8|30|09

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwsSf2dcie0

There is a God who loves me
Who wraps me in His Arms
That is the place where I'm changed
And that's where I belong

CHORUS: 
Take me to that place Lord
To that secret place where
I can be with You
You can make me like You
Wrap me in Your Arms
Wrap me in Your Arms
Wrap me in Your Arms

There is a secret place where God is constantly waiting for us to go to. When I was thinking about this song a few minutes ago the first thing I thought of was the secret place that Psalm 139 talks about. 

¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you 
       when I was made in the secret place. 
       When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
 ¹⁶ your eyes saw my unformed body. 
       All the days ordained for me 
       were written in your book 
       before one of them came to be.

This secret place seems to hold time in its entirety because the psalmist says that this is the place where we were woven, where we were knit and where every moment of our lives was planned with great care and consideration. 
But while this may be the place we were created that does not mean we are supposed to avoid it. On the contrary, we should be visiting the secret place every time we venture into prayer and every time we worship. Because in this secret place God reveals himself to us. 

Now I don't believe its like a secret club house with a note saying "no girls allowed" as some of you might picture but Rather its called the secret place because

 
-No one can venture there but you and God- you cannot take anyone with you just as you cannot take anyone with you on judgement day. But the secret place is where you are alone and intimate with your savior.

-No one can hear what you are saying and no one will be able to know the burdens on your heart. Its a secret place because we venture there with sin stained hearts and leave with them soaked in the redeeming blood of Jesus. Sins enter but forgiveness is left in its place.

 
The song calls for Jesus to wrap us in his arms, to take us to this secret place SO THAT we can be like him, be with him. 
The secret place is available to all of us if we would just ask for Jesus to take us there. 
Have a Blessed Week & God be with you :) 

8|23|09

Everyone Down here is starting school in the next week or so and I thought it would be wise to give some Christian tips for School- whether you're  hanging from jungle gyms or totting laptops. 

Tips 

1. Never forget each school has the tool to brand you with a certain name. And I mean Brand, not label. Branding is where you take a hot iron and seer the animal's name into its skin. So what name will you be branded with? Two-faced, Nerd, Lazy, over-achiever, backstabber, liar

There are many names we can have and many titles we can hold. Some aren't so terrible while other's can ruin your life. As a Christian however, if people do not label you according to your faith- you're doing something wrong. 

2. Everything you do has a Huge impact on people. I tell this story a lot but it seems to get the message across. Once during my Freshman year of High School I had a friend who, during Geometry class, asked me if her geometry project was Ugly. Just joking as I often do with my other friends and not thinking very much of it I said "No, you're Ugly," I'm sure it wasn't said in a maniacal way or anything. I probably laughed it off and then completely forgot it. Three Years later me and this same friend were talking when she suddenly asked if I had been serious when I called her Ugly. 

You see, people remember everything whether you mean for things to slip out or not. This year try and make it a practice to think before you speak James 3 

3. Your actions speak louder than your words. People should know us as Christians because of the love and concern we have towards people. If your friends are being mean to someone- don't participate and then later talk to them about it. If you are in a situation where your friends want you to drink or do something you know is wrong- well you know the old saying "just say no" but not only because its bad for you but because you represent Jesus Christ. Once you accepted Christ in your heart you put a stamp on your forehead that said "property of Jesus Christ" so everything that you say or do as the power to discredit God and has the power to keep someone else from accepting Christ. 

If you're going to declare yourself a Christian please please act like it or you're going to have a whole lot of lost Souls on your hands. 

4. Read the Bible & pray. I know we hear that a lot but you know you (and I) never do it as much as we need to or want to. I mean if Daniel could pray 3 times a day why is it so hard for us to pray even once? It really is hard. It takes a lot of determination and discipline but that's what God wants from us. And believe me- the more you read and the more you pray the easier its going to be when you begin to trudge through life. The good days aren't for sitting back and relaxing but preparing for what's coming next. 

5. Be a Christian Friend. Not just a friend. People have enough friends and go to people but we are different. We have a solution to everyones problem. We know the secret that can unlock the key to paradise and hope and joy unimaginable. We can give advice from the most powerful substance known to man. We can pray for people, prayer that brings healing, peace, comfort, joy, answers, and fulfillment of promises. We're not normal friends, we're not normal people. Don't be ashamed of God when you're in front of the people you care about- they're the ones you need to tell the most. 

God puts you in these people's lives for a reason. Its never coincidence. You were set apart to Change lives. 

Good Luck at school, I hope its an Amazing year & God Be With you guys :)

8|21|09

So when I stay up late and its really dark in the house I usually stick to the game room and off the light when I'm done. 

Then about five min later after I've gotten all cozy and ready for sleep I realize I forgot to turn off the computer or something along those lines. 

My dad often walks around the house randomly in the middle of the night so, for fear that me turning on the light would signal to him that I'm still awake at 3 in the morning, I walk around in the dark. 

The dark itself leaves me uneasy but being right next to the balcony and having walls all over the place, the dark becomes even more frightening. 

So like anyone else I walked around with my arms outstretched, and my eyes popping out of their sockets trying to see what's about to smack me in the face.

I did this yesterday and it dawned on me that this is exactly what we should do when we're in the dark places of our life. If we just keep our hands at our sides and walk around we're bound to get a concussion from hitting every wall, desk, and person in our way. 

In the same way, if we don't reach out to God in the darkness, we will never find our way out. 

There are two ways to handle the dark times in your life

1) Stay in one place and wait for God to turn the light on (Be still and know that I am God)

2) Use the word of God, which is a lamp unto you feet that will light your path

No matter what Happens God is always going to show you the way out but not until that portion of His plan is complete. 

This week I was really sick, had the Flu. 102 fever, coughing, sneezing, the works. 

So i decided the best cure was prayer. I sat and prayed for a while and as I touched certain parts of my body I could feel the pain subsiding and the fever go down and I got courage to pray for my entire family and friends. It was a powerful feeling and I truly believe that God did heal me to show me that he is the ultimate physician. 

But to my dismay my fever spiked up once more and my cough came back even worse. For a second I started to Doubt God but the spirit immediately shut that down. But as my fever got worse I questioned God with each new temperature.

Then on the way to the doctor yesterday I got this passage

¹ Yet this I call to mind 
       and therefore I have hope:

 ²² Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, 
       for his compassions never fail.

 ²³ They are new every morning; 
       great is your faithfulness.

 ²⁴ I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion; 
       therefore I will wait for him."

 ²⁵ The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, 
       to the one who seeks him;

 ²⁶ it is good to wait quietly 

       for the salvation of the LORD. 

Lamentations 3:21-26

God's faithfulness surpasses everything, it is new every morning. Even if we don't get our prayers answered right away we should know that we can never be consumed- no matter how deep our troubles get. And no matter how often we hear silence after prayers we need to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.Its not an easy thing, it takes a lot of strength and a lot of courage- things we can only attain through Christ.Do not worry- In your darkest place you need only to reach out to God- and he will show you his unfailing faithfulness.

God Bless you guys :) 

8|17|09

My blog is titled "Thirst"

thirst because.. Christ offers us everlasting water that will keep us from ever being thirsty again.

Thirst because as Christians we should always want more from Him.

Thirst because that's what I am, Thirsty for God. Thirsty for his love. Thirsty for more of Him- the type of thirst that can never be quenched and the type of water I cannot find anywhere else. 

I call this blog thirst because I want you to take one more sip, one more taste- of what God is trying to give you.

Hope. Peace. Love. Comfort. Forgiveness. Salvation. Redemption. Encouragement. Healing. Protection. 

His fountain is filled with these things, if only we would dip our hands in it and take a gulp. 

God is constantly asking us to drink of his Spirit but what happens when we ignore his voice?

Because its not that God no longer has a voice

-he is the same yesterday, today, and forever

Its not because he's angry with you

-for he is slow in anger but abounding in love

Its not because he's too far to reach

-For he is with you always, even to the end of the age

Its not because he does not care

-because nothing can separate us from the love of God

But its because WE have separated ourselves from him. We have filled our ears with so much garbage, our eyes with so many shameful things 

That we cannot hear or see God when he is constantly trying to get our attention.

Do not think that God has forgotten you, you have forgotten God. 

So I ask you one thing.

There are two ways that we can leave this world

-either we meet Christ at the pearly gates or he meets us as a thief in the night

How will we answer to him?

Our One True Savior, who sacrificed and died for our sins. The Lamb of God who was slain for the sins of the world. For your sins and for mine.

The savior who gave up his spirit on the Cross, who cried out "My God, My God why have you forsaken me" Whose own Father could not look at him because of the filth, our filth, that he took upon the cross. 

How will we answer him when he asks why we could not accept him?

So please, look back on your life through the eyes of God.

Our standards are not his standards.

He sees hatred as murder

Lust as Adultery

If we meet him on judgement day, what will be your ruling? 

Innocent or Guilty?

You cannot be saved by yourself, You were born into sin. Your very nature is sinful.

That is why you need a savior. 

Jesus Bought you with his precious blood. You were not saved by perishable things like silver or Gold but by the precious blood of Jesus, a lamb without blemish. 

But although everyone on earth has been bought, few recognize their salvation- enjoying their bondage.

Do not continue to live in sin but embrace the gift of Life.

The everlasting water

All who are thirsty

All who are weak

Just come to the Fountain

Dip your heart in the Stream of Life

Let the pain and the sorrow

Be washed away

In the wave of his mercy

As deep cries out to deep, we sing 

Come Lord Jesus Come...