Discouraged?

Recently I've been discouraged. I would say it's gone on for approximately the past few months. Sure, we all get discouraged, but I've been discouraged about a few things combined together that just led to more discouragement. Some of these things were parts of my life I couldn't control, yet others were things I could. One thing I do know is that Jesus is always there for me and I should never ignore him. But I did. I set aside Jesus, and I hardly read my Bible, and seldom prayed for more than my food. I somehow convinced myself that reading my Bible wouldn't help my discouragement even though I knew deep down that wasn't true.

To be honest, I'm not really sure why all these factors were bothering me the way they were. In my heart I knew that God wanted me to read the Bible through this rough patch, but I chose to ignore that. All I know is that God is the one who I need for any situation. He is the one who can give me strength when I feel weak, build me up when I am knocked down, and encourage me when I am feeling discouraged. Sometimes when we feel that the factors around us are too strong for us to handle, we cave, we give in. We give in to feelings of doubt, denial and we believe these lies. Lies that we allow ourselves to believe because we have no answers, so we give ourselves to pity - I did that. 

I know that Jesus Christ has been my answer to every problem I've come across before. But I'm stubborn sometimes, I know that. I often look to myself for the answers that I know only God can give me. I admit that. And here is when the change begins. When we fail ourselves and we truly have no one left to go to then God is still waiting. He always has been and he always will be waiting for your call.

So, a couple weeks ago I began calling to God for help. I knew that my discouragement had gone too far. I knew that I hadn't read my Bible in what seemed like forever. So I asked God for strength, that he would begin to encourage me once again as I began to read the Bible, his word. God knows how to ease burdens like no one else can. Once you lean on him, you won't find anyone better.

Since I began seeking God's guidance once again, I feel more peace and fulfilment in place of my helpless discouragement. I know that things don't always go my way, but no matter what I've got a God that will stand by me through rain or storm, even in the good times, God stands by me. He stands by us all. I began praying again too. It felt refreshing - prayer and God's word go beautifully together. I cannot pray unless I've read God's word, and I cannot read God's word without prayer. 

So, no matter what life throws my way or yours, I want to encourage you. If you already believe in Jesus Christ, lean on him no matter what, he will be your strength! If you are doubting God right now, open the Bible and take a read. God's word speaks truth to those who read it. Recently I've been reading James and 1 & 2 Thessalonians. And I highly recommend taking a look at James chapter 1 and 2 as well as all of 1 & 2 Thessalonians. 

Romans 12:12 says "Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer." This verse sums up what I'm trying to say through this post. God is my comforter and he will be yours too, if you trust in him. 

God bless! 

Faith > Sight

I read 2 Corinthians 5:7 today, "for we walk by faith, not by sight" and it occurred to me that I had never really understood what it meant until now. I had never given this verse much thought but I'd always brushed it off as something that I figured I already understood. Walking by faith and not by sight' is so much more than just looking to God when things are going wrong, or asking God for some guidance here and there. Faith is often defined in the Bible as something that means obedient trust, or it can mean belief. In Hebrew the word used for faith is translated to meaning 'trust' - as in trusting God's promises.

It occurred to me tonight that walking by faith is has so much more to do with trust than I had realized. Walking by sight is trusting what you see to be true, but walking by faith is trusting God to determine if what you see is really true. So many of us don't practice walking by faith often enough, including myself. 

When you think about it faith it often comes with close relationships - relationships with friends, relationships with family, and relationships with other people that you are close with. We trust the people that we spend time with generally, and its the same with God. He wants us to have faith in Him and the only way that we can have faith in Him is through a relationship with him. The kind of relationship where you talk to Him and spend time with Him on a daily basis. If you never spent time with your close friend, would you trust them? Probably not. 

Trusting in faith is so much better than trusting in what you can see. How many times have you read something wrong? I know I have many times. Our eyes can often see things wrong, but God can help us see clearly. Faith in God clears our thoughts, He will help us understand things which we cannot comprehend. He can teach us so much more than we could ever know without Him. Faith in God is what will sustain you - it will be your anchor when life gets tough, literally holding your down in rough storms. Faith is knowing that God has a perfect plan, that he has worked everything out for your good in the end. 

I know for sure that God wants your heart - a heart that is devoted to his love. If you have a little faith and trust in Him, He will multiply that faith. I know from personal experience that God has never failed me when I put a little faith in Him - he has always used my faith to show me amazing things that give me even more reason to put my faith in Him. You can but your faith in knowledge, in beauty, even in friends, but no one will ever show you how to see - really see - why things happen in the ways that they do. But God can. 

Hebrews 12:2 says "We must focus on Jesus, the source and goal of our faith. He saw the joy ahead of him, so he endured death on the cross and ignored the disgrace it brought him. Then he received the highest position in heaven, the one next to the throne of God." This verse is an example of the type of faith that God wants to give us - a faith that sees the joy beyond the pain. Our eyes may see pain, but our faith will show us that there's something better beyond that. 

God bless! 

It's about Him

Tonight I opened my Bible (this particular time I was reading the Message) to Matthew 6 and I read verses 19-34. The section is titled "A Life of God-Worship".

Sometimes I don't feel like I'm getting anywhere, and I can get discouraged; when I think like this I'm missing the point - it's not about me, its about Him! I've been discouraged lately, it's been a lot of things really, but we all have our times when we feel like this. Sometimes I just sit there, feeling pity for myself, my situation, moping in my discouragement. But that's not what God wants us to do when we feel discouraged! He wants us to rely on Him, to look to Him for our satisfaction, our meaning, our encouragement. 

Matthew 6:19-34 talks about looking to God at all times, because he cares for us, if we look around to the things that take us away from spending time with God, we get distracted. We can easily forget how much God cares for us. When you focus on God, it allows you to truly forget the things that are bothering you. It's like getting a lollipop in exchange for $1, before you bought the lollipop you were burning with the desire to spend it on anything, but now that you have it, you are completely satisfied and you are enjoying that treat without a care in the world. God is like that, he wants us to enjoy him and to focus on him. Matthew 6:34 says "Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes." I really like the way this verse is worded in the Message, it really speaks to how I'm feeling right now. This verse reminds me that God's got everything in control, my life may feel in limbo, but I know that God's got some good stuff planned for me real soon. 

I've also learned that doing what God asks you isn't always easy, or fun. But its about serving God with to the best of your ability. Serving God is about giving up your time, making a sacrifice to do what God is asking you. But when you follow God, and look toward him you will be blessed - and maybe you'll need some extra encouragement, but God's got that waiting for you in the Bible. 

Sometimes life leaves me feeling down, but I know that as long as I am following God, I know that I am, where God wants me. I may not enjoy the confusion or discouragement, but in this time I can only look to God who will give me the guidance I am looking for. I look to Him through his word, I open my Bible and read; and God never fails to speak to me. 

It's not about what I'm doing, its about what God's doing. God bless!

Pinterest Free

Lent is the time of year when some Christians choose to give something up for the 40 weekdays leading up to Easter. We do this in preparation for Easter, but also to commemorate how Christ fasted 40 days in the desert. This is first year giving something up for Lent. Normally I never gave something up for 40 days because I didn't think I had anything to give up. But this year its a tough one. I'm giving up Pinterest. 

So maybe it sounds like no big deal - at least I thought so. I figured it was no big deal - I'm not addicted to Pinterest, right? Wrong. It hasn't even been a week and I have been fighting the urge to go on Pinterest ever since Wednesday. Its tough giving up something that takes over your life. But that's exactly the problem - its taking over my life, getting in the way of my studies; its distracting me. I never realized how much I would be fighting the temptation, but I am.

I am doing this to remember Christ's struggles as he fasted for 40 days. Just because he was God's son, doesn't mean he didn't feel hunger, nor does it mean he contemplated quitting. The Bible says that he was human in every way (Hebrews 4:15). If Jesus could do it, then so can I. But why am I doing this? Because God has called me to. I asked God what I should take away and he showed me that Pinterest was getting in my way on a daily basis. But I know that I am not doing this alone - he is walking with me every step of the way. Deuteronomy 5:33a says 'You shall walk in all the way that the Lord has commanded you.' This is what I aim to do in the next 35 weekdays. I know that the Lord is there to give me strength (Isaiah 41:10), he is there to encourage me (Philippians 4:13), and he will teach me to walk in his truth (Psalm 27:11).

I am excited to see how God will use this experience to teach me something in my life; because he has brought me to it, he will bring me through it. God is stronger than my temptations. Join me in my journey as I have faith and trust in God! 

Praise God from whom all blessings flow! 

Peace in God

John 14:27 says "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid."

This is a verse that I came across tonight as I was talking to a friend about something that was concerning me. If we trust God, he promises us peace so we don't have to worry about the things that concern us. I can be quite the worrier when it comes to certain situations – and worry can leave me feeling sick. Yet, the more I get to know God, the more I read my Bible, the more time I spend in prayer, the less worry I feel. God is the only one who can give you true peace – a peaceful life that will leave you with greater happiness. 

I know what it's like not to have peace when you go to bed at night. Here's the scenario: You lie down in bed at night thinking about your day and you can't sleep, something doesn't feel right, you question all your actions that you did throughout the day, and somehow you wish you didn't live out today in the way you did, but you just had fun right? Why don't you feel satisfied at the end of the day when you go to bed? Nothing went wrong, nothing messed up. But at night you feel sick with your day; you lack peace in your life. That is what I used to feel like, I'd go to bed and I didn't want to look back at my day - something about it didn't feel right, I didn't feel comfortable in my own skin at the end of the day. 

There was a time in my life when I didn't feel like this, but at times it came and went. I remember thinking about why I felt this way, and I knew the answer but I didn't want to admit it to myself. Things had changed that year in school for me, I was extremely self-conscious - so maybe that's why I was feeling unsatisfied? But no. Something in my life was not giving me peace.  

I realized that summer what I had been missing. It was God. That year had been a rough one for me, I did things I had never done before, and yet I had fun with some new found friends - what could be wrong in that? In the process of having fun and trying new things, I forgot about God. I left him behind thinking that I could enjoy myself without having to worry about feeling bad about my foolish decisions and my declining grades. But the fact was that my soul missed God, my soul was what needed Him in my life. So that summer at camp, I found that complete peace in God I hadn't realized I was missing. The saying is true 'you don't know what you've got 'till it's gone' - I had forgotten that I used to go to bed feeling calm, not sick with worry or displeased with my life.

I now know that God is the only one who can give me complete peace. Ever since that point where I began trusting God once again, I have never felt the same way. I look forward to new things knowing that God is helping me through each day. I asked for peace, and God gave it to me. I still worry, but I pray too - and in that God answers my prayers, I know he will never leave me, so I don't have to be troubled, nor do I have to fear anything. 

The cool thing is that God wants us to have his peace! He wants us to be fulfilled with our lives, not to worry about the little things, but to be able to lie down at night and sleep peacefully. John 14:27 is a wonderful reminder of the peace God gives each and every one of us to asks him. 

Let the peace of Christ rule in your heart (Colossians 3:15) God bless! 

Worship

Early last week, Psalm 63 came to mind, and I don't know why, but when I read it early Sunday morning on my way to church, verse 3 stood out to me. Psalm 63:3 says "Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you". I thought this verse was pretty neat, especially as I was going to be leading worship at church that morning. 

But what is worship? Singing on a Sunday morning at church? Praying before a meal? Worship is a way of living, how we (as Christians) live each day. In Greek (the language of the New Testament) worship is 'λατρεία' meaning devotion or adoration. So worship is not just an act of singing to God on Sunday mornings at church, but it is the way in which we choose to live our life. I do my best to live everyday in worship of God - I want to adore God and I am devoted to him. Saying 'I adore and I am devoted to God' sounds so much more beautiful than 'I worship God'. There is something beautiful about living one's life for a God, a deity that we've never met nor seen. 

So maybe it sounds weird to say I worship God, by loving, adoring, and staying devoted to him. But do you know why I've chosen this way of life? Because God has done so much more for me than I could have ever imagined, when I was sad he gave me pure unending joy, when I felt rejected he loved me, and when I was lost he found me. God is so much more to me than only that guy we pray to at church, or before meals. God is real to me, I can feel he is with me, I can experience the love and joy he gives me. 

I want to tell a short story. In high school I got in with the wrong group of friends, and because of them I changed the way I acted - I swore, I talked like them, and I even began to act like them. Little did I know that I was hurting myself by acting like this. Before I knew it, I was unhappy, feeling dissatisfied with life, and I got angry easily. I didn't care about school any more, and that year my grades dropped. I was messing around, living in the moment, carefree. Then that summer, when the school year was out, I went on a trip to M'Chigeeng to serve the wonderful people on the First Nations Reserve on behalf of an organization called DayStar. I went with my church, and in that community, we ran a day camp. We taught the kids about God, told them how much he loved them, and for once in a very long time I began to realize how much God loved me. If I could love these beautiful children, and if love comes from God, then God must have a much bigger heart for me than I could ever imagine. I can't remember the exact time, day, or moment, but some point on that reserve I came to love and adore God. I came back from that trip feeling like I had better vision, physically I could see better. I could see better colours, better light, somehow my eyes felt opened wide and I felt happiness that would never leave me - joy. It was completely wonderful, in serving others and forgetting about myself, God answered a silent prayer, a desperate plea, he took away my unhappiness, he gave me satisfaction, he took away my anger, even the swearing stopped. This was how I came to know God's love for me, through the love I saw in these beautiful children. I didn't realize how much I needed God's love until he gave it to me. God is love. I know that God is love because 2000 years ago, he came to earth in the form of a man, and died for my life, knowing that I would make mistakes. But he chose to love me enough to make me his daughter. Because he died for me, I can always come to him and talk to him as my Father, he is a wonderful father who hears my prayers and answers the whispers of my hurting heart. He didn't just die for me - he died for every single person, and anyone who accepts him can have a loving relationship with him, just ask.

See why I worship my God? Because if he died for me, the least I could give him in return is my devotion, my time. I live my life as an act of worship so people can look at me and see that God has given me joy and a wonderful life to live. I live to tell people my story, to inspire those who feel like their life isn't perfect. My God is perfect, but my life isn't and that's why I need him. He took my darkness (hurt, sadness, and anger) and replaced it with light (joy, happiness, and a smile).

Here's a poem I wrote a little more than a year ago called The Cards are not Mine:

So many things,

Dragging me down.

Everything I did,

... Everywhere I went.

Memories.

Pain.

Rejection.

Are no more.

I found peace outside,

Behind old doors.

Locked,

They were no longer.

Soon came healing,

From another source.

I gave my life away,

Traded for another.

Love came in,

Replacing old feelings.

Joy.

Understanding.

A new beginning,

With a different ending.

Would I trade again?

No.

The cards are not mine

To keep or deal.

God bless! 

Trust in Him

I must confess, I do not always trust God. I often rely on myself, others, or family for my answers to life's probing questions. Yet, as I look back at this week, God has shown me through at least two separate instances that I need to learn to trust him more.

The first instance was through reading Psalm 91. I began my week by reading Psalm 91, and all week it kept on coming to mind, then today as I re-looked at that specific Psalm, its a Psalm all about trusting God. Psalm 91 gives reasons to; God because he has saved many from their perils in the past, in 91:10 it says "no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent", referring to saving the Israelites from the plagues in Exodus. This Psalm also talks about how God will be a defence in times of trouble, a deity that we can return to when life gets rough - Psalm 91:1-2 "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, "My refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust". 

The second instance occurred through a song called Oceans by Hillsong United.  It's a beautiful song that I've been listening to off and on all week. It talks about how God has called each and every one of us to be His. One line in particular says, "Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders, let me walk upon the waters, wherever you will call me.Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander, and my faith will be made stronger, in the presence of my Saviour". This song is all about trusting God and letting him lead you through rough and stormy waters. Though circumstances may completely drag you down, God will always be there to lead you out of the stormy waters, and you will never sink when he is the one you put your trust in. 

It's funny how God can use two separate things during my week to show me that my trust in Him was lacking, and He was so specific as to point out a situation that had been on my mind all week. He showed me that my friendship with this particular person was in his hands, that I should stop worrying over it, that the questioning was to be left up to him. Trusting his good plan for my life is the best thing for me to do right now, because by worrying I know I will get no farther than I was yesterday. No amount of googling, questioning, or wondering will change anything about my current situation - but God can. 

Trust isn't an easy thing, and I know that, especially when a situation seems uncertain or we are used to being let down. But I know for sure that when we trust God to take care of a situation, he always pulls through, he keeps his promises and never lets us down. Psalm 37:5 says "Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will act", this is as much of a command as it is a promise. God promises that when we give him our burdens, our troubles, and our worries, that he will take them, and secure him with his promise that he will never leave us or forsake us, nor will he leave us fighting on our own. 

I will leave you with Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight". I highly recommend you take a look at Oceans by Hillsong United - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dy9nwe9_xzw . God bless!