Staying on Your Feet

"So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we'll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and his angels.
Be prepared. You're up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it's all over but the shouting, you'll still be on your feet."
Ephesians 6: 11-13

These verses say something that I believe everyone needs to know. You can't go through life on your own. It WILL break you, and destroy you. If you try to rely on yourself, you will get weary. If you try to rely on others, they will let you down. You MUST put your faith in God, and let him help you, guide you.

If you trust God, He will get you through anything, even when things are unbearably hard. "...when it's all over but the shouting, YOU'LL STILL BE ON YOUR FEET."

We can't help it...

Have you ever been so in love with Jesus Christ that you can't stop BLABBERING about Him? So have other people, like Peter and John (sound familiar?).

In Jerusalem, after the death and resurrection of Jesus, Peter and John were preaching in the streets. The rulers, elders, and teachers of the law didn't like what they were preaching. They had Peter and John brought to them, and ordered them to stop preaching. They replied:

"Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard."

(All of this takes place in Acts 4, so check it out!)

Peter and John were so in love with Jesus, and believed in Him so much that they COULDN'T HELP but talk about Him. That's how we should be! Always talk about Jesus, make Him be such a part of you that you are SHOUTING OUT His message.

Don't be afraid that people will reject you, make fun of you, or feel uncomfortable. Peter and John's ZEAL for the Lord was so incredibly strong that no one and nothing, not even threats, could stop their voices from being heard.

So BE BOLD and share what you believe. Don't let anything stand in your way!

Witnessing

I once heard an ex-Muslim man speaking. He was sharing stories about his past as a Muslim, and the people that he had met. A lot of things that he said really got to me.

Salim (that's his name...) went to the same flight school as the men that hijacked the planes on September 11th. He actually knew most of them. He said that NOT ONCE while he was at that school did anyone tell him about Jesus Christ.

Can you imagine if someone had? What if someone had approached those men and shared their testimony, shared their faith? Thousands of lives would have been saved, and so much pain would have been avoided. If only...

Now, I am not big on 'what if' questions. Because, obviously, it's too late now. But we still have today. Share your faith with EVERYONE. Talk to that kid that sits by himself at lunch. Witness to people you can't imagine yourself talking to. Everyone needs to hear the word of God, and you are the person to share it.

GO NOW, before it's too late.

Prayerless Studies

I know that there are many people out there who are like me. You go to church. You are active in your youth group. You read your Bible, you listen to worship music.

Is it just me, or is there something missing from that description?

You don't pray.

Now, I am a firm believer that all of those things are necessary in order to have a healthy relationship with Jesus Christ. Absolutely. But without prayer, how are you CONNECTING with God? Sure, you're learning about Him, you're reading about Him, you're singing about Him. But you aren't connecting.

It was once said by a wise (but unknown) person, "The one concern of the devil is to keep people from praying. The devil fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work, and prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but TREMBLES when we pray."

I, for one, enjoy making the devil tremble. He has made me tremble too many times to count, and there is nothing better than getting back at him for that pain. I choose to PRAY, to keep in close contact with God, who makes me strong.

Don't let religion keep you from God. In a sense, it does that. I often get so caught up in the tradition of religion--which ultimately pulls me further from God. Just be careful. PRAY every day, all the time...God won't get tired of listening to you (and the devil won't stop trembling).

What Can't Be Made New?

Crushed cell phones, blankies from your childhood, scratched digital cameras, virus-infested computers, pencils, bones, scratched CDs, chipped fingernails, torn pictures....

So many things in our lives cannot be made new. Once your cell phone is broken, it's broken forever (especially if you have Verizon, like I do). However, WE CAN BE MADE NEW. I know it's crazy. I know you're thinking, "You don't know some of the things I've done." But I do. I"m sure that I've done some of those things. And let me tell you, you CAN be made new.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" --2 Corinthians 5:17, NIV

Jesus Christ died so that our sins could be forgiven. He took a sponge and washed away everything that we have done, every sin that we have committed. He took it onto his own shoulders...because he loves us. Take my word for it, you CAN be made new. All you have to do is let Jesus into your life, and let Him wash it all away.