There's your answer! By going on even though you are scared you are showing courage. I don't think you can have courage without fear. Without the fear it wouldn't be a true act of courage.

Finding the strength to step forward and be courageous can be challenging. This is where the last part of this verse comes in. "For the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." Draw your strength from the promise that God is always with you through all of life's struggles. Even the little things like taking a test or going to the dentist.

God has our backs! Keep praying and "be strong and courageous." God bless!

All You Need Is Love

       "The second is this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:31).  I love the last part of this. "There is no other commandment greater than these."  I think we forget how important this is.

       If we spent more time focusing on loving one another there would be far less problems in this world.  Just loving and respecting one another would solve SO MUCH in a short period of time.

       "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres." (1 Corinthians 13:4-7).

       The love that we sing and read about as well as what we see in the movies is not like the kind of love that we should be perusing.  That love is fleeting and based off of appearance and lust.  Real love is true and never ending.  It isn't some fleeting emotion that you get with every new boyfriend or girlfriend.  Real love is a consuming passion that is not easily mistaken for something else.

       Here is my challenge to you.  Spend more time loving each other instead of bringing each other down.  It will make you happier and give you a peace you've never known.  Keep on praying! God Bless!

            

Letter to the Judgmental

You may remember a couple weeks ago that I addressed facing haters in life.  Well today I'm going to discuss it from the other side.

Dear Haters,
     Things may be going rough for you lately and that is truly unfortunate.  However, that does not give you a free pass on bringing others down.  Passing judgement on others is never acceptable.  "There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy.  But you -- who are you to judge your neighbor?" James 4:12.  Remember this verse and keep it written on your heart.

      We have ALL sinned and done things that we are not proud of.  We are humans and we mess up a lot.  "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" Romans 3:23.  No one is better than anyone else in this life.  Remember that the next time you feel like tearing someone down.  Instead, build someone up and you may find a friend that will get you through your tough times.
     
      Sincerely,
           The judged

Promises, promises

We love making promises.  "I'll be right there, I promise", "I'll love you forever, I promise." Or how bout when we make promises to God? "I promise I'll do better if you just do this for me."

"All you need to say is simply 'Yes' or 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one," Matthew 5:37.  This is important to remember.  We tend to over-promise a lot and not give a second thought to what we are really saying.  Can you deliver what you promised?  Can you know for certain that you will never break that promise?

Although we promise a lot of things to the people around us, we also promise a lot to God.  This is a far more serious offense.  "When you vow a vow to God, do not delay paying it, for he has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you vow. It is better that you not vow than that you should vow and not pay," Ecclesiastes 5:4-5.  God takes our promises very seriously and we should too.  Whether we make those promises to God or to our friends.

Keep your promises or don't promise at all.  Keep on praying, He does hear you. God bless!

Facing the Haters

      We've all had to face those people in life who are just determined to tear us down.  They've made it their mission to make us feel terrible about ourselves and our lives.

       Dealing with the negativity that those people inflict can be very difficult to do.  No matter how hard you try, their words can still get to us and cause doubt and fear.  It hurts.

       Instead of falling for these vicious lies, focus on finding your identity in Christ.  "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made: your works are wonderful and I know that full well" Psalm 139:14.

       God made us in His image and there is no way that God is "ugly" or "stupid" or any of the other things people may say about you.  It doesn't matter what others say.  You were created by the most powerful being to ever exist and He loves you dearly.

       While it's true others' words can still hurt, find comfort in knowing that you are just the way God made you.  God doesn't make mistakes.  He loves you, just as He loves the person that's trying to tear you down.

       We should pray for those who try to break us down.  We don't know why they are doing it.  Maybe they are lashing out because they're in a bad situation or feeling insecure about themselves.  Whatever the reason may be, keep them in your prayers.  They could some day become a good friend.....  Or not.

       Keep on praying!  He does hear you and He truly does care.  It may be hard to see but He is with us every step of the way.  God bless!

Leave It in His Hands

        We've all been through hard times and some of us are in the midst of a trying situation at this very moment.  These events are stressful and can really break you down if you try to handle them on your own.

        We have to learn to give these situations to God.  Leave it in His hands.  We have to trust that He knows what He is doing with our lives.  Remember that He can see the bigger picture.  We have no idea what is about to happen just around the bend.

        "Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you" 1 Peter 5:7.  There is only so much we can do to change our situation, but He has the power to change it all!  We just have to have the courage to let Him take control.  That's the hardest part.

        Keep on praying and trusting in Him! God Bless!

Be Passionate About Your Message

      Learning more about Christ and his followers is a strong passion of mine.  I want to help others in their daily walk as well as continuing to build my own faith which is why I've created this blog (that and it's a class project).

      Today we were asked to read a blog post called "If You're Not Passionate About Your Message, Don't Start a Blog" which discussed the reasons for creating a blog.  A lot of people create niche blogs in hopes of getting paid for what they write.  The problem with that is you are so focused on the money that your writing suffers and you produce very poor work.

      If you're alright with mediocre writing then good for you.  I hope you find what you're looking for.  However, if you're passionate about what you write it will have a far greater effect on the readers and much more enjoyable to read.  Yeah so maybe you won't make a living off of you're blog, but if you're doing it because you really want to, that really doesn't matter.

      This post was a good read and if you're thinking of starting a blog I encourage you to read it.  Make sure your heart is in the right place.  If You're Not Passionate About Your Message, Don't Start a Blog

In the Beginning...

This is the beautiful beginning of All In Good Faith.  I will be posting my opinions on bible passages, encouragements for daily struggles, and little faith boosters on this blog.  My hope is to encourage you in your walk with God.  If at any time you disagree with me or have issues you would like me to address in my posts, feel free to contact me.  I'd love to hear from you and get your opinion.  God bless!