Fearless Faith (picture compliments of CEO Ministries- thank you!)

How many times in our life do we feel the Spirit of the Lord calling us to do something, but because we are afraid of what others will think, we don't do it?  Last week I was at the Passion Conference in which Louie Giglio stated something that changed my life:

 "God's Will is for you to fearlessly proclaim the mystery of the Gospel!"

While a lot of us murmur around asking ourselves what we're going to do with our lives, we need to remember that God wants us to do everything we do in the Name of JESUS, fearlessly proclaiming CHRIST!  We need to do whatever God has put on our heart and to PRAY that God would help us be bold in our faith, giving to the poor, loving the weak, and proclaiming His goodness, grace, and justice.


How different would this world look like if you and I fearlessly proclaimed the mystery of the Gospel everywhere we went?  Let us RISE UP as the Church and by the Holy Spirit's leading, proclaim Christ at our jobs, with our family and friends, and in the darkness of the world.  Let us be the salt and light that Christ has called us to be.

"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:13-16)

Purity

True purity is the pursuit of righteousness. Purity requires the teamwork of your heart and your feet. Many of us say we pursue purity, but our feet are not going that direction. We put ourselves in situations and relationships where we dip our toes into impurity, seeing how far we can cross the line without actually crossing the line. This is a constant battle we will be fighting until the day we die. Popular evangelist, Billy Graham, made a decision later in his life that he would not be alone with a woman, other than his wife. He made this decision when scandals formed about televangelists falling prey to impurity and adultery. It wasn't that he had no self-control, but Mr. Graham cut the root of the sin before the temptation even arose. We all can learn from that- whether its cutting out a lustful relationship with a friend, or cutting out a TV program that revolves around impurity.

An example of this impurity in the Bible would be the story of David and Bathshebe. David should have been out on the battlefield, fighting the battle for God, but instead he was at his palace, away from the will of God. When he noticed Bathsheba, instead of walking away in purity, he entertained the image of her. Then his feet moved, in which the adultery took place. Again, we see the sin starting from within, then taking place with the action of him walking to meet her. We all can relate to this story, having those split second decisions of deciding whether to follow the will of God, or the lustiness of our flesh.

Let us pursue purity not only within ourselves, with our hearts and feet, but also with our fellow brothers and sisters of Christ also.

Rooted in Christ

"Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving."
- Colossians 2:6 (ESV)

The apostle Paul was writing to the church in Colossae to fortify it against false teachers who might try to impose strict rules about eating and drinking and religious festivals (ESV Journal Bible). This verse struck me in the heart.

Lets break down verse 6 starting with "so walk with him." How many times do we go about life, not walking with Christ? We have the tendency to do go do our own thing, and to drag God with us last. Walking in Him means walking with His Spirit; in His truth, love, and faith that we need everyday.

The next word in this verse that cut into my flesh was "rooted." I thought about how trees and plants need their roots in order to stay alive. Much like that, Christ followers need to be rooted in Christ, in order to get our spiritual nutrients and water to live. Another analogy could be the palm trees in Florida, and how when a hurricane comes swiping in, those roots keep the palm trees planted in the ground. Relating back to ourselves, even when the "storm" in our own lives are full throttle, being rooted in Christ will keep us planted in the ground, centered and focused on Christ's power and love!

Although I could write hours more about this verse, relating it to John 15, and Jesus being the True Vine, I want us to take two things:

1) Walk with Christ- all day- everyday
2) Be rooted in HIM

May we pursue these two attributes in our relationship with Christ, and may He be growing you in His love, knowledge, and grace everyday.

The Lie of the Culture- "I'm too young!"

"Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity."- 1 Tim. 4:12 -

As young adults, we often tell ourselves that we can't make a difference in this world because we're "too young." We automatically fall into the culture's mindset of immaturity and ruthlessness, doing anything to please our earthy desires with the excuse of being "young." I've seen so many fellow friends fall into this, such as high school kids partying and getting excessively drunk because that's the cool thing to do in high school since the culture says that they are "young" and "immature". But that is not the plan God has for us in our lives.

Recently in my quiet time with the Lord, my eyes were opened to Jeremiah 1. The Lord appoints Jeremiah as a prophet but in v. 6 Jeremiah states this, "I do not know how to speak; I am only a child." As we see here, Jeremiah doesn't think he can do anything big for the Lord because of his age. But God has a rebuke to this statement, "Do not say, 'I am only a child.' You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you" (v. 7). God can use anyone and everyone, no matter what age, sex, or race that they are. We need to not fall into the lies such as: "God only uses pastors to impact people for Christ", or "God only uses old wise people to impact others for Christ."

To recap, God can use every one of us, no matter how young or old we are. So my question is, are you ready? Are you ready to step up and make an impact in the name of Jesus? If not, I believe you need to re-look some of your core values in life because as Christians, we are called to strive after God, praying and asking Him to open doors for us to be used; to preach the Gospel, to serve the poor, and to help the widows in the church. My friends, we must step up and make an impact across the world, giving Christ all the glory and forwarding the Gospel to all the corners of the earth.

Forming Habits

The habits you form now are either going to set you up to win in life or struggle in life. Choose to win- form intentional positive habits.

As I laid in bed last night, I began to question our habits, as people, Christians, and as college students. How many of us are going to keep our same habits that we're forming now? Is what we're doing now setting us up for failure in life?

I've heard many stories of men whom have been plundered down by habits of addiction, such as with pornography. It was a habit that was formed early in their life that they didn't cut off, and because of their addiction(s), marriages are breaking up, kids are getting hurt, and their ankles are chained to the problem that they thought that was going to bring them happiness. Habits are so important! That is why being intentional and forming good habits, such as having a daily quiet time, or loving others, is going to set you up to win for Jesus.

I once heard someone say, "It takes one action to form a bad habit, but many actions to form a good habit." Statistics and research shows that it takes at least three weeks to form a good habit, a productive habit. But it takes one decision or action to form a corruptible habit.

So next time you find yourself doing something, ask yourself this question, "How does this bring me closer to Jesus?" There are so many lies and garbage out in the world today that everything we do in a day can lead us astray from the one who died on a cross for our sins. So lets work together towards pleasing Christ, pursuing Him, and forming habits of godliness that bring us closer to Him.

As scripture says in Colossians 3:17- "whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." Whether we are at school, work, watching a movie, or hanging out with friends- do it all in the name of Jesus- looking to become closer to Him every second of the day!

Marriage Statistic

Recently I was informed about this positive statistic:

1 out of 1,246 marriages ended in divorce when the couple: prays together, read their Bibles together, and attends church together- Harvard Study -

Some negative statistics that I also found were that:

70% of males have an affair; 60% of women have an affair throughout their marriage years

50% of marriages won't last longer than 14 years

Conclusion:

So doing those 3 positive actions stated above with your spouse reduces the chance of divorce from 50% to .001%!

God is SO VITAL in relationships!

Even if you are not married, set yourself up to "win" once you are married (if this is God's plan for your life). There are so many ways to do this, one of which is to have a consistent character in life. A definition of character is: who you are when no one is looking. So when you are alone, are you glorifying God with what you are doing with your time? If you do things that build your relationship with God, you are setting yourself up for once you are married, having a consistent Christ-honoring character which will overflow onto the love you have for your spouse. And if you are married and you are reading this blog- PRAY with your spouse, READ and WRESTLE in God's Word, and GO to church to have fellowship with other fellow believers.

As it says in 1 Corinthians 7, be content on where God has called you- whether your single or married, give God your all in which He will provide everything that you could ever want in your life plus so much more! (Matthew 6:33)

Psalm 138:8- The Lord's Purpose

Psalm 138: 8: The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O LORD, endures forever— do not abandon the works of your hands.

Often times we forget that God is with us. We go off and do our own thing, pushing aside the one who loves us- just to please our own selfish needs. But God has a plan for each and every person in this world, and it is a plan full of joy, and full of a tangible love that will change us forever. His love endures FOREVER and will ALWAYS be there for us, even when we are walking in the shadow of death (Psalm 23). Life is a journey; one of which that when we follow Jesus, it will never leave us urging for more. He fulfills our needs and has a plan for our lives that we cannot even grasp. So the question I want to ask you is: Will you let Jesus drive your life? Or will you continue to do your own ways causing a empty heart and a soul full of lust and selfishness? We can only see one step in front of us, while God can see every step in our lives. So won't you trust Him with your life?