Oh Church Arise

I've been really blessed by this lately...awesome message. So very true! Our God reigns!

Words by: Keith and Kristyn Getty

Oh, Church arise and put your armor on,
Hear the call of Christ our Captain.
For now the weak can say that they are strong,
In the strength that God has given.
With shield of faith and belt of truth,
We'll stand against the devil's lies.
An army bold whose battle cry is love,
Reaching out to those in darkness.

Our call to war to love the captive soul
But to rage against the Captor.
And with the sword that makes the wounded whole
We will fight with faith and valor.
When faced with trials on every side,
we know the outcome is secure.
AND CHRIST WILL HAVE THE PRIZE FOR WHICH HE DIED,
THE INHERITANCE OF NATIONS.

Come see the cross where love and mercy meet,
As the Son of God is stricken.
And see His foes lie crushed beneath His feet,
For the Conqueror has risen!
And as the stone is rolled away
And Christ emerges from the grave,
His victory march continues to the day,
Every eye and heart will see Him.

So Spirit come put strength in every stride.
Give grace for every hurdle.
That we may run with faith to win the prize
Of a servant good and faithful.
As saints of old still light the way,
Retelling triumphs of His grace.
WE HEAR THE CALL AND HUNGER FOR THE DAY
WHEN WITH CHRIST WE STAND IN GLORY!

Back after a long time

It's been close to a month since I last posted...wow! All is going well. Everything is a bit hum drum, and I really want to look for a tutoring job.

God's been just as good as always and better! I've been reading in John about His amazing ministry on earth. Never once did Jesus take the glory for Himself, but he always pointed it back up to his Father. What humility. Never once did Jesus turn back on his mission to go to the cross to die for the sins of the world. What courage. He healed. What compassion. He saved. What love. He forgave. What grace. He did all this knowing that the hour was coming when he would be betrayed, beaten, spit on, mocked, and hung on a cross to die a slow and agnozing death. But in all this not ONCE did he say "This is too hard. I give up." I guess it's something we can look at and follow in our daily lives. There will always be trials and hard times, but we can get through them as Christ did. He looked at the bigger picture, the furthest purpose, and the end result, and we have to do the same.

Well, peace for now. Time to sit some more by myself doing nothing! :P

Resist and Win

“I often laugh at Satan, and there is nothing that makes him so angry as when I attack him to his face, and tell him that through God I am more than a match for him” – Martin Luther

What we’re up against every day is Satan, whom the Bible describes as a roaring lion who seeks people to devour.

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8

Temptations come our way day in and day out…over and over and over. But one thing is amazing to know. Satan might be stronger than us, but God is WAY stronger than Satan any old day. All we have to do to get the victory is turn into God’s arms and fight the battle with Him. I read the end of the Bible. We win.

“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7

This verse speaks amazing volumes about God’s power. It’s a promise to Christians that if we are in God and letting Him fight for us, the devil is going to take off with his tail between his legs because he knows for a fact that he’s no match for our great and powerful, wondering and majestic, awesome and mighty, loving and strengthening, glorious God!

Just because we’re on God’s side, doesn’t mean there won’t be temptation to do wrong. Even the smallest thing…one thought, one look…can be deadly. If Satan gets even one of the hairs on our head, he can rope us in very quickly. One little glance can send us into a very long stare. Sin is around every corner, and our job is to seek God to help us overcome this temptation. How can we do this? By putting on His armor.

“Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints...." Ephesians 6:10-18

With this protection from God, we will be able to fight the devil knowing that we are not vulnerable. This armor of God is something we have to put on each morning before our feet even touch the ground. This takes time spent reading God’s word, learning about how we can equip ourselves to fight, knowing who our Commander is, and preparing our minds and hearts to fight strongly and resist. The battles, big and small, can be won, but not without the help of our God. But God promises to be there with us, watching, protecting, helping, and healing us. We’re not alone.

My Greatest Joy in Life

My greatest joy, as was Jesus’ while he was here on earth, is to do the will of him who sent me.

There are so many thoughts that swirl around in my head when I think of God’s will…my job, money situations, where I will go, who will I meet, how will I find words to witness, trials, and the list goes on and on. But I guess, all these aside, it doesn’t really matter. Don’t get me wrong, doing the will of God is the most important thing for us to do. If we’re not living for him, what is there to live for? What I mean when I say that it doesn’t really matter is that there is no worry or anxiety or fear in doing God’s will. It’s perfectly laid out and will be perfectly executed. Our job is simply this: do it. God doesn’t promise that we will always have what we want, that we will be where we like, that we will know what comes next, but he does promise that he will always provide, always be there with us, always forgive, always protect us, and he will always be God. Put our will aside, pursue after Him, and you’ve got yourself a deal.

Many times in the past I’ve pushed against God’s will, as I’m sure you have. Even the slightest resistance is disobedience and will cause some amount of worry, anxiety, or fear. For example, you go for a job interview that you really want to turn out well. You desperately want the job. You fret and have sleepless nights and worry and wonder…how silly! All along you could be trusting in God’s will for your life.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." Proverbs 3:5-6

Nothing you do can change whether he wants you to get the job or not. So why worry? In worrying, we show God that he isn’t big enough to get us this job (or whatever the situation might be.) We put limitations on God, and we take our lives into our own hands. I tell you from experience, life could be some much simpler and sweeter if we let God have the reigns and keep them!

Along those same lines, if we try and do something counter to God’s will, we should expect trouble. Not following what he has for us and choosing our own path in life basically shows that we don’t think God’s will is good enough for us. We want something different and, possibly what we think, better. This path can also cause confusion, hurt, backsliding, and a number of other things.

So what’s the lesson in this? My greatest joy, as was my Lord’s when he came to die for the sins of the world, is to do the will of my God. This means walking with him wherever he goes. It might lead to somewhere far outside my comfort zone, or it might mean staying right where I am even if I desire to be somewhere else. Hard times and problems could come in any shape or form, but God is bigger than any of those any day!

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Psalm 73:26

So really, what is our excuse? We KNOW God will see us through what he has planned for us, and we KNOW what we are supposed to do according to His word. Our duty, and should be our greatest joy, is to do the will of him who sent us.

Back Once Again

I'm home! Back in my little apartment. Being home was really great, but I'm glad to be back and get into a bit of a routine. School starts tomorrow...BIG sad face. BUT Amy reminded me yesterday that this is where God wants me...not in Korea, not in China, not in Antartica (hmm...), SOooo...that makes me wanna smile and do my very best in my last semester of school. God's been soooo good these last 3.5 years, and I know He can only get better! I'm gonna walk tall and proud to be where I am not, and he's going to walk with me. The battles are His, I give up the burdens and I share the smiles and happiness. Like the Apostle Paul, I have learned the secret of being content in whatever situation. Whether well fed or hungry, living in plenty or in want. I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength and fills my heart with joy overflowing. Just try to get past that wall and make me discontent! HA! (thanks Amy!)

Sooo...I go to buy books tomorrow, and the first class I get to start with is Modern Chinese Culture...I love it.

I sent in my application to Korea! :D I'm so excited to find out if I get the job...I won't know until Feb. But, I gave it all to God, and whatever He wants to happen will. I love knowing that and not having to worry. He'll put me in the PERFECT place that He wants me. All I have to do is go!

Please pray for me that I can 1) do my best in all my classes and all I do 2) find a part time job to make a little extra $$ 3) stay content in wherever I am 4) make it to graduation with a 3.0 (at least 5) grow closer to my wonderful amazing God!

God bless!! Peace.

In Our Trials

"No matter if today holds trials, it's been given to us by God. Therefore, it is good."

Let's celebrate our trials! In them, God is there. ALWAYS (underlined and bolded!) He allowed them in order to teach us something...who knows what yet...but trials can be beautiful if we let them radiat our wonderful God! Embrace them and you will embrace Him.

"God doesn't drop us off at the beginning of the road of our next trial and then say "See ya at the end!" No, he goes before us, behind us, and beside us. He feels every ounce of pain and carries our burdens. He never leaves us."

Day after Day after Day

I work. I get tired of this job. I get ungrateful. In the Biblio, Paul teaches us that we need to be content in whatever (yes folks, even an annoying job) situation we're in. Doesn't matter what it is...we're to have joy in our hearts and be content because God has us e-x-a-c-t-l-y right where He wants us. Who are we to tell God that His plan for our lives, no matter how small the detail, isn't correct or good enough? Simply put, we're not. My lesson for the day (or last 3 weeks) get over it, get into it, get joy.

I'm *hopefully* sending in my application for Korea tomorrow. God will get me where He wants me (see above paragraph.) Pray for the process.

Well, it's up early tomorrow so nighty night. Peace.