IV fall conference 2011 (October 14-16)

Yet again, God showed up. While attending IV’s fall conference this weekend I went into it thinking “this is going to be the same stuff I have already been through and it’s all going to be a repeat and not affect me” but, I was 100% wrong. The first night during track was needed. We had time to just be and not do anything and we talked about or rather read as someone typed about how we are always doing things “for God” and we don’t take the time to “be with” God. I find myself doing this a lot since I am always doing things and trying to add more to what I am already doing so I am constantly busy and don’t find the time to just be with God. I find myself trying to “do” things for God but He wants a relationship with us and He wants to talk to us since we are His friends. It hurts to think that I have been ignoring Him everyday for the most part. I find myself having 1 quiet time a week since I am a small group leader so my quiet time is based on preparing and getting ready for my study and going through the passage the group would be going through for the week.

            I need to start “BEING” rather than “DOING” since God says “come to me all of you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.”

            The last day we were at conference we went through John 4 and talked about the woman at the well. Now, this is a passage I just went over with my small group and I felt like I knew it very well. The truth was that I do know it but I was not being receptive to it at all. I thought that I was getting filled and quenching my thirst by having a relationship with Jesus but He revealed to me that my relationship needs improvement and that there is someone else that I have been going to for fulfillment and to quench my thirst. I mentioned it in the first part… always doing… I chase after always being busy to fulfill my thirst and I never realized it until this weekend. Jesus is the water I want but there is a lot that’s going to have to change for that to fully happen.

            Even after attending a leadership conference for the summer and being a Christian for my entire life and truly dedicating my life to Jesus 3 years ago… I still need to reminder that Jesus is the answer and that He wants to fulfill my thirst and fill me up.

Hardships

Do you ever feel like you are in a valley and no matter what you try to do, you only get lower and lower even when you thought it was impossible to get any lower? Do you wonder where is God and wonder "am I ever going to get to the peak of the mountain and out of this valley?" Have you ever been tempted over and over again and you just don't understand why and feel like you are alone with nobody around to understand what you're going through?

If you answered yes to any of these questions then I have great news for you and hope!!!

"First of all I just want to say that even Jesus was tempted for 40 days and 40 nights in the desert. He was tempted left and right by the enemy. The thoughts you are having are not your own. They are from the enemy, you have been growing so much in the Lord and you are becoming a threat to Satan and that scares him because he knows that God is more powerful and that God wins. Satan is going to try everything he can to get ahold of you but I ask that you fight this battle and look to God. I know it is hard, I went through it for too long. I lost sight of God and I won captive to Satan. It is no fun and God is fighting for you right now. He loves you and cling to that, don't add the burdens of others to yourself.

Matthew 11:28-30 "“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”"

Mark 1:13 "and he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him."

1 Corinthians 10:13 "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it."

Those are the words that I gave to a friend that was in need of Gods peace and did not know where to turn. This friend had felt like they were in the deepest part of the valley and when things started to get batter then they found themselves back in the velley with nowhere to go. This is not only my friends story but I am able to speak these words because this is also my story. I am the one that feel captive to the lies of Satan and allowed him to take control of me. I am the one that lost sight of God when I thought that things could't get any worse and they would never get better either. This is my story.

God has placed us all on a journey but He never promised for the journey to be easy or fun. If this was the case then there would be no need for Christ and all that He did since there would be no hardships and life would be "easy." One of my favorite poems is "footprints in the sand" I always remember that when I feel like there is only one set of footprints in the sand then that is an amazing thing since yes, thigns may be hard at that time and I may want to give up but that is when I am closest to God since He is carrying me!!!

I want to encourahe you that even in the midst of hardships and when you feel that Satan is after you and you can't get away. You may want to leave and give up all hope but I am here to tell you that there is another option that is better. I encourage you to cling to God and not give up. God is with you ever step of the way and He will be there with you in the hard times and the good times and things will get better. I am a living testimony and story to this since this is my story and I fell captive to Satans control and lies but God saved me and I am His!!!

God calls us to go 2 by 2

Luke 10:1-4; 17-24.... Well, this is a passage that I read this weekend and was impactful as well as the other passages that I had read. When reading this passage you realize that the Lord had sent the 72 people out in pairs of TWO, NOT alone. "He sent them two by two" and if you continue reading then you see that they were sent ahead of Him to every town and place where he was about to go...

He sent them ahead of Him (we are sent out to plant the seeds in people's lives and be there to start the process of people getting to know Christ and then the Lord will come behind us and take care of the rest) Now that takes off a lot of pressure of trying to get pople to say yes to enter into the kingdom of God!!! I know that I have struggled with this in the past where I knew that there was someone that was not a believer and I thought if I do something wrong then it's all downhill and that if they say no to the invitation of allowing God into their lives then I must have failed and did something wrong. BUT, NO... We are called ahead of God, we are called to plant the seeds, and then the rest is up to God and that person. As leaders, we need to take risks and go ahead of God and start planting those seeds in people's lives and that brings me to the next point.

"The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest to send you out into the harvest field."..... harvest is PLENTIFUL, but workers are FEW. Being on the college campus, I have realized this to be true. There are many out there who do not know Christ, more so than there are those who do, or at least that's how it is on this campus. We as Christians and leaders need to be willing to get out and "work" as the Lord has called us to do... We just need to ask Him to send ud out and he will and He will be with us... Again, we are called to plant the seeds and God will do the rest!!!!

"I am sending you out like lambs among wolves"... well, first of all God is our shephard so He is going to watching over us since we are his sheep. This "lambs among wolves" is telling us straight out that the job is not easy and WE can't do it. But, God can but He needs us to help Him out. We as leaders need to get out of our comfort zones and step out into faith and trust what God is doing and follow his command to GO!!!

This is just a passage that I could talk about for a while since there is so much in it but the main thing to get out of it is that we are called to go 2 by 2 not alone, God sent the 72 out in pairs and that's what we should do. We should evangelize 2 by 2, we should lead a Bible study 2 by 2, we should have an investigative Bible study 2 by 2 . You get the point, we should do things 2 by 2 and NEVER be alone. Now, this can look differnt to people but still never go into the battle field alone but always go 2 by 2!!!!

Another main poin that I did not go into detail about is that We have been rewarded for knowing Christ (John 10:23-24) "Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it." We as Christians have been given the oppertunity to see things that others wish they could see and we are able to see the work of the Lord in and around us. As it is said in scripture (Matthew 7:7) "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you"

Just consider what has been said and NEVER go alone, no matter what it is that you are doing!!!

Heaven gained an amazing Angel

"It was getting late & I was scared & alone
Then a kind old man took my hand & led me home
Mama couldn't see him, but he was standing there
But I knew in my heart, he was the answer to my prayers

Oh I believe there are angels among us
Sent down to us from somewhere up above
They come to you & me in our darkest hours
To show us how to live
To teach us how to give
To guide us with a light of love"


On Wednesday February 2, 2011 a very special person and devoted child of Christ went home to be with the Lord. Her name was Kelsey Koch and she was fighting a rare disease and was the oldest living person of the illness. It's hard to believe that this is real. I only knew her for a little over a year but it's a year that won't be forgotten. She impacted everybody that she came into contact with and there is no doubt in my mind that she is now dancing her heart out on the Golden streets of Heaven. God has just gained a beautiful angel that will never be forgotten. There are tears on Earth but much rejoycing in Heaven and now she is in no more pain and has a new body and able to worship her maker for eternity. One day we shall all be reunited once again, till then she will not be forgotten and her presence will always be felt on Earth and her story will be continued on and continue to impact the lives of others. 


Rest in Peace precious Kelsey, you are now home and the battle has been won. Well done my friend, you fought a good fight and victory is now yours!!!! 


kjkdancingthroughtherain,blogspot.com "The storm is finally over"

Everything Impossible

I was taught to be practical in everything I do
Holding on to what is tangible, and then came You
That's when I found myself so far away, from everything I knew
I took a leap of faith

Even though You're difficult for me to explain
I know I'll never be the same

You're everything I cannot see
You're everything I cannot say
I know it all seems so illogical
But that's okay
You're the love You give to me
You're the love I give away
You are everything impossible
And that's okay

That's okay!

All the things that make no sense to me, draw me to You
Like finding freedom by surrendering, can it be true
With everything I can and cannot know
This mystery is bringing life to me

And all this love I have for You I can't contain
I know I'll never be the same

You're everything I cannot see
You're everything I cannot say
I know it all seems so illogical
But that's okay
You're the love You give to me
You're the love I give away
You are everything impossible
And that's okay

That's okay

What's so hard to understand
What I cannot comprehend
Is that You love me the way I am

You're everything I cannot see
You're everything I cannot say
I know it all seems so illogical
But that's okay
You're the love You give to me
You're the love I give away
You are everything impossible
And that's okay

You're everything I cannot see
You're everything I cannot say
I know it all seems so illogical
But that's okay
You're the love You give to me
You're the love I give away
You are everything impossible
And that's okay

And that's okay

I would die for you

And I know that I can find You here
'Cause You promised me You'll always be there
Times like these, it's hard to see
But somehow I have a peace, You're near
And I pray that You will use my life
In whatever way Your name is glorified
Even if surrendering
Means leaving everything behind

My life has never been this clear
Now I know the reason why I'm here
You never know why You're alive
Until you know what you would die for
I would die for You

And I know I don't have much to give
But I promise You I will give You all there is
Can I possibly do less
When through Your own death I live?

No greater love is found
Than of those who lay their own lives down
As sure as I live and breathe
Now I know what it means to be free

Rhetorical question: No's and Yes's

Have you ever felt like God was telling you No in regards to everything and that no matter what it was or where you looked you always heard, ran into, and saw a NO?!? But then when you least expected it then a YES showed up in the least expected place and in regards to something that you had been waiting for a yes to?!?

God has been telling me NO left and right and no matter what it may be that I was going to do or ask then the answer always showed up to be NO. I couldn't get away from NO's and it has been frustrating. It seemed like God had me drop everything that I had been doing and give it over to someone else and I have not understood the reason behind that until now. After hearing a NO time after time for 2 years in regards to doing God's work He has finally shown up and decided to tell me it's time. 

I have waited 2 years for this and NOW after being half way done with college God has decided to tell me YES?!? I don't understand. he had placed me here on the campus and now after all the waiting and thinking that I was ready 2 years ago to leave all behind and go He tells me yes??? As much as I wish I could do missions for Him, it is becoming reality that I am scared to death and am not ready to give everything up for Him. I want to do it but why now, why after 2 years has He decided to tell me Yes to this question?!? 

I don't know what's going to happen but I am going to be honest and tell you that I am fighting God on this since I am scared to death about what He is calling me to do. I don't know where He wants me to go or what exactly He wants me to do but it's a definite and strong YES that I can't ignore. I don't understand His timing and even if He is saying that it's time and the "training" is done for me to go. I am not sure. I want to trust Him and I do but why a YES now after all that I have been through and hoped to do. Everything is lining up and pointing to it being time but the question is "Am I ready?" and the answer seems to be NO. He has told me NO time and time again and Now a yes shows up. I knew I would fight Him when he would finally say yes but I was not expecting the yes to be directed in this direction and to do this.

So, have you ever been in a similar situation where no matter where you looked and no matter what you asked, God was always telling you No and had you drop everything you had been doing and then out of nowhere you finally get a Yes that you did not expect and then fought God on that decision?? I don't know where God's leading me but the yes is there but I am not sure I am able to go and leave everything when I don't even know where God is leading me to and what He wants me to do.

College and God's plan

God has the perfect plan and sometimes it's hard to understand what He's doing and why He is taking you to the places you are at. At times it's hard to see Him where you are and it's hard to keep hearing No time after time again. I am looking back to last year and I am overwhelmed with feelings. I realize that I lost a year of my life doing things that was not in God's planing for me. He took my life and turned me around and gave me the best experience I could have ever asked for and welcomed in new relationships. I realize that God has brought me here to college but it's not my dream anymore. God has been showing up and blocking certain aspects of my life and shows me down another road that I don't want to go down.

I look now and just reflect on what's going on. I have been through so much in my 19 years and now that I am heading into almost ending the second year of college I can't help but think and believe that God is guiding me somewhere else that's away from here. It's scary and the journey is not fun to travel. I have been getting fears about the path that I am on and God's telling me to take another path. It's a path that I dream of going down but not sure I am ready to embark on this journey that He is trying to get me to go on. It's scary but the calling has been there since I started this journey into college. God is asking me to go and I feel like this is the YES I have been waiting for but I am fighting Him on this. It's my dream to do what He wants me to do but I don't see how it could be done. 

The journey and path that He is calling me to is one that would be full of many sacrifices and relationships lost. It would be one of leaving the familiar and becoming helpless and having to fully believe and trust in God to provide and get me through. 

I look around and see all the memoriez that have been made here and all the relationships that have begun but I also see that God has been prepairing me and triaing me and I can't help but feel that the end is close and that He wants me to leave all behind and that the traing is done for now. he wants me to go but I don't see how that is possible. He has trained me and now He is ready for me to go and use what I have learned. I don't know where things are going to take me and I don't know if I am going to follow Hiim on this. As much as I want to do this, my thoughts are saying other wise and saying I can't. But, what happened to stop saying I can't and saying I can do ALL things through Him who strenghtens me??

"Needs to stop saying NO WAY to God and start saying YES!! Needs to stop saying I CAN'T and start saying GOD CAN!! Needs to stop saying I'M NOT STRONG ENOUGH and start saying I CAN DO ANYTHING THROUGH HIM WHO STRENGTHENS ME!! Needs to stop saying IT'S IMPOSSIBLE and start saying WITH GOD EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE!!! Needs to stop focusing on MY WEAKNESSES and start focusing on GOD'S POWER!!!"

While I'm waiting

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am hopeful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it is painful
But patiently, I will wait

I will move ahead, bold and confident
Takeing every step in obedience
While I'm waiting
I will serve You
While I'm waiting
I will worship
While I'm waiting
I will not faint
I'll be running the race
Even while I wait

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am peaceful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it's not easy
But faithfully, I will wait
Yes, I will wait
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve you while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting on You, Lord


This song came to mind today as things have not been the best and the day has been hard. As I posted in my last post, God has been getting ahold of me and at times it will break you and this is one of those times. He is breaking me and I am facing war but this song has helped me and I believe the lyrics in this song. I am waiting and it is hard but I am still called to worship and honor God with all that I do and that is just the thing that I am and will continue to do. He will give me the peace that I need (even though I am running on less than 4 hours of sleep from lastnight). Don't give up and keep pushing forward and God will work in mighty ways for nothing is impossible for Him. You just have to believe and trust that He can and will show up. He has a divine apointment with everyone and at times we are blind about that but keep your eyes open and watch what he does even when it means waiting. It's not easy to wait and some situations will hurt but listen to this song and worship God while you are waiting!!!

When God gets ahold of you

Oh wow, there is so much going through my mind that I don't even know where to start. It is sometimes overwhelming when God gets ahold of you and starts talking to you and it is at times hard to comprehend. I need to get my thoughts put out there so I thought I would make a blog on it.

God knows what you need to hear and what is going to happen. God has the ultimate power and will provide. You need to seek and then you will find, you need to ask and you will get answers. Little did I know that God had a divine apointment with me tonight and everything is just scrambled together and very hard to comprehend. There is too much that is going through my head and I need God's peace so I can sleep tonight so I can get up for classes tomorrow.

Some of the topics that are running through my head are... if we do not open up and tell others about Christ and His love for them then who will? If we don't talk and they never hear and come to know Christ then what will happen to them? (I hate to say it and it tears me to pieces but they may end up going to Hell). That brings me to tears and it hurts me to realize those who are close to me that don't know Christ and know that if they don't accept His gift then that's where they are destined to go... (Truly think about that and if that does not tear you apart, bring you to tears, hurt you then you need to look at your relationship with God since as it is said "break my heart for what breaks yours" and He does not want people to go to Hell and neither should we)

Another issue that has hit me hard is the fact that we are called to have friendships with those who don't know Christ and when given a minute and the only people I could think of was 2 people who were family, that once again hurt since all of my friends are Christans and I want the Lord to open up the doors for me to make friends with those who do not know Him so that I can have oppertunities to share the Gospel.

I have also been struggling with trusting God and "following" Him all the way. My faith has strengthened during the year but there is still alot to be learned. It costs to follow God and I have realized that but it is an entire different concept to follow that.. It's easy to hear that and read it but it is a lot harder to follow it. There has been a lot been going on and I have been starting to wear a mask and I have seen what opening up and being honest does and it frees you but I am afraid of what others will say. I have been hurt by many people and there are things that I need to learn to let go but that is so much easier said than done.

God knows everything, He loves us and needs our help, we need to pray big and believe that God will answer it and can do as you pray, He will provide... But, when you have been hurt time after time and when all you know if one thing and your relationship with Christ gets better then you think all is well but as I read the other day "beware of the almost good for when Satan can't get you to do eveil then he will get you to settle for the almost good, just short of the good God wants you to know."

I don't want to settle for okay/ average/ almost good and prayers need to be bigger but you need to go with a partner. You can't face things alone and I have been doing that. I am guilty of settling for the almost good and I have been doing things alone when I need to ask for help. There is so much more here that could be talked about and more will come later but I needed to get some of this off of my mind and figured out so thanks for reading my randomness and me going on and on. Hope some of this spoke to you as well and more will be coming soon.

Trusting God

Read Genesis 22:1-19

Wow is all that I can say!!! God tested Abrahams faith. Vs.2 “Take your son, your only son-yes Isaac, whom you love so much- and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.” Vs. 3 “The next morning Abraham got up early. He saddled his donkey and took two of his servants with him, along with his son, Isaac. Then he chopped wood for a fire for a burnt offering and set out to the place God had told him about.”

Vs. 9-10 “When they arrived at the place God had told him to go, Abraham built an altar and arranged the wood on it. Then he tied his son, Isaac, and laid him on the altar on top of the wood. And Abraham picked up the knife to kill his son as a sacrifice.”

           

                    This is not the God that people think of, they don't see God as asking you to go sacrifice your only son but then look at what God did... He loved the world and gave his ONLY son for us (John 3:16) This passage is not only about trusting God but also about believing that God will provide (Yahweh-Yireh: "the Lord will provide")

Some people may not believe that God will and can truly provide but look around and see what you have and that is a symbol of what God has provided. Without God then nothing is possible and we wouldn't have anything. 

                              Today is the first day back for the second semester of college and man has God been showing up and providing and answering prayers (but that is an entire other blog that will be written later on). God has been showing up by conforming what should be done and He has provided me with the opportunity to get a job and has helped in many ways. There is not a ton to say besides the fact that God does hear you and He does provide. Trust Him and do as He tells you and things will work out!!!

H

Cost of following God

Lately God has been blowing my mind with what He has been speaking to me about. For about a week straight everything that I read dealt with the cost of following God. (This is hard to hear but it needs to be said and God has been opening my eyes to this concept and what this truly means as well as answering prayers in regard to this topic.) 

Luke 14:25-35 is one of the first passages that God spoke to me from when it comes to the cost of following Him and commitment. 

       Luke 14:26-27 “If you want to be my disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison- your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters- yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.”

Wow, this is shocking that God would tell us to HATE everyone including ourselves and that if we do not do this then we can NOT be his disciple. (I don’t know about you, but that scares me.) But, what does He mean by hate? (does this truly mean to HATE ourselves and everyone?) No, what He is meaning is that He comes first in everything. We can’t get caught up in doing things for ourselves and for others (even though we are to help others) but God should be the focus. We should give everything over to God and do as He tells us to do even if that does mean breaking a few rules now and then. 

Carry your cross... this is a concept that I have heard many times and dang is it hard to follow with.

       Jesus’ audience was well aware of what it meant to carry one’s own cross. When Romans led a criminal to his execution site, he was forced to carry the cross on which he would die. This showed his submission to Rome and warned observers that they had better submit, too. Jesus made this statement to get the crowds to think through their enthusiasm for Him. He encouraged those who were superficial either to go deeper or to turn back. Following Christ means total submission to him- perhaps even to the point of death.

FOLLOWING CHRIST MEANS TOTAL SUBMISSION TO HIM- PERHAPS EVEN TO THE POINT OF DEATH. (This is scary that God may call us to do something that may cost us our lives but look back into history. Many people risked their lives and were killed for trying to make copies of the Bible and get it to others so they may know Jesus. People were thrown into jail for trying to spread the Gospel. Many of the people in the Bible were put to death in horrible ways because of following God.) We are called to do the same thing. People back in history had it worse off and for the most part if we try to spread the Gospel then we may be made fun of and people may disown us but we don’t have it as bad as others have had it. Yes, there are places that may still put you to death if you speak about God and the Gospel but if you trust God then this should not worry you. It does cost to follow God and when you are born again into His family then that is a cost that you are saying that you are ready to make and carry your cross DAILY.

When a builder doesn’t count the cost or estimates it inaccurately, the building may be left uncompleted. Will you abandon the Christian life after a little while because you did not count the cost of commitment to Jesus? What are those costs? Christians may face loss of social status or wealth. They may have to give up control of their money, their time, or their career. They may be hated, separated from their family, and even put to death. Following Christ does not mean a trouble-free life. We must carefully count the cost of becoming Christ’s disciples so that we will firmly hold to our faith and won’t be tempted later to turn back.

We need to know what we are getting into before we make the commitment to follow Christ. It is costly to follow Him. It may cost us financially, emotionally, physically. It may cost us friendships, school, our careers, family, etc. It could in the end cost us anything but God has our best in mind and will provide us with what it is that we need. 

       Salt can lose its flavor. When it gets wet and then dries, nothing is left but a tasteless residue. Many Christians blend into the world and avoid the cost of standing up for Christ. But Jesus says if Christians lose their distinctive saltiness, they become worthless. Just as salt flavors and preserves food, we are to preserve the good in the world and bring new flavor to life. This requires careful planning, willing sacrifice, and unswerving commitment to Christ’s Kingdom. But if a Christian fails to be “salty,” he or she fails to represent Christ in the world. 

We need to be willing to go out and do anything to spread the Gospel and follow Jesus till the end. We need to remain salty for Christ. 

What is God calling you to give up for Him? What is standing in your way of carrying your cross and being His disciple? 

Our "Samaria" and "water"

While reading “A Credible Witness” it talked about the woman at the well and some of what was talked about got me to thinking about “Samaria” and what that is for us today. In John 4 Jesus talks to a woman at the well. This was a Samaritan woman and Jesus was a Jew. During that time you would not be caught interacting with each other but Jesus HAD to go through Samaria. Why? Well, the reason could be due to the fact that it was a shorter route to where He was going but that’s not much of importance since it’s what happened in Samaria that truly matters. 

Jesus started talking to a Samaritan woman who had a bad reputation and had had five husbands and the man she was living with was not her husband. Jesus asked her for a drink of water and she replied by saying “you are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink?” (John 4:9) Jesus made himself vulnerable and gave the woman some power over him since he did not have anything to get water from the well and it was hot and he was thirsty. Jesus replied “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again, but those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.” (John 4:13-14)

There is one more verse that I want to focus on and then I will get into detail about “Samaria.” The woman said “give me this water! Then i’ll never be thirsty again, and I won’t have to come here to get water.” Jesus said to the woman at the well “Go and get your husband” (John 4:15-16) 

So, the first shocking thing that you see in this passage is that Jesus (A Jewish rabbi) is talking to a Samaritan woman who has a bad reputation in her town. Jesus was taking a risk of loosing his authority by speaking to this woman but he took the chance and became vulnerable and met her at her level and did not criticize her or anything. He just simply asked her (giving her power over him so he did not have the power over her) for a simple drink of water. 

In verse 14 Jesus speaks about the water that He gives will lead to eternal life and will fulfill the thirst that she and anybody has. (That’s amazing and that’s the water that I want and Jesus is the one that can give that to us but we need him in our lives to get it.) 

Jesus knew that the woman at the well was looking for something that she was not getting anywhere else but He had the very thing that she was looking for (the water that leads to eternal life and fulfillment.) 

           

            When I was reading this, God spoke to me and showed me that this woman was me last year. I was even compared to this woman by someone that I looked up to but that made me furious. I figured that it was because they were questioning my relationship with Christ and I did not like what they were saying. After reading this though, God showed me that I was not compared to her because of my faith but because I was on a search for something that I was going to other things for when He was the answer and would be able to quench my thirst. I never found what I was looking for while I was at school but it took me leaving to find out that Jesus was the answer. I thought I was looking for Him but I was looking in all the wrong areas and never was pleased with what I found. It has taken me over a year to figure this out and I thank God now that I was compared to this woman and that He spoke to the person that told me this and had her tell me this.

In verse 16 Jesus told her to go get her husband and bring him back. This was the Samaritan woman’s “old water”. She was looking to guys to fulfill her thirst since she had gone through five husbands and was living with a guy that was not her husband. This got me to thinking, what is our “water” and what is it that God wants us bring back to Him? The book talked about that it could be our children that we need to dedicate back to Him (I think this would be one for many parents since they are hesitant on letting go of their children but if God is in their lives and they have been given to Him then they are in the best hands that they could be put in.) Our “water” could be our job or our education, it could be our relationships... in the end it could be anything that is taking over and the very thing that you go to in order to quench your thirst. (This could be drugs, alcohol, eating disorders, self injury, etc.) It can be anything, but these are the things that God is calling us to bring back to Him and he will then in return give us the water of eternal life and fulfillment.

        

            Just think about it, if you are thirsty then you will get something to drink but when it comes to spiritual thirst and everything then the only “drink” that will fulfill that thirst is God and His word. It’s hard to give up the old ways and habits and the things that we have been going to in order to fulfill our thirst but you don’t have to give it up. You just have to give it over to God and allow Him to work with it and do as he pleases with it. (Now, that is the best deal that I have ever been given since now by giving those things to God, that means that I no longer have to worry about what happens since as long as I bring them to God and He has his best interest in mind for us and knows us better than we know ourselves then I am glad to do this and not have to worry about it anymore.)

So now that I have talked about our “water” I am now wanting to talk about our “Samaria.” Now, Jesus could have avoided going through Samaria but He knew He had to go there and He did not want to avoid it. It is a scary thing to go somewhere that you don’t fit in and know that the people don’t like you but Jesus did that and then he gave the Samaritan woman some power over him. (That blows my mind!!!)

        

            You know that Jesus did this and we are told to be like Jesus in every way so shouldn’t we be doing the same and going to “Samaria.” 

            What or where is your “Samaria?”

Our Samaria could be a specific group of people that we don’t get along with such as the preps, popular people, smart people, etc.... It could be a specific club such as the drama club, debate team, sports team, etc.... It could be the international students since we don’t know their language or their culture (that would be a perfect opportunity to be like Jesus, you would be making yourself vulnerable by reaching out to them and allowing them some power over you since you don’t know their customs and would need their help when you are around them.)

        

            That had me thinking, I am wanting to go to South America or Central America sometime. I am a Spanish education major but I am in no way fluent in the language so if I go then I would be making myself very vulnerable since I don’t know every word in Spanish and I may need help from native speakers to get through my time there. I would be going somewhere outside of my comfort zone but if I give that over to God then he will fulfill my purpose there and help. It’s something that I feel called to do and I hope to do missions at some point after graduating college. I will be in debt and there will be times that I won’t have anything but God will provide and there will be times that I will have to rely on others to help me especially if I go somewhere outside the United States and somewhere that is foreign to me. 

Don’t be afraid of “Samaria” but instead go head on and allow others to help you on the way. This new year try something new and go to someplace that may be your “Samaria” (join a club that you normally wouldn’t, try out for a team, interact with international students, etc.) but go to “Samaria” and see how God uses you as well as others to be a witness for His kingdom!!!

I have given God my “water” and I am ready to go to “Samaria”. It’s not an easy thing to do but it is definitely worth the pain and hurt of giving the things over to God and the end result may just surprise you and you may just learn a few new things on your way and while in “Samaria.”

We have already won the battle

Well, I have recently been told this verse that I have not heard in a long time but it's one that hold so much truth to it and it is 1 John 4:4 "Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world." It is easy to be frightened by the wickedness we see all around us and to be overwhelmed by the problems we face. Evil is obviously much stronger than we are. John assures us, however, that God is stronger. He will conquer all evil- and his Spirit and his Word live in our heart!!! That's all there is to it, if we accept Jesus Christ into our lives then we have won the battle against evil, now I'm in no way saying that because we have Christ in our lives that we won't face any trouble or evil since the opposite will happen since Satan hates it when God gains another follower and he looses the battle against Christ. You see he is trying to take the followers of Jesus and make them follow him and do as he wants us to do but that is when we need Christ the most. Satan doesn't bother those who don't have Christ in there lives as much as Christians since he already has them in his grasp but it's us that he wants and will try to do everything to take control of us and make us leave Christ and go our separate ways.

I know how this can be since I have faced it personally in various manners and it was never fun to be away from Christ. I pushed myself away from him but he always had a way of finding me and then this all reminds me of a poem. Sometimes we feel so distant from God and feel as if he doesn't care just like in the poem "footprints in the sand" the guy saw that when he was in his deepest times of his life that there was only one set of footprints in the sand and questions God on why, when he needed him the most that he abandoned him but God replied and said "child, my dear child I would never forsake or leave you for when you only saw one set of footprints it was then that I was carrying you."

You see we may be living a life just like the guy was and felt like God had left us and abandoned us but the truth is once we accept him into our lives then he will always be with us even when we try to leave him, he will find us again. He wants to be there for us and he wants to be the one we turn to in our darkest hours and then he will carry us. He doesn't like to see us suffer but things have to happen in order to make us more powerful and to realize that God is the most powerful God and that when we have him in our lives then we have already won the battle against Evil since they didn't overpower us and capture us because of the large amount of love that Jesus Christ has for each and everyone of us.

Just remember that when you are in your darkest moment that you are not alone since God is carrying you and will help you if you allow him to so just remember the poem "footprints in the sand" and trust in the Lord with all your heart and watch him do his work through you.

Forgiveness

Forgiveness, it’s such a small word for such a big task that feels almost impossible to do. Well, it’s not impossible to do but when you’re by yourself then it is just about impossible to do but with God on your side then you can succeed at anything and forgive those who have condemned you. Luke 18:27 says, “What is impossible with men is possible with God”

Who has been forgiven by someone before? Who has forgiven someone before? Who still needs to forgive someone for something they have done to you?

Forgiving someone is one of the hardest but most important things that need to be done so that we can be forgiven for our wrongdoings as well.  There are three main Bible scriptures that speak about forgiveness and why it is an important task for us to do when someone has done us wrong. 

Matthew 6:14-15 For if you forgive people their wrongdoing, your Heavenly Father will forgive you as well. But if you don’t forgive people, your Father will not forgive your wrongdoing.

Mark 11:25-26 And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven will also forgive you your wrongdoing. But if you don’t forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your wrongdoing.

Luke 17: 3-4 Be on your guard. If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and comes back to you seven times, saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him. 

As you can see from these 3 scriptures it’s important for us to forgive those who have done us wrong so that we can be forgiven by our Father in heaven since if we don’t forgive those who have done us wrong then the Lord will not forgive us for what we have done. 

I know, I am guilty of this as well, there are a few people in my life that I still need to forgive for what they have done to me but it’s a hard thing to do yet 3 very simple words “I forgive you”. Forgiving someone doesn’t mean that you forget what they have done it just means that you forgive them for what they have done so that you can move on with your life. I wish that there were an easier way to get the acceptance from Christ and his forgiveness but this is what we have to do and it can hurt but is possible to do. 

The Lord loves each and everyone of us and even those who have hurt us and he is the one that will take care of everyone, those who are good and those who do wrong but we need to allow him to do his job and we need to forgive and leave the rest up to God and allow him to handle the situation. He wants to forgive everyone and who knows the people who have done us wrong may have a good reason but we are not the ones to judge them since that is also God’s job to do and we don’t know what others are going through so why not forgive and move on with our lives so that we can stop living in the past and start living in the present?

In conclusion, Forgiving someone is hard to do but with God all things are possible and then it is up to God to take care of everyone and it’s not out job to judge those who have hurt us since we don’t know what those people are going through so take this challenge and forgive those who need your forgiveness today and stop living in the past and start living in the present.