God is waiting on you to take your part in His everlasting story.

 

Ephesians 2:10 "For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." This verse is very powerful if you really think about it. I like to look at it as everything you have done, and been through is preparing you to be the person you need to be for God. Every one of us has our very own special calling to be someone to help God, and to help spread his word and love. I have been trying to listen to God and do as he wants so I can be who Christ wants me to be, and so I can do his good works. I got to thinking one day about my past, and how I wish alot of it didn't happen, and how I regret alot of stuff I've done... but then I remembered Ephesians 2:10 and how it says God has already had my plan. So, that means everything I've went through has had an impact on who I am as a Christian now. I've been so many different people in my life and I've never understood why I was like that. I've been the "Depressed Gothic Chick" who listened to rock and metal music, did drugs, and hated my life. (Very embarrassing to admit lol) I've been the "Hip Hop Dancer" who listened to rap ALL the time, danced ALL the time, had a filthy mouth, and thought it was cool to party and get drunk. I've been "The Redneck" who drank alot while going mudding, or riding around being stupid, or sitting around a bone fire drinking and listening to country music. I've been the "Single Pregnant Teenager" who felt the most alone I'd ever felt in my life until my precious baby girl was born. I've been the "Young Mom and Wife" who thinks everything has to be perfect, and just about drive myself to a nervous breakdown from doing too much, and trying to be perfect. I got to thinking about this one day and was wondering why all of that was a part of God's plan? Why is all of my embarrassing past experiences a part of God's plan? I honestly believe I was so many different people in the past so that I can relate to many different types of people to bring them to know Christ. Maybe if people see my life and how Jesus has changed me, and they can relate to something from my past, they will come to know Christ too. Maybe someone will turn to me for guidance because they know "I've been there too". I don't know exactly what my calling is yet, but I do know that from me writing my blog posts I've reached out to people in other countries who may not have known Christ. I know that God has big plans for me, I can feel it, and I know it in my heart. Now the question is: What is your calling? Do you know why certain events have played out in your life? Are you listening to God to let him lead your way? Or are you trying to write your own story when God has already written yours and knows the out come? Before you can try to figure out your calling you have got to get right with the Lord. The best way to "listen" to God is through scriptures. Sometimes a verse will be brought to my attention more than once and I will realize God is trying to tell me something. This was in my women's bible study book called "Stuck" we did a while back, it said "As we begin to grasp the greater picture of God and His work around us, we long to become a part of the story. He wrote a part for each of us in this story - but most of us are ignoring Him and writing our own stories. His story lasts forever, and the ones we write will melt away." Isaiah 40:8 says "The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever." If you listen to your calling and influence lives to Christ, then that will last forever! By changing one life, that could change their whole family for generations and generations. Matthew 5:16 says "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." Get your life right with the Lord, and be a Christian influence to people who may not know him as well as you. Sometimes just your love and actions can shine God's light better than any words you could say. If you don't understand alot of stuff about God or the bible, all you have to do is pray that God will open your eyes, mind, and heart to help you understand what you need to do to live for Him. Pray that bible verses will make sense to you. Pray that God will help you find what your calling is, and help you to hear Him for your guidance. Once you start getting on track with The Lord, everything else in your life will get on track too. You'll start to see God working right beside you to help you get to your calling in life. But before you get to the big stuff, you have to go through the little stuff. You will be tested, and your faith will get stronger. You'll have bad stuff happen... just so you will be shown that God's plan is so much bigger than ours. He will give you "double for your trouble" and prove to you their is no need to worry. But it all has to start by asking Jesus into your heart. If you are uncertain about where you are going when you leave this earth, chances are you won't be going to heaven. What are you waiting for? Tomorrow isn't promised and time is wasting. Every moment is precious, and instead of living your planned out life from the Lord, you are wasting it on stuff that doesn't even matter.

 

 

* 1 Timothy 4:14 "Do not neglect your gift, which was given to you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you."

 

*1 Corinthians 15:58 "Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor is not in vain."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The bible isn't a list of rules, but the instruction book for your life.

I recently found myself trying to think back to how I saw things when I wasn't right with God. I was trying to think like someone I was trying to push closer to God. I was seeing someone who I really cared about so unhappy, angry all the time, stressed out to the max, drinking, depressed, and just plain out miserable. I tried for months talking to them about God. I would text them bible verses, tell them how I got closer to God, and explained that God has a specific plan for everyone. I told them to have faith in the Lord, and to pray about what was bothering them, and to go to church to learn how to be how God wants you to be. I found out the hard way that it's not up to me to push someone back to God. The more I talked about God to this person the more aggravated they would get. I finally just stopped talking to them about it and started focusing on me and my Christian influences. Sometimes people need to see the love of Jesus through you. They may need to learn it from watching you. I not only prayed for God to come back into this person's life, but I also prayed for God to change my heart and for me to stop judging this person, and to let me find happiness in The Lord, to were this person wouldn't upset me with their behavior. And guess what? Since then, this person has gotten closer to the Lord.

But while I was going through that struggle with that person I tried to remember how I reacted when people used to invite me to church, or try to tell me about God, or how I looked at religious people. I didn't think very good thoughts to be honest. I mean, when you are doing whatever you want to do, you kind of see it all as rules you have to follow. Who likes rules anyways? How can you be happy when you think God wants you to stop doing things "you think" you like to do. Or you think you can't be "cool" being a christian and living the way God wants you to live. But now that I'm saved and have grown with Christ I know that those thoughts were SO WRONG. I had it all wrong. I mean, isn't the reason most people aren't living for Christ because they are too selfish to let go of earthly things for the ONE person that loves us so much that he died on the cross for us??

Since I now know the truth I will share it. I realize it might not matter if I do, but there is still a possibility it could open some body's eyes and bring them to know Christ. Christianity isn't a "do this and don't do that" mentality; it is a "when you come to know Jesus all thoughts change." When you get saved, and start reading the bible, and praying you WILL see a change. God will start moving in your life, and once he does it is a high like no other. I have been so moved by God before that I cried all day. Not because I was sad, but because I was so overwhelmed by His spirit! It was the most awesome feeling EVER! When you experience God you WANT to do what he wants you to do. It isn't rules I feel like I have to follow. I have no interest in doing the stuff I used to do that wasn't holy. I now look at the people that do the things I used to do and feel so bad for them because they aren't living the good life. They think they are living the good life of being able to do what they want, but there is NO OTHER WAY to be the happiest you have ever been without Jesus. He brings you peace like no other, happiness like no other, love like no other, and a new "you" like no other person or thing can.

If you say you are saved, and say you are a christian and you haven't experienced any of that; then answer these questions: Do you pray every day? Do you read the bible, or bible verses every day? Do you go to church? Do you try to know God better, or try to find out what it is God has made as your calling? Can you do better? Of course you can! Everybody can do better. Why? because even your very best is no where close to how Holy Jesus Christ is. The bible says we should be more like Jesus. But none of us can really be like him because He is sinless, and we are all sinners. We can try our hardest to be like him though. The harder you try, the better you can get; and the more you live the way you should, the more blessings you receive. I'm not saying I'm a perfect Christian. I still struggle with doing what is right at times, but the more I surrender my heart to the Lord, the easier it gets for me to do right. And no matter how bad I mess up, Jesus is still going to be there to help get me back on track.

Something else I hear alot "Christian's are so judging." I've realized that most Christians aren't really judging. They are trying to help someone have a life that is better than they have ever had, or they are trying to share the word of God like they are supposed to do. I feel like Christians are so misunderstood, because so many of the things true Christians do can only be understood once you are saved. I didn't understand any of it until I started trying to understand it. Once I started to understand it I wanted to understand it more, I couldn't get enough. I wanted to know more, and more, and more. It was amazing how I could be struggling with something, and open my bible app on my phone and read a bible verse or read my daily devotional and it would help me about what I was struggling about! That is the power of God! He will talk to you through scripture, and other Godly things. He is always listening to us, and wants to help us have an easier life. He already knows what is going to happen, so why don't we just put all of our trust in him, and have stronger faith in him? Yes, it's hard to do. But I've found the more I let go, the more peace I have.

So, am I saying the bible isn't a bunch of rules to follow? That people actually want to live that way? Yes, I am. Once Jesus comes into your heart you will see for yourself that doing even the best, you will feel like it comes to no comparison to what you should be doing for someone who loves you as much as God and Jesus does. I once told the person I mentioned in the beginning of this: "I finally know why it's called getting "saved". Because I am saved from the person I used to be, I'm saved from all of my unhappiness, and I'm saved from going to hell." Now these changes don't happen all at once. You have got to get to know God. Try the best you know how to. I used to not be able to understand the bible and what it was saying, But the more I read it, the more I started to understand it. Sometimes I still might not know what it is saying, that's when I look it up in another version of the bible. There's King James Version (KJV), New King James Version (NKJV), New International Version (NIV), The Message, and TONS of other versions of the bible that can help you understand it better. The Bible is God's word. When the Devil tried to tempt Jesus in Matthew 4:4, Jesus said to him, "Man Shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God." The Bible is like instructions for your life. Everything you need to know is in the Bible. It tells us how to be good Christians, tells us how to be husband and wife, it tells us how to be parents, and how to be children, and every single thing about life that you need to know is in there. God's word is to help keep us on track, and to guide us through life. Psalm 119:105 says "Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.

*Don't worry about others and what they think about you, worry about you and your relationship with God. In the End, He is all that matters.  


*2 Timothy 3:16-17 "All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."

 

 

 

 

 

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"The Lord will provide"

 
October 2013 my husband called me from work telling me he was getting laid off from his job he had been working at for the past 4 years. At first I thought he was kidding, until I heard he was crying. We have a house, 2 vehicles, 2 young children, and bills just like everyone else has to pay. So of course I totally freak out and start going into crazy survival mode as soon as I hung up the phone. I started literally throwing stuff into our garage to sale, I started calling companies and turning all of our "extra" stuff off like our Internet and satellite provider. I was trying to find somebody to watch my girls so I could go find a job just 30 minutes after my husband told me he was getting laid off. I didn't have anybody to watch them, which was probably a good thing because I was panicking. Its very scary having to think "What if we lose our house?" or "How are we going to buy groceries?" or "What about Christmas? Will my kids have presents under the tree for Christmas?"
 
 I'm writing this because I am truly amazed at how God has provided for us while my husband has been laid off these past 3 months. God has been working through so many people to help provide for us during our struggle that we haven't even had hardly any struggle. We have had to go without, but we have had everything we need, all thanks to God and answered prayers. We never asked for help or asked for anything, God knew what we needed and worked through others to provide what we needed. I now will begin to tell about the blessings and answered prayers God sent us... be ready for chill bumps, because it's amazing!

October 25, 2013 was the day my husband was laid off. October 30, 2013 he started a new job. Now it wasn't as much pay as he was getting, and it was a much farther drive, but God blessed him with this Job just 5 days later.

We had tried to have a garage sale and we made some extra money, but i still had so many baby clothes left, and i felt like God was telling me to give them away to someone. I packed up 2 big bags of clothes and gave them to a friend with a baby who was very appreciative of them, and come to find out who really needed them. Just a week later I get a phone call from a very sweet woman I go to church with asking what size clothes my oldest daughter was in because she had some clothes her daughter had out grown. They were my daughter's size and she brought 2 big bags of winter clothes that my daughter really needed. I gave 2 bags of clothes away, and received 2 bags of clothes. Now, you tell me that wasn't a blessing from God!! That was no coincidence.

The month of December is when we really got some answered prayers. I have had an old friend come to me for help who has had no one else to turn to. I had no idea how we could help because we were barely getting by ourselves. My husband gave them our last $20 one day because he saw they were doing worse off than us. Well a couple days later my husband gets a call saying he has a $125 gift card to Walmart at the place he was laid off from, from were people had took up money for the people who were laid off. We were down to no money and got that call!

One day while I was stressing out about how my daughters had hardly any Christmas presents from Santa I get a text message from another woman I go to church with asking if my daughters would play with certain toys, and that she cleaned her daughters closet out and had some toys I could give to my daughters for Christmas! What a blessing!! So thankful for my church family!

A few weeks later me and my husband were on our way to get pictures made at the fire department and were running late for our appointment and my husband was speeding, we get pulled over and we also had an expired tag because we hadn't been able to afford to get them yet. So the police officer tells us we were speeding and our tag is expired, which we already knew lol, and my husband explains that he had been laid off and we are living pay check to pay check barely getting by. He goes to his car and comes back with just a warning, and gave us 2 more months to renew our tags! Later that same night my husband was telling someone about it and they tell my husband they will buy our tags not to worry about them! PRAISE THE LORD!! Then later on that same night I get a message on facebook from a very sweet young girl telling me she has cleaned out her closet and has some clothes she thinks will fit me, and that she has some toys to give to my girls. She didn't know we needed them, and she didn't know i needed clothes. She had more toys that i put under the Christmas tree for my girls, and clothes for me to wear to church that I needed!

That's not all, we had 2 other times when were down to no money and My husband found out he got a check for sub pay, then another time we got a check from our escrow account with our mortgage where we had too much money in it or something like that lol

The only person I asked for help was my dad, I asked him to help pay for my braces until we get back on our feet good, and I'm glad i did because he gave me some good advice. He said "The Lord will provide, you may not have everything you want, but he will provide you with what you need." Almost every day i prayed to God "Please Lord continue to provide for us during this difficult time in our lives, and guide my husband to what he needs to do, and help us be who we need to be." We kept our financial problems mostly to ourselves, hardly anybody knew we were having a hard time. I didn't understand why this was happening to us, but I believe it was to push my family closer to God. To expand my faith to see that God was listening to me and that he is always here for me. It has also pushed me to pray more, and to not be embarrassed to pray out loud to my family. I believe my husband has gotten closer to God, and his new job allowed him to be off every Sunday so he was able to go to church with me every Sunday morning. My husband got a call saying he was able to come back to work and was no longer laid off. He starts back January 6th. He was the 6th person out of 6 people that was called back to work. Hallelujah!!

* Matthew 6:31-34 "So do not worry, saying, "What shall we eat?" or "What shall we drink?" or "What shall we wear?" For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of it's on."

* Luke 12:24 "Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!"