Reap What You Sow

I'm going to start off with this:
 ^"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." (Galatians 6:7-9)

We've all heard the saying "you reap what you sow", but are we truly living that way? That verse is pretty self-explanatory, but sometimes it's easier said than done.

You want love? Go show Godly love to someone else. Want to be encouraged? Encourage others. Ever feeling down? Go lift someone up. Feeling insecure? Go compliment someone.

Are you ever in a tough situation where it just seems impossible to do any of that? Let me give you some examples: A person wants nothing to do with you and gets pleasure out of your misery. We've all had an encounter with someone like that. BUT, there's a reason they're that way. Why do you expect love if you haven't shown it?

Ever been around a person who seriously just DRAINS you. Everything they say is negative and honestly it just brings you down. It's hard to show love to people who aren't returning it. No one wants to be that way. They're draining you, but don't give up. Encourage them.

But, what if we are one of those people? We aren't perfect, we get upset, insecure, and sometimes just feel lost.
We want love! We want to be happy and we all want to be someone who other people just enjoy being around.

How are we supposed to get RESPECT, LOVE, ENCOURAGEMENT, FRIENDSHIPS, HAPPINESS... if we don't first give it.
You can't do it backwards. People always say "Well, I don't respect them, because they don't respect me". Or, "Why would I want to help someone who doesn't even like me?"

You reap what you sow. You don't get what you want, then return it. That's reaping before sowing. It doesn't work that way.

Take a step of faith and simply go out of your way for someone who normally wouldn't appreciate it. Compliment someone. Be honest with them. Respect them. It takes time, but it works. It's the only way it will work.

"Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Luke 6:38

How Do I Know?

When thinking of God's will for your life, we often think: "What college does HE want me at?" "Who does HE want me with?" "What if God doesn't want me there?" "What if I'm not taking the right job or picking the right city?".

We do know a few things about His will for ALL of us. 

1. That we will be saved. 

2. We will be filled with the Holy Spirit. 

3. We are pure. 

4. We submit to proper authorities. 

5. We will suffer for doing what is right. 

It all begins with us. You see, God is a gentleman. He waits on us to come running to Him. He isn't going to force us into salvation. That's why we have free will. To live our lives glorifying Him in all we do, or choose to follow the evil. There's no in between. 

"Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4

Actually, God's will isn't about where you go; it's about what you do when you get there. 

It's not about the 'perfect' college; it's about the type of student you are. 

It's not about the atmosphere you're in; it's how you handle it. 

It's not the 'perfect' job; it's how you use that job to GLORIFY Him. 

It's not about who He wants you with; it's about what that relationship/friendship is centered around. 

God loves us so much that he gave us the freedom to make our own choices. But, He said make them wisely. 

"Get wisdom- how much better it is than gold! And get understanding- it is preferable to silver." Proverbs 16:16

Yes, God does give personal guidance, but those cases are rare. (1 Corinthians 14:7-9)

So don't worry, don't stress about not hearing a specific plan for God! As long as you are living a Godly lifestyle and glorifying Him through it all; He will give you the desires of your heart. 

This is Not Your Battle

Jesus came, not just to give eternal life to those who believe in Him and live for Him, but to give us a life on earth that is fuller and more abundant.
If being a Christian was easy, everyone would be one. A lot of people have this idea in their head that if you become a Christian, you have a perfect life from then on. Its our job to sacrifice worldly things and let God take control over our life. Through spreading the Word and expressing your beliefs, you have to know that there is going to be times when people, maybe even everyone, will mock you. They will ridicule you and persecute you.

"Those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples" Luke 14:33

Instead of hoping God will, we should believe He already has. Christians sometimes get a reputation of being hypocritical or judgmental. Instead of being insulted by that assumption, we should just change it. Respond to negative words or actions with love. If Jesus didn't love us, He wouldn't have died for all of us to have an eternal life. Even when Jesus, who is PERFECT, was up on that cross getting yelled at, spit on, mocked, PERSECUTED, He pleaded to God by saying, "Lord forgive them, for they know not what they're doing."
It is not our job to judge people because they sin differently than us. If we spend our life doing that, we will stray away from the plan God already has for us and will also be judged.. by our Heavenly Father.

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, authorities, powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." Ephesians 6:12

God isn't a punisher. He doesn't throw obstacles at you because you sin and fall short of His glory. 

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance." James 1:2-3

Instead, He gives you another chance. We will go through trials and temptations, not to hurt us, but to challenge our faith and prepare us for what is to come.

"Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4

By knowing Christ, we know He is the Comforter and the Healer. Through Him, we will find peace in any struggle.
The word "comforter" in Greek means defense attorney. What exactly does a defense attorney do? They defend the innocent. It's pretty much like you're on trial and God is your attorney. Actually, that's exactly what it is.

"This is not your fight, you need only to be still." Exodus 14:14

Those who come to Jesus realize they still struggle with the same problems they did before. But they now have powerful resources to help them along the way and situations that seemed impossible become possible. (Philippians 4:13)

Jesus never promised it would be easy. He promised that it would be possible and rewarding.
Our struggle is not just with our own flesh. There's an enemy who seeks to destroy our faith, slow us down and discourage us.
Resist him, standing firm in faith, because you know that your brothers are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. (1 Peter 5:8-9)
You are not alone. You never have been. With Christ inside of you, you can conquer any battle.. against yourself, friends, family, and the secular world we live in.

"For when I am weak, then I am strong"

You know what I don't like nowadays? Relationships.
I hate that they're pretty much all based around fame, popularity, Instagram LIKES, and love movies....
I'm sorry(no I'm not), but happiness doesn't come from how many likes you and your significant other's candid gets on Instagram.
Love movies are unrealistic. Fame is just ridiculous and so is popularity, because no one should be put in categories. OK moving on.  

I didn't realize all of this until I went through a bad relationship. A relationship that left me broken, crying all night, couldn't eat, and just felt hopeless. When you reach a point like that you really do think you'll never be whole again.. and maybe you're right. Maybe, it'll take some time for the pieces to grow back together; but you will become strong again. Eventually the tears will slow down, the thoughts about them will only come every other day or so, and you'll learn to smile again.

Then you'll catch yourself going out with friends instead of crying yourself to sleep. You'll start to notice that you feel comfortable flirting back with guys who've been trying for months. You'll actually give one of the guys a chance! You'll have fun and maybe, just MAYBE there will be a second date.

And you know what? Then there comes a day.. when your friends or family brings up their name and you can answer and be okay with it. A day where you can think about it and only feel a little discomfort, because you have finally came to the realization that you are truly better off without them.. truly better off by yourself.

Then, from that day on, you continue to get stronger and happier. You notice it. Your friends notice it and they'll tell you too! You'll start to open up about things you couldn't bare to even think about 6 months before; and you guys will talk about it then move right along.
You moved on. You made it. You are STRONG!


"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28
"Jesus replied, 'You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand'" John 13:7

"That's why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak then I am strong." 2 Corinthians 12:10

Who's yours?

I've had writer's block for a couple days.. just had absolutely no idea what God wanted me to write for y'all. Then as I'm sitting here listening to music, I go through my pictures and come across Maria. For those of you who don't know her, that's just a random name with no meaning.. yet. We all have Marias in our life. I'm so glad God sent me mine. 

Maria came to Faith Academy (my school) in the beginning of the year. She was a foreign exchange student from Denmark. You see, we have it really easy here in Alabama. We've all pretty much grown up knowing who Jesus is, what He did, what the Bible is, etc. That's not the case with Denmark and a lot of other places around the world. We all got a big reality check with the questions she asked. The things she asked were things we never questioned. So, of course, we had no idea how to answer some of them. The whole situation brought a lot of us closer to God and made us dig deeper in the Word for answers. She did get her answers and she was overwhelmed with the love of Christ. She wasn't at Faith Academy by accident. We were blessed with the chance to help her into salvation.

Maria isn't MY best friend by accident. She just recently left to head back to Denmark to change the culture. That girl has such a strong heart for Jesus, and compassion for making other people feel loved. Maria being saved only a couple weeks brought so many others to Christ!

When I say we all have Marias in our lives, I don't just mean foreign exchange students. I mean everyday people you come in contact with. People who make you question your salvation and make your walk with God stronger. People who, just by being around them, you can feel the love of God through them. These people aren't in your life by accident! We need accountability partners, we need people to remind us of God's unfailing love, to keep us in check. We can't always do it alone.

"Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing." 1 Thessalonians 5:11

"Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." Galatians 6:1

In Times of Trouble

Feeling depressed, anxious, worried?

 

"The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." Deuteronomy 31:8

 

"The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; and He delivers them from all their troubles." Psalm 34:17

 

"Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.  Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." 1 Peter 5:6-7

 

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,  who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God." 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

 

"Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you.  But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed." 1 Peter 4:12-13

 

 

The last verse says don't be surprised at the suffering you are enduring. For there will be glory revealed! Always know God doesn't put you through your sufferings alone, He never leaves your side and He brings just the right people at the right timing. Its not your timing, it's God's.

Most of the time, we pity ourselves when we go through difficult situations. When instead we should be PRAISING the God of all comfort for what is to come! :)

 

 

 

Those Who are Weak

"But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me." (2 Corinthians 12:9)

We all have that one person who just IRKS our nerves. (not sure if that's a word, we all use it, but aren't sure what it means)
They either bother us because we are the weak ones or they are.
When people are weak, they tend to be mean or rude. They think coming off as a hard person who doesn't care about anything will cover all the pain they're experiencing. It actually does the opposite.
We all know when someone is rude to us, we're usually rude right back. Probably because it just plainly hurt our feelings and we did nothing to them. Hurting people want other people to experience what they're going through.
The reason these people never change is because their surroundings never changes.. how are they supposed to stop being negative if their atmosphere is consumed in negativity?

"When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken." (Psalm 34:17-20)

Why don't we try doing the complete opposite?! Next time someone is rude to you or says something that cuts deep, respond positively.
Something as simple as just smiling, patting someone on the back, asking them how their days going, how they're doing, etc., will start to change their outlook on things. 
Once their outlook changes, their behavior will change.
And you know why?! Because YOU decided to make a difference! You decided to be strong, let something slide and change someone's life and they will always remember you for that.

"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing." (1 Thessalonians 5:11)

 

I wrote these notecards a couple weeks ago.. looks like they're finally coming in handy.