Take a stand for... Priorities (JOY- Jesus, others, yourself)

Take a stand for... Priorities

Often we find ourselves being overwhelmed by too many things to do or to prepare. Even women in the bible felt the same way (Luke 10:40). To set priorities is to determine what is important to you and how your time is to be spent.

If you were to be completely honest with yourself, who or what takes priority over your life first and foremost? Could it be your family? Job? Money?

No matter what is going on in our life, God should always be the number one priority. Our first and most important.
Matthew 6:33 "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added to you."
I encourage you to read Mat. 6:25-34, because if we put God first and not worry what lies ahead or what we will eat or drink, God will provide it for us. God knows us more than anyone else, look up to Him, He knows what you need. We can not both worry and trust God at the same time because worry destroys the single-hearted devotion Jesus described in verse 33.

Romans 12:11 "not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;"
God wants us to set priorities in our life and then organize our time and our tasks so that they reflect those priorities and do not allow the little details to overwhelm us. Take this time to read Colossians 3:1-17

God wants us to realize that the most important person we are is the one that we are with Him! Honestly, the moment I started fully letting God into my life and putting Him first in my life, I became my most happiest and I continue to feel so blessed and thankful now than ever before. God is just that good. All my worries are gone, my stress is gone. My stress used to be just the typical stress of a school student, being overwhelmed with work. But now I'm not stressed, I get more work being in college but somehow I'm always able to finish everything days in advance and still able to study and read my bible everyday. God found the time for me to do this and much more for Him. I truly am blessed and I have no intentions of ever putting Him anywhere else than first in my life. He is always with us. Hebrews 13:5 "Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." "

Okay, so how can I put God first in my life?

• Be consistent in your priorities, put God first place. (Matt. 6:33)
• Talk to Him regularly in quite time in prayer. (Ps. 55:17, Luke 5:15,16)
• Examine your own heart. (Eccl. 3:1)
• Keep yourself spiritually fit. (Is. 30:15)

Remember, Jesus had met with the Father in intense prayer and meditation to determine His priorities and to prepare Himself for each day. (Luke 5:15,16)

Also, make sure you are putting others first before yourself. 

We can remember it like this..

JOY

• J- Jesus
• O- Others
• Y- Yourself

Jesus first, others second, yourself last. Easy way to remember our set of priorities. 

One last thing to leave you with...

Ecclesiastes 7:8 "the end of a thing is better than its beginning"

Put God first because experiencing eternity in heaven, rather than hell, will be much better than having lived here. :)

*image courtesy to bruncee

Taking a stand for.. Breaking the barriers and being alive in service. That's right ladies!

Taking a stand for.. Breaking the barriers and being alive in service. That's right ladies!

This morning I attended a ladies day at Concord Church of Christ in Orlando. And let me tell you, those ladies did a fantastic job. From the wonderful lessons that will be applied-- to the hard work you could visually see that they put in to it. For those who do not know what a ladies day is, it is a day where ladies gather together to spiritually strengthen by fellow-shipping and learning the word God. I never really understood how much work that the ladies in the church put into these, for the spiritual growth of many and for that I am just so thankful for every ladies day I have gotten to be apart of. Lording willing, I would very much enjoy to be a speaker at a ladies day someday.
I've learned so much today, and I thought it'd be very beneficial if I shared that with you with my input into it as well.

Ladies, are you bringing your service alive to Christ? Or are you just simply coming and going to church on Sunday and Wednesday. Maybe you think that's enough, maybe you're too busy, maybe you have other things to worry about, maybe you think you know everything there is to know already?
Is that the right mind set? Absolutely not. Don't create these type of barriers for yourself. If it's one thing I learned, barriers are very dangerous in our spiritual life. Get rid of them!

First of all, we have a purpose. Don't you ever think that your were born for no apparent reason.
Ephesians 1:3 "Blessed be the God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ." NKJV
Ephesians 1:14 "who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to praise of His glory." NKJV

Can I just say, wow! Regarding the first verse, God has given us every spiritual blessing to have a relationship with Him. And the second, He is the guarantee of our inheritance! We owe it all and more to Him. He knew us before our own mother did. He specifically chose us to be here. We have a purpose, don't create barriers that will get in the way of doing more for Him.

So, lets hear some of the women made barriers, we call it the three "-ings"
#1- Longing for a trouble free life.
Okay ladies, first of all, realize that God never promised us a trouble free life! The problem is how we react to these troubles that we face. They become barriers.
John 16:33 "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world" NKJV
Ladies stop worrying, do not miss the joys of today! Besides, we have something so much greater to look forward to now don't we. :) I urge you to stop longing for a trouble free life. Why? Because it creates a barrier between us and God. Pray pray pray! God will take care of in the troubling time. Ask others for prayers too, talk and communicate with your sisters. We all need the prayers, we all need to be there for each other. You aren't lonely in this world. We are here for each others.

#2- Losing our way when things get bad, trouble, and trials.
What happens to us when we face troubling events in our life? How do we react? Does it show?
Do we doubt?
Sometimes it seems like we lose our way in trouble times, God didn't create us to be like that. Satan is always at work, he never takes a break. These are the times when you MUST stay strong in the faith. Hold your faith.
James 1:2-3 "count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience" NKJV
So, growing in the midst of trials is not easy but helps build patience. Which is absolutely necessary.
Trials help us to grow!
Two very interesting verses that were brought up that really spoke to me were..
Job 40:6 "Then the Lord spoke to Job out of a storm."
Job 38:1 "Then the Lord answered Job out of a storm."
- In the midst of a storm, God is working it out for us! It may not be the answer we want, but He has a plan. You might not be able to see it at the time but He answers.
Losing our way creates a barrier.

#3- Living our lives and making decisions based on our feelings
We need to be careful with this, because we could seriously hurt someone with the things we do or say. God gave us emotions, He has given us everything that we have. If you do or say something that shouldn't have been said or done.. make sure you confront that person and apologize for whatever you did based on your feelings.
Our heart is the core of all this. It is a vital function on how we are living our life and making decisions. What are you filling your heart with?
Jeremiah 17:9-10 "The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it? I, the Lord search the heart"
The heart refers to the mind, the source of thinking, feeling, and action. The Hebrews viewed the heart as a center of life. It is desperately deceitful. Yet God not only knows your heart, He searches it. The heart and the mind encompass human emotions and together uncover the hidden elements in a persons character and personality.
What do you hold in your heart?
Gods word needs to be in the drivers sear of your life.
1 Corinthians 4:1 "Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God."

GOD HAS A PLAN FOR ALL OF US!
Use the talents and life He gave for serving Him in any chance you can!

Please, keep fast to your faith! Hold on to it and be stubborn with it. Be stubborn with it because you must not let go of that faith. Keep building it, always.God needed you and knew everything about you.
We have a living hope and a love that never ceases.

We need to be alive in our service to Christ
Always be willing to serve God in ALL things
How can we be alive in our service to Christ though?

• Know God loves you.
• He knew you before you were born
• You have a purpose
• Believe in Gods purpose
• Bring others to God
• Follow His commandments
• Spend time reading the bible daily and praying
• He sent His son to die for you

There is always something you can do to bring service to God. Whether it's bringing a meal to someone, sending a card, making communion bread, praying for others, or even participating in things that will help you grow spiritually such as ladies days. We can never learn enough. There is always something to do!

Digest and dig into the Bible, really look and read for yourself. You are responsible for your own soul. Don't you ever think that there is nothing you can do, don't create that barrier between you and Christ. 

Be different than the world, most people don't know why they are truly here,..but we do! Share that news with all who you come across! You know the truth, share the gospel someone one else can have the chance in eternal salvation. He died for them too. 

Closing with this:

How to serve God during the difficulties in life

• Be open to serve God every day in every way.
• God will not give you more than you can handle.
• Seek God in prayer to guide you so you don't over commit
• People are lost and need to know God and you may be the one to share God with them.
• You need to be different from the world.

Do not take the life He gave you for granted, use it to glorify Him.

There's so much out the you can do, no matter what age, there is NO excuse.

*Photo courtesy to wallpaperswide

Take a stand for.. choosing Christ!

Take a stand for.. choosing Christ!

Is being a christian really worth it?
Confession time. All of middle school and almost all of high school I viewed going to church as boring and I would have rather been sleeping in or just staying home and watching television. I felt like being a Christian I just had to sacrifice so much and going to church was getting in the way of socializing, being on my phone, sleeping, and the list goes on. I would sit through bible study and worship and I wouldn't take anything in that was being said. I mean don't get me wrong, the preacher is great and sound teaching, I just didn't have God as number one at the time as I do now. Looking back, it seems like I made God seem to be at an inconvenience during those preteen and teen years. I do not think I was the only teenager who felt like this either, there's so many teens that need to be reached out to. My friends knew me as a Christian, but did they really see Christ in me then? Did my actions show that? I don't think it did. And I regret it. But fortunately, God is a forgiving God. (1 John 1:9)

What changed though? What made me chose Christ over the world? What made me feel like being a true Christian was really worth it?

I realized that if Jesus gave His life for me, then why is it so hard that I live a life that pleases Him? It's just so simple as that. Nothing in this world is going to get me to heaven other than opening my bible up and preparing myself so I know in my heart that I will not be punished for any wrong I have done here on this earth. I realized that I can die at anytime, just like that my life can be taken from me. So I can't just act reckless during my teen years and be responsible during my adulthood years. I need to take a stand for Christ now, because no one is guaranteed another day. The problem in this world, is that there isn't enough fear for God.

Wait, so why fear God? He loves everyone and wants the best for everyone right?
Wrong! The truth is God does not just accept you for who are. You can't just live your life in sin and expect to get to heaven. And you know people actually think this? It really makes me sad. That they can go out and party, drink, whatever they think is "fun". But what happens after that? If God loves us despite our sin, why did Jesus have to die? Lets just live and do whatever we want because God accepts us for as we are.. right? No! Such thinking removes the meaning of His life, death, and resurrection. And that, is seriously dangerous thinking.

Point is..
"Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man's all. For God will bring every work into judgement, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil" (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 NKJV)

My prayer for every teen and adult is that you please please please keep searching for the truth. It will do you such a greater service in the end. Do you even realize how short this life span is? Well, compared to what? ETERNITY! This life we have on earth is so entirely short than the life after this. Why waste it doing things God is not pleased with and taking Him for granted. Do you not know what is at stake?
Do whatever it takes for you to find the truth and then continue in Him. He has revealed Himself and his plans for the world. Find that God is worth everything.
And Jesus proved that our souls are worth Him dying for our sins when He was nailed to the cross. Now it's time for us to do our part in making sure we get to heaven. He didn't just die no apparent reason.


What must I do to be saved and know that I have a spot in heaven once this life is over?
Hear
Romans 10:13-17, John 6:45,Revelation 1:3
Believe
John 2:30-31, Hebrews 11:6, Acts 16:31
Repent
Luke 13:3-5, Acts 17:30-31, Hebrews 11:6
Confess
Matthew 10:32-33, Romans 10:9-10
Be Baptized
Mark 16:15-16, Romans 1-:9-10
Live Godly
Titus 2:11-14, Romans 12:1-2, 2 Peter 1:5-11

Take a stand for.. Unity in the church

Take a stand for.. Unity in the church

If a football team didn't work together as they should, it is safe to say they would lose that game. And if the military couldn't work together to successfully defend our nation, I think I could safely infer we would no longer be "The United States Of America".

These things would fail if they weren't in unity. We need unity.
The Lords Church needs unity!

Why does the church need unity?
3 reasons I can give according to scripture are..

• Jesus prayed for this. John 17:20-23
• Paul pleaded for it. 1 Corinthians 1:10-13
• The Holy Spirit desires it. Ephesians 4:1-6

These verses tell us that there is a great desire and need for unity.We too, should follow the example of Jesus to desire and pray for unity. Also, when there is division others will know about it, it is sinful to have divisions. We should be united in the way that we agree on such things that are doctrinal. The Holy Spirit desires unity as well. We should all be a whole body of Christ. In one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. (Ephesians 4:6) 

No matter what a brother or sister has done or said to you we should always behave in the right attitude and showing love. Being content toward our brothers and sisters. Romans 12: 9-18

And what about someone who isn't and refuses to? 

• 3 John 1:10 "Therefore, if I come, I will call to mind his deeds which he does, prating against us with malicious words. And not content with that, he himself does not receive the brethren, and forbids those who wish to, putting them out of the church."

Unity can use a helping hand. One of the biggest tools of being in unity is communication.

Why we need communication..

• Effectively studying the word of God. Romans 10: 10-17
• To work together. Acts 8:14, Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 
• To settle disagreements. Acts 15

So what is the right attitude that we should be having?

Love!

We should be (1)loving one another,(2) never making assumptions or gossiping, (3)staying pure in our speech, (4)and controlling our tempers.

• (1) 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, John 13:34,-35 Romans 12:9-17
• (2) Romans 1:30, Psalms 15:3, Leviticus 19:16, Proverbs 11:13, 16:28
• (3) Colossians 3:8, Ephesians 4:29
• (4) Ephesians 4:26, Proverbs 29: 22

Unity

Point is, we are to be united in one body. Settling any disagreements if there is any. We should be wanting to come together and fixing something if it is broken or some misunderstanding. We are Christians, so help each other out so we are united as one and stay together as one as Jesus commands.

We are united in one body, we are united in Christ, in the Holy Spirit, in our Fathers design, in concern, and in identity. 1 Corinthians 12: 12-27 explains this well on unity. 

One hope

After being baptized into Christ we all have that one hope- Heaven. John 14: 2-3, 2 Corinthians 5:1

So shouldn't we all being working together? Having unity in the church and settling disagreements within it? If you're goal is to get to heaven after this life is over then your answer should be.. yes!

We should be concerned about the body of Christ, having the churches of Christ in one accord. We should be seeking unity!

• Jesus prayed for this. 
• Paul pleaded for it.
• The Holy Spirit desires it. 

Take a stand for.. Living once, to live for God. (YOLO: Right or Wrong?)

Take a stand for.. Living once, to live for God. (YOLO: Right or Wrong?)

Is this really how we should be living? How will this help us get to heave in this mind set? Does the youth of this generation not fear God and know the judgement that will come? Our minds should be set on ways to glorify God, not getting crazy and living without consequences. 

The youth in this generation are very familiar with the term "YOLO". What does this mean? It means "You Only Live Once".
Since 2012 when the rapper Drake used it in a song of his, it has been a thing for teens all around to use. I've seen this everywhere from facebook news feeds, instagram, and twitter.My generation is yelling this acronym out when it comes to certain situations when they feel like they need to disregard what they know is right/wrong.

-Should I go to the club and hook up with someone randomly? YOLO
- Sneaking out tonight! YOLO
- Didn't do my math homework for the second time! YOLO

The youth of this generation have their mind wrapped around "if it feels good, do it". But are the actions really that good? YOLO is portrayed to teens as an excuse to be able to do whatever they want. To live in that moment without any punishment or consequences. 

Yes, it is true that we only live once. Hebrews 9:28 "And as it is appointed of men to die once.."
YOLO is the act of doing something without believing there is no consequences.
So, unlike the understanding behind that term, the full verse in Hebrews 9:28 is "..but after this the judgement".

At the end of this one life that we have, we are held accountable for our actions. We will be judged based on what we do and say in this life.

Paul gives us some great advice
Ephesians 5:15-16 "See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise; redeeming the time, because the days are evil."
So, unlike "YOLO", we are to be cautious and be conscious of what's going on. Being wise, not like fools as Paul says. Using every opportunity you have for doing good, because we are living in evil times.

You only live once - Live for God

Next time you want to say or hashtag something with "YOLO", first think about why your saying that or if your just using that as an excuse to get away with something without thinking about the consequences of that action. You only live once..once to influence others positively and make an impact on them, once to prepare yourself for what lies after death, once to prepare yourself the for judgement. Perhaps, we should be focusing on living our lives for God.... not for ourselves.

We only live once on this earth, lets live it to glorify God. 
Maybe better hashtags would be..
#livingforHim
#gratefulforJesus

*Image courtesy of Pinterest.