Always There For Safety

Psalm 91:2 "I will say of the Lord , “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.”"

Theme- safety

Day by day,
I was slowly dying.
I couldn't go on,
There was something missing..

Until now I'm still searching
For the thing that'll stop my crying.
For someone who'll erase my fears,
For the person who'll wipe my tears.

But till then I'll keep on smiling.
Hiding behind this mask I'm wearing.
Hoping one day I can smile,
Till then, I'll be here.. waiting.

This a part of a poem I feel like a lot of people feel like throughout the an everyday life. I picked this poem because I can feel like it described my life as a high schooler. Now that I'm a teacher you can pick out the kids that live a life like I used to. The title to this poem was called mask and that is exactly what they put on everyday just to be accepted into society.

This is one of those verse I wish I could just make people believe. We get scared sometimes when we think we won't be accepted, so we change everything just so we will fit in. I like to call it being a "people pleaser". This is what I was when in High school. Being in ignite, and being the only guy on a team for six months. You figure it's not worth wearing a "mask" everyday. So you just become yourself and find out who you really are. The coolest thing is you find out who you are in Christ.

What I want my students to understand is that it doesn't matter who you are in front of people of society, only how you conduct yourself as a child of God. Because when we are a child of God when faced with a problem we can run to Him for safety. And it's not like a friend that might bail out on you or won't be able to talk, but like a God that will do anything for you and be everything for you at any time.

Trust in Something Good

Psalm 34:8 "Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!"

This verse didn't make very much sense to me when I was a kid or even just a young believer, but I was reading a book and  all the sudden it made so much sense to me.

So when I was a kid I heard this verse and like I said didn't make much sense. Before I thought how do you taste God? I truly just didn't get it, and so I just pushed it a side as a kid and didn't think about, but know I can't stop. I think it's because I have a lot of friends that just have walked away from the Lord and if they only followed this verse it would all make sense.

So to now this verse means if I can get a taste of what it is like to be a child of God I will never leave His presence. We are truly blessed to have a friend like God and it made all the more sense when I was in His presence. When I was a kid I grew up in the church, but lived in sin so it didn't make sense to "taste and see". But now that I'm a believer and put my trust in the Lord it all makes sense. So what I would love to tell my friends face to face, and pray that they do it, and try it. Because That's all that God is telling us to do, He is saying, "try Me out and if I'm not good then don't bother with Me." The cool thing in this verse is that it says is, "taste and see that the Lord is good;". He doesn't even bother saying see if the Lord is good or bad, just good for that is what He is.

Lastly, on top of finding out that the Lord is good it says," Blessed is the man who trusts in Him." It says we will be blessed to put our trust in someone that is good. I've heard this illustration a lot but it is good and simple. So you have a bench that sits in the bark and when you are tired of walking, running, or whatever you are doing you trust that the bench will hold you up. You don't know if it is a good bench or a bench that will break right out from under you. The Lord is good and you know it so why would it be so hard to put your trust in Him

Lifting up others

Ephesians 4:25 "Therefore, putting away lying, “ Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another."

Theme- lifting up one another

This is one of the many lessons I have learned in my time here of ignite. To lift up those you aren't very fond of hanging out with, but when you have to live with them it gets even a little harder. So like I might have said before I wasn't very happy I was staying with four girls I'm with right now. Remember that was when we started our serving time.

The girls weren't my favorite people in the world in the beginning of training, but when we all made the decision in our own hearts to try and make this team work. It began with prayer and led to lifting each other up and encouraging them in all things. So when it came time to say good job, we said it to each other. Speaking for myself that where it all started, and then I injured my knee and sometimes you don't realize how much you love people until they gone. So even though it seemed like just a small gesture of compassion towards each other, in our hearts it was something so much greater. Why?, because it was the work of God doing that in our hearts, and the best we can do is worst than the smallest thing God can do.

So if you are apart of a team, a body, a family, or a congregation. There are three step of lifting people up, prayer, action, and examination. This will help you realize the importance, and effectiveness it has on the body of Christ.

First, is prayer and I'm going to say little about it, but it is the most important part of these three steps. We are to pray without ceasing, and so that means we should constantly be in prayer throughout the day, and start all things in prayer. With doing that it is saying we are giving it up to the Lord before we even know what is going to happen.

Second, following prayer is action. We have to take steps of faith after giving it up to the Lord, we have to listen to what God has to tell us and follow His guidance. And in that we are taking action in which we prayed about.

Lastly, is examination for a good reason. Look at how you feel about your team or whatever you are apart of, and see how it is different. When I was taken out of something I thought I hated, I wasn't happy but devastated that I had to leave my family. And as I sat on my couch thinking about what I left behind in Guatemala, and where I was then. I realized what I had in Guatemala was a 100 times better than what I had in the states.

You will see how much God will change you and those you are communing with in a drastic way. Praying for all of you for we are all apart of the same body.

Rest in the Lord

Matthew 11:28 "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."

Theme-Rest

Have you ever felt that you just can't go on anymore, that you have to do so much work, but you just don't have the energy to do it. I encourage you to stop what you are doing close your eyes, and pray. Don't reach for the caffeine or the drink that will give you a little something to keep on going, don't go to the earthly things of this world for strength or energy, because they will wear off and just leave you worse than you were before. Reach for the living word that gives life, go to God and ask for strength to do His will, and His work. God give life to those who are dead in sin, a Helper (the Holy Spirit) so that we can keep going, and an inheritance of heaven.

So when you feel that you just can't do anything else, or that your brain just can't work any more, I encourage you to go to Him and ask for rest. Matthew 7:7 "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you." This is a promise when we ask of the Lord for the Lord's will, then we shall receive. And on top of that this verse Matthew 11:28 is a promise, so He is saying if we to go to Him needing rest then He will freely give.

The verses following says in 11:29-30 "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” He even offers us His yoke which is light and easy, because we don't have to stand on our own, just be completely dependent on the Lord. Go to Him and find rest.

This is my last point, are you tired of doing everything on your own strength? Well then, just stop. These last two verse show us that we don't have to do it all on our own. We go to God and find rest, give all things unto the Lord, and He will take your burdens on His shoulders. He will give us something easy that we wouldn't be able to handle on our own, but we can be dependent on Him and He will keep us going. In Him you will have rest.

Application - rest in the Lord for 20 minutes in my spare time, and continue in prayer throughout my day.

Going through trials with faith

James 1:12 "Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him."

We all go through hard times in life, when we are tempted by our fleshly desires. At these points in our life we must, ".., count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing the testing of our faith produces patience. " James 1:2-3. sometimes that word patience makes me cringe for some reason when we are talking about the ministry of Christ. Just because I feel like we should constantly be doing something for the Lord. But when the word faith, and patience are together it makes a lot more sense. We have to have the faith that the Lord will keep His promise that we will be inheritors of the kingdom of God, where we will receive the crown of life.

Its not always going to be easy when it comes to trials that stand in the that we are walking on. They only become easier when we put all of our faith in the Lord and allow Him to guide us on the path, and through the hard and easy trials. I can't remember how many times I tried to get through an easy or hard trial by my own strength. All I end with is laying down on my face defeated, I was never able to do it on my own. Especially, on the missions field with the amount of spiritual attack that happens here. It's impossible to do the Lord's will without allowing Him to do it through you. Just to let you know when we live a life for Christ no matter where we are, we are on the missions. But something we always have to remember is that we aren't alone, God is always with us helping every step of the way. And when He is the one carrying ypu through the trail something always amazing happens for the kingdom of God.

James 1:12 "Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him." Lets get our job done here on earth with the help of the Lord.

Unity through love

Ephesians 4:16 "from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love."

The body of Christ is an amazing experience, when you are able take part in. Now I'm excited to write this because I haven't been a part of the body, and also I'm a part of the body right now. Just to say everything is better when you are a part of a body that makes you feel worth something, and purposeful. But being a part of a body that doesn't actually care for you and constantly put you down, sucks.

The body of Christ is put together so precisely, that if someone else tried putting it together it would fall apart and die. He puts the body of Christ together the same way He put you and me together in our mother's womb. It doesn't make sense on how it is put together but some how it works. The body I'm a part of right now is built with the oddest people in the world that wouldn't get along in the body of society, but it works perfectly in Christ body. The reason why it works so good is because the body of Christ is centered around Christ.

The construction of the body of Christ is built of many different parts, but all carry a very important role. Every part works together in perfect unison with each other, because Jesus is the head telling each part what to do. Each part has a different job that take a certain type of gift that God has given you, so He will put you where you are needed in His body to do the job that needs to be done. And someone else with a different set of skills to complete something that God needs for them to complete.

This reminds me of the body of Christ that I am able to be a part of here in Guatemala. We work so well together, and all have different set of skills that we bring to the table. But of you put us together in a social network it would be chaos, and nothing would be accomplished. What make this body work together so well is that we edify one another with the love of Christ, and that the love of Christ is the fuel we have to get through each day.

Keep Going

Hebrews 12:3 "For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls."

Theme- keep going

So this is a verse that came across me yesterday while we listened to Pastor Joe Focht, and He started with this verse. A little back, my schedule of the day. So Tuesdays we teach english for two hours, then come back for lunch. But yesterday was a little different after lunch when we usually have time to prepare for other classes that we have later on in the week or just rest, I had to cut up this huge stump with a chainsaw that kept locking up every other minute. After getting that done I thought I would have time to catch up on some reading I have to do and do and IBS, but I ending up helping the new class of interns make blogs. Then we had dinner while we listened to Joe Focht, and I've been complaining that I haven't had any time to read or do an IBS. So when he started with this verse it was instant conviction.

So when it feels like you can't stay awake and you have so much to do, just ask God to help. Because after coming back from the states it continually felt like I was climbing a mountain that no man can climb. That is when I cried out for help to God, when I couldn't go anymore on my own strength. I needed help there was no more strength in my body, so when God answered my prayer He gave me a refreshing breath and only with His help I was able to continue on.

Afterwards, I realized that He was correcting my pride, I continue to feel Him breath for me because it almost seems like I forgot how to live my life without Him helping me everyday. Be corrected is never fun, "Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it." This is verse 11, being corrected isn't fun but it will profit us in the end. We are corrected now, so we don't make the same mistake in the future. I call this correcting training, no one likes training before the race, right? People just want to run the race not train for it, but it's necessary to win the race.1 Corinthians 9:24 "Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it." If we want to win the race we need to be prepared for it, don't reject His correcting because He corrects those He loves. And if it feels like you can't go any longer remember what He did for you on that cross, so that we might enter into the kingdom of God. He will give you the strength to keep on going.