gods.

A "god" is defined as:

1.     a spirit or being that has great power, strength, knowledge, etc. that can affect nature and    the lives of people.
2.        One controlling a particular aspect or part of reality
3.        a person or thing of supreme value (Merriam-Webster.com)

Based on these definitions, a god can be something that has great power, affecting nature and lives of people, controlling their reality, and someone or something of supreme value.

We all worship something.

Money. Sex. Possessions. Et cetera.

All these things can begin to control us. Then they start to own us, if we can't give what we own away.

I want to serve God, not  my job, education, etc. that are fleeting. They are great on this side of life: before eternity. I want my life to count and point to God not myself. The gods of this life can be knocked down by focusing on what really matters. What matters to me is that I live with God at the center of my life, not gods I erected in place of him.

To close, I want to share this video:

set apart from the inside out

I am created by God to live transformed from the inside out. I am renewed by what I think about. If I want to change my life, I need to change my thinking.

Shifting my thinking onto the things God cares about will change the way I act.

Prayer begins to change me from the inside out. I experience intimacy with God. I slow down and really process what my thoughts circle around. I ask myself, "Is what I'm thinking about glorifying to God?"

If my thoughts don't match what I believe, that leads to confession and repentance. I am transformed from the inside out.

Conforming to the world is not what God desires from me. I am created to live transformed. 

Transformation begins to fuel me into deeper intimacy with God.

Newcastle, AUSTRALIA!!!!

Sometimes life is crazy. I applied for YWAM DTS in Newcastle, Australia and I have been accepted into the school!

 

Yay me!

 

A part of me is beyond excited to have this kind of opportunity to serve God and His people. Yet another part of me is skeptical thinking, "Okay. This cannot be real. I'm living in a dream."

 

But it is real.

 

I pray God would give me the faith to believe this is where He desires me to go. I may never have this opportunity again and I'm going to run with it!

Some of the work I'll be doing with YWAM DTS is helping with Youth Street an outreach ministry for youth which is where my passion is. I love working with youth.

DTS goes beyond a missions trip. 12 weeks of DTS is filled with lecture, then the remainder of the time is outreach to another country. Before I further pursue this (sending in my registration fee, getting a passport, etc.) I must examine where my heart is and where my motivation lies as to why I want to go on this trip.

I have applied for numerous missions trips/ministries before through different missions organizations (Youth for Christ, Youthworks, Spring Hill camps, Reach Your City, etc.) and it just didn't work out. :-(

I'm praying YWAM Newcastle DTS is my opportunity to put my faith in action and serve a broken world.

a missional heart

God placed a desire for missions work last summer.  I hesitated and questioned God, "Why me? You can send someone else." But the more I went before God in prayer, the more missions dictated my thoughts. I had a burden for Ireland on my heart then and now it's starting to resurface.

 

Since January I have been working and doing what I think is "practical" in my eyes. Now I'm beginning to think, "there has to be more to life than this: working part time."

 

I'm also beginning to become convicted. No matter how hard or uncomfortable it may be, I must live the life God has for me. I only have one chance to live completely surrendered to Him. I won't get another try.

 

This is it.

 

So now I am looking into possible missions trips/opportunities. One really sticks out to me above the others I have looked into. There is an organization, Youth with a Mission (YWAM) that offers Discipleship Training Schools (DTS) all over the world. I'm prayerfully considering applying to the DTS in Denver, CO and Newcastle, Australia. I think it would be amazing to go to Australia! :-)

 

I have a missional heart, for God is missional. (Matthew 28:18-20). I don't know what will happen regarding YWAM or DTS but I remain open to the possibility. We'll see what happens in the next few months!

desperate

There are foundational things I can't live without: water, air, shelter. I also can't live without the Holy Spirit. I need to become desperate for God, but what exactly does that mean? I also think how many of us are actually desperate for God and His Spirit?

 

I was convicted last night because I am living in a way that everything is in my control. I want to control everything.

 

I'm a control freak; because if I don't control my life, who will?

 

Sure I'm a Christian but an "in name only" Christian. I live as though God doesn't exist. I don't sin intentionally but my heart and mind are far from Him.

In the core of my soul, I know God desires far more from me.

 

I need to become desperate for His Spirit. (Acts 1:8 and 2) For the Spirit in me initiates all growth and leads me into communion with God.

 

 

forgiveness

God forgave me. So in turn I must forgive others. I believe forgiveness is the way of love.

Over the course of my life, people have hurt and caused me pain. But after a period of time, I let go of the anger, and choose to forgive.

Because if I don't, bitterness will grow and then I will become hostile. So I choose a better way.

But when I forgive others who I have wronged me, does it remove the hurt?

I have no easy answers to that question. I know God is stronger than any pain, hurt, etc. that I may face in this life.

Forgiveness is a part of the healing process.

why God allows us to feel pain

I've had my share of pain. In the midst of struggles and/or pain, I ask the question, "Where are you God?" It's hard to see Him in the middle of storms. But still I know He is there.

 

In those times, He reminds me of these verses:

 

"The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit." (Psalm 34:18)

 

When I confess my brokenness and weakness to God I know He is there. Not only is God close to the brokenhearted, He heals and covers wounds. (see Psalm 147:3)

 

Wounds can be caused by physical, emotional, or even spiritual pain. I've wrestled with the question, "Why does God use pain to draw me closer to Him?"

 

I think God uses pain to draw me closer to Him because if I never felt pain, I wouldn't feel compassion either. The pain in my life causes me to cling to the Creator of everyone and everything. He longs to comfort me. I just have to come, broken.