Featured Post

Year Reflection

I just want you to take the time and reflect on what this year has been like for you. Think about the person you were at the beginning ...

Saturday, April 22, 2017

Day 113: Dare to Fail

Let’s talk about life. We as a generation love the idea of success, we want to ‘be something’ so bad. We want to be better or do more than our parents, or be more than the generation before us. We are dreamers, we have so many visions and dreams that we want to accomplish or that we want to come to past. However, because we are so passionate, and because we want success so bad we are afraid of failure. We are afraid to take the real steps to get to where we want to be because, “What if it doesn’t work?” “What if we fall flat on our face?” What if this, and what if that.


Proverbs 24:16
For the righteous falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble in times of calamity.


When we think about failing at something we often think that it is the end of the world, that it was our last chance. That is not so, the scripture tells us that a righteous person falls seven times, seven times, but they get back up again. We can fall seven times but we must make sure that we get up eight. As cliche as it sounds, it’s not about falling but it’s about getting back up again some falls are easier to get up from than others. I understand that, but we have to get back up, even if it takes a little longer, we have to get up. I wonder how many times Jesus was knocked down as He was carrying that cross to calvary. How many people walked up to Him and spit in His face, hit him and knocked him and the cross down. If He had stayed down, where would we be? If He decided that it was too much to handle, who would we be?
Galatians 1:10, Does this sound as if I am trying to win human approval? No indeed! What I want is God's approval! Am I trying to be popular with people? If I were still trying to do so, I would not be a servant of Christ.
The mistake we make is trying to prove our success to others, or prove ourselves to other people, who are most likely facing the same struggles we are. Sometimes we are so caught up in what people think of us and how we will be letting them down that we don’t even try. When we are living for Christ, we don’t have to worry about impressing Him, He knows who we are. He knows where we are going, He sculpted the path that we are traveling on.
Just because we fail does not mean we are failures. This is something that we must constantly remind ourselves of. I have found that this generation is particularly hard on themselves. We are perfectionist and sometimes that is our greatest asset as well as our biggest flaw. We have to appreciate the parts of our lives that are far less than perfect. It gives us a chance to allow the perfection of Christ make up for what we are not and could never be. He completes us. Failure isn’t always bad, we learn from these things, we find light in the dark places, because we have to. We grow in the valleys, so when we get to the mountain tops we understand what it took for us to be here. Failure is a part of life, it is also a part of success. Some of the greatest people in the bible and the most successful people today fell before they got to where they were then or are now. David and Moses are two of them, Moses killed a man and fled. David, killed a man because he wanted His wife. Peter denied Jesus three times. Paul persecuted Christians. But we do not remember these men for what they did that was less than perfect, but how it led them to Christ. We know them for the great men of God they were.
We have to atleast try, we cannot live afraid to fall. With all of this being said, we have to give ourselves a chance. God has given us this life and we are not to live in fear.
2 Timothy 1:7,  For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
We serve an unfailing God, and He did not give us a spirit of fear so we will not walk in fear. If we fail it will not be because we were too afraid to try. If we fail at least we know that we gave it a chance. Sometimes life can leave you shook, and scared, but it is in those moments where we put our trust in God and jump. Things won’t always go the way we plan or the way we think they should go, but God uses every moment, every fall, to His glory.


“It is better to make a thousand failures than to be too cowardly to ever undertake anything.” -Clovis G. Chappell
“Just jump afraid. Dare to do it, and maybe you land, maybe it’ll be perfect. “ - Viola Davis
We never know what can happen if we don’t take a chance. Jesus is calling us out on the water, we have to step and have faith that we won’t fall, and even if we do, He is right there to pick us up.
Reflection
  1. Are you afraid of failure?
  2. Are you a perfectionist?
  3. What is the main thing stopping you from stepping out on faith and taking a chance.
  4. Is it fear?


Prayer Time
Allow your answers to the above questions guide your prayer today. Pray through every answer, whatever it is on your heart today bring it to God.
I love you, take a chance and have faith in God. Share this with someone. Have an amazing day or evening, and make sure you come back tomorrow for day 114!


Friday, April 21, 2017

Day 112: The Way He Loves Us



If we ever wanted to know what the love of God looks like, we can always refer to the book of Hosea. God used Hosea and his marriage to Gomer as a perfect example of how He loves us, even in our mess.

Hosea 1:2
When the Lord first began speaking to Israel through Hosea, he said to him, “Go and marry a prostitute,  so that some of her children will be conceived in prostitution. This will illustrate how Israel has acted like a prostitute by turning against the Lord and worshiping other gods.”


God gives Hosea specific instructions, He tells Him to go and marry a prostitute. You read right, God told Him to marry a prostitute. Someone He knew could not be faithful. Someone who would run off with other men, and sell her body to them, even though she had a husband at home that would not make her pay for it. She had someone at home who would love her for everything she is and not use her for everything she has. But the twist in this, is that Gomer represents Israel, and Hosea represents Him. How Israel turned to other gods so often, and could not remain faithful. But God has always been there, He does not stop loving them. And to take that a bit further, we are Gomer, we are the ones that cannot stay faithful.

Hosea was in for a world of pain and heartbreak when he married Gomer. He was marrying someone who could not love Him in the way he loved her. She was too occupied with her life, too occupied with the lifestyle she was leading before she met Hosea. Hosea had to deal with the fact that His wife was not only out there sleeping with other men but she was somewhere sleeping with other men, for money. Hosea knew that she was worth so much more, but Gomer didn’t know her worth. That must have been heartbreaking. I wonder how he felt, having to go get his wife from those forbidden places where she was being used by so many different men.

This is what we do to God when we choose to sin, when we choose to be unfaithful or live a life outside of His will. We are allowing our spirit to be used and corrupted by so many different things and God has to come and clean us off every time. He does it because His love for us is so strong. God loves us so much and that will never change, but can we imagine how heartbroken He is when we decide to turn away from Him. We may not be a prostitute, like Gomer, but we all have our form of prostitution. When we knowingly engage in sin, we are being unfaithful to God. When we walk away from Him and His word, we are breaking His heart. God knows our worth in the same way Hosea knew Gomer’s worth. How heartbreaking it must be for Him to watch us throw away our potential, and walk around as if we are worthless.

Hosea 3: 1-2
Then the Lord said to me, “Go and love your wife again, even though she commits adultery with another lover. This will illustrate that the Lord still loves Israel, even though the people have turned to other gods and love to worship them.” So I bought her back for fifteen pieces of silver and five bushels of barley and a measure of wine.


The most beautiful part about it all is that God can be angry at us, but He will always look at us and say, “But I love you.” He loves us so much.
God tells Hosea to go love His unfaithful wife. Go find her eventhough she is committing adultery with another man, love her. God doesn’t say leave her, He says love her. And it will be a symbol of how he stills loves israel even though they have turned to different gods. God is not into giving up on His people, even when we deserve to be left out in the desert. He says I will never leave you but I will forever love you.
Hosea then goes and buys his own wife. He goes down to the place where a man of God should not have been. Hosea was a prophet, and the place where Gomer was, was not a place a prophet should be. He had to go to some pretty low and dirty place to get his wife back, and not only that, he had to pay for her. His own wife, he had to pay for to release her from the hands of the men who only wanted her for sex.

God did the same thing for us, when we are in the unclean and dirty places. He will walk that path to find us and bring us home. Not only will He do that but He was and is willing to pay the price to cut the ties. He paid the price so that we would not be bound by where we once were. God sent His son, He sent Jesus down into these places of sin so that we could be delivered. Jesus came and found us, and paid the highest price for our soul, His life, He gave his life for us.
John 3:16
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, so that whoever believes in Him, should not perish but have everlasting life.
God loves us so much that He sent His son in pursuit of our hearts. The very hearts that turned away from Him, He came seeking them. Jesus walked in places the religious people refused to go, but one of His own was in that dark place. Hosea went down to that place because his wife was down there and He  had to go get her. Jesus ate with sinners, and walked into the homes of sinners, but there was a soul that needed to be saved.

Reflection
  1. Can you recall a time in your life where you have been like Gomer?

Prayer Time
Allow you answer to the above question guide your prayer. Take to time today to reflect on the passages today, and read through the full chapters. If there is anything in you that is causing you to turn away from God, bring it to Him. Confess, and repent and allow God to give you a new heart. Talk to God today, whatever it may be talk to Him. this is between you and God, no one else, let Him work on you.

I love you and I hope you have an amazing day or evening. Share this with someone, and be sure to come back tomorrow for Day 113!

Thursday, April 20, 2017

Day 111: The God-Shaped Hole in Our Hearts

A while ago, someone told me that we all have a God-shaped  hole in our hearts and until it is filled with God we will forever be searching for a permanent fulfillment that we can only find in Christ. They said that, we can try to fill this hole with a number of other things and we do, but they will only provide temporary fulfillment. There is a constant hunger within us, and until we turn to Christ it will never be satisfied. A lot of times we need God without knowing it, once we come to Christ we truly understand just how much we need Him. We cannot survive without Him.
Isaiah 45;18
For thus says the LORD, who created the heavens (He is the God who formed the earth and made it, He established it and did not create it a waste place, but formed it to be inhabited), "I am the LORD, and there is none else.


As I stated above, there is a hunger in all of us that can only be satisfied by God. And as the last part of the scripture above states, “I am the Lord, and there is no one else”. There is no one else that can give us what God has given us. So often we walk around hollow, empty, because we are searching for something. We are looking for satisfaction, or purpose, and we find ourselves lost  because we’ve looked everywhere and nothing seems to be the right fit. Nothing seems to rub us the right way, or scratch that itch. We are looking past or even turning away from the only person able to fulfill, or quench that thirst. Until we turn to Christ, until we give our lives to Him, we will forever fight the emptiness within us. God is the one person that can give instruction when there seems no way, hope when it seems all is lost, strength when we are weak. Only God can do that, there is no one else. There is no amount of drinks we can have to fill the voids, no relationship with any person, no drug, no amount of sex, no amount of money, no matter how many jobs we work or how successful we are. If we don’t have God there will always be a sort of emptiness in us. When all's said and done, when we are at our lowest or if we were to lose everything we have, we can still live in the hope of Jesus Christ. He can sustain us in the worst of times. He provides what no one or nothing cannot, eternity. He gives us eternal life, eternal joy, and peace. Somehow when we are going through hell on earth we can still find an ounce of peace, or joy. Because God inhabits our hearts. He has filled us with His Holy Spirit, and everyday we walk with Christ knowing that we are covered from the inside out. The Holy Spirit is with us and guides us throughout our days, giving us peace and joy and fighting off the things that are unlike God. When Jesus ascended into heaven God didn’t just leave us alone to fend for ourselves, He sent His spirit. So that no matter where we are or what we are going through He is there with us.



Genesis 2:7



then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.


There is no way that we can live without God, He literally blew life into our nostrils. We live because He decided to give us His breath. We cannot live apart from Him. There will always be a need for Him. No matter how far we try to run from God or how lost we feel we will always be connected to Him, even if just by a breath. We know that we are in need of God if we just stop and breathe, and refer back to His word that tells us that He blew the breath of life into our nostrils. It is like an artist and it’s work, the creation will always be connected to the creator. The creation does not exist or live with the creator or artist.  However, the creator exists without the creation. We are God’s creation, we do not exist without him. Without his hand we have no form, without His breath we have no life. We cannot live apart from Him, we can try and we will see how much of a mistake it is to think that something like that could happen.


All this to say, is that we are in constant need of our LOrd and Savior. We have that hole in us that only God can fill. It’s His breath that fills our lungs, His Holy Spirit that carries us through every day of our lives. There is nothing and no one that can fill these voids, there is no one else but God. No one else can fit into that hole but Him.
Reflection
  1. Do you or have you ever felt empty/hollow?
  2. Have you tried or are you trying to find satisfaction in something or someone other than God?


Prayer Time
Allow your answers to the above questions guide your prayer today. Maybe you are walking around empty or feeling lost, take that heart and give it to God today. Know that everything you need is in Him. Talk to God, pour your heart out to Him even if that means just crying out to Him. Maybe you know someone who is going through this, lift them up in prayer today, ask God to touch their heart, and if you feel lead to, pray with them.

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 112!

Wednesday, April 19, 2017

Day 110: Strong Enough to Hold

John 21:1-11


After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. 2 Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. 3 Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. 4 Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5 Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?”They answered him, “No.” 6 He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish. 7 That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea.8 The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards[a] off. 9 When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread. 10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” 11 So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn.


Today, we are going to focus on that last statement of this passage, “The net was not torn” I think this simple sentence is so important to this passage. God will prepare us for what is coming, and he will make sure we are strong enough to hold the magnificent blessings He will hail upon our lives.


These men had been out on this boat all night long fishing and caught nothing. All night, and as day was breaking, just in time for breakfast, Jesus comes and asks if they have any fish, after they said no, Jesus tells them to cast the net on the right side of the boat. My favorite part is that they didn’t question him, they did exactly as He said. They didn’t give an excuse saying, they had been fishing all night and they knew there was nothing. They could have, they could have said no. They could have told him that they had been out there all night. But I think they were out there because they were expecting something. They could have left in the first few hours after catching nothing. They could have left at midnight, when they didn’t catch anything. I’m not exactly sure how many times they threw the net in the water and came up with nothing but I’m going to guess it was several times seeing that they were out there there all night.
That’s how it is for us sometimes, when we are expecting something, when we want something, or need something. We throw our net out so many times and come back empty handed. We cast our net hoping for a few fish, and come back with nothing. We even drop our expectations, ‘Lord if I could have one just one, I’ll be alright.” And even then we come up with nothing. And after a while that empty net gets heavier and heavier, but we throw it in faith anyway. “Maybe this time we’ll catch something.” It’s hard not to fall into the mindset that it will never work, because so far, it hasn’t. But Jesus comes, and He says, “Throw that net out one more time, but throw it in this specific spot.”  Notice that Jesus didn’t say how much they would receive for throwing the net into the water. He simply says “throw it on the right side of the boat, and you’ll find some”.
There are three things to note in this passage: Problem, instruction, solution. God is the solution to all of our problems but we must listen to and follow His instructions. God always has a solution, it never fails.   
Problem: They had no fish after fishing all night long.
Instruction: Throw the net on the right side of the boat.
Solution: They hauled in 153 fish.


There is a step in between ‘instruction’ and ‘solution’ called obedience, and this is where we decide how the story will end. What if they didn’t listen to Jesus? Them and everyone they were fishing for would have been hungry. They had to decide to take another chance, what would it hurt, what would they have to lose? Casting the net into the water again wasn’t that big of a deal, it’s quite simple actually. The challenge was listening to Jesus when he said cast the net into the water. But once we get over our preconceived notions then we will understand the simplicity of His instructions. If you want some fish keep casting that net. If you want some fish do what He says and you will receive. We have to make the choice to listen when God is calling. We have to choose to trust in His word. God is telling us exactly what to do, will we listen? It’s that moment of choosing to obey the word of God that could change our lives forever.
He has so many things prepared for us, and He is building us day by day preparing us for what is coming. When the disciples chose to listen to Jesus they were in store for something big, bigger than what they thought could happen. That seems to be just how God works. I know they were expecting fish but I wonder if they thought they would catch so many. When we put our faith in God He can and will go so far beyond what we ask or think, because He is God. The beauty in it all is that He will make sure that we are able to hold the enormous blessings He will shower us with. The scripture says they were dragging a net full of fish onto the shore. There were so many fish, but the net was not torn. God will make sure that whatever He has for us we are ready to receive. A lot of times we want God to bless us with everything at once, but God know what we can handle and how much we can’t. He is preparing us, so that when that enormous blessing comes our way we will be strong enough to hold it. We will not tear.


Reflection
  1. Put yourself in the shoes of the disciples for a minute. You have been out all night fishing, you’ve caught nothing. All night and not one bite. It’s the crack of dawn and someone is one the shore, you don’t know who it is yet. They first ask you if you have any fish, after a long night of fishing you say no. He tells you to cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find them there. WOuld you do it?
Prayer Time
Ask God to help you heed His word and instruction, and be obedient to the things that He tells you to do. Find comfort in knowing that god is preparing you for what He has for you and whatever it is it will be great. Just listen to His instruction and move when He says move.

I love you, I hope you have an amazing day or evening, be sure to share this with someone and come back tomorrow for day 111!

Tuesday, April 18, 2017

Day 109: Help Me Maintain


Psalms 119:28
My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word.

Today’s devo is inspired by a very honest and beautiful song. The song is called “Maintain” by Jonathan McReynolds and it speaks about needing God and maintaining this life, and wanting to be where He is. My favorite lyric from this song is,  “Yeah you gave me all the weapons but it’s still a fight.” What a profound statement, and how honest it is, that God has given us everything we need to fight the battles we face, but none the less there is still a fight. There are things that we face daily there are battles we have to fight, and they are not the easiest things to go through.  


There are a few quick points to make today.
1. As Christians other people and even sometimes ourselves, we forget that we are human.
Meaning we forget that sometimes we will be weak sometimes we will not want to fight, sometimes we will doubt and that is okay, we are human. We wouldn’t be human is we didn’t have these doubts. It is in those doubts that God will show us just how faithful he is, my friend annisstar told me that. I think we often afraid to show our real feelings  out of fear that we are sinning by having them. The truth is sometimes life is hard and we would rather not deal with it. Sometimes we just want to walk away, sometimes we get tired. We are human, but it is in these moments that we are reminded exactly who it is we serve. We serve a mighty and magnificent God and He won’t leave or forsake us.


2.  We have to fight for what we want.
Some of us have to fight with everything we have, we are fighting day by day just to live, or get up in the morning. We know that God has given us everything we need to fight, we put on the full armour of God, we are equipped with His strength, and reminded of His faithfulness. Yet there is still a fight, we still have to go out and fight. We are fighting for our sanity, our salvation, our relationship with God, our faith. We are fighting everyday to keep our faith. I believe that everyone can agree that sometimes we get tired of fighting, there are moments when we just want to stop. And if I’m being completely honest there are moments when we don’t see the use of fighting anymore. We have faith, and we know God is right there in our corner, hydrating us and strengthening us, but we still have to fight. Even when we’re tired of all the blows, even when we get knocked down we have to get up and keep swinging. We have to fight until we can’t fight anymore and even then God gives us enough strength for one last swing.
Imagine God as our boxing coach, He is our corner, He is strengthening us after every round making sure we are okay to keep fighting. He’s giving us water and healing for the bruises and wounds, and he’s constantly pouring into us. Whenever we open our mouths He’s there with water to hydrate us. The only thing He asks is that we keep fighting. Even when we feel we are losing, keep fighting. Don’t give up, keep those hands up, stand up and fight. Because we are fighting for so much more than a win. We’re fighting for our lives.


Now let me get real honest real quick. We talk a lot about the getting up when we fall, continuing to fight when we’re tired, and continuing even when we don’t have the strength to do so. But what about when we’re on the ground and we don’t want to get up? What about while we’re in the fight, what about our thought process when we are getting tired? There are crazy thoughts we face while we’re in that boxing ring trying to get through another round. We Sometimes getting knocked down takes so long to get up because we are battling on the ground too. It’s easy down there, it’s safe down there, we can escape the pain and the blows. Sometimes we don’t know how to get up. Often we feel like we deserve to be sown there. When we’re knocked down and tired, it sometimes feels like that’s where we need to stay. At times getting up is harder than the fighting itself.  But God… God gives us strength, at our weakest points God gives us  understanding. God gives us peace. Yes we still have to go through the fight, and as hard as it is, we aren’t going through it alone. God is right there, giving us everything we need making sure we come out with a victory. Victory lies in our King and that we can depend on.


3. We just have to keep the faith.
Easier said than done, huh? I know it’s hard. It is especially hard when it seems like God is taking all the time in the world to get to us. One thing is for sure is that He is on the way to you. He always comes right on time. His timing is perfect.  


1 John 5:5
Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.


We overcome through Christ. At our weakest  moments, that is the time to hold on to Christ the most. These are the times to stretch our faith a bit further. To go that extra mile. It’s the moments when we are the weakest that we find God to be the strongest. The moments when we are doubting that we find God to be faithful. God is always there, we just have to have an ounce of faith.


Matthew 17:20
He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”
All we need is the faith of a mustard seed. Keep the faith, hold on to it, even if you have to fight with everything you have. It’s worth it. God is so faithful.

Reflection/Prayer Time
Today whatever is on your heart pour it out to God. Whatever you need ask God for it. Take the time to pray for yourself, you know what you need. When you are done, take the time to pray for someone else, whoever is on your heart, just lift them up in prayer today.


I love you, I hope you have an amazing day or evening. Share this with someone and come back tomorrow for Day 110!





Sunday, April 16, 2017

Day 108:Your Mistakes Don't Define You

Today we are going to talk about Peter, and his relationship to Jesus. Peter seems, to me, to be a very passionate man. He seems to always want to be on the right side, and sometimes he ends up on the wrong side. Peter is known as the disciple that denied Jesus three times. But Peter didn’t think that He would be the one to deny Jesus, he couldn’t see himself doing something like that. We as humans can relate to this so much because, we are unpredictable. We don’t know exactly what will happen or what we will do. Sometimes we shock ourselves with the things we say and do, and this could be either good or bad.


John 13: 36-38
Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow me now, but you will follow afterward.”37 Peter said to him, “Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” 38 Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow till you have denied me three times.


Before being told this, Peter said, “I will lay down my life for you” He was speaking to Jesus when he said this. Jesus foresaw what Peter could not, which is why He’s God and we’re not.


John 18:17
17 The servant girl at the door said to Peter, “You also are not one of this man's disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.”
That’s the first denial


John 18:25-27
Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. So they said to him, “You also are not one of his disciples, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not.”26 One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Did I not see you in the garden with him?” 27 Peter again denied it, and at once a rooster crowed.


Peter has just done the thing that he probably never thought He’d do. He denied Jesus. Earlier Peter said that he would lay down his life, but when faced with the fear that He might actually die, he denied Jesus. Peter knew the risk of being a Christ follower, or even a disciple of Christ. Peter was one of the twelve.


Sometimes we do things not realizing what they are. Sometimes we do things wanting to do the opposite. I’m sure Peter did not want to deny Jesus but He did. I’m sure he felt terrible. Many times it is our actions that deceive us. We do the things we say we’d never do and the thing we thought we’d never do. I think Paul says it best in Romans 7:15, “For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.”


We all make mistakes, we’ve all screwed up in our lives, I know I have pretty bad in my 24 years of living. There is conviction which is from God, that leads us to repentance, and there is self-condemnation or condemnation from others that leads us to regret. One is the right way the other is not so great. God can change a repentant heart, because we are giving our sin up to follow Him. We are confessing it and receiving His forgiveness, When we spend or waste time regretting the past or the things we’ve done we're not proud of, we tend to pull away from God. We are harboring things that we cannot change, if we have repented and asked God to remove the sin and change our hearts, there is no use in holding on to it. A lot of times we have to forgive ourselves for the things we have done. We talk a lot about forgiveness, sometimes the person we need to forgive is, us. If we spend all the time regretting the past we we will miss the present, we will not be able to move on and grow in Christ.


John 21:7
That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea.


Peter could not wait to see Jesus. The scripture say that Peter threw himself into the sea to go see Jesus. THere was a Savior on shore and Peter wasted no time in going to see Him.
What stand out to me in this scripture is Peter’s excitement to see Jesus. Now if Peter was still regretting what he had done, there is a possibly that he would not have been able to approach Him.
Now none of this is to say that it is okay to sin because we serve a gracious God. But if we really decide to live for and like Christ, we will get to a point where we don’t want to sin. We have all done things that we are not proud of, but even in that we have the opportunity to repent and not miss a chance to connect with your heavenly father.


John 21:15-17
15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16 He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep


God still wants to use you, it doesn’t matter what your past look like. When we make the decision to truly serve Him, meaning, living, loving, and look like Him we become a vessel for His work. When we repent God throws our sins into the sea of forgetfulness. Our past plays a role in who we are, but our past mistakes do not dictate the person we become, God makes that choice. He’s already made it actually, He knows who we are and what we will become. . We are not our mistakes, we are children of the one true living God. Peter goes on to become one of the key apostles, and builder of the church.
Matthew 16:18-19
And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”


Peter tells the testimony of Jesus Christ, and pays for it. He is thrown into prison for spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Peter goes out and does exactly what He has been called and chosen to do. There was a time when Peter denied Jesus in order to save His own life. This same man who died a martyr.


It matters not what we did but what we are doing now. There is time to repent and get it right. There is no time to regret our mistakes.


Reflection
  1. Do you live your life in regret?
  2. Are you able to forgive yourself for your mistake?
  3. Have you confessed and repented?
Prayer Time
Allow you answers to the above questions guide your prayer. If you feel God is speaking to you right now lay your heart out to Him. If there are things you need to repent for , confess those thing to God and turn your heart to Him.

I love you and I hope you have an amazing day or evening. MAke sure you share this with someone and come back tomorrow for Day 109!

Day 107: Recap


Instead of doing a recap of the week, today we are going to recap what went down 2500 years ago, when a man by the name of Jesus gave us His life for humanity. When he was buried and laid in a tomb. Then, three days later He was risen. We're talking about the time death and sin were defeated.

John 19:17- John 21
So they took Jesus, 17 and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. 18 There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them.19 Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” 20 Many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Aramaic, in Latin, and in Greek. 21 So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but rather, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.’”22 Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.”
I believe that Pontius Pilate knew who Jesus was. He knew that He was the King of Jews and that He told the truth about HIs identity. 
23 When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier; also his tunic.[d] But the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom, 24 so they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be.” This was to fulfill the Scripture which says,
“They divided my garments among them,
    and for my clothing they cast lots.”
Even in this, God was using them for His purpose, to fulfill His word. 
So the soldiers did these things, 25 but standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.26 When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” 27 Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.
28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” 29 A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. 30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
31 Since it was the day of Preparation, and so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away. 32 So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with him. 33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34 But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water. 35 He who saw it has borne witness—his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth—that you also may believe. 36 For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken.” 37 And again another Scripture says, “They will look on him whom they have pierced.”
One of the reasons Jesus had to die was to save humanity. For some people His life would not be enough for them to believe. Even in His death he was doing the will of God, through His death many were saved. 
38 After these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took away his body.39 Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds[f] in weight. 40 So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. 41 Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. 42 So because of the Jewish day of Preparation, since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.
20 Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there,and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus'[a] head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. 10 Then the disciples went back to their homes.
11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. 12 And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. 13 They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” 14 Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic,[b] “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). 
All it took was  Jesus calling her name. 
17 Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” 18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her.
19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews,[c] Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”
24 Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin,[d] was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”
26 Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
21 After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.
Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?”They answered him, “No.” He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish. That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea.The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards[a] off.
When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread. 10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” 11 So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish. 14 This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.
Jesus was literally on the shore cooking them breakfast! 
15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16 He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. 18 Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” 19 (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.”
20 Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who also had leaned back against him during the supper and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?” 21 When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” 22 Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!” 23 So the saying spread abroad among the brothers[b] that this disciple was not to die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he was not to die, but, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?”
24 This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true.
25 Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.