Day 73: In The Meantime...

Psalms 27:14

Wait for the LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD.

Psalms 46:10

“Be still, and know that I am God…

We as young people get very restless very quick, we don’t know how to be still. We live in a fast era, where everything is there right when we need or want it. We don’t know how to be patient. When it comes to having a relationship with God and waiting for Him we must learn patience. We must be able to plant our feet and not make a move until God has completed what He has told us He will do. Sometime we miss what God has for us because we move before we are supposed to. We get impatient. What I’m really trying to say here is,

In the meantime, don’t jump the gun.

I grew up watching and playing sports, and in track and swimming, when one person jumps the gun, not only does it throw everyone off but they all have to start over. It takes longer for the event to start because one person started before it was time. Many times the runner or swimmer who jumped the gun does not do so well in the actual race, because they wasted their good start on a false shot. That is how it is when we decide to get a headstart and not wait on God, we end up having to come back and start over because we missed what was originally ours. When waiting on God we cannot let our impatience move us from where God has us. We have to slow down sometimes and realize that God is working and we don’t have to worry. We don’t have to have our hand in the pot to know something is cooking.

Mark 6:31

And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.

Another thing we have to learn how to do is slow down. We are the generation of busy and exhausted people. We are always on the move, constantly working, or doing something. We get too busy for God sometimes. We have to put down our busy lives and our crazy schedules sometimes, slow down and take a look at what God is doing in our lives.

In the meantime, slow down and enjoy life.

We are constantly running towards something, we get tunnel vision and block everything out. Sometimes we just have to slow down and talk to God, pray, read our bible, enjoy the work of His hands. Don’t miss out on what’s right in front of you because we are too busy to see the blessing before our eyes. Life isn’t always about getting somewhere, it’s about the experiences, and lessons on the way. God;s timing is perfect, in due time He will have in the place He has planned from the beginning. But right now we are exactly where He wants us to be. Don’t rush through it and miss it.

Reflection/ Prayer Time

Take some time to yourself today. Slow down and spend some time with God. Take some time to yourself, rest in His peace and be still enjoy the presence of God. Know that He is coming for you, Just wait on Him. Talk to Him about whatever is on your heart today.

Day 34: Keeping Good Company and Letting Go

I remember growing up my mom would always tell us, “You are known by the company you keep.” At a young age i did not really understand what that meant until I got a bit older and encountered peer pressure. I started to see how being around certain people, I began to alter myself, I picked up their habits, their mannerisms, even their language. That’s fine if the people I was hanging around were good for me, but they weren’t and in due time I became just like them. I always like to think that I am invincible, and no one can change the person I am, but we are all susceptible to people and their influence at one point or another. I know for a fact I was, until I learned to listen to God and my elders wisdom (especially my mother).

-Dyamond

Being influenced by others can work in two ways, and that’s what we are going to talk about today. Are we surrounded by people who help us grow or keep us stagnate, and are we holding on to people who were only supposed to be in our lives for a season?

Proverbs 13:20

Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble.

1 Corinthians 15:33

Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character." (NIV)

Do not be misled: "Bad companionships corrupt good morals.” (BLB)

Proverbs 27:6

You can trust what your friend says, even when it hurts. But your enemies want to hurt you, even when they act nice.

Are we surrounded by people who are helping us grow? Are we growing from one another. As the scriptures says iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another (Proverbs 27:17). The people that we choose to surround ourselves with must be people we can depend on, people we can go through life with, people that will hold us accountable and lift us up when we need it, and we are there to do the same for them. We must surround ourselves with people who will help us grow spiritually, people that will challenge us and call us out when we need it. The closest people to us should be the ones that challenge us the most, the people that will tell us the truth even if it’s the last thing we want to hear. In so many words I am saying that we need real people around us. As young Christians, every person that we are friends with will not be Christian and that is okay, but we need people in our lives who have the same beliefs and morals as we do. We need people in our lives who are like-minded, even if it’s just one friend that we can pray with and worship with.

• This is the reason why finding a church and being in fellowship with other Christians is so important. When we are surrounded by people who understand our lifestyle, and have the same heart for God as we do, we can learn and grow together. We must be surrounded and immersed into a God-fearing community. We are the body of Christ, a bible living, Jesus loving community. And we sharpen one another.
• We cannot allow ourselves to be  swayed by the people around us who do not have the same morals or beliefs as we do. As we  grow older, especially in our twenties when many people start to question or try to understand religion and figure out what they believe exactly, we must stand firm in our faith. By doing so we can lead others to Christ, and create a community of believers.

Are we able to let go of the people we know are not good for us or people who are only in our lives for a season? Sometimes we hold on to people who were only meant to be in our lives for a season. Meaning, not everyone we meet is going to be there until the end, and I know at the moment it feels like it is. But sometimes we grow apart, sometimes we’ve reached the end of our road, but cutting ties is the hardest part. Because it hurts, we don’t want to hurt anyone and we don’t want to be hurt. But letting go hurts, it’s not permanent but in the meantime it hurts. We have to trust that God brought these people into our lives for a reason and thank HIm that we even had the opportunity to know them. Just because some people are only in our lives for a season does not mean that they were bad for us, it just means that, life doesn’t always go as we planned.

• The best way I can describe this is going through a breakup (many friendships have gone through break-ups as well). When we are in a relationship, and emotionally invested, we are in love with this person. We think we are going to be together forever. We think we can work everything out, and we can get through everything, we are just caught up in love. But one day, it stops working, we fall out of love, we grow apart, we lose trust, whatever the reason may be; we now have to break up. We know that it will hurt us but we also know that staying will make it worse. So we make a wise decision to let go. We can still be friends, and be cordial but we can’t be how we used to be and that’s okay because that’s life.
• Now on the other hand, some people are just toxic for us, and those people we have to get away from. Run away, don’t walk, get away! Run like Joseph ran from Potiphar’s wife (Genesis 39). Some people are only looking to contaminate, and bring others down with them, (and no, that does not mean everyone is out to get us). Those people we can’t keep as company, even when we love them. Some of the most toxic people in our lives are the ones we love the most, but we have to let them go and continue to pray for them.
• All of this to say, that just because we have to let people go does not mean that it is the end. We don't stop loving them. One of my favorite quotes says, “If you love something, let it go, and if it comes back it was meant to be.” Trust God when He says let go, you never know what He has planned up His sleeve.
  
  

Reflection

1. What type of company are you keeping?
2. Are you surrounded by a community that will help you grow in Christ?
3. If God asked you to let go of a certain someone, would you be able to do it? Why or why not?

Prayer Time

Talk to God about what stood out to you today. Allow your answers to the above questions guide your prayer. Ask God to send people in your life that are good for you and help you to let go of people, when the time is right. Ask Him to remove the toxic people from your life. Also pray that you are a person who can be good company, and sharpen others.

Have an amazing day. I love you, and make sure you come back tomorrow for Day 35!

Day 20: Patience

Patience- the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset.

Our generation seems to have a huge problem with patience, we lack the ability to be patient. We don’t like waiting for anything. We don’t like delays. We despise traffic, we hate waiting in long lines, we want things that are quick, smooth and easy. We want things right then and there and we do not want to wait. We will wait if we have to but it will take everything out of us not to complain about it.

As Christians we must learn patience because everything does not come to us the moment we pray and ask God for it.. Something I had to learn is that God’s timing is perfect. I know that’s a statement we hear all the time, but when we finally commit to waiting on God, we will see just how perfect and spot on His timing is. The most cliché statements I have ever heard are the ones that resonate with me the most. God, might not come when you want Him, but He’s always right on time. This statement was in a song I sang in children’s choir growing up. I never understood that line until I experienced it. God will answer that prayer at the exact moment you need it answered and you will thank Him for it constantly. That is why I have learned to pray and leave it in His hands because I used to expect an answer to my prayer within 24 hours or I was convinced that God did not hear me. I think He allows us to be in a position where we must wait on Him in order to teach us patience.

Galatians 6:7-9

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Romans 8:25

But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

We have gotten used to instant gratification for our good deeds. We will sow what we reap in due time, but sometimes that harvest is farther off that we want or expect. It’s like planting a seed and waiting for it to grow. That tree, or plant, or that garden is not going to sprout up overnight. It takes a lot of patience, and in that patience we must continue to water the plant, cut the weeds, make sure it get all the nutrients it needs. And in the meantime we may not see any growth. But one day it’s going to sprout, and one day it will be fully grown. We just have to keep going and being patient know that those seeds are growing, and we will see the fruit of it soon. If you really want to test your patience, start a garden or plant a tree.

We cannot stop when we don’t see growth, we have to wait for it and work for it. Patience is learned.

The most important part in being patient is our attitude while we wait. Anyone can wait if they have to, but how did they wait? Are we constantly complaining and grumbling? Are we frustrated and angry? We’re happy when the wait is over but what about when we are in the middle of it. We have to make sure that in all ways we acknowledge and glorify God. This means that we honor and praise Him in the worst situation and in the happiest of situations. We have to learn to be content throughout the wait not just in the reaping.

Psalms 27:14 “Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!”

There’s a reward in the wait as well, we grow in our faith. We grow closer to God, He will strengthen our hearts. But we can’t turn the deaf ear to Him just because we’re impatient.

Reflection

1. Are you a patient person?
2. What does you attitude look like when you are waiting on God?
3. Why do think it is so hard to be patient?

Prayer Time

Talk to God about your patience, whether you are very patient or impatient, talk to God about it, ask Him to teach you how to be patient and wait on Him. Remember that prayer is just a conversation between you and God.

Make sure yo come back tomorrow for Day 21, and if this is your first devo, welcome! You can catch up on all the days from Day 1 , if you'd like. Either way I'm so happy you're on this journey with me! I love you.

-Dyamond 

Day 19: Finding Balance

In our twenties, many of us are still in college, grad school, working, some of us are married, some of us have children, and some of us have careers to keep up. We seem to be very busy all the time, and we are constantly trying to balance everything in our lives. We want to make time for everyone and everything, while still being responsible and handling the things that need to get done. We are trying to find stability, and get all of our ducks in a row, and sometimes everything spirals out of control and we don’t have a handle on anything. I have been there but I have found that for me, the key to having a balanced life is prioritizing. Figuring out what is most important to me, what should come first. I have also learned, the hard way, that when God is our number 1 priority everything else in our life seems to fall in place. This does not mean that everything is going to be a breeze it means that we will worry less because we know God has it under control. We know that God is holding us up and together.

Matthew 6:33-34

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

The first step to living a balanced life is to keep God first. As the scripture says above we must seek first the kingdom of God. Christ should be our top priority, nothing and no one should come before Him. Anything we put before God is an idol. God says we should have no other gods before Him (Exodus 20:3) After the first step everything else will fall into place. This does not mean we stop working towards our goals and the things we want out of life, as the scripture says 'Faith without works is dead' (James 2:17). This means we keep God first and trust Him with our life, and everything will fall into place.

1. Make a list of your priorities, without thinking about it, just write the first thing that comes to mind. When you are done, read over that list. What is number one?
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. Now write a second list of priorities, writing God as number one if He wasn’t already. How different would your life look if God came before everything and everyone?
   
   

Many times trying to balance life, and work, and family, and relationships can lead to a world of stress, and anxiety. We want to make sure that our spiritual lives are good, that we have a social life, and spending time with the people we love and care about, and then we want to take care of ourselves.Then we have school and work, children to take care of, we try to make sure that everything is taken care of. This will drive anyone crazy. We put so much pressure on ourselves to have everything together, and perfect. We tend to worry about the things we cannot do anything about. We want our lives to run smoothly, and the way we planned, I’m sorry but life is a bumpy ride it never goes how we expect.

1 Peter 5:6-7

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,  casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

The best advice someone ever gave me was to live for today because tomorrow's not promised. We have to take life day by day or even moment by moment because at any time life can change drastically. God has us taken care of, He knows where we are going, and when we seek His kingdom first, we do not have to worry about what will happen tomorrow or the next day, we just have to keep waking up and taking those steps of faith to get to the place God has for us.

Reflection (sort of)

• Slow down, step back and breathe, you are okay. Everything will be fine.
• Realize that we are unable to balance life on our own, our grip isn’t strong enough, but God can help us. He can keep us balanced even when we feel like we are hanging on by a thread.
• Seek God first. Everything else will fall into place.
  
  

Life is hard, but God makes it so much easier.

Prayer Time

Ask God to help you prioritize, and balance your life. Talk to Him about what it means to seek His kingdom. Be honest with Him and remember that prayer is just a conversation with God.

Day 18: Enjoying Life

As Christians, one thing we rarely talk about is enjoying life, and having fun. In our twenties, this is the time we enjoy life, and create relationships, go on adventures, go out with friends, etc.. Now is the time to live life to fullest because we will not be this age forever. The world sees christians as boring, cookie cutter people. A lot of people think Christians don’t have fun, the think all we do is obey rules, and go to church. That’s not the case at all, we live a certain lifestyle, and it’s not about what we can’t do but more about the freedom of what we can do. As young Christians it is hard to find a balance when it comes to fun, and faith. We are constantly trying to figure out what is okay and what is not. When we go through this, we find ourselves torn between fun and Christ, when they don’t have to be and should not be separate. It all depends on how we define fun, what is a good time to us? We have to enjoy the life God has given us. He wants us to enjoy it.   

I went through a time in my life where I did not go out at all because I felt like everything was a sin (that had a lot to do with the church I went to at the time). I used to think that being a Christian meant I had to give up my social life, I could not hang out with friends, I could not go to parties, I just isolated myself because I felt that was what God wanted. But I was so wrong, God gave us life, freedom, a sense of humor, and He wants us to enjoy our lives. We do not have to restrict ourselves off from the world because we are afraid of falling into sin or being around “sinners”. As long as we are grounded and rooted in Christ we cannot fall.

-Dyamond

Ecclesiastes 11:9 (MSG)

You who are young, make the most of your youth. Relish your youthful vigor. Follow the impulses of your heart. If something looks good to you, pursue it. But know also that not just anything goes; You have to answer to God for every last bit of it.

Ecclesiastes 3:1, 4, 12-13

There’s an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on the earth: . . A right time to cry and another to laugh, A right time to lament and another to cheer,. . . I’ve decided that there’s nothing better to do than go ahead and have a good time and get the most we can out of life. That’s it—eat, drink, and make the most of your job. It’s God’s gift.

• This is a scripture I grew up being taught by my mother, she always told us that there is a time and place for everything. There is a time and place to laugh, dance, have fun, and there is a time a place to be serious, and mourn, and cry, as the scripture says. But when we become Christians I feel like we start to walk on eggshells when it comes to enjoying ourselves, we forget how to have fun when we become Christians. We tend the  neglect the part of our life that gives us enjoyment.
• It is a gift from God, He gave us this life, to make the most of it. Life would suck without laughter. I cannot imagine being serious all the time. God gave us a sense of humor, he gave us all different personalities, He gave some of us to the gift to entertain, and be funny. We can enjoy all the gifts of the world without feeling like we are sinning.  

Ecclesiastes 2:24-25

So I decided there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in work. Then I realized that these pleasures are from the hand of God. For who can eat or enjoy anything apart from him?

• It is okay to have fun, it is more than okay it is encouraged. But be wise, think before acting. Fun does not equal sin, it does not have to. We should not have to disconnect ourselves from God in order to enjoy life, how can we enjoy life apart from Him. This life is a gift from God.  

Solomon, the author of the book of Ecclesiastes, is known to be one of the wisest men who ever lived. He wrote this book and he is telling us that it is okay to go out and have a good time. Enjoy life while we have it, I promise you, you will not get struck by lightning if you go out with your friends and have a good fun night.

If you haven’t already picked it up; The main point I want to make here is, ENJOY YOUR LIFE!!!

Another subject that comes up a lot is, what is fun? How do you have fun without sinning? How do Christians define fun? Is it okay to have a drink? Can I go to a bar, or a club? Can I go to a party. First off let me tell you that sin is not a requirement for fun. If having fun to you is having sex with different people, getting drunk or high, indulging in criminal activity, etc, if you need that to have a good time than you have to reevaluate your idea of what fun is. Also in response to those questions, i’d like to point you to three different scriptures.

Romans 12:2

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Romans 13:1

Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God

Ecclesiastes 9:7

Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for God has already approved what you do.

• There is nothing wrong with enjoying a drink, if you are of age. Drunkenness is the sin.
• Ephesians 5:18, Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.

I’m pretty sure the people at that wedding reception were having a great time, before and after Jesus turned water into wine.

There were actually some pretty awesome parties in the bible.

In conclusion, the message I want to get out to you is that it is okay to have fun and enjoy your life. However, the way we define fun will determine whether or not it is something we should or should not be involved in.

Reflection

1. What is your definition of fun?
2. How do you enjoy yourself?
3. Have you been neglecting to enjoy your life because of your faith?

Prayer Time

Talk to God about life, and what it means to enjoy the life that He has given you. Keep it simple, and remember that prayer is just a conversation with God.