God has a plan ...

            I was talking with a friend recently on just how hard it can be to know what the ‘right thing is to do’. We were talking about how we just didn’t know sometimes what God wanted for our lives and how sometimes we feel like things aren’t clear or we get confused on what God really wants us to do. I was thinking about this a lot and then went and dug into some scripture for some help :) ...

The first verse that stuck out to me on finding out God’s will was Psalm 119:105, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path,” This verse shows that the Bible will help us to know God's will. Clearly if God’s word is a lamp and light to guide us, then we need to be in scripture daily and really read and understand what the Bible is telling us so that we can be guided in the right direction. Think about this. Really think. It’s like if you were blind and trying to drive a car. You would wreck so many times and go the wrong way and eventually it would lead to your own self destruction. Without our light (Christ’s word) we’re lost. We need His word to find our way, to know where He wants us in life.

The next verse I came across was James 1:5-6- “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.” To know God’s will for our lives we need to ask God for wisdom and not doubt in Him or not trust that He will guide us. We need to have faith and believe our God can show us anything! He’s God! He created the universe! He had His Son come to earth to die for our sins. He loves us! He wants to be our Father and show us the way to go. We just need to believe in Him and ask.  He will guide us and give us wisdom and He will have the Holy Spirit show us the way  “...when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth...” (John16:13a), … Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” (Isaiah 30:21).

Another thing to remember is to have good counsel. Other believers who we know are seeking Christ can help in us figuring out what God may have planned in our lives. Proverbs 15:22- “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisors they succeed” … Proverbs 27:17- “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” We need to help guide and build each other up as brothers and sisters in Christ. We need to surround ourselves with other believers so that we can sharpen each other and counsel one another in knowing God more and His will for our lives. We need to encourage one another to follow Christ and follow His word. Genesis 2:18- “The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” God did not want us to be alone in our walk with Him. Whether that be in the friends we keep, or the person we date or marry. He wants us to grow and find His will together and help each other throughout our journeys in life!

The Bible talks about a peace we will have when we know we are pleasing God with our lives, “The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever” (Isaiah 32:17). Philippians 4:4-7- “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” We will know when we are in God’s will! He will give us that peace and confidence that we are doing the right thing! If we are actively reading His word and asking for wisdom and seeking wise counsel, He will give us that peace.

            God has great plans for us, we just need to trust in Him, Proverbs 3:5-6- “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Christ wants the best for us! The Bible says that God's will is “good, pleasing and perfect” (Romans 12:2). God knows how our story ends! He knows where He wants us and He’s not trying to trick us or confuse us (1 Cor. 14:33- “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.”) 

Christ will not sway us. He wants the best for us and want us to really seek Him and trust Him. I'll admit, it's hard to always believe this and there will be times when you will be confused as to what God is doing, but what He's doing is only going to be in your best interest and will strengthen you. Christ has a plan! We just need to seek Him and what's in His word to find that plan and then he will give us that peace that transcends all understanding in Him. Isn't it so comforting that we don't have to rely on ourselves for the answers :) 

*Jeremiah 29:11-13- “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ¹² Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. ¹³ You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”*

                                       

I Believe in God, in Jesus Christ.

First, I believe in God because there is no good evidence that atheism, or believing there is no God, is true.  Now I say this, but some people might say well there is no good evidence that God exists either.  But If God didn’t exist then who or what created the universe? If God didn’t then the universe would have had to come from nothing.  I’d rather believe in a superior loving God creating me and the world I live in, than know I come from nothing and it’s just by chance I’m on earth.

Second, if there is no God then who or what put the intelligent design in the universe, especially in life’s DNA sequence?  There are so many amazing things in our universe; the way certain animals are created, the way our sun and moon work together, everything in our universe is perfectly put together so that we can live on our planet.  How can we say there is no God, with all these amazing things around us keeping us alive?  All things had to be created by some intelligent and magnificent designer. How could anyone believe they come from nothing?  Also, If God didn’t exist then I am just a person who has no real purpose. I’m not fearfully and wonderfully made (I really am, lol, Psalm 139:14).  I’m not original. I’m just one of many and how could I have confidence in myself to do anything great, because I’m just like everyone else.

 Thirdly, where do our universal moral values come from? If there is no God then why should I care about what I do on earth?  Why should I live how people want me to live?  If God didn’t exist I would do whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted.  I’d give into myself and live only for myself. If there were no moral standards, no God, to keep me accountable then I should live for myself and today’s satisfactions, because when I die I’m just nothing again.

            I believe there is a God because he has revealed Himself in the person and work of Jesus Christ with the origin of Christianity, the empty tomb, and in resurrection appearances. Also, the Bible and its message have been examined by every test and found to be genuine and accurate throughout.  There are fulfilled prophecies which are authenticated by the Dead Sea Scrolls, also the Bible is historically accurate, and archaeology has been verified back to King David. With so much evidence for Christianity and really none in other religions, how could I not believe in a God? All the evidences point towards Him.

            Lastly, why I believe in Jesus Christ, my God, is because God can be immediately and personally experienced through salvation with salvation experiences, answered prayers, and miracles God proves to be real.  Jesus Christ is the only God that does not require works in order for you to be saved or go to Heaven.  He only asks that once a man or woman recognizes the need for salvation and realizes that God has provided for their salvation through Jesus Christ, he or she must go on to embrace it. Salvation is a process of confessing and believing (Romans 10:9). A man must confess that Jesus is Lord and this confession of Christ as Lord also assumes that it is Christ who will work and fulfill His own righteousness within man. Next, he or she must believe that God has raised Jesus Christ from the dead. This belief in the death and resurrection of Jesus carries with it the realization that the penalty has been paid for sin and power is provided for man to live a life free from sin.  God only asks that we confess our sins and come to him, love Him, and know him.

God is the Father that loves his child unconditionally, the Husband that loves him wife passionately, and the Shepard that watches his sheep continuously and soooooo very much more. How can anyone say there is no God? 

........ It’s beyond me........

  People say it’s foolish to be a Christian and believe in Jesus.  Well then I’m a huge fool to them! But to God I’m His child, His wife, and His lamb. I am a Christian and I believe in God!

Center of the Bible .... God is soooooo Good!

Hey guys! I was looking through some old e-mails I saved and came across this and I just wanted to share it! It brightened my day! :D

Center of the Bible

The pictures are awesome.... but wait until you read the words.



Q: What is the shortest chapter in the Bible?

A: Psalms 117



Q: What is the longest chapter in the Bible?

A: Psalms 119



Q: Which chapter is in the center of the Bible?

A: Psalms 118



Fact: There are 594 chapters before Psalms 118

Fact: There are 594 chapters after Psalms 118

Add these numbers up and you get 1188.



Q:? What is the center verse in the Bible?

A: Psalms 118:8



Q:? Does this verse say something significant about God's perfect will for our lives?



The next time someone says they would like to find

God's perfect will for their lives and that they want to

be in the center of His will, just send them to the

center of His Word!


Psalms 118:8

"It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man."

Now isn't that odd how this worked out (or was God in the center of it)?

Why do I ask for anything ... When He's already given everything...? Sometimes we need to just PRAISE! :D

I've been having a lot of down time lately due to being sick and I've just had a week or so where my days have been full of sitting around and having no plans or places I need to go. I've had a lot of time to think and dwell and process. I'll never know all the answers to things I wonder about or worry about (which I know I shouldn't worry)... But I was just sitting today and thinking over the past few days and how I've asked God to show me things in my life and asked Him to heal me and asked Him for this or that or whatever it might be and I just stopped and thought today that God has really already given me everything I need. He never leaves me without. I ask for so much all the time, but He is always in control and things may be confusing to me or I may not be able to understand them, but I have to realize even if God doesn't give me what I want or even the things I think He may want for me... I'll be fine.... because He is involved in every area in my life. I don't shut Him out. I have opened the door to Christ in every area. He is in control of me and my choices and decisions and wants and needs.  I just realized today that I really don't need to worry. I definitly would need to if I really was holding something back from Him, but I know I'm not. I've confessed everything to Him. There's nothing that separates me from Him except me when I let Satan try and deceive me. So how can I ask God for anything more than what He's given me? If I truly trust Him, I know he'll protect me and has my best interest at heart. So for now I'm holding off on my "askings"; it's not always bad to ask, I'm not saying that, I'm just saying for me It's time to stop asking for a little while and just praise, because sometimes we just keep asking something when we already have the answer, but things aren't crystal clear so we keep pushing something. So I'm stopping and just praising! I praise You Father for who You are and for what You've done. You are amazing! You are my creator! You are in control. You love me! You hold my heart and I trust in You. :) .... Why do I ask for anything? When He has given me everything!

- Isaiah 30:19-21~ O people of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you. Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them. Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it."

-Isaiah 49:15-16 -15 "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast
and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! 16 See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.

Proverbs 3:5-6 ⁵ Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; ⁶ in all your ways submit to him,  and he will make your paths straight.