Music

Dear Readers,

I know a ton of you out there love some good music. There are so many types of musical genres everyone can listen to from country, rap, hip hop, r & b, rock and roll, you name it.  There are so many topics that a lot of artist talk about in their music. 

I find that most artist in today’s world tend to sing about all kinds of subjects. Topics that range from broken hearts (break up songs), love songs, loss or a song about something that happened in that person’s life. Most are good topics but one should really be careful about the message that the artist is trying to tell the listener. Also keep in mind whether or not the music you’re  currently listening to makes you have horrible thoughts that are violent or worse. 

 See, when it comes to music the Lord is concerned with your heart and if the music you’re listening to has a positive or a negative effect on your relationship with Jesus. Proverbs 4:23 says this “Above all else, guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life.” I know that verse definitely helps me because music is such a grey area for me with my walk.  For some of you reading this, it could definitely apply to you. Keep this verse in mind when it comes to music.  It can really help you out in the long run. God Bless. Bye.

Suffering

Dear Readers,

Just like failure we all go through suffering. It comes in many shapes or forms.  As believers something like this is a very difficult thing to go through. The definition of suffering in the dictionary says this “the state of undergoing pain, distress, or hardship.”  It’s something that we don’t like to deal with but it happens to be the reality that we all go through at one point or another.  There are many examples about suffering in the Bible and this following individual’s story about suffering really comes to mind. 

The person would be Job because he suffered so much when he was alive. His servants died, his children died and his livestock too. The list of the things he lost goes on, but how he dealt with the suffering that he went through was pretty neat if you ask me. At one point during this difficult time his own wife said that he should "curse God and die", however he didn’t do that at all! Job held on to his integrity which is really an admirable thing. He came out of it as a better person and received greater things than what he had before.

 Another example of suffering would be Christ Himself because He suffered for all of us and it wasn’t a pretty sight to see. But in the end it was all part of God’s wonderful plan and He conquered death too. So keep that in mind when you're suffering or going through a hardship and know that you will come out stronger and better for it. 

Romans 5:3 says this “ Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;”.  What that tells us is we will come out of suffering stronger than ever. God bless you all. Bye. 

Praying

Dear Readers,

Doesn’t it feel so wonderful knowing that we can pray to our Father in heaven and know that He hears us always. However, when it comes to prayer, God will either tell you “yes,” “no” or “just wait.” For a lot of us we just want that “yes” from Him all the time. But when He says “no” or “just wait” then we tend to not like that response from Him. The thing is, the Lord says to us “no” or “just wait” instead of “yes” is because He sees what we don’t see. He is simply protecting us from harm.  

In fact the very definition of prayer in the dictionary is this “A solemn request for help or expression of thanks addressed to God or an object of worship.” However, when we do pray and we don’t get the response that we were hoping for our reaction shouldn’t be a negative one but a more positive one. God wants us trust Him when He responds to our prayers and to know that we can count on Him. Besides when it comes down to it God is not your prayer machine. He won’t always say “yes” to what you are asking of Him. 

That’s not how God works in our lives. He won’t give everyone everything they have ever wanted in life because if He did then we would be miserable. We would not learn anything from having everything. We as believers need to remember that when it comes to praying yes He will give you what you need but not always what you want. 

 We must let go of the selfish mentality that we can have when we pray to God. James 4:3 says this “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” So keep that in mind when you pray to the Lord, that you keep your motives in check. So that when we all pray that to God that our motives are in a good place. Hope this was encouraging to you all. 

 God bless. Bye.

Being changed

Dear Readers,

It’s crazy to believe that some of the most unlikely people could ever be changed. However, there are so many people in the Bible that were changed and ended up spreading the good news of Jesus everywhere they went. There is one particular individual that did  just that, being changed by God and became one of the best known apostles to this very day. I am talking about Paul (also called Saul) because before Jesus came into his life he would literally go and put people into prison for going to church and loving Him.

It’s wild that someone went from wanting to destroy the church to now preaching the gospel everywhere he went in his lifetime. We first see Paul in he book of Acts persecuting Christians.   However, a couple chapters later in the Bible, in Acts 9, we see this radical change happen for him.

It all started when he was on the road to Damascus so he could take more people into prison. As he was going, he ended up being blinded by a huge light. This was no ordinary light because it came from heaven. As a result of this Saul fell to the ground and a voice was heard saying “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” I must say it’s not everyday that you hear a voice calling your name like that.  Saul’s response to this was “Who are you Lord?”  to which the Lord replied “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.” The conversation I am quoting is Acts 9:5.  After this had occurred Saul became blind for about three whole days.

What does this have to do with being changed?  Paul began to preach the gospel in the synagogues, proclaiming that Jesus is the Son of God and continued to do so until he passed on. He would go to many places and become one of the well known disciples that we all can look up to. It all goes to show you that when God enters the picture and changes your heart that you can go on and serve God, just like Paul did all those years ago. Hope this was encouraging to you all. God Bless.

Love

Dear Readers,

When it comes to something such as love, which has many forms, the most common type of love is between two people who want to be together forever. However, with movies, tv, and music constantly showing the opposite of what real love can look like, it can be very hard to see what real genuine love can be when Christ isn’t at the center of it all. In fact the definition of love is this , “An intense feeling of deep affection”. 

We all must admit when we were all little, we wanted that fairy tale type of love we see in the movies, right? One point in time most of us dreamed about our “Prince Charming” coming for us  or the beautiful Princess waiting for us. 

When it comes to love, make sure that you have Christ at the center of it all and your love will continue to grow stronger everyday. In fact, love is mentioned a lot in the Bible. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 it says this “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, 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 the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always preserves.” 

Now, that is the best kind of love we can all have and to me it’s something we should all look for in a future spouse. (Someone who fits all of those qualities that the Bible listed, and above all loves the Lord.) Hope this was encouraging to you all. Bye. 

The future

Dear Readers,

All of us wonder what we will do in the future, or what the future will bring. I have asked this myself because I truly didn’t know what my own future would hold. I still don’t know what the next five years could bring me. However, I know this; the Lord has a plan and a very wonderful one. I look forward to seeing it unfold. It may be hard to see it in the present, but just wait and listen to the Lord. 

James 1:5-8 says the following “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man unstable in all he does.” 

 Jeremiah 29:11 says this “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”

Also know that all of us think we have a good idea of what we want to do. For example, David was someone who thought that his future would be filled with shepherding sheep for the rest of his life. However, when God entered the picture, He turned David’s future upside down, for God’s glory. I pray and hope that this blog post was encouraging for you all out there reading this. God bless you. Bye. 

Peer pressure

Dear readers,

Most of us have or had faced a little thing called peer pressure. Everyone has dealt with it and it’s quite a rough thing for anyone. We all want to fit in and be the “cool crowd” at the party, right, or at school even, too. But as believers of the Lord, we all should stick to our convictions.

 I know it may be hard for a lot of you and you might get those looks from people thinking that you’re crazy or insane for not taking that beer or cigarette. But the things is you’re doing the right thing by not giving into temptation. 

Proverbs 1:10 and Proverbs 1:15 talk about just that. Proverbs 1:10 “My son if sinners entice you,do not give into them.” Then later in the same chapter verse 15 says “My son do not go along with them, do not set foot on their paths.” So basically they say that one shouldn’t give in to the evil temptations of the world. Don’t ever be afraid to be a leader and to stand up for what’s right. Who knows, maybe you’ll encourage someone else to not give in too. God bless you all. Bye. 

Scary films

Dear readers,

Some of you have probably asked the question, is it ok for Christians to watch horror movies or not? Now in most films in this particular genre you definitely see things that aren’t God-honoring at all. For example I find that some of the most common things we see are lots of death, blood, violence, people saying bad words and so much more. Those said things would definitely hurt one’s relationship with God because films like that show so many bad things that the Lord does not want us to be seeing.

 They also show so many horrible things and once we have seen said film we find ourselves not being able to sleep at night which can effect ones health. In the Bible in Philippians 4:8 it says this “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable if anything is excellent or praiseworthy think about such things.” 

Now if you really think about it, all of horror films today tend to not have anything pure or lovely in them. We as believers should stay away from such films so that we don’t let the devil get his hands on our precious thoughts and hearts.  So next time you see that trailer for the next horror film just ask yourself, is it worth watching or not? Hope this was a encouraging blog post for you all. God bless. Bye. 

Money

Dear readers, 

We all just love to make money so that we can purchase that new car or that new pair of shoes don’t we. When it comes down to it people always seem to want more money. Everyone tends to let the “love” of money get to their hearts and minds. 
See money does not last forever because it comes and goes everyday. You could have a lot of money and then the next thing you know you don’t have any at all. 

The Bible makes it clear when it comes down the the topic of money in 1 Timonthy 6:10 it says “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people eager for money have wondered from the faith and pierced them with many griefs”. Also in Matthew 6:24 says this about money “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You can not serve both God and money”. (NIV) 

At the end of it all everyone should serve the person who created the whole earth and you. He will provide you the amount of money that you need and know that if you try to serve to masters it will very spiritually exhausting. Money does not have a heart nor did it die for you either. So let me ask you all this would you guys rather serve money or the Lord? God bless bye. 

Being Confident

Dear readers,

 I am writing this particular post to encourage all of you to be confident in your faith in the Lord. Because in this day and age it seems that more and more people aren’t as confident in one’s faith. Why? Well because we tend to be afraid of what one would think of us if we were to tell the world of what we believe in. In fact the very definition of confident is “feeling or showing confidence in oneself; self assured.” 

 We all wish just to be just that bold or confident enough to speak the truth of God like other people that came before us.  It’s something to think about because it’s the flesh within us that is fighting against the Holy spirt that lives in us all. 

In fact Galatians 5:17 says this “For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.”

   Goes to show you that when it comes to wanting to be confident in one’s faith that there is always the flesh trying to get in the way of doing what we need to do. However if we are confident enough in what we must do which is to be spreading the good news of Jesus to the world to those who yet to hear the gospel. 

In Ephesians 3:12 it says this “In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.” Now that to me is one amazing verse because it shows us that we can be confident in our faith in Jesus Christ.  That no matter what anyone else would say or do that your God is with you to help you through it all. I hope that this was a encouraging post for you to read.  God bless you all.  

Unity

Dear readers,

Many of us think that in today’s world that being united is something that is completely impossible because of the many differences that we all have. In the Bible it says in John 17:23 “I in them and you in me so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me”. Now that’s pretty interesting if you ask me because unity is something that can be done even though it may be hard to do.  

One of my favorite accounts of this is when God himself died on that cross for all of us. To me it’s one of the most unified acts ever to be done, because this is someone who was born so that everyone could not only be saved, but be united because of that love he had for you and me. 

When it comes to something like unity it brings everyone together for a good thing or cause and in fact the very definition of unity is this “the state of being united or joined as a whole”.  I really believe that as believers we can unite in Christ alone and together we can all be strengthened like never before. Once that happens nothing can stop you from feeling good and wanting to spread that goodness in you. I hope this was a encouraging post for you all. God bless. 

The unexpected pregnancy

Dear readers,

When it come to the saying “expect the unexpected” I think that it could definitely be applied to Mary, the Lord’s mother. See she was just an ordinary girl who happened to be engaged to a man named Joseph. But the moment that changed her life forever was when the angel showed up and told her that she had found favor with God, and she was going to give birth to a son that was going to save everyone from the sins of the world. I mean talk about the unexpected, right?

 I really can’t imagine what was going through her head, but how she handled this unexpected pregnancy was so good.  In fact while she was being visited by the angel that God sent to her, she responded by saying this in Luke 1:38 “I am the Lord’s servant, May it be to me as you have said. Then the angel left her.” That’s one wonderful response if you ask me.

 She allowed God to use her in carrying his only son so that everyone he would meet later on in life would see all of the miracles and listen to the one and only true savior of this world that we live in. Hope this was a encouraging post for you all. God Bless. 

The best gift ever

Dear readers,

As the Christmas holiday is approaching we all tend to get caught up in all of the many things that we need to do. One of those particular things is getting presents for all of our loved ones. We always want to make sure that we get the best present ever for them, that way when they open it they have a joyous look on their face. But because of all the hustle and bustle we lose sight of what happens to be the best Christmas present ever,  and that’s the birth of Jesus. Why? Well because it’s the best news to all of us that the best gift is a savior who is going to save everyone from the sins of the world.

 If you really put in some thought into this, when we spell Christmas it has “Christ” in it. I remember when I was in the third grade my teacher was talking about just that. I always try to make sure that I remember that when Christmas comes around. We all forget about that because we are constantly trying to get all the presents wrapped in time for Christmas morning. 

 We all need to remember that the best present is a child born in a manger where animals hang out. That’s  something to think about  too. So I really would like for all of us to keep that in mind this Christmas season.  The best present ever isn’t some new gadget or a new outfit but an actual savior who saved people from the wrongs of the world that we live in. I hope that this was a encouraging post for you all. God Bless. Bye. Merry Christmas to you all. 

Witnessing

Dear readers,

We know that before the Lord left the earth he said to us “Go into the all the world and preach the good news to all creation” (Mark 16:15). So when he says this to us he basically is saying he wants us all to tell the good news and freedom people can have in Christ. Doing so is to witness to them. Now for some of you reading this it might not be very easy because we tend to say the wrong things while having the best intentions for them. However things can go wrong and not end well. 

See there is a right way to witness to people and there is a wrong way to do it. One of the many ways that we can witness the right way to people is to develop a good friendship with that person and then introduce them the Lord in a way that they can understand, it without saying certain things that could go over their head.  However keep in mind that when you’re witnessing that you shouldn’t say it in a way that sounds like a sales pitch,  because that is not what true witnessing is. 

Also you want to make sure to remember when you are trying to witness to someone that it’s the Holy Spirit that will draw them to the Lord and not you. We all need to trust the Lord and the Holy Spirit to work in that person’s  heart so that when they accept Christ as their Savior things will work out for them. Keep in mind that it takes time for some people to get to that  point and it won’t be easy either, so just trust in God when you’re witnessing to that friend who has yet to know Jesus. I hope that this was a encouraging post for you all. God Bless. Bye. 

Bad words

Dear readers,

I know for a ton of us struggle with swearing. The urge to say that one bad word or terrible insult. It’s a constant battle inside of all of us. Truth be told before I was truly saved I swore at someone. After I did this a enormous amount of guilt came over me. I felt like I really made God angry and disappointed in how his little girl behaved. 

I also thought of what my parents would say if they found out that I said those horrible words. So I never told my parents that I swore for years, until I found myself in a good place to say something about it. 

It feels so good knowing that I don’t swear anymore and I know for a lot of you it’s hard to not want to swear. But you’re doing the right thing by not doing it. That’s the Holy Spirit working in you.

 Here’s the real deal: the thing is that what you’re saying reveals a lot about what’s going on in your heart. Luke 6:45 says “The good man brings good things our of the good stored up in his heart and evil man brings evil thing our the evils stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.” So try to keep that in mind when one has the urge to swear. God bless you guys. Bye. 

Blog #13 Friendships

Dear Readers,

Don’t we just love having a good group of friends that we can count on? Being able to talk about whatever we want with those people. It sure feels wonderful, doesn’t it? But the thing is, friends will come and go in life. If you have a good group now,  but said group starts to break apart,  then that’s just a natural phase for a lot of people. 

Also, never ever compromise who you truly are just to make others happy. Proverbs 29:25 says “Fear of man will prove to be snare, but whoever trust in the Lord is kept safe.” So what that is basically saying is you should never have the ‘real you’ get trapped in someone’s expectations of the life you have. However when you have a solid group of God-fearing people in your life who will care for you, pray for you, and show you so much love, then you are set. I know myself that I have such wonderful friends who care for me and, most importantly, love God. Bye. 

Blog 12 Mental Health

Dear readers,

There are tons of you out there that could be going through something like this. From depression to anxiety and much more. I personally have never really dealt with something like this. But I am here to give you some encouragement to help you all get through it. For some of you reading this I want you to know that YOU ARE LOVED. God understands what it’s like because he endured sorrow and many tears before he had to die on that cross. 

Also you shouldn’t feel like it’s your fault because this is your body’s way saying it needs help. The Lord is here for you and is here to comfort you. In Psalms 62:5-8 it says this “Find rest, o my soul, in God alone; my hope come from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; his my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God, he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, o people; pour out your hearts to him for God is our refuge”. 

What that is basically is saying that you can find rest for yourselves when your feeling this way. You can find the healing that you need too. Remember this GOD LOVES YOU and like I said at the beginning of this post YOU ARE LOVED. Also remember God is much bigger than anxiety, depression and many other things. Have a blessed day. Bye. 

Blog 11 Fitting In

Dear Readers,

Like most teens or young people we all want to fit in with the cool crowd at school. We all want to be noticed by that really cute guy or we all tend to want to be with the popular people. But the thing is that when it comes to fitting in everyone should never have to compromise or change who they are just so they can fit in. 

See when it comes to being popular it’s not all it’s cracked up to be because once high school ends, well what comes next for that said person? Who knows what could happen to them in the next few years but I want you all to keep in mind that when you’re dealing with this issue that you should find good and God-fearing friends who are going to be there for you and pray for you. 

At the end of it all most of the cool people tend to do things that aren’t good and it will only lead you astray from the real friends that actually care about you. So in the end of the day don’t stress about trying to fit in because with the Lord’s help he will lead you to some really great friends. Hope this was a encouraging thing for you all to read. God Bless. Bye. 

Blog 10 Growing Spiritually

Dear readers,

I know for some of you growing in a spiritual sense can be hard or it may seem that the desire isn’t there. Well I know for me spiritually growing was something I dealt with and in some ways still am. Because the thing is that a person could grow up their entire life being a Christian, going to church, youth group, and such but that person would still be a spiritual baby. It takes effort to grow spiritually and I know for me starting to do that once I recommitted to Christ and took my faith seriously I began to feel pretty good.

 At first it felt like something you would put on your to-do list but after awhile God gives you that burning desire to grow in him. Boy it sure feels good doesn’t it? The Bible says in Philippians 2:13 “For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” Which is saying that it’s God alone that can give  you this desire to grow in him everyday of your life. Once you get that fire to grow in the Lord things are going to look good for you. Must go. God bless. Bye. 

Blog #9 Worshipping

Dear readers,

Now I know a ton of you just really love to worship the Lord in church, myself included. You have that one song that really gets to you in so many ways that nothing else could. What do you guys picture when you worship the Lord? Well I know for me I see the Lord being pleased by the worship we all give him. I see a smile on his face too. Anyway when it comes to worshiping God I bet most of you will say singing if the most common thing. But there are other ways to worship that just singing, it could be by what you give or reading the word too.

 In the Bible John 4:24 says “God is spirit and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth”. Now that is something we’ll need to keep in mind while one worships. However the thing that does get to me is that nowadays when I have gone to visit other churches and we go into the sanctuary I always see a huge concert type stage and it looks like I’m at some concert and not worshiping God. I don’t need some big production or huge mega church to worship the Lord. All we need is to be spiritually connected when one worships the Lord. I must go now. Bye.