Day 363: Direction: The Next Step

Psalm 25:4-5

Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.

Psalm 31:3

Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me.

With New Years quickly approaching, and this year currently ending, this the time that people decide to make changes int heir lives. Everything from New Years Resolutions to deciding where to move or stay, many of us are entering a new chapter in our lives and closing the previous chapter. There's nothing more refreshing than starting New Year, to start with new goals, or continue those goals that you set for yourself this year. Many times we look at the New Year as another chance a new opportunity, to maybe get something right that we didn't before, to get rid of toxic habits or just vow ourselves to be better people. Whatever it may be we must seek God for direction. We are taking another step in our lives and we need to seek God so that He can guide us where we need to go.

Life is about progression, we move forward as time continues to move forward. As we walk as we continue to move forward we must make sure that we are following Christ in every way possible. The further we go the narrower the road might get or the harder it make be to make the decision to take the step that God has been preparing us to take. I feel like God prepares us for what He is about to do in our lives. He is taking us step by step to where He wants us to be. If you know that God is preparing you for something and you know that He leading you and guiding you to a certain place, please do not be afraid to step with Him. Do not be afraid to walk with Him. I don't know what your next step is but God does and that's good enough. For some of us taking the next step in our lives can be scary and intimidating, but what if God has been preparing you all year for this? What if we take a chance and believe that the dreams we have aren't just figments of our imaginations but they are tangible and God is taking us to meet them? What I'm saying is, take the next step of your life with Christ, don't try to do it without Him. Take the next step not just to follow your dreams but to grow closer to our Lord and Savior. To be more than we were before. To have a chance to grow in our faith and therefore grow in every other area of our lives. Take a step with Christ so that everything will fall into place, we are not going into this next year worried about the same things that worried us this year. So that we can start a new chapter in our lives with more faith in God, and a deeper understanding of who He is. But most importantly take a step with Christ because we love Him, because we don't want to walk through this life or any other life without Him. The next step includes growing closer to God, and whatever He has planned for you. Trust Him, and trust that where He is taking you is exactly where you are meant to be, because it is. 

All this to say, take a step with Christ, even if you don't know where your foot is going to land. Put the fear aside and push towards the destiny that God has set before you?

Reflection

1. What is your next step?

2. What is stopping you from taking that step?

3. If there is anything stopping you from taking a step with Christ, put it aside and know that God is taking you where you are meant to be. 

Prayer Time

Allow your answers to the above questions guide your prayers. Take the time to talk to God about direction and ask Him for guidance as to where you are going and where He wants you to be. 

I love you and I hope you have an amazing day or evening! Be sure to share this with someone and come back tomorrow for Day 364!

Day 359: Be Like John

John 3:1-6

In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.’” Now John wore a garment of camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.

John 3: 11

 “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

Many of us know who John the Baptist is, we know of Him and we know the work He did before Jesus. John was the one to come before the Messiah to prepare the way for when He got there. John preached a message of repentance, he came baptizing the people who repented of their sins. One thing that John made sure that everyone knew was, he was not the Messiah. In fact the Messiah is much greater than him. He is only preparing the way for when the Messiah comes. John came to start something that Jesus would come to finish. 

What I'm getting at here is, John was not Jesus, and he made sure that everyone knew that. John did not try to be Jesus, instead he did what he was sent to do, the same way Jesus did. I here many of us talk about how we are not perfect, and how we are not Jesus. First of all we are not called to be Jesus we are called to be like Him. We are called to mock the perfect man and get as close to perfection as possible. If we were all called to be the Messiah then God would never have sent His son to die on a cross for us because we could have saved ourselves. Instead we were sent a savior because we were and constantly are in desperate need of a savior. We ourselves are not the savior. With that being said, we may not be Jesus but we can be John. 

We can prepare the way for when Jesus comes. We can live a life dedicated to Him, leading His people to Him everyday. While we are on Earth I believe that we can take an example from John as well. We are not the Messiah but we are as close to the Messiah that people will see before Jesus actually makes His return. This does not mean that we are physically baptizing people everywhere we go, although some of us may end up doing that. What that means is being a Christ example. Being a person that follows Christ, ad lives off of His every word. We can be the people that preach a message of repentance, and grace, and love letting people know that their is something greater to life. Their is something bigger than ourselves, and understanding that even at our greatest moments Jesus is greater and He will do more than we can ever do. But in the meantime, while we are waiting for His return, let's prepare the way for the Messiah when He returns in the same way John did. 

Reflection

1. What life lessons can we learn from John the Baptist?

2. Are you living a life that points to Christ?

3. If you were the only bible that anyone ever read, or the closest thing to Jesus anyone ever sees, what would people see?

Prayer Time

Allow your answers to the above questions guide your prayer. Have a conversation with God about what we talked about today. Whatever is on your heart today, pray about it. 

I love you and I hope you have an amazing day or evening! Be sure to share this with someone and come back tomorrow for Day 360!

Day 358: Doesn't Matter Where You Come From

Isaiah 9:6
For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon[a] his shoulder,
    and his name shall be called[b]
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Matthew 1:23
“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel”  (which means, God with us).

Luke 2:7

And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

Merry Christmas Everyone! Today is the day we celebrate the birth of our savior. The birth of the promised Messiah. Even if December 25th wasn't the actual day He was born, I find it very wonderful that we have dedicated a full day to celebrating the gift that is Jesus Christ. A Savior that came in the body of a human. Jesus is the ultimate gift for us all.

Today let's talk about the miraculous conception and the humble birth of Jesus. Okay, imagine you're getting married to a woman and this woman is a virgin. This virgin woman comes to you and tells you that she is pregnant and you know it's not by you, so whose baby is it. She supposed to be a virgin or so she says. So  you prepare to leave her, but not openly you plan to do it in secret because you do not want to embarrass her. Then you find out that she was carry God's baby! God! She is carrying the Messiah. The angel tells you no to worry because she's giving birth to the savior so you listen. Now we can look at this two ways, from Joseph's initial shock, and wanting to separate from Mary and then realizing the miraculous conception of Jesus Christ. Now I'm sure this is something that only God himself to convince Joseph of, because things like this do not happen everyday, in fact it has only happened once in history. Joseph was ready to leave Mary, but can we blame him? You mean to tell me that I thought you were a virgin all this time and all of sudden you're pregnant. Something not adding up. It's impossible for you to be a virgin and pregnant, that doesn't happen. Joseph thought Mary was out here cheating, as anyone would. But the message here is that God makes the impossible possible and the illogical logical. Even though this was already prophesied I bet there were still questions as to how it would done. Maybe it was metaphorical, there's no way. But God made a way. He wanted to save the world and so He sent the Messiah. Jesus was a miracle from the very moment of His conception. The most miraculous conception known to man.

The birth of Jesus was very humbling. He was born in a manger, that's no place of luxury. By definition a manger is a long open box or trough for horses or cattle to eat from. It doesn't matter where you come from as long as you go where God tells you to, and be who He has called you to be. Jesus was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth, He had to be laid in a manger because there was no room for Him anywhere else. Our king was laid in a place that live stock usually feeds off of. The savior of our world! That's a humble birth. Yet, He was still the Messiah because that is who He was born to be. Jesus was and is the greatest thing to ever happen to the world. The greatest man to ever walk this earth. The greatest gift we will ever receive. The most miraculous conception we will ever see. Yet this man was laid in a manger after His birth and raised in Nazareth.

What I'm saying here is allow yourself to submit to the plan God has for your life. It does not matter your circumstances or where you come from, because ultimately we are all children of God. Whether we were born with a silver spoon in our mouths or not, we are born through th blood of Jesus Christ. We are made in His image and given purpose because we are His. Don't let where are, or where you come from affect becoming the person God has created you to be. There a plan in store for all of us, while we all have different origins, we all come form one Father, and His breath is in all of us.

Response/Prayer Time

Take the time to think about what we discussed today, really consider it all and take it in. Pray in whatever way you feel lead.

I love you and I hope you have an amazing day or evening and enjoy you Holiday!

Day 357: Recap!

Merry Christmas Eve!

This week consisted of two series. The Life is Funny Series and the That's Life Series. We talked a lot about life this week, how it is unpredictable and how it is more that just a struggle and ultimately the kind of life we want to lead. So instead of doing a normal recap today I have an assignment for you all, instructions if you will. Take the time to go over what we discussed this week, just a bit of a review, if something spoke to you specifically, go back to that day and reflect on it.

1. Make a list of all the things you want to do with your life. Goals, dreams, aspirations, plans, everything.
2. Highlight all the parts of your life you want God to work on.
3. What is your perspective on life? How do you perceive things? How does your perception of life affect how you live?
4. How do you want you live your life in a way that will serve God and His people?
5. Make a vision board or start making one, you don't have to finish it today,  to have if ready by new year. On this vision board will be what you want it to be, how you visualize your life going in 2018. What do you want out of life? What do you expect God to do in your life?
*Keep a loose grips on your plans because God might change them.*
6. Make a promise to live the life god has destined for you, not for anyone else.

Take the time pray on all these things. Take the time and ask God for direction and allow Him to lead you.

I love you and I hope you have an amazing day or evening! Be sure to share this with someone and come back tomorrow for Day 358!

Day 356: That's Life: Series (Part 4)

Matthew 6:33
 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Psalms 119:30
I have chosen the faithful way; I have placed Your ordinances before me.

Today's devo is not going to be long as it requires a lot of self reflection. The year is winding down and it's winding down fast. When we think about our lives we have to ask ourselves a few questions. What kind of life are we leading and does it mirror the life of Jesus, and is it according to the word of God. This week we have been getting  very real about life and the expectations that come with being a part of society. We have talked about leading a life based not the rules of society and gender norms. We have talked about how life is so much more than a struggle, we have to choose to see it in a different way. So I guess what I want to ask or talk about today is the type of life you want to lead. What type of life do you want to lead? I ask myself the same question. 

A huge part of being a Christian is choosing to live with God. It's making that choice everyday to walk with Christ and live according to His word, putting all things that are of the world away from us. We quickly learn that the core of this life is love. As we have talked about love and living this week, I want to ask a more detailed questioned. How will we live that will replicate the life of Jesus and being the person God has called us to be? What will we do with our life that will please Him? Are we going to love more, be more selfless, reach out to people? What are we going to do. to reach out to people? Can we live a life that does not abide by society's rules, man-made rules but by the law put forth by Jesus Christ. 

As we wrap this series up, essentially I want you to ask yourself, what is life? What is life to you, what do you see life as, what does it mean to you. This is a question that only we can answer for ourselves, no one else can give us the answer. Are we living the type of life we know is right and are we struggling to get there? Are we in a spot where we know we need to change our lifestyle, or continue to move and push forward. We must make a decision about the life we are going to lead and go ahead and do it. We cannot be on the fence about it, we have to decide. That's the challenge, to decide if the life we want to live matches the life we are living. If we want to live a life dedicated to Christ does the life we are living match the life Jesus lived? 

So take  the time to go over what we talked about this week. Take the time to access you life and the type of life you are living and the type of life you want to live. Talk to God about it, pray about it and make a decision. If you have never made the decision to follow Christ now is the time to make that decision. God loves us so much and He has a plan for each and everyone of us, we just have to choose to trust Him and His timing, and His plan. 

If you’ve never made the decision to follow Christ and you want to, or if you want to rededicate your life to Him, now is the time to do. Now is the time to make that decision. If you want to be brought into this magnificent promise of eternity, now is the time to make that decision. If that’s you if you want to make that decision, pray this prayer with me,

“Jesus I declare that you are my Lord and Saviour who died for my sins and was raised three days later. I repent of my sins and I give my life to you. I believe in my heart that you are the true living God. I pray that you shine your  light on me and bring me out of the darkness and into your light. I love you Lord. Thank you for saving me. In Jesus name, Amen.”

If you made the choice to follow Christ, rededicate, or to submit your life to Him fully, Go to Romans 10:9-10

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.

I love you so much and I hope you have an amazing day! Be sure to share this with someone and come back tomorrow for Day 357!

Day 354: That's Life : Series (Part 2)

Galatians 3:28

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Genesis 1"27

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

Galatins 1:10
Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.

We are continuing our series today of debunking some of the "that's life" myths that we have been conditioned to believe our entire lives. There are societal role sand rules that many of us in this generation have been learning since we were young. We are often told what girls and boys cannot do, and how we are supposed to live our lives based on who we are, based on 'rules'. Meaning we are expected to act a certain way if we are male or female, we are expected to act a certain way by what race we are, what our social standing is. These things have caused division in the world for as long as I can remember, and it has caused so many people to live a life based on societal rules instead of God's word. 

Growing up I was very much what many would call a tomboy. I love sports, I love playing sports, you would finds me playing basketball with the boys, or outside with my dad as he worked on his car as opposed to doing the things that was expected of a girl. I grew up with the title tomboy, and it never bothered me. I was told I was going to grow up to be gay because I wanted to play basketball and football and not be a cheerleader. This is the world I grew up in, the boys weren't allowed to be dancers or cheerleaders or anything close to what seemed to be feminine. Due to this I grew up with he idea that I would never be woman enough for this world, I don't fit into the societal idea of a woman, because I would rather where slacks than a dress. I despised the idea that a boy who loved ballet would be berated and insulted with offensive terms, that if you are gay or not should never have to hear. For many of us, this is the world we grew up in. We grew up in a world that told us that inner city kids are the bad kids, but if you were from the suburbs you were good. We grew up in a society that expects blacks, latinos, and hispanics to be criminals. They expect anyone of asian decent to be smart. You are smart and successful if you are white. These are not truths they are stereotype, this is what we have been told for generations, and there are so many more where that came from. What has happened is society has put us in boxes and tried to make it so that we cannot move outside of the area we are supposed to be in. Boys have been taught not to cry or show emotion they have to be tough because if they do they are weak. Now we have bruised and angry men walking around because of all the pent up anger. Our girls have been taught that they have a place in the world but it is not beyond being a housewife. That they must look pretty all the time, and know that they are the weaker sex. We have been taught these things and we are living in a world that bounds us to gender norms and societal rules based on things like finances and social standing. But when I read my bible I see something different, when I read my bible I see that God made us all equal. We are all one body, our money or social standing, or our talents do not make us any better or less than anyone else. Life is living the life Christ has given us no matter what anyone has to say about it. Life is taking a chance and stepping outside the box because God has called you to place that you are traditionally not supposed to go. Life is obeying the word of God and living by it, not obeying the rules set up by man. That's life, doing right by the word of God, and that means going against the stereotypes and societal rules that we have been conditioned to believe is true. God made us, man and woman in His own image, not a stereotype. 

I guess my question is, can we break these rules and stereotype that are not implanted in the word of God and focus on what God is actually telling us to do? I know we have grown up in this world that is so broken and divided but can we be the generation to mend it? Can we tear down the walls of division that causes so much strife between the people of God? We have each been given a life, and if we are too concerned with what the world is telling us to do, we will never get to what God is telling us to do. We cannot be preoccupied with living for man, God gave us this life, no one else. We must get to a point when we are more concerned with what God wants us to do and how He wants us to live than the rules that have been put in place by religion and society. What I'm saying here is that this is your life, and you do not have to live it like anyone else. If God gave you the gift to do something whether you are male or female do it. It doesn't matter what society says, God gave you a gift and you use it to glorify Him and Him alone. That is what living for Christ looks like. We are made in His image, don't let anyone try to take that away. 

All this to say, there is a life outside the boxes we are often placed in. There is so much more to life than living for other people. Living with Christ is so much better and living for Christ means living free. Break the stereotypes, live beyond what society expects. We talked a lot about society today, because the traditions we have grown up with have impacted this generation is a huge way and it is mot always good. God never intended for us to act as if anyone is lower than us or that we are lower than anyone.He made us all in His image and we are all one body. 

Response/Prayer Time

Take the time to think about what we discussed today. Whatever you feel led to pray about today, pray about it. Pray that the world will come together as one. Pray for the division that is taking over our nations. 

I love you and I hope you have an amazing day or evening! Be sure to share this with someone and come back tomorrow for Day 355!

Day 353: That's Life: Series (Part 1)

Ecclesiastes 3:12-13

So I concluded there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can. And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God.

Ecclesiastes 8:15

So I recommend having fun, because there is nothing better for people in this world than to eat, drink, and enjoy life. That way they will experience some happiness along with all the hard work God gives them under the sun.

This is the start of another series leading to the end of the year. This series we are going to talk about life and uno the teachings that we have been taught for so long, that allows us or makes us see life one way and one way only. We often talk about how pain and suffering is a part of life. But as much as they are so is joy, peace, love, happiness, life is good too. We need to talk about that a bit more than we talk about all the bad things that can come out of life. Life can be rough but that is not all there is to it.

As humans we have become so overtaken with this idea of struggling through life. Fighting against something our entire lives to get to where we are. Proving that we are strong because we’ve been through something. People actually say that until you’ve experienced hardship you haven’t experienced life. We have become what seems like obsessed with the ideas of struggle. The more we’ve gone through the better the testimony. We have misconstrued what life really is. We have taught our children and we have been taught that life is a struggle. Life is hard. Prepare ourselves. Have tough skin. But what if I told you that that was wrong. What if I told you that struggling is only a small part of life compared to good. Pain is only a moment compared to the joy and happiness.

There is just as much peace as there is violence and evil. It’s in us. We have to change our perspective. Not of what we see but how we see things. We have to choose to hang on to that glimmer of hope. Life isn’t all struggle and pain. Trust me it’s not. For the moments when the pain and struggles ceases, why can’t life be butterflies and unicorns? Why can’t we enjoy life to fullest. There’s no one telling us we can’t .Life is beautiful. Life is a gift. Life is a blessing. Witnessing life is a privilege. 

There’s so much more to this life than that we overlook, because when we think about real life we only think about how hard it is. How brutal it can be. How it can chew us up and spit us out. Real life is actually beautiful and full of joy and love when we think about it. Real life is laughing with your friends until the break of dawn. Real life is taking a chance and going on that date with that person. Real life is the thrill of throwing your hands up on a roller coaster. Real life is watching your friends and family succeed and being just as happy for them as you would for yourself. It’s being able to travel across the world to climb a mountain or taste real Italian food. Real life is building up the courage to ask that girl to marry you. It’s being overwhelmed with emotion because you are so happy. Life is sharing moments, the beautiful moments the joyful moments. Life is seeing the smile on the face of someone you love because they've just accomplished something they've been going after for a while. It's seeing you prayers for people come to fruition. Life is all the little moments strung together to make up what we get to describe as living. Life is being vulnerable enough not to just cry when you’re in pain, but to cry because you are happy. Life is not being ashamed to walk down the street holding hands with your best friend because you are grateful God has blessed you with them. Life is telling your family and friends you love them. Life is hugging your family or friends. Or hugging the stranger with the free hugs sign. This may sound crazy to many of you.It sounds crazy to me as I write it. Because we have been conditioned and taught that life is hard. We’ve been trained to be tough so life doesn’t knock us down. We’ve been told since we were young kids in school that life is hard and it can get the best of us. But I want to undo all of that and tell you that you will get the best of life. It will not get the best of you.  

All this to say, we weren't prepared for the beauty of life, or the joys of life, because we've only been conditioned to be tough so that life can't knock us done. With that being said we don't really know how to enjoy life, we don't know how to relax or take a break because we want to be ahead of the game. I want to encourage your day to take a chance and see that there si more to life that being in a constant battle. God did not intend for us to struggle every moment of our lives. Believe or not He actually wants us to enjoy life. He gave us the pleasures of life to enjoy, give yourself permission to enjoy it. 

Reflection 

1. What is your perspective on life?

2. Do you find yourself constantly in the pattern of thinking of life as only a struggle?

3. What are some things you can do to change that perspective?

4. Are you rally living life to the fullest?

Prayer Time 

Allow you answer to the above questions guide your prayer today. Take the time to talk to God about life and thank Him for blessing us with a beautiful life. 

I love you and I hope you have an amazing day or evening! Be sure to share this with someone and come back tomorrow for Day 354!

Day 352: Life Is Funny (Part 2)

Romans 5:3-4

Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.

James 1:3

because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.

Growing up my mom would always tell me, “What doesn’t kill you will only make you stronger.” She would usually say this as a result of me getting another rejection from an audition or talent agency telling me no, or not getting the part in the school play. But she would also tell me it whenever something happened in my life that made me feel like my life was over. As I got older, the pain got worst and the situations became more real. When I got my first heartbreak, when I was betrayed by my friends, when I went through a bad break up, and when my father died. I always went back to those few words that my mom would say to me when I was younger to let me know that everything was going to be alright. And sure enough it was, but it took time. It’s funny how life works that way. The same things that hurt us are the same things that strengthen us.

The people that have hurt us and walked out of our lives. The experiences that has taken our breath away, not in the good way. The boyfriends and girlfriends that cheated or just did us wrong. These experiences are just small hiccups compared to how life is truly going to be. These moments are lessons to teach us who we are, and also how strong we are. As crazy as it sounds God uses our pain to heal us. I would never know what true forgiveness felt like if I had never forgiven my friends who walked out on me. I had to face them. I would never know that  heart can be healed after it’s been shattered if I never faced my father's death. I would have never known that i could be put back together again if I never face the fears of my past. The triggers that tormented me for so long.

I say life is funny because we never think that the most traumatic experiences in our lives would be the biggest moments of growth. We never think that our biggest mistakes would lead us to the place we are at the moment. We as people have go through so much and will go through so much more, but our past experiences equip us for what’s ahead, and it’s not always heartbreak. Suffering is a part of life, it isn’t life itself. As the scripture tells us our sufferings produce perseverance, and perseverance produces character, and character hope. I know many of us can say that we have come out a better person. We have become stronger people.

What I want you to get out of all of this is,whatever you do don’t let the suffering overtake you. It won’t kill you, and with that being said it will be another building block into who you are. God loves you so much and He wants you to succeed, but that does not mean that we will not suffer. We will have to go through some growing pains. As long as we live there will always be pain, and hurting but it’s only for a moment. Pain is a part of life. If Jesus had to suffer the way He did we can take a bit of heartache. Our suffering does not define us, it’s a part of life. However, as much as pain is a part of life, so is joy, so is peace and happiness. So is love, and courage, so is faith. Good things are a part of life too.  But how we react to the suffering and the pain, how we allow it to affect us, that does define who we are.

All this to say, if we take a step back and look we will see how funny life is when it goes around. The things that we meant to break us are the very things God uses to build us. Whatever you do, let it be a building block.

Reflection

1. Can you think of something in your life that hurt you but in the end made you a stronger better person?

Prayer Time

Take the time to pray about what we discussed today. Thank God that life is just as beautiful as it is scary, if not more.  Thank God that He uses the things we go through to make us into better people.

I love you and I hope you have an amazing day or evening! Be sure to share this with someone and come back tomorrow for Day 354!

Day 349: What Will You Do

Matthew 5:14-16

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Galatians 6:2

Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

John 3:16

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Lately I feel God has been challenging me in many ways and I want to bring those challenges to you. I think as the Body of Christ we are being challenged to do more and be more. Not in a sense that we aren’t enough but that there is always something more to be done. 

We are constantly talking about how the world is corrupt and we want world peace and we need someone to help. Well I have news for you. We are that someone to help. We are that someone to make a change in the world. We are the spark to the fire. God calls us the light of the world for a reason. Not so we can sit in darkness s d hide our light. But so that we can bring light into the darkness. Let me tell you that the world is becoming darker and darker everyday. With that being said the body of Christ must grow brighter and stronger everyday. We must be the change that not only we want to see but the change that this world needs. There’s is so much going on in the world and we are looking to everyone else to fix it. We are looking for politicians to fix this when what our people need is Prayer. What our countries need is for the people of God to show them that all hope s not gone. That there is a God and He is still sovereign and He is always listening. 

While we are waiting for celebrities, politicians, and city and community leaders to speak up and do something. My question to the body of Christ is what do you say? What will you do? How do you treat people? I ask myself these questions as well. It starts with us. Equality, justice, peace, truth. It all starts with us. What will we do when we see injustice happening? What will we do when we see people falling and persecuted? What will we do? We often think that these are not our battles or our conversations. By overlooking the things that are causing the world so much pain how are we helping to heal. By looking over our brother or sister who is starving and struggling how are we doing God’s will. One of my favorite passages in the Bible is  in Matthew 25:35-40 when Jesus says,35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

So again I ask, What will you do?  

I know that when God saw His people falling and being destroyed by sin, He sent Jesus. That’s what He did. He did something for His people and because of that act of grace and love we are here today. He sent a savior to save the world and Jesus sent us. Jesus gave us a mission to go out and make disciples. 

Response/Prayer Time 

Take the time to answer the questions proposed today. As the year begins to wind down we are talking about putting our faith into action and serving Christ in all the ways we can. Talk to God about what that looks like for you and ask Him what He wants you to do and where He wants you to go. 

I love you and I hope you have an amazing day or evening! Be sure to share this with someone and come back tomorrow for Day 350!

Day 347: Fight For It

Genesis 32:22-29

22 During the night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two servant wives, and his eleven sons and crossed the Jabbok River with them. 23 After taking them to the other side, he sent over all his possessions.

24 This left Jacob all alone in the camp, and a man came and wrestled with him until the dawn began to break. 25 When the man saw that he would not win the match, he touched Jacob’s hip and wrenched it out of its socket. 26 Then the man said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking!”

But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”

27 “What is your name?” the man asked.

He replied, “Jacob.”

28 “Your name will no longer be Jacob,” the man told him. “From now on you will be called Israel,[a] because you have fought with God and with men and have won.”

29 “Please tell me your name,” Jacob said.

“Why do you want to know my name?” the man replied. Then he blessed Jacob there.

This is one of the most interesting and compelling stories in the bible, and I want to just break it down and look at it in a more literal context today.

Jacob wrestled for a blessing, even when he was in pain he would not let go until he received what he was fighting for. Jacob’s hip was out of socket, his hip! I’m not sure if you’ve ever hurt your hip but it HURTS. It’s hard to stand and even harder to walk. If you’ve ever broken a bone or dislocated anything you know the kind of pain it is. It’s hurts so much. Let’s think about this for a second, this man's hips was out of socket and even then he would not let go because he did not want to miss his blessing. He kept fighting with a dislocated hip, he had to push his limits physically to receive what he was fighting for. Even a dislocated hip could not make him let go of the angel because the angel had something he needed and wanted. Not only did he fight with a dislocated hip but he had already been fighting all night long. I can imagine that he was tired and exhausted, and the pain really didn’t help that. This was so impressive to the man he was fighting that he had to know his name. He had to know who this man was.

When we think of this in context we have to realize that Jacob fought for what he wanted. Jacob refused to let go even when he was in pain. I can’t imagine how much pain he was in, but what he was fighting was so much more important that he could deal with the pain another time. What I’m saying here is, we have to fight for what we want. We have to hold on to the things we think are worth fighting for, even if it means we have to deal with the pain of holding on. We sometimes think that the things that bring us pain are not for us. We think that because we have to endure the pain to get to where we are going that it’s not for us. Pain isn’t always an indication of something going wrong, pain can be good at times. We can have growing pains, healing pains, enduring pain. We cannot let the pain stop is from fighting on make us let go of the things we are holding on to. Because most times the things we want are beyond the pain, we have to deal with it to get what we want. Sometimes we have to fight even when we are sweating and tired, exhausted and in pain. The harder it get the more valuable the fight and the reward becomes to us.

What I want you to take from this is, there are things worth fighting for and things that we must let go of. Find those things that are worth fighting for and fight. Fight with everything you have and when you want to stop fighting keep fighting. When people tell you stop fighting, keep fighting. Fights aren’t easy, they aren’t going to be soft. No, fighting hurts, you have to take hits and keep going, if you get knocked down you get up.

There are too many people that give up too easily. We are so easily influenced and swayed by our circumstances. I know that life can hurt, and I know that when we are reaching for something it seems like every battle comes up against us. But please I beg you don’t allow your pain to make you stop fighting. If anything let it fuel you. Let that pain be worth it, let it mean something.

All this to say, if you’ve found something worth holding on to, fight for it. Don’t let go, even if it hurts. If you know that this is for you, if you are holding on to God’s promises, and you know that HE has something for you, you fight for it. SOmetimes we even have to fight for the things God wants us to have.

Reflection

1. Can you relate to what we discussed today?
2. What are some things in your life worth fighting for?
3. What are some things you have to let go of?
4. What are the things you have to let go of in order to continue to fight for what you want?

Prayer Time

Allow the answers to the above questions guide your prayer. Talk to God about what we discussed today. Whatever is on your heart at this moment reveal it to God.

I love you so much and I hope you have an amazing day or evening! Be sure to share this with someone and come back tomorrow for Day 348!