Goodbye, 2014! (part 2 of New Years post)

It was my intention to say farewell to 2014 with one, simple blog post, but then I realized that one post simply would not do. There were so many good memories in this year, many blessings in disguise, many tears shed (but for good, in the end) and frankly, even though I'm eager to say goodbye to 2014 and begin another chapter...I feel the need to write one more page before saying goodbye.

*also I was waiting for a chance to add in The Sound of Music video you'll see below...

So, I'm pleased to share with you, the good, the bad and the....well, that's it. The good and bad.

The Good-

friendship. 'nuff said.

This year and the stress it's brought has brought me down a lot and without these lovely people (+some) I don't know what I would've done. They made 2014 fun, hilarious and crazy. They've helped me in my journey with Christ even though miles separate us. These are my soul sista's.

 me kicking lydia's knee//meeting grace for the first time ever//seeing my beloved "georgia" aka hannah...and of course, photoshopped emi along with her two horses evi and pj, and bruce wayne and I for good measure. since we haven't met yet, this is as good as we get. ;) no real pictures....yet.

I also cut my hair off...like, all of it.

 fun fact: this was a total spur of a moment thing. had a night out with mom and she said, "oh hey, there's a salon." let's just say I walked in with waist length hair and came out feeling like I'd lost 10 pounds.

I laughed so hard I cried during terrible nights. my friends<yours.

 texts with emi that proved i'm bad at insults//facetiming brenna in which her earbuds won't get out of the camera//texts with hannah where i show that I don't know the difference between a car and a bathtub//texts with two crazy sisters (lydia killed my phone. true story.)

I had 3 girl nights out..which never happens.

shopping with mom and sister//christmas outing with mom, sister-in-law and niece//shopping+dinner with mom and olaf.

You're probably wondering...what about the bad? Well...I'm a firm believer in something - that nothing happens by coincidence or just because. I believe that even the bad times are there for a reason, to make us stronger and sometimes, to make us weak enough to show our weakness to God and cry out for help. As much as I'd love to just forget the bad times some days, I know that they were there for a reason and just as important as the good. I won't make cutesy collages for these, so be prepared for some writing.

"We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things."

 This year, my (birth)father has gotten sicker and sicker with his drug addiction. I was told, by him, one night that he had heart failure. Whether that is true or not, I don't know. I've never had a relationship with him, not really, but it crushed me all the same. We went through an argument in which he talked to me in a very mean way, and I gave him two options - he either goes to rehab or he loses a daughter. He did not choose rehab, and I've forced myself to step away. I've spent many sleepless nights crying over this and I've spent many hours praying and talking to people about this. This has taken the cake on the hardest thing I've gone through in 2014...in my life, really. Making the decision to stay away because I know if I don't, it'll break my heart and crush me in the long run.

We've gone through struggles involving my niece and her parents, prayed so hard about that situation. It still isn't resolved, but I do have more of a peace about it. I've watched my brother struggle through things and yeah, it's put a strain on our relationship but I've tried to let go. I'm not perfect and it's something I've gotta keep working on. I've been hurt so badly by this part of the family so many times. These struggles have taught me to be more forgiving, but not to let myself just get run over.

"We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
And we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we have faith to believe."

We lost our rescue horse, Shalom. This was one of the most difficult things I will ever go through. Shalom was a fighter and taught me so much - patience, love, understanding, selflessness, humbleness. And he continues to teach me. He taught me how to live, like I only have today. He taught me how to appreciate everything I have today because we're never guaranteed a tomorrow. He was a war horse, a true soldier. And yes, I'm tearing up just writing this. It's not something anyone can understand unless they've had horses. It was just heartbreaking. Utterly heartbreaking. 

I've lost friends and I've been bullied for my faith. Before 2014, I didn't really know what the cost of faith is. And honestly, I don't even know the half of it now. I don't know what it's like to be killed for God, or be threatened and stalked and terrified. That's something I pray I never truly know. But I do know now, how it feels to be so confused on why God allows Christian's to go through so much hate. But I've risen above it with God. I'll miss the friends I lose, but I know I'll never lose Christ Jesus.

"When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home
It's not our home."

In the year of 2014, everyone has faces struggles. I guarantee that everyone who reads this will find something that they have in common with me, and possibly even have more terrible times behind them. Everyone has faced difficulties, and 2015 will be no different in many ways. We'll be faced with trials, we'll cry, we'll fall to our knees and ask God, "Why?" and I pray that we all learn from those trials and use them to grow closer to God.

"Because what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You're near
And what if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise?"

And with that...the Von Trapp kids say goodbye to 2014!

Hello, 2015!

Wow, I can hardly believe that 2014 is over! It seems like yesterday that we screaming because the world was going to end in 2012, that we welcomed in 2013 and many many dreams came true for me, and then said hello to 2014, a year that was full of...well...posts like these. 2014 brought a lot of heartache, a lot of sweet memories and a lot of excitement. Unlike most years, where I'm kind of sadly hanging on to the year gone by, I'm excited to begin a New Year. I'm dedicating this year to becoming a better me - a better Christian, a better daughter, a better sister, a better aunt. You get the gist. I'm dedicating this year to feeling good and living my life with less anxieties, less depression, less fears. I'm going to go after dreams that I was too scared to go after before. I'm going to pray more. I'm going to be more forgiving and be kinder. But most importantly (to me, at least) outside of becoming a better Christian, of course, I'm going to let go. I know, I know, how cliche, considering the Frozen craze in 2013-2014. (a faze that...can you please end, frozen faze?) I'm going to let go of things that held me back and kept me depressed all the time. I'm going to let go of certain people and stop torturing myself because of them. I'm going to forgive them and let go of them. That, I suppose, is one of my New Years Resolutions. (can I say New Years Plans instead? Everyone breaks resolutions...) But enough of that, let's talk about the year that we're about to say goodbye to.

 

January- In January, I met three of my best friends whom I had met on Pinterest! We live about 2 hours away from each other and finally got a chance to meet! I still talk to these girls daily and am so thankful for their sweet hearts.

February- February was a slow month, but the best memory I had from then was definitely taking a ride with my mother and our horses, blinded by the sunset the time while riding in a beautiful farm. 

March- March was full of blessings! We bought the farm behind our house and began working towards bringing our horses home at last! It was busy and full of hard-work, but we managed to sneak in some free time and do a photoshoot in the woods with my sister behind the camera. (Also, I almost died while climbing over thorns!) 

April- April was the beginning of our Esther Bible study! We read from Beth Moore's book about Esther and had put together a small online group full of lovely friends and grew closer to the Lord while learning about Queen Esther.

 

May- May was a busy month! I had a birthday and got to share it with Lydia and Kayla (the two Pinterest friends!) who share the same birthday. And of course, we celebrated at the barn (with Hannah, another lovely friend!) and then I went to Dixie Stampede. I also celebrated my horse's 13th birthday, because what equestrian wouldn't? 

June- June was another very busy month! I welcomed in another animal, Windy, after being talked into buying her when my mother and sister found her on a Facebook group! She is the first dog I've ever bought by myself and is sitting in my lap whilst I write this!

July- July...a hectic month! We had weddings to go to, parties to attend, concerts to go to...my favorite memory would have to be the Josh Turner concert! (also my first real concert ever.) I went with my step-father and had a wonderful time!

August- In August, I went to a party and saw Pinterest Friends again! (let's label them that now.) Hannah was leaving to travel for a few weeks so it was a little going away party. :) As always, it was a lovely time and it was great to visit!

 

 September- September was a really good month. I celebrated being a horse owner for 2 years, we were able to bring my horses home(!!!) (which was a surprise for me, had no idea they were coming!) and we also rescued an appendix Quarter Horse who was off the track. He was renamed Shalom. 

 October- October was a very hard month for me. Emotionally, I was drained. There weren't many good memories in October, honestly, but we did have a nice night at the rodeo. (even though I got terribly sick that night after being "glutened" and thought I had appendicitis...)

November- November...another very hard month. We sadly said goodbye to Shalom. We had to humanely euthanize him and it crushed us. Even now, I cry all the time over him. He had too many injuries and illnesses to live a good life, and with the help of many vets and in the company of those who loved him dearly and fought for his life, he took his final breaths. 

December- This month, although it's been hard after family issues and Shalom's passing, has been a nice month. I've spent most of it at the barn, which is always a plus. I've also gotten fairly serious with my photography (only horses..no humans!) and I'm quite proud of how I've come. Christmas came and went, time was spent with family and friends. All in all, December has been a good, fairly warm, month.

All things considered, this year has been good, but I'm eagerly awaiting 2015 and can't wait to jump right in. Here's to old memories and creating new ones. Happy New Year, everyone!

Philippians 3:13-14
No, dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven.

Unclean Spirit

*blog post from old sermon notes. Let's pretend I've been good about posting.

Read Mark 5:1-20

3 Signs of An Unclean Spirit-

1. Perversity. The man we see in Mark 5 lived in a tomb, completely naked and living like the dead. He lived a twisted and unnatural life, and his whole mind was warped. He was wild, uncontrollable and nothing like a normal human being - he was full of a perverse spirit.
2. Brutality. This man was so wild and violent that no one could control him, no one could even come near him without fearing for their lives. This is not unlike some people in the world now. We see so many people murdered, raped, beaten...our world is full of this brutality, as well as the perversity.
3. Insanity. Night and day, this man sobbed and hurt himself. He had no love or respect for himself or other people, he was self destructive, also like many people now. Now, this is not to say that those who self-harm are insane, but it is to say that there is something mentally wrong, something that, with the help of God and other strong Christians, can be defeated. It is something that Satan will lay on our hearts.

We are becoming so blind to these things because we see them every day. Murder is no longer surprising, nor is rape, bullying, self-harm and suicide. No one has the guts to admit the truth and share why these problems exist - it is because of sin.

The Cure-

The only cure is complete submission to Jesus Christ. The man in Mark 5 got on his knees to worship, even the demons feared and believed in Jesus. They knew that Christ would deliver this man, even if the man didn't deserve it. This is just how He is willing to deliver us all from depression, anxiety, and more. All of these things have one thing in common - they are because of sin. The only thing that can truly wash that away is the blood of Jesus.

Submit and repent, He will deliver you.

  So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis^[b] how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed. -Mark 5:20.

Oh, Holy Night.

Philippians 2:8-10 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth

Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother
And in His name all oppression shall cease
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we
Let all within us praise His holy name.

Inspiration

All quotes taken from Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

 “Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.”

“When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” 

  “Jesus Christ lived in the midst of his enemies. At the end all his disciples deserted him. On the Cross he was utterly alone, surrounded by evildoers and mockers. For this cause he had come, to bring peace to the enemies of God. So the Christian, too, belongs not in the seclusion of a cloistered life but in the thick of foes. There is his commission, his work. 'The kingdom is to be in the midst of your enemies. And he who will not suffer this does not want to be of the Kingdom of Christ; he wants to be among friends, to sit among roses and lilies, not with the bad people but the devout people. O you blasphemers and betrayers of Christ! If Christ had done what you are doing who would ever have been spared' (Luther).” 

  “I can no longer condemn or hate a brother for whom I pray, no matter how much trouble he causes me.” 

  “If my sinfulness appears to me to be in any way smaller or less detestable in comparison with the sins of others, I am still not recognizing my sinfulness at all. ... How can I possibly serve another person in unfeigned humility if I seriously regard his sinfulness as worse than my own?” 

  “The will of God, to which the law gives expression, is that men should defeat their enemies by loving them.”

  “The messengers of Jesus will be hated to the end of time. They will be blamed for all the division which rend cities and homes. Jesus and his disciples will be condemned on all sides for undermining family life, and for leading the nation astray; they will be called crazy fanatics and disturbers of the peace. The disciples will be sorely tempted to desert their Lord. But the end is also near, and they must hold on and persevere until it comes. Only he will be blessed who remains loyal to Jesus and his word until the end.”

  “The early morning belongs to the Church of the risen Christ. At the break of light it remembers the morning on which death and sin lay prostrate in defeat and new life and salvation were given to mankind”

Judge Not?

One of the most popular Bible verses is probably Matthew 7:1, "Judge not, or you will be judged." I've heard it quoted the most by people who either fit into two categories - the unsaved, or the Christian who is living in sin and defensive about it. Christian's who stand their ground and believe in the Bible, and aren't afraid to talk about things even their opinion isn't like the worlds, will probably be very familiar with this verse. Very recently, someone quoted it to me. Let me be clear before I get into this post - I am not a judging person. God's job is to judge, and I will happily leave that to Him, but it is my job to be honest, to share the gospel, and to be loud. I hate to break it to y'all, but Hell is a part of the Bible, sin is part of the Bible, and so is consequence. Just because I talk about God being the judge, and because I am honest about Hell and sin, does not mean I am hateful, holier than thou, or that I'm not a sinner. I sin daily and I fail God daily, that's why I'm so thankful for grace, and that's why I'm so passionate about sharing these consequences of sin, because I've lived through it and I've seen it firsthand. It is a Christian's job to make these things known and share - we can not lead others to Christ without leading them to repentance, and they can not repent without knowing that their sins are wrong in the eyes of the Lord, even though it's okay in the eyes of the world. But I will not push my beliefs on anyone, I simply am here to plant the seed, if I'm able.

Matthew 7 King James Version (KJV)

7 Judge not, that ye be not judged.

² For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

There's a difference between judging someone and being honest about sin, and living differently than them. I can't tell you how many times I've been "judged" for the clothes I wear, the way I speak (or choose not to speak, I should say) and so on. Am I perfect? I am so far from being perfect. I have so many issues, trust me. I don't trust God enough in areas that I should, I've doubted Him and I've even doubted my salvation, I'm depressed a lot, I'm anxious, I've lied, I'm too quick to anger...but God convicts me, because that's His job, and with the help of Godly people around me, I come back around to Him again like the prodigal son, and He welcomes me back with opened arms and kisses, just like the father, no matter if I've been gone for an hour, or a week, or a month. God is there to judge me, and I know He will continue convicting me and punishing me when I do wrong, because that's what I deserve. Honestly, I deserve far more than that, I deserve Hell, but Jesus Christ is my intercessor.

So, why am I rambling? I guess my point is this - Christian's have no right to judge...to a point. When the world thinks of judging, they most likely think of someone disagreeing with their views, or someone standing up for something that they believe in. But you see, Christian's are actually called to rebuke! Isn't that in the Bible?

Matthew 18:15-17

“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.

And, my personal favorite for this topic....

2 Timothy 4:2 

Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.

See there? We are told to preach, reprove, rebuke and exhort! But I love that last part - we should have patience. In other words, we shouldn't damn the person or judge them, but we should be able to see their sin, tell them what is wrong and why, and do so with love, patience, and Bible. We should plant the seed, and stay firm. Let us not waver and be a bad example, living in the exact sin that the Bible preaches against.

Living a different life does not mean you are holier than thou, it should mean that you live for Christ, not the world or acceptance from the world.

Preaching the Bible does not mean you are perfect and sinless, it should mean that you know precisely how sin destroys, and that you hate it and want no part of it in your life.

I'll leave y'all with this - if someone quotes that Bible verse at you, I dare you to show them the context. I dare you to stay firm for Christ, plant the seed, be patient and loving, but be honest. Don't be afraid of persecution. Just like that Bible says, only God can judge us in that way. Stand for Him, and the opinions of the world shouldn't matter, because you know that God has you in His hand, and He's given you salvation. Whom shall we fear?

Keep on keeping on.

I know of nothing which I would choose to have as the subject of my ambition for life than to be kept faithful to my God till death, still to be a soul winner, still to be a true herald of the cross, and testify the name of Jesus to the last hour. It is only such who in the ministry shall be saved. - Charles Spurgeon.

Do We Deserve Salvation?

Before I begin - thank you thank you thank you all for over 100,000 views on this blog. That's incredible and crazy and I'm so thankful for all of my followers and those of you who just read a single post and leave. This blog has made me discover a very deep love for writing and most importantly, it's shown me how to be a bold, fearless warrior for Christ while I try to witness.

Originally, this was going to be a post about all of the sermon from this morning, but I ended up leaving my notes in the car and after having a brief conversation with someone, I decided to switch the whole thing up and focus on something my Pastor said that really hit me hard in the middle of the sermon. It wasn't necessarily his whole point, but yes, I related a lot and I feel like it's a thing I've had to deal with a lot, so I decided to do something different...that and I'm too lazy to go get my notes. Whoops.

He mentioned a very popular thing that I hear from 99% of people that I talk to, who don't believe in God. (Either that, or they believe but refuse to give Him their life.) A lot of you have most likely heard this...ahem...

"The god I serve is a loving god, and he wouldn't damn anyone to Hell because of _____!" 

You can fill in the blank. From experience, I have realized that the majority of people end up trying to use His loving personality as an excuse to live in sin. AKA, "A loving god wouldn't damn a homosexual to Hell. After all, it's just love." Or, "A loving god wouldn't damn someone to Hell just because they don't agree with all of the Bible. After all, it was written thousands of years ago." To be honest, I could go on and on, listing excuses, all of which that I've heard. 

These people are very defensive. And like Tim Keller said, "The sin that is most destructive in your life is the one that you are most defensive about." They are quick to judge Christian's, because, after all, we all sin and fall short. So what gives me, a Christian, the right to proclaim that you will go to Hell unless you believe in God, repent and believe on Him? What gives me the right to say that sin is wrong? That abortion is wrong? That homosexuality is wrong? Well, let me ask you this - what gives you (the unsaved) the right to say that murder is wrong? That cheating on a spouse or boyfriend/girlfriend is wrong? That sexual immorality is wrong? That lying is wrong? Unless you believe in Bible laws on morality and etc, then you have no ground.

After all, if God doesn't exist, if He isn't our ultimate Judge, then what makes things really wrong? 

One of my biggest annoyances is seeing someone with their nose up in the air, living in sin like a pig because they think God owes them something. As if He owes you salvation. (I say that in a sarcastic, sassy way, by the way. As. If.)  

Sin is from Satan.

Satan tries to destroy His perfect Kingdom.

Satan sent Jesus, His Son, to die on the cross.

Satan is causing His children (us!) to stray far away from Him and His plans.

Satan is causing us to suffer, even if we don't realize it. 

I want you to take a look at yourself, just for a moment. Have you ever lied? Yes? So you are a liar. Have you ever been jealous? Yes? So you covet. Have you ever looked at anyone with lust? Yes? So you are an adulterer. Have you ever hated someone? Yes? Then you are a murderer. 

I could go on, but I don't need to. We have all broken pretty much every commandment in the 10 Commandments. We may not build idols out of gold or stone and worship them, but look at us - our heads are constantly buried in our phones, we watch TV more than we think about God, we put things before Him. That means we have idols. So, if you have broken those 10 Commandments (and there are even more sins, outside of that.) then that in itself makes us not worthy of salvation. 

We do not deserve salvation, but God gives it to us. His only requests? That we leave behind the sin that was previously damning us to an eternity in Hell. You are right, God is loving, but you are forgetting that God is a jealous, powerful, wrathful God. And even if He was purely a loving God, with none of those other qualities, that is not an excuse to live in sin like a pig. God is love, but that doesn't mean He loves sin. If someone were to murder a loved one, would you just forgive and forget, even though they killed him/her for no reason? Even though they made them suffer the most painful death imaginable? You may forgive, but you would never let the murderer go just so they could go murder someone else. Look at this from God's point of view. Maybe if we would stop being so selfish and focused on ourselves, and think about someone else for a change, we would see how sickening we truly are. 

We look at God, spit in His face after He gives us everything, after He dies for us, even though we don't deserve it, and tell Him that everything He gave us? Oh, His gifts aren't enough...so we demand more. 

Oh, thank goodness He's full of grace, or else we'd all be damned straight to Hell. Thank goodness He's so loving, or else we wouldn't be given a single chance. I know for a fact that I don't deserve Him.

To answer the question I asked in the title...

The answer is no. 

Romans 3:20-24 For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it — the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus

God's Desires or Society's Expectations?

Lately, I've heard of a lot of girls who feel stuck in a world where they don't fit in. And up until a few months ago, I could sympathize but I couldn't understand it because I had never dealt with it myself. But now, I've realized that I don't necessarily fit the mold and I won't lie, it hurts sometimes. I'm lonely sometimes. I wish I could fit in better sometimes. Let me be clear on this before I continue - I'm surrounded by a lot of lovely people. I'm in no way better than any of them, in all honesty, I feel like I fall behind so many of them when it comes to my spiritual walk. But I do know this - my desires, my hopes for the future, my convictions, my morals, my way of living...it's very different from the people my age that I'm around. I look around at these wonderful people and I wish that I could fit in better. I wish that I fit that mold better, but then, God reminds me that He made me who I am for a reason. He is the one convicted me and urging me to live differently, so that's what I'll do. It's all about Him, not myself.

I want to marry young. As young as God will allow, quite honestly. I have dedicated this time of my life to God, and I have promised that I will wait for as long as He wants, even if that means I will never marry, but yes, I pray that God brings me someone sooner rather than later. I know that I want to be a wife, most likely a mother eventually. I want to court in the most conservative way you could basically imagine - chaperones, no kissing until we're at the alter, no frontal hugs or hand holding until engagement, obviously no sex before marriage. I want to marry a man who will be the head of my house. I don't want a man who treats me like "just one of the guys" because that seems to be a trend that's becoming really popular nowadays. I'm a woman, a lady, and I do want to be treated as such. I want to live on a tiny farm, in a cute little house, I want to have a conservative home and I want my future children, if God blesses me with them, to grow up in a home that isn't centered around worldly things (television, phones, parties, etc) but around God things. I never really had a desire to go out and play and hang out, I want to spend this time of my life, this sacred singleness, my older teenage years, to bring myself closer to God, make myself into the proper homemaker that I believe He wants me to become, and ready myself for my future.

I don't like the trends that are popular in my generation - I don't like much contemporary music, whether it be considered praise & worship or not. I don't like skinny jeans or this whole metrosexual trend that make men into basically women. (Men, dress like men and act like a man. You aren't a woman.) I don't like those things. And yes, my different taste separates me from a lot of people. 

I am in no way better or worse than anyone, but I was raised differently than a lot of people. I am different, and that's fine. I've decided to follow God's desires instead of society's expectations, and yes, I fail Him daily. There's not a day that goes by that I wonder why on earth God still wants me or loves me.

I choose my horse over a boyfriend.
I choose my farm life over a fancy house.
I choose my heart (It belongs to God) over dating around.
I choose my morals over anyone's expectations of me.
I choose my convictions over what everyone else is doing.

 

 Yes, I turn down a lot of "fun" opportunities. I actually made the choice not to do or attend a few different things in the last 2 years, not because I believe that they are overall just sinful things or because I think that anyone who chooses differently than myself are even sinning in the process, but because I feel like I don't fit in at all in so many of the crowds. I can't help but feel like I'm alone sometimes, and yes, it can get disappointing. I make my own choices based on what God wants me to do (most of the time, I've made a lot of mistakes along the way.) and I still feel stares of others on my back, wondering why I choose not to do things with the crowd. I get teased endlessly for bragging on my horse or riding a lot or posting pictures of him, but that's my passion. Yet if I were to be posting nonstop about, let's say my boyfriend who is non-existent, I wouldn't get a single weird stare or comment. Because that? That is "normal."

I watch young Christian teens like myself start smoking or drinking or even doing drugs, I see them date a huge amount of people, off and on, all the time. I see them start slipping from God, I see them doing so many things that I don't understand, but the moment one of them stands up for Christ, even though so many of their friends disagree? They get stared at like they've suddenly grown two heads.

I suppose I'm ranting and I've babbled on way more than I planned, but I'm tired of youth being allowed to run around like crazy and call things Christian and yes, I'm tired of people (older Christian's) not standing up and YELLING and PROTECTING OUR YOUNG PEOPLE. Don't just shy away.

HELP. US. We need the help, I swear! Stand up even though we may not like it, we need guidance. We don't need more retreats or new music or parties, we need Jesus. We need Bible. We need convictions.

Sincerely, a young Christian person. 

Preaching What You Practice

Everyone has heard the quote "Practice what you preach." and that is most certainly good advice, of course. If you are going to talk about things, share your morals and convictions, you are supposed to live by them. As Christian's, we are supposed to abide by God's law and that should be exactly what we preach. But still, many Christian's fail to realize something that is just as important as practicing what they preach, and that is Preaching What You Practice. 

If you choose to become a follower of Christ, one of the most important things in your life should be preaching, and despite what many people think, you don't have to be behind a pulpit at church to do so. Preaching doesn't have to be your paying job. After all, if we are Christian's, we are called to share the gospel, and what exactly is sharing the gospel? It's a longer way of saying "preaching." Most Christian's that I come across in this day and time that are afraid to witness use the excuse, "Well, God hasn't called me to be a preacher..." or they say that they are afraid to witness because they don't want to lose their jobs, hurt feelings, lose friends and etc for their faith.

AKA, they are ashamed of Christ and don't want to look weird, stuck-up, boring, or like a bigot.

big·ot

ˈbiɡət/

noun

noun: bigot; plural noun: bigots

1. a person who is intolerant toward those holding different opinions.

   "don't let a few small-minded bigots destroy the good image of the city"

   synonyms:

   chauvinist, partisan, sectarian; More racist, sexist, homophobe, dogmatist, jingoist "he comes off as a naïve, close-minded bigot"

And yes, bigot is a very familiar term for most Christian's who are, well, actually Christian's and not Pharisee's.

Look at so many people in the Bible - Noah, King David, Solomon, and so on. These men all had normal, paying jobs. Some of them were ship builders, some of them carpenters, some of them rulers over nations. But the Bible plainly says that they were preachers. As my Pastor put it a couple Sunday's ago, preaching was their most important job, the other jobs were simply there to pay the bills.

I am a preacher. I'm involved in many other things, but, mainly, I preach. And I love it!

Charles R. Swindoll

If you are truly a born-again Christian, you will have a desire to witness. We should be on fire for God, so eager to go out and tell lost souls about Jesus Christ, the Man who saved our own wretched souls. We are in the middle of a terrible world, full of people who are lost and on their way to Hell, but we have the way out. We know the road to go down, we know how to escape these things - how dare we say that we are Christian's, but keep the good news to ourselves? How dare we refuse to preach?

I guarantee you one thing - you will meet at least one dying soul every single day of this week. It's not a hard task, it's not difficult to find someone to witness to. You can be a witness with a single step out of your door, with a quick click of your mouse. You can call a lost family member, text a lost friend, go to houses, help your church, leave Bible's or CD's...the list goes on. We have so many opportunities to witness, yet we look around helplessly as if we don't know how to witness or where to go. But God gives us clear instructions.

Where To Go: Mark 16:15 - And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

How To Witness Matthew 5:16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

By simply preaching what you practice, and then practicing what you preach, you can become a bold, strong witness for the Lord and bring others to Christ. Never be afraid to witness boldly and never be afraid to be a preacher. When someone asks you what you do for a living, tell them that God has given you the ultimate job - He's given you the task of sharing His word throughout the world. And that's better than any job out there. And God is always accepting applications.

Stepping Away From Popularity

A few days ago, someone asked me if I felt lonely or too sheltered because I had mentioned that all of my friends were made online - like a lot of people, they blamed the fact that I'm homeschooled. I've never been in a public school before, I haven't even stepped foot into one, nor do I have any desire to. They seemed surprised when I told them that I wasn't lonely and I actually wasn't so severely sheltered that I had no opportunity to make friends. I go to church every Sunday and Wednesday, my church has a pretty decent sized youth group and we have a lot of visitors come and go. Outside of church, I do have other opportunities to meet people. When I was younger, I was in a basketball league. I had a whole team of girls my age, but I didn't have a good friend in the midst. But it wasn't because I'm simply too awkward or shy to make friends. I always joke that I have plenty of acquaintances but not many friends. I can make conversation and enjoy myself, but as far as a good friendship goes? I'm picky. I've made the choice myself - I choose God instead of popularity, I choose my convictions over a large group of friends. While my faith and more conservative views may seem to "rob" me of friends to the outsiders, I have no desire to make friends with people that I have nothing in common with. At this very moment, I'm content.

 

 I know I look odd and I know I seem too conservative to many people my age. I'm quite aware. But the good thing about the world we live in now is that I do have chances to have good friends. Just because I live miles away from them doesn't mean the friendship means any less to me. And those friends that I do have? They drop everything for me in a second if I need them, day or night. They are loyal and they'll pray for me. They see me at my worst and they offer honest advice, even if I don't want to hear it at the moment. We hold each other accountable, we are there for each other.

When I stepped away from popularity and stopped praying that I myself would find friends, when I stepped towards God and asked Him to bring me friends, He did. And He brought me some great ones, too. And I know that I can trust Him in all areas of my life - through friendships, relationships, crushes, love, bad times and good times. I just have to try my hardest to remember that His timing is better than my timing, and that I shouldn't focus so hard on doing things by myself.

 

 All good things come from God, not from my flesh. Not from my ideas. Not from my works.

If you're like me, don't give up. Don't give up your morals just to fit into society. Follow God, follow the convictions He gave you and remember that God will grant us everything we need in His own time.
The days, months, or even years that we are alone and don't fit in, are the most special. Because in that time, we can focus 100% on God and our relationship with Him. We can focus on what He expects from us, and you know what? We can realize how much we deserve as God's children. You deserve better than the worldly friends and boyfriends/girlfriends. You deserve good, Godly people in your life.

Don't settle for anything less than what God would give you.

Love>Tolerance

Well, I'm back.

I'm not going to lie - in the past few days, I've strongly considered either making this blog private or quitting it all together. Satan's kind of been hard on me recently and I've been busier than ever, so it's been hard to sit down and really think. You see, I've been getting a lot of backlash lately. And no, not just online, because I know anonymous people still lurk around, waiting to cause more drama. I want to be clear on something. My last name for this blog was very bold, and I prayed about it very hard before changing it and I felt okay, personally and spiritually, for it to be the name of the blog, but it stirred up too much drama. So, yes, I changed it again after even more prayer and thinking. I do not think that I'm hated by many people, I'm loved and supporting by a lot of people, far more than hated. My church family, my friends, and yes, a lot of my readers and various people I've met online, have supported me throughout my writing endeavors. When I said the world, I meant just that - the world. The world meant the worldly people, typical society. I meant the liberals, the people who hate Christianity, and while I'm not sure why it caused so much drama (considering the quote write underneath my name explained the whole title) it did, so it's gone.

Here's the thing, I'm not here to stir up drama, I am here to share my beliefs, and yes, that's going to cause some drama. I'm prepared. I'm also learning how to witness in the best way, and yes, I'll make mistakes. I'm not perfect, no one is. But I will warn you. The hate, the drama, the backlash? It makes me proud to stand taller. The Bible warns Christian's that we will be hated for Christ's sake, and if one single person hates me (and yes, I know quite a few people who would love to see me wiped off the face of the earth, before you say I'm a drama queen.) or even if a big group of people dislike me, just because I'm a Christian? That's okay.

This is the great part of that freedom of speech thing. I'm allowed to share my beliefs, and yes, I'm going to exercise my right to share Christ before I kick the bucket and He calls me home. I'm more concerned about God loving me than the world loving me, and I want Him to see me and say, "Well done, my good and faithful servant." more than I want hundreds of comments from every reader that ever lived telling me what an inspiration and loving person I am. I'm not Joel Olsteen or another famous bubble gum preacher - I'm me. And this is who I know God wants me to be.

I love you all. This is why I'm writing. If you don't like it, I won't apologize. I will apologize, however, if I in any way taint the gospel in a way that it was not written. I love you all, but I don't love sin. I don't love the sin that I practice, because yes, I'm a sinner, too. I hate sin as a whole, but I hate no person. There's a very large difference between hate and intolerance, and there's a big difference between love and tolerance.

I love you all.
I hate sin. 
I don't tolerate sin.

I'm here to say that Jesus Christ is Lord, that He died on the cross for all of us because He loves us. I'm here to say that there is a Heaven and a Hell, that no one is free from eternity. I'm here in hopes that maybe, I can reach someone. I pray that I can make a difference with this blog, but yeah, I'm just one person, so maybe it won't happen. Maybe I won't effect anyone. But I'll try. And in the time that I try, this blog will help me grow as a Christian. 

(On another note, I will no longer be publishing Anonymous comments. It's not because of any of the rude comments at all, but Blogger is being extremely glitchy with it and half the time, it says the incorrect person posted the comment and it's just a mess. If or when it fixes, I'll publish them again. Many apologies for people without a google account!)

introducing...

 

 

I created this blog over 2 years ago but only began taking it seriously...what? Less than a year ago? And in that short period of time, I've been amazed at the love and support that I've received from the blogging community. But in the last few months, I've gotten more rude comments than necessary and people have tried to get me in the middle of needless drama. After a lot of prayer and thinking, I decided that closing down this blog is not an option, despite the fact that a lot of people out there were probably hoping that I'd have given up by now. But, the blog did need a face-lift. I needed a change, and I felt like the Lord wants me to continue to pursue this path (blogging, writing, journalism, etc.) possibly very long-term. This is my passion - writing. I adore it. I did get stuck in a rut, though. I realized that I can and should pursue different topics again, important topics. I should continue learning different things (photography, design, HTML...) and I should continue figuring out how to write about hot topics and topics that are so often over-looked, yet so important (fashion, faith, history, modern days, books, style, you name it) and I have never been this excited for such a big, drastic, and yes, very sudden, change. And I hope that you are all excited to join me as I learn. Because yes, I'm learning as I go. I'm older and yes, I've grown a lot since this blog first came into existence. And it's time that the blog grew up with me. Because this? I love this. I love this community, I love being a part of it. I love having roots here, even if it's just a simple blog for some.

 

 

So, tonight I introduce While She Waits - I hope it impacts y'all as much as writing these posts and planning the future ones have impacted me. The new name comes from one of my favorite quotes, which I included at the end of this post. You see, so often us girls get in such a hurry to get careers, find our Prince Charming, get married, have children - whatever it is that your heart desires, that we forget about how sacred of a time that this is. Sacred Singleness, ladies. This time is truly important. So, while I wait for that period of my life to begin, for a new chapter to start, I'm falling deeper in love with Christ. Because I will only know what true love is, while I wait. :) And because of that true love, yes, I will continue on waiting.

Much love to all of my old readers, and hello to all of my new ones. 

“Girls, if you will learn to wait patiently and confidently for God to bring a Christlike man into your life, you will not be disappointed. And guys, learn to treat women like the Perfect Gentleman, Jesus Christ If you do, you will not only be promoted out of “jerkhood,” but you will then be worthy of a beautiful princess of purity who is saving herself just for you.”
― Eric Ludy

Hated By The World, Loved By Jesus

Last night, a big debate took over my whole Instagram after I was asked a simple question  - "What is your opinion on homosexuality?" The people on my Instagram are very aware that I'm a Christian. I've never hidden my faith from them. My bio, my captions, even my photos, they typically always have something to do with God. I've also never been shy on there about my opinions. I've used a lot of my posts on here for captions on there and yes, I've received hate before. But never in my life have I received as much hate as I did last night. All because I quoted the Bible and told the person that I was against homosexuality - please note, in nowhere did I say that I was against the person. I am against the actual act of homosexuality but I will not be mean spirited to a homosexual. That being said, I will not hide truth from them, either.

"I was just told that, it's okay for me to have a religion and believe that homosexuality is wrong but I can't say anything about it because I may offend someone.

Well, I'm more concerned about the lost people going to Hell than stepping on someone's toes.

In my opinion, never saying a word to a sinner and keeping my faith to myself? That's worse than having the cure to cancer and keeping it from those who are suffering with the disease.

I will be kind, but I will be truthful. And I most certainly will not hide my faith, the truth or the gospel. End of story. It's not an option." - Post from Facebook written by myself.

I got over 500 comments that night, some were defending Christ but most were defending sin. When I finally tried to end the drama (I have no issue with friendly debate but I won't allow meaningless drama) the comments continued rolling in. I posted the lyrics of Sinner Saved By Grace and suddenly, I was mean because I said people are sinners.

Listen to me - I am a sinner. I am disgusting. I am not worthy of God nor am I worthy of His love, His grace, His salvation. But He gave it to me anyways. No one is worthy of what God has given us, but you know what? God loves us anyways. He forgives us, He is waiting on us to turn away from sin so He can wrap us in His arms. But in order to have that, you must repent. I don't want to just say everything I said in my last post but really, it's so important to remember God's stand on this. He doesn't hate us, He hates the sin created by Satan who is trying his best to kill us and keep us away from our Heavenly Father. 

It is not that I'm being mean to anyone. We are all sinners saved by grace, indeed. I sin daily and I fail God daily. I try, but sometimes I don't succeed. I don't wake up in the morning and say, "Hmm, I wonder how many people I can offend today..." I do, however, wake up with a desire to witness. (wait, gotta back up. I wake up with a desire for caffeine. Then, I get in a better mood and want to witness. Very few people wake up feeling saved. Just sayin') I don't want to hurt feelings, but I acknowledge that the truth hurts and sometimes, I'm going to have to step on people's toes in order to share the gospel. It's just a given.

If you are a Christian, you will be hated.
You will be persecuted.
You will be bullied.
You will be mocked.

John 15:18 If the world hate you, you know that it hated me before it hated you. 

I am proud to be hated by the world, because I know that I am loved by Jesus. It is my goal to lead others to Christ so they can know His love, His grace, His gifts to those willing to receive them. But no one gets saved by the watered down gospel that the world is preaching. Hell exists, folks. It's time that Christian's fight against it.

God Doesn't Owe Us

I absolutely hate hearing someone say that God owes them happiness, or that, if God is a loving God, why doesn't He just forgive us with no questions asked and no requirements? People act as if God owes us something, when in reality, He has never and will never owe us a thing. He's already given us much more than we deserve - a life, family, friends, this earth despite it's issues, and of course, Heaven. The biggest gift He has ever given us is the gift of His Son, and salvation. God did not owe us salvation, nor did He owe us Heaven. He gave us the ability to either take or leave His gift, and it is entirely up to us on what we do. Either way, our eternity will be spent in Heaven or Hell.

God does not owe you a life of sin.
He does not owe you salvation with no repentance.
He does not owe you Heaven.
He does not owe you anything.

A girl I know has a very big issue with homosexuality. She has a hard time believing that God will send homosexuals to Hell because of whom they are with, whether it be male or female. She also claims to be a Christian, but in my opinion you can not be so confused on big issues in the Bible and be a true child of the Lord. She asked me the other day how a loving God (the one I serve, she said) could be so mean to someone that He created. In her mind, she believes that God created homosexuals to be, yes, homosexual.

Let me be clear - God did not create sin.

Homosexuality is sin, it says so in the Bible. It is an unnatural abomination and it clearly says in the Word of God that anyone who practices homosexuality will not inherit the kingdom of Heaven. It says this in not only the Old Testament, but the New Testament. It also says in the Bible that God did not create sin. Sin is from Satan, the end. God did create the people, but He did not create their sin.

Getting back on topic, no matter what our sin is, whether it be homosexuality, addiction, bullying, lying, cheating, whatever sin you struggle with most, no matter how little or small it may be, we are called to repent. God doesn't owe us a little pet sin. God despises sin, He can not look at sin. When we live in sin and refuse to repent, guess what?

God doesn't even want to glance at us, and who can blame Him?

Look around at what sin does. It kills people. It destroys families. It ruins relationships. Sin is the very thing that keeps God away from His children, it's the very thing created by His enemy, Satan. He hates sin because He loves us.

Hear that? See, when we are so busy complaining about God being so mean to us because He doesn't want us living in sin, we are failing to see the big picture.

Sin is killing us.

It's taking us away from our Heavenly Father, it is killing us day by day. It is ruining us, staining us. Our only hope is God. Our only escape route is repentance and we must repent to receive salvation.

When you're willing to see the big picture, you realize how loving He really is. 

God doesn't owe us and He never will owe us, but He loves us so much that He freely gives the gift of salvation for those who love Him more than the sin.

Isaiah 30:15

For thus the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, has said, "In repentance and rest you will be saved, In quietness and trust is your strength." But you were not willing,

 

 

Acts 3:19

"Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord ;

 

 

Romans 2:4

Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?

The Itching Ear Church

1 I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, 4 and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. 5 But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.- 1 Timothy 4:1-5

Our sermon yesterday morning was titled The Itching Ear Church and we read from 1 Timothy 4. In our world today, we're seeing more and more churches pop up that focus so heavily on tickling ears and making people comfortable in their sin instead of convicting them and saving them from Hell. These are churches full of people that have stopped looking for truth and started looking for pleasure. They want to be comfortable. They want to water down the gospel to fit their sinful minds and they want God to compromise, but God does not compromise in order to make us happier here on earth.

In these churches, we see -

Grace Without Guilt - 

The people in these churches want Heaven without Hell, salvation without repentance. They want God's grace without the conviction, they don't want to let go of their sin in order to receive rewards from God and enter into Heaven. They want to live like the world in the presence of Christ. As Christian's, we are not called to make people happy. We are not called to be people pleasers. We are called to reprove and rebuke, to preach without apology despite the fact that it may run some of these people off. We are to challenge them, show them the truth of the gospel  - all of it. 

Doxology Without Doctrine - 

The people in an Itching Ear Church just want to feel good and hear their own, made-up doctrine. It's not about truth or praising God in the way He intended, it's about making us happy individually without His true doctrine involved. They want everything to be about them - even praise.

They also tend to pat themselves on the back when they praise, as if their praise and worship music is what puts them in the presence of God, when in reality, the only thing that makes us capable of being in His presence is the blood of Christ. They've taken the blood out of the picture though, because that makes people uncomfortable. Their worship has turned into nothing but pagan styled worship, with repetitive music to make them happy, instead of focusing on making God happy. They want to rely on themselves, not God's doctrine. They use what they want. Their music has no meaning, their prayers become empty. They are so focused on themselves that they forget about God.

Testimony Without Truth - 

They've forsaken truth for the world and it's watered down gospel. Without conviction, repentance, the blood, all truth from the Bible, we can have no true testimony. When you leave the truth behind, you are left with hardly anything but your own feelings. You're left with pure religion, but no Jesus. When you forsake God's truth, you are forsaking Him as a whole.

don't forget to check out Trinity Baptist Church!

The Christian Atheists

"Let me ask you, how many atheists are now in this house? Perhaps not a single one of you would accept the title, and yet, if you live from Monday morning to Saturday night in the same way as you would live if there were no God, you are practical atheists." - Charles Spurgeon.

Last night, I was on a Charles Spurgeon kick (I'm always in a Charles Spurgeon kick) and was looking through some of his quotes online. Whenever I get in a bit of a blogging rut, I typically look through some of his quotes because I always manage to get some inspiration from them. My favorite part about reading them is how bold he was. He was blunt, straight to the point. He didn't sugarcoat the gospel with lies to try and get more people to follow him. (the key word would be him, not Christ, if he did that) and I can always get excited to write something based on one of his quotes. This one jumped out at me last night. It's always hard for me to pick a favorite, but that one is most definitely one of them. It rings so true for so many people in the church. Without pointing fingers, I can say that I know a lot of those people that he was talking about, some even in my church every Sunday and Wednesday. It's proof that going to church doesn't make you a Christian, only being born again can make you a new person, and repentance (turning away from your sin) is a huge part of being born again. The title seems odd, I know. How can an Atheist be a Christian? In reality, it's impossible. You can not be an Atheist and a Christian at the same time because being a Christian would mean you believe in and on Jesus Christ, being an Atheist is basically the exact opposite. But so many "Christian's" out there live like Atheists, do they not? They act like a Christian on Sunday's and like an Atheist every day in-between. Well, God does not call us to be part-time Christian's, just like we don't have a part-time God. Being a Christian is an all day, every day kind of thing. You can't choose to be an Atheist for a few hours so you can go out and have fun. You are either a Christian all the time, or dare I say...you aren't truly a Christian. Granted, everyone falls short of the glory of God which means we all sin and we all fall into temptation, but it is how we treat that sin and what we do after we fall that makes the difference. Do we simply give into the temptation and think, "Well, better luck next time!" and continue on, or do we fall on our knees in repentance and beg the Lord for forgiveness and try our hardest to stay away from that sin?

Really, the question is...are you a part-time Church-goer, or are you a full-time Christian?

The Kind of Preaching the World Needs

Happy Sunday, everyone! Before I begin the post, I wanted to ask what y'all think on the tweaking I'm doing on the blog. I've changed the header, cleaned the sidebar up, added a new photo and I may change the background as well because I feel like it clashes. I want a new look before this Winter hits. I still have quite a few things to work on so I hope to have everything finished by tonight.

This morning's sermon was titled "The Preaching We Need Today" and we studied mostly in 1 Corinthians 1:21. I took some fairly in-depth notes so I'm going to be basing this post almost completely on them and adding a few different things here and there.

What Kind of Preaching Do We Need to Hear Today? 

The church needs a revival with Bible teaching, but before that happens, we must become less focused on events, parties, concerts, and more concerned with preaching the gospel and seeing lost souls become saved. Most people don't realize that preaching is not just a job for the preachers out there! If you are saved, you are called to preach the gospel and share God's word. The world wants us to preach with tolerance - they want us to be politically correct, but we are not called to be wise in the World's eyes, we are called to follow God's commands.

"For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe."

1 Corinthians 1:21

What We Need: 

1. We Need Preaching on the True Gospel. We need to stir up the world and stop trying to blend in! Don't be ashamed and don't be afraid to be hated by this world. There is only one gospel and it is the only thing that can save you. The Lord says to beware of false prophets and they are out there. Remember the true gospel and preach it - don't try to live by the world's standards and change the gospel according to what they want!
2. We Need Bible Preaching. (2 Timothy 4:1-2) Don't just preach about salvation and end it there. Talk about the Bible, teach others about the Bible and study all of the Bible so you and others learn not only how to receive salvation but how to live and survive as a Christian and how to become a better witness! All of the Bible should be used to our advantage! It's about the Message!
3. We Need Preaching On Judgement! It's not a popular or loved topic, but it is one of the most important! We should warn others about what is ahead! What is the point of salvation if there is no judgement? My Pastor used this analogy  - if there was a terrible, rabid dog in your neighborhood and you saw your neighbors children out playing, about to be attacked, would you warn them? If you have a heart - of course you would! As Christian's, we believe that Hell exists. Hell is an eternity full of suffering, how could we live with ourselves as Christian's and not warn others? They don't need lovey dovey, mushy sermons to make them feel good about themselves - they need truth! Stop worrying about stepping on their toes. They are supposed to be convicted!
4. We Need Preaching That Demands a Decision! Stop worrying about embarrassing people with an alter call or about how you'll make the sinners out there feel when you demand a decision. It's never too early to get saved, but sometimes, it can be too late. You are never guaranteed tomorrow, and neither are the unsaved. Tell them the honest truth about their future in Hell. Tell them they must choose. There is no straddling the fence! 

The Rights of Atheists

My family finally got to watch the movie God's Not Dead a couple weeks ago after it came out on DVD. We all stayed up late with dimmed lights and cupcakes and I don't think any of us expected it to be that deep or good. We're big fans of Pure Flix, who created the movie, but most of the movies seem to be lacking something, I think. Maybe the actors aren't quite up to par or the story needs to be a bit more realistic or perhaps it just needs to be more serious, but this one was really, really great.

I've talked to a lot of Atheists. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I would rather debate with an Atheist than argue with a lukewarm Christian who has a hardened heart. I've debated with very many Atheists and the majority of them remained very calm and level-headed during our conversation. They've listened to what I have to say and tried to bring evidence of their own, but as Christian's, we know this - you can NOT win in an argument with God. Atheist's and other people in other religions do have what they like to call "facts" that they 100% believe in. They bring in good quotes from the most brilliant of minds, expecting us to look like fools when we say we disagree with a man like Stephen Hawking and the other many faithless scientists in the past and present. They bring in textbook after textbook, research papers, science experiments, all to prove that evolution or the Big Bang or whatever is real and that God is dead, but you know what all of those things have in common?

All of their evidence is fallible.

And it all started with....a Big Bang?

All of their so-called evidence is fallible because their text books are written by fallible humans, their science experiments tested and created by fallible humans, and so on. Even the most brilliant scientists in the world are fallible human beings. I guarantee you that if we were to ask a loved one or a close friend of one of those scientists that Atheist's so often put on a pedestal if they have any flaws, those friends or family would look at us funny and say something like, "Well, they are human beings!" because every human being is fallible. Every human being has flaws. Which means those textbooks and etc have flaws, too. They are written by humans who are so desperate to know more and more and gain knowledge that they aren't even supposed to have and if God doesn't want them to have it, He won't let them have it. In every theory outside of Christianity, there are holes.

There is also another theory, written by Stephen Hawking himself, a truly brilliant man with a very confused mindset on God and Creation. Stephen Hawking says, "Because there is a law such as gravity, the universe can and will create itself from nothing." so I ask Stephen Hawking, well, who created gravity? There are so many flaws in his theories despite him being one of the most intelligent men that this Earth will ever see. Just because a brilliant mind said it does not change the truth.

At the end of every debate, I am asked one question, the hardest of all questions. "Who created God?" it is difficult for a faithless person to understand the answer which boggles my mind, because when I ask them the same question about their faith, they get offended and flustered but then when they ask me, I suddenly have no right. Anyways, God was and is and is yet to come. God is Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. He was always here and He will always be here. No one created God. Yes, it is extremely hard to wrap your head around, but honestly, it seems easier to me to accept that than to accept the theory that particles or gravity were always here.

Many Atheist's ask us for proof for God and throw hissy-fits when they don't like our answer, but expect that they can do the same thing to us and get away with it. It seems that many Atheist's were once so-called believers in Christ that got their feelings hurt by the world. I find it funny when I hear Atheist's complain about God not being there when you can't expect God to be there whilst you are busy cursing His name and hating everything He stands for. And also, we must remember that God owes us absolutely nothing. You can't sit there and get upset with a God that you say doesn't even exist (how can you hate something or someone that doesn't exist?) because He's not there for you! God already gave us His son to die on the cross. Jesus endured the most painful death in all of human history just for us. Jesus wept just for us. Jesus was spat on, betrayed, bullied, harassed, tortured. Once a King in Heaven, He left His throne and traded it for dusty ground where He would sit after long hours of saving souls and healing people, not only in body but in spirit. He died for us and He didn't have to, and you still ask Him for more while you spit on His face? How dare you.

If I were to go find one of your favorite scientists or teachers, threaten that person with so many death threats, harass and bully them, try to kill them and then one day, succeed and murder them the cruelest way I possibly could, do you think that person would owe me anything?

God owes us absolutely nothing yet He already gave us everything.

If you can believe that nothing created everything, that gravity just somehow already existed, that space just was somehow here sitting around until suddenly, a Big Bang created the Earth (who created the Big Bang? Who created Gravity? Who created Space?) then attempt to shove this down my own throat at schools and online and etc, I have every right to show you my argument, my theories, my belief. So, here goes, my friends. Stay awake.

I won't quote all of Genesis 1 for you all because that would take up even more room in this already lengthy post. I'm sure we all know what happened. If you don't, here it is, free and online. Basically, it is my belief that the Lord literally spoke most of these things into existence. Now, the Bible does say that He made some of the things, which some people believe that He physically formed them, and I do believe that God did physically make some things on Earth with His own hands. Now, please know that I won't be getting into absolutely everything about Creation for the sake of time and the post, and the fact that there are still things that God left a mystery, but if you have any questions, you can comment or email me.

I believe that God always existed and will always exist. I believe that He gave us free will, and honestly, wouldn't we want our children to have free will as well, like God chose? Think of it this way - you have two friends, one of which you have to force into spending time with you. They are forced to love you, be with you, interact with you. And you have the other friend, who goes out of her way to be with you and love you and she truly does care from the bottom of her heart. Which is your most special, close friend? The forced one that wouldn't even pick you as a friend if she didn't have to, or the one who truly loves you? If you are a normal human-being and not a robot or a slave driver, I think I know your answer.

God wanted to give us free will and I completely understand that, and I believe I know the majority of His motives just by reading the Bible. He loves us and wishes that we would all come to Him and never suffer turmoil or Hell, but He waits for us to choose by ourselves on our own time. God has never and will never force Himself on anyone.

Here is a brief excerpt from  Living Waters:

"God gave man free will even if He knew it will cause problems through man's wrong use of it because He also knows the solution to it... Jesus. When God finished making this world on the sixth day, He looked on the whole of His creation and saw that it was all good, including the free will He gave man."

And let's look at something else, shall we? This was mentioned in the movie as well and I loved the point so much.

Without God, why are we moral?

What is wrong and what is right and why/where do we get these rules if not from God for His purposes? We ask God to get rid of the "big sins" when in reality, we wouldn't even want Him to get rid of sin completely. How many of you are or know addicts? People addicted to porn, drugs, alcohol? When Atheist's sit there and demand God's help if He exists, they also must realize that for God to deliver us from murder, thieves, rapists, for Him to deliver us from hard times, He must take away all of our pet sins, as well. God isn't causing any of our troubles - we are.

Atheist's seem to demand rights whilst they try to rid Christian's of our own rights to simply talk about our faith and God. As I end this post, I ask all of the Atheist's and other "faiths" who don't believe in Christ - what is your right to shove your own lack of belief down my throat everywhere in society? Where is your proof that God doesn't exist? I can sit here and give you all of the facts that I know and you scoff, yet you can't give me a better answer than my own.

What is your right to be so hypocritical? It is not your right to run this world, that's God's alone. And you won't win the fight as long as Christian's stand up and fight.