Day 93: Recap

It has been a week, it's been a very busy week. Kind of rough, but it has also been a great week. This week has been filled with all types of emotions. I want to apologize for the posts being late on somedays, I have been running around non-stop between school and work. Thank you for reading and sticking with me. We are almost to day 100, and I couldn't be more excited that we've gotten this far, and we are going to push through the year. Thank and I love you.

Day 86: Dare To Love
We started the week off with the 'Dare Series', it was more like a challenge to step outside of or normal lives, and comfort zones and take a chance on something else. It was an extension of the comforts zones devo on day 82. We focused  on John 15:12-13, and Luke 10:30-37. We talked about taking chance on loving people and putting ourselves on the line for the sake of someone else.

"We have to choose as followers of Christ to be the one person to stop and help someone in need. We have to be the person that’s going to take a lost so that someone else can win and in the end it’s not about winning or losing it’s about selfless love."

Day 87: Dare to Live
We continued the series by speaking about truly living and what it means to truly live. Knowing that we live our best lives with Christ. We focused on Proverbs 21:21 and John 10:10. We had to ask ourselves the question what does true living mean or look like to us?

"The scripture tells us that Christ came to give life and give it more abundantly. I think we are afraid to live for Christ because we don’t want to let go of our attachments to this world. We think that we can’t have fun living with Christ. But that is not true, if anything we have more fun, we are more free to live. We have no worries, we are stress free, guilt free, drama free, we are just free.  

Day 88: Dare to Dream

We ended this three day series talking about dreaming, and faring to follow and pursue those thing that we are most passionate about. Also understanding that when we commit our ways to the Lord our plans will be established in Him. We don't have to be pastor's or worship leaders to be in the will of God, that's not everyone's destiny or true calling. We focused on Proverbs 18:16, 1 Corinthians 12:4-6, and Proverbs 16:3. 

"Some of us need to be in hospitals, police stations, law firms, on sets and stages, in space, in the classroom, in business meetings etc. Christians actually need to be on the frontline of every outlet. Why do we suppress our passions, and those dreams burning inside of us."

Day 89:Never Forsaken

Today we focused on Psalms 37:25, and really broke the scripture down and got an understanding and even realization of what this scripture means for us in our lives.

"This scripture does more than encourage us by telling us everything is going to be alright, no David is stating facts. He is saying what he has known to be true. God is faithful. I believe that this is something we can all attest to, as for me I can say that God has come through for me every time, even in the times where I had only a drop of faith. He never left me and He never will. "

Day 90: Oh My Soul

Today we continued in Psalms 42:5, 42:11, and 43:5. They scriptures say the same thing with David asking himself, "Oh my soul, why are you downcast?" and then following that question with "Hope in God;..." It begs the question of why we worry about the things God has already figured out?

"We must not forget that the God we serve is; all-knowing, all-loving, all-powerful. He is God over the hills and valleys. He’s got us."

Day 91: Who...?

Today we talked about Christ as our intercessor, standing on the right hand of God interceding for us Day in and Day out. We focused on Romans 8:31, and 34. We also talked about God being untouchable and walking in faith knowing that when we have Him on our side, there is no one who is able to come against us.

"We must walk in this confidence knowing that we are not condemned, there is no one on this earth able to do so. No one. Even when we fall, even when we mess up, when we repent God’s love covers our sins. Our sins cannot condemn us, our hearts cannot condemn us, our family, our pastor’s, our friends, no one."

That's it for this week. I love you, I hope you had an amazing week and I hope you have an amazing Day. Share this with someone, catch up if you've missed anything this week, and make sure you come back tomorrow for Day 94!

Day 89: Dare to Dream.

We are all called to different things in this life, some of us are called to be pastors and missionaries, and work in the ministry or the church, but not everyone is called to do that work. That doesn’t make you less than anyone else it just means that God has a different plan and path for you.

Proverbs 18:16

A man's gift makes room for him and brings him before the great.

Proverbs 16:3

Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.

1 Corinthians 12:4-6

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.

Too many times in the church I have seen young people swayed away from following their dreams because it was something outside of the church, it meant walking into worldly places, or it meant that we wouldn’t spend every waking moment in the church. I know this from experience. We grow up being told to chase our dreams and follow our hearts. When we come into the church, those words are changed to ‘find your calling’. We then must find out what it is that God wants us to do in this world. But honestly many of us already know the answer to this question, but we start to doubt because sometimes it doesn’t look holy enough. We start to put pressure on ourselves to find a job in the church and forcing ourselves to love doing it. At least we will look holy.

I will be the first to say that just because we are Christian does not mean we will have a career in ministry. Not all of us are meant to spend every minute in the church. Some of us need to be in hospitals, police stations, law firms, on sets and stages, in space, in the classroom, in business meetings etc. Christians actually need to be on the frontline of every outlet. Why do we suppress our passions, and those dreams burning inside of us. The problem with that is, when we decide to do something other than what God has called us to do we are going against His plan. We make our lives so much harder when we think we know it all. It’s so simple. God has given us all different gifts and talents, yet they all come from the same God. If everyone thought their calling was to be a priest the tabernacle would have never been built. If everyone thought they were kings, we wouldn’t have an army. God uses us in the areas we are in to build His kingdom and bring honor and glory to His name.

Our gifts will make room for us.  God didn’t give you the ability to play an instrument for no reason, play it to His glory. Just like david, his ability to play the harp put Him in the position to later become king.

I think the key to following our dreams is committing our ways to the Lord. Making sure that whatever we do, we do for the glory of God. Yes sometimes our gifts will take us away from the church but they won’t take us away from God. I think when we truly find our calling and do what its is we were put on this earth to do, that is when we will know a deeper level of intimacy with God. When we live the life He has planned for us, and not a life we think will please Him.

We know what the people on the outside are saying about the type of life we should live. But what does God say, and what do you say? I think many times as Christians we place ourselves between a rock and a hard place because we believe our passions, our dreams, the things we love the most are the things that will separate us from God. But that is not so, if God has given us the ability to do something, just taking that gift and using it is a way to honor Him. Our dreams do not separate us from God, if anything they should bring us closer to Him.

When I struggled with stepping down from being a youth pastor to return to acting the main thing I worried about was, will this interrupt my faith. I had that mindset because I was so comfortable where I was, I was safe within the walls of the church, but my spirit was slowly dying because I knew that  God wanted me somewhere else. The moment I committed to go back to acting, everything seemed to fall into place. Because I know that this is the life God has chosen for me, and I have never been closer to God than I am now.

-Dyamond

We must dare to dream, dare to go outside of the box of christianity, dare to do something outside of what religion has told us is okay. Sometimes we have to rebel in order to be in God’s will. That means applying for med-school, writing that song, majoring in science instead of theology. We have to rebel against religion and tradition. I think we all know where we want to to go in life, we all have dreams and we know what we are good at, know that those gifts will make room for you.

Another thing we must realize is that we must not have selfish ambitions. We are servants of Christ, we might be serving in a different way, never the less we are servants. That’s why the scripture tells us to commit our ways to the Lord. Commit those dreams, and goals, and passions to the Lord and watch them flourish.

Reflection

1. What are your dreams?
2. Do you believe that you can follow Christ and follow your dreams? Why or why not?

Prayer Time

Talk to God about following your dreams, find comfort in knowing that the things you are passionate about are the things that God has put in your heart. Ask Him to help you commit you ways to Him and remain humble. Talk to God about whatever is on your heart.

I love you, I hope you have an amazing day or evening. Share this with someone, and make the choice today to commit your ways to the Lord and follow those dreams.

Make sure you come back tomorrow for day 90!