A Straight Path

I want to first start off by saying, that some may be offended by truth. But we all do need to seek deeper truth. We need to speak truth even if people don't always like hearing it. The truth is that Jesus is God, who is the only way to God the Father. The Son is the only way to the Father, because the Son bore the sins of those who believe in Him. God also then allows us to receive the Holy Spirit. God the Holy Spirit dwells within us, and begins to work through us. Followers of the true Jesus are given new life, and considered to be "born again". Because God saved us, it should be our joy to worship Him with our lives. The truth is that Jesus is a huge scandal to the world. People hated Jesus. People killed Jesus. And many of His disciples n apostles were willing to follow Christ till death. Yes they offended many people, and caused chaos wherever they went. But they also preached and saved those who would listen. In the same way, i want to live in that same boldness of faith and obedience. People will either be offended by the gospel, or saved for eternity. People that lack a relationship with Jesus Christ, are looking all around for something to live for. And many Christians that know Christ are hiding their light under a bowl. We can't be ashamed of the gospel. How will people know we're Christians if we look and act like everyone else? The evidence that one is a Christian, is that they are still a Christian and bear good fruit. People who are truly justified in Christ, need to continue their walk and do whatever it takes to get into a even deeper relationship with God.

"The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned."
-1Corthians 2:14

Pagans don't want to know Christ. They feel content with how their life is. I have met dozens of people who say "I dont need God." or "I can get through this life without him." People are drowning in water, and are refusing the hand of the lifeguard. Then many will say, "Your God is unjust." And will try to argue attacks on scripture, pull out verses out of context, and do everything they can to refute the message of the gospel. Common beliefs that i've heard are... "Well dont all religions lead to God? I think as long as ur a sincere person, and seem good enough, then thats all you need to do." or "The bible is false because it is written by men. Jesus was just a good man, not God. The bible is too old to be credible." The bottom line is that they really don't want God. The bible doesnt accommodate their preexisting mind set. God showed Pharaoh numerous signs of His authority over man, and yet Pharaoh hardened his heart, and was stubborn in His pride. I would imagine Pharaoh saying "Your not God, I am! Look at my city! I have everything i could ever need or want. I am King! I call the shots! Your ridiculous Moses. I dont need your made up God." Then God also mentions that when He does return, many people will hafta face God's judgement and wrath. God will give just punishment for sins. People will know that God does exist, and that He really is Lord above all.

Being a Christian, means your willing to give up everything for God. It means that you constantly rely on God. That you have a intimate and direct relationship with God. That you would want nothing else but God. There is absolutely no way in which we can save ourselves. Salvation is not something we can gain on our own. We are totally depraved, without Jesus as our Savior. Being a real Christian means repenting of our sins and believing in our hearts that Jesus is Lord. Even if there were no reward in heaven, the joy of knowing the Lord would still make it worth while. But as Christians, we should rejoice in all circumstances and suffering, for our ultimate reward (spending time with God for all eternity) is in heaven. God has prepared a wonderful place, where we can see Him face to face. God isnt just holy. God is HOLY! HOLY! HOLY!!! Can u imagine being completely engulfed in His warm, infinite, eternal, pure and perfect love? Well if you get a small taste of His love, ur gonna want more and more of Him. If you experience His love, you're gonna wanna get as close to Him as possible. For God to love me so much and to call me His child, just completely blows my mind. And what i dont get, is how people could miss out or not even want to get to know Him. I would seriously trade all the marbles in the world for God. He's worth everything, plus a bag of everything. As believers, we need to make sure we're growing in His love and taking at least one step closer to Him everyday.

Another thing ive been wondering for a while is, could one possibly know God without knowing Jesus? Many people consider themselves "spiritually inclined". I dont think people can truly know God, without knowing Christ. Although i think you can have a trust in God, but not really know exactly who He is. I think u can have faith that Australia does exist, even if u havnt actually been to Australia. I think u could know Michael Jordan's stats, height, and home city. But it's completely different to personally know and live with Mike. But can people truly experience God without knowing Christ? I think so. I think God does comfort people, and that perhaps people can come to an understanding that there is a God. But i dont think you can truly personally know Him, unless you have come to Christ. Will God save people from other religions? Im not sure, thats up to God. I know not all people who claimed to be "Christian" will enter the kingdom of heaven. But what about people who say that they believe in God, but deny basic biblical doctrines? I really dunno. No1 truly knows how God will judge His believers. The bible promises over and over that if we confess in our hearts that Jesus is Lord, we will be saved. But is there a salvation for others?

"As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." -Isaiah 55:9

Encouraging others to pursue a closer relationship with Christ is the most productive thing we could do to show God's love. But as individuals, all we need to do is Love God. We need to take hold of God's forgiveness of sins. We are only justified (made right with God) by living in Christ's atonement. Sometimes it gets really tough, because we can't always explain why God does things. He surpasses all understanding because that's how far He is above us. However, He does allow us to see a glimpse of who He is through His Word/Son.

"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' -Matthew 22:36-39
"Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."
-John 1:12-14

"Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." -Acts 4:12

"All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." -Luke 10:22

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." -John 14:6


This Christmas season ive been noticing two Big M's. No not delicious M&M's. But the strong effects of Media and Materialism. If you know me, then u kinda know that im against worldly stuff. Our Messiah descended from heaven to live IN this world, but not OF this world. In the same way, we need to be relevant to people in our culture, but not follow the mainstream thinking of our culture. I titled this blog a straight path, because we need to be direct and confident in our pursuit. We cannot be walking on a crooked path to Jesus. We need to get our heads on straight, and be careful when we get closer to gray areas. We cannot allow ourselves to become pharisees. God calls us to be Holy as He is Holy. We need to constantly examine ourselves and live with integrity.

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight." -Proverbs 3:5-6

In Matthew 5, Jesus gives the sermon on the mount and draws out how we should live. Jesus spoke of the beatitudes and then goes on to call us the Salt and Light of the world. But what good is salt that loses it's saltiness? What good is a light hidden under a bowl? We need a radical reformission. Many people all around the world are praying day and night for a revival. The first fruits of an awaking is prayer. God can win the world all by Himself, but He calls us to be apart of His perfect will. So we need to conform to His word, and start regenerating hearts towards Him. God does all the saving, but tells us to let His love flow through us. We need need need to start to love on people more. We need to smell like the aroma of God, to lead others to God. Jesus already set the example for us. So now we need to do our best to die to ourselves, follow His perfect example and allow the Holy Spirit take over. God tells us not to be afraid to take hold of His promises. We shouldn't be afraid to let our light shine. Lets live as God wants us to live.

"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?" -Luke 9:23-25

Inappropriate Media really turns me off. I can't stand watching or listening to such worldly things. Often times our conversations are of worldly things we hear in media. I'll be the first to admit that i have quoted sexual jokes and supported some wrong influences of media. It's funny to the flesh. It's easy to follow the world. But that doesn't justify it. God hates all iniquities of evil. He sits in theaters and breaks down over the fact that we're enjoying movies that disgrace God. Media tells teenagers all across America that it's normal to have this wrong behavior. What are the values in movies? What are children learning from their televisions. Sometimes i just want to throw up over my own fleshy desire of media. No not all media is bad. But you don't have to look very far to witness something that God disapproves of. And let me say it again, I fall into this sin quite often. We're not perfect, but it's important that we strive for righteousness.

My goal is to change worldly conversations into more God-pleasing conversations. As Christians, we should know better. We no longer have an excuse for sinning. Sin often seems harmful. It wouldnt hurt to watch sin. It wouldnt hurt to talk about sin. It wouldnt hurt to talk negatively about someone. And honestly that's how satan works. He tempts us by telling us that sin is alright. It's okay, becuz everyone else does it, its cool, its normal, don't worry about it. God is still convicting me over the influence of media. God says, "Chris, You watch yourself carefully." God hates sin, and so should we.

Walking around the mall, attempting to get some shopping done, I observed how consumed we are by materialism. We have such a value for material wealth. To be straight up, yeah i can be very materialistic. I often fall into, buying nice accessories, because in our society we have such high values of our appearances. We put so much emphasis on what other people think about us. Who cares!

Is it wrong to have stuff? No. But do we really need another pair of shoes, or another shirt to add to our closet? Now days, we have such unnecessary wealth. We dont need all this stuff! Piper says wealth is almost always a curse. We figure, if i just have a ______, then ill be happy. We dont need ipods, expensive cars, big houses, rich jewelry, and other stuff of that nature. We put way too much value on money. The bible warns us over and over again, that this life isn't about finical gain. We really rob God, because it's really God's money. We get so caught up with riches, and over the love of money. Jesus preached more about money n wealth more than anything else. He warns that we can't serve two masters. We can't love both God and money.

Im lastly very upset about how many evangelical preachers have corrupted the prosperity gospel. Many preach about "Word of Faith". That what you desire and speak of, you create. People love hearing books like The Secret, because they are taught to attract what they desire. Yeah it's true.. u do get what u chase after. U chase after money, sure u'll probably be super successful. But to say that God desires all of us to be super wealthy is a heresy. Sure some of these preachers have mega churches, huge houses, have best seller books, and are super seeker friendly. But we need to ask ourselves is this of the Holy Spirit? Wolves disguised as shepherds will lead many astray, and prevent others from walking through the narrow gate. Im so sick of false preaching, that i dont feel like talking about it anymore, lol

A few nights ago i had a dream that mark was on my right, and sara was on my left. We we're sitting at the beach, next to a small wooden house. i wont go into detail, but anyways.. On sunday at church, mark happened to be on my right, and sara on my left. As Waxer was saying the closing prayer, i felt something tremendous rush inside me. I felt like i was receiving some sort of energy flow from mark and sara, that began to fill my spirit up full. I really cant explain it too well, but my heart stopped beating for a few seconds, my stomach got tight, and my insides began to tremble a little. Ive actually had quite a few experiences similar to this before, Where i can actually feel the Holy Spirit moving through me. But because im such an imaginative guy, i cant help but wonder if this is what i was truly experiencing. I always imagine shooting ice beam blast, having element manipulating super powers, and shooting other dbz/naruto attacks. But physically feeling encounters with the Holy Spirit are often too real to say that it's just my imagination.

"We're not called to build empires, we're not called to be accepted, we're called to glorify God." -Paul Washer

A Walk with God

Wow. i am stunned with amazement right now. I just got back from a walk with God. I did some devotions in Job, and basically heard Him telling me to go for a run. So i put on my socks, and rushed out the door, and then went back inside cuz i forgot to take out the trash and grab my keys.. i was just completely excited to go running. I normally go running twice a week, but this run was incredible. It seems every time i sit down with God, i learn a list of stuff. So i jus sprinted home to blog, in hopes that i would retain it all, lol (make sure u read da verses, n not jus pass over them)

LEts start with the meat. Even though the other stuff is pretty cheesy, lol.. okay where was i.. Oh yeah, the biggest thing i learned is NOT to think. I know thats super confusing, because a few blogs ago i sed how important it is to think.

"..Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray." (1Peter4:7)

Okay so stop thinking....... i said stop thinking......Stop thinking!! ...see your still thinking!! Its extremely hard to clear your thoughts. This is super hard to explain, but i know i experienced it a few times today. It really only happened for a few seconds at a time, but i was able to lose my thoughts. I blanked out, I was dumbfounded, and it was like i didnt know who i was, or like I was no longer myself.

"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." (Gal 2:20)

These few seconds blew my mind away. I felt like i was truly starting to learn what dying to your self was like. My thoughts were gone, and He took over my mind. I was stunned into reality, realizing that everything is rubbish compared to Christ. All you need in life is God. I dont really know how to explain it. The most productive and profitable thing we could do in a day, is spend time with God. One reason God speaks to a lot of people in dreams, is because that's when their minds n thoughts are most relaxed. The more we feed our little heads with knowledge, n love for God, the more we will be able to hear Him while we're asleep. The greater that one seeks God, the more one will find God. The greater that one desires God, the more one will receive from God.

"But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ." (Phil 3:7-8)

Lose yourself. Die to yourself, and be clear minded. Then live by the Spirit. Our spirits our intertwined with the living God. As the Creator, He wanted to be connected to His creation. Let Him take over, Stop thinking, Just love, Be obedient, Do as He leads, Nothing else matters. Dont do what you want to do, Just do what He wants you to do. Sometimes i wish i really were a robot. If i were a robot, I wouldnt think for myself. God would have His complete way with me. I would live completely for Him, and not get in the way of myself. But because we arnt robots, He allows us to make that decision on our own. Will i chase after God? Will i obey Him? Will i live for Him? Whats most important? Do i want Him? Do i love Him?

"So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want." (Gal 5:16-17)

I used to be a wanna-be psychologist. I love psychology. Why? Because i love observing. I'm huge on observation, thinking, pondering, reflecting, questioning, and seeking understanding. Yes sometimes i over think, n take stuff too seriously at times, but today i really learned a lot through observation.

Heres some stuff i observed as i went walking. I observed Birds. Birds stuck out to me like crazy today. I sat in silence, and heard all sorts of chirping, tweeting, and callings. I saw birds pick at the bugs in the grass, I saw them cruising from house to house, I saw them following each other, I saw them flying, i basically saw them everywhere. Then i saw this one bird swoop down from a tree right towards me, as if God were speaking through it. All it did was soar, and glide through the sky, without flapping it's wings. It was glorious. lol.. Sometimes in life we try so hard to fly, we flap and flap and don't allow God to take over. Just trusting that the wind will keep us and guide us, even through the pouring rain.

Ah rain was another thing i observed. I got to take a short nap on the field, as i let the rain drizzle on my face. I heard it gently hitting the grass right next to me. It was a peaceful rain. It was as if God's love we're pouring down all around me. Washing away the filth, and cleansing me. I basically took a shower in God's love. lol, I think a nearby woman in her house was kinda weirded out, because i was jus randomly sleeping in the rain.

I observed dogs. Dogs genuinely smile. Why not? Life is good! People will pick up ur doodoo! Dogs have it good. I met a few dogs, barking at me from their balcony. And observed a man talking to his dog, while walking. I observed a man and his love for his companion.

I observed human interaction. A neighbor said, "Hey im coming over for some of your apple pie tonight!" lol. I also observed a son helping his father move some furniture. And a daughter asking her mother for something to eat. These sons and daughters, will one day be fathers and mothers. Generations will past, people will come and go, but God will remain the same forever.

Lastly i observed God. It's honestly harder to observe the invisible. But you dont have to look very far for Him. He is all around. In the birds, dogs, clouds, trees, rain, wind, and even in people. We can learn so much through just observation. One day will get to observe God with our own eyes, face to face. Wouldn't that be nuts!

"I know that my Redeemer lives,
and that in the end he will stand upon the earth.

And after my skin has been destroyed,
yet in my flesh I will see God;

I myself will see him
with my own eyes—I, and not another.
How my heart yearns within me! (Job 19:25-27)

I did get a few visions, and im still not sure what they mean. I saw the stars, then the world, a sword, and then birds. These were the signs or symbols He choose to reveal to me, and i still need to meditate on it more. Sometimes we dont always have convictions, or realizations when we meditate. But one thing is sure, He restores us when we spend time with Him. It's like recharging our cell phone battery.

"Submit to God and be at peace with him;
in this way prosperity will come to you.

Accept instruction from his mouth
and lay up his words in your heart.

If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored."
(Job 22:22-23)

As i was meditating in stillness, I observed God's wisdom. Our little minds dont even come close to God's surpassing wisdom. I lied down and prayed.. "God........................ Amen." God knows all our thoughts before they are even formed. So we honestly dont need to think, He knows and examines our hearts.

"Where then does wisdom come from?
Where does understanding dwell?

It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing,
concealed even from the birds of the air.

Destruction and Death say,
'Only a rumor of it has reached our ears.'

God understands the way to it
and he alone knows where it dwells,

for he views the ends of the earth
and sees everything under the heavens.

When he established the force of the wind
and measured out the waters,

when he made a decree for the rain
and a path for the thunderstorm,

then he looked at wisdom and appraised it;
he confirmed it and tested it.

And he said to man,
'The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom,
and to shun evil is understanding.' " (Job 28:20-28)

I learned a lot about culture from Driscoll. We do need to be relevant like Jesus was. Jesus didnt stand above culture as the pharisees did. He changed the culture by changing individuals. You see the problem isnt our culture. The problem lies within people's hearts. Sin is the problem. The culture is portraying what vast individuals follow. So in order to change whats on the loud speakers, we need to change the music the band plays. The source is changing individuals, and the solution is being more concerned for others. Today's culture is loud, we have loud cars n motorcycles zooming by, people doing business over cell phones, the loud media and pop music influencing us. We're concerned about our appearances, health, friends, hobbies, careers, and basically concerned for ourselves. When we have spiritually blind people all around us, who are completely lost in darkness. God is calling us Christians to step up our game. We need to share God's love with everyone we meet.

No, Love isn't God. People make good works, love, and spirituality into what God is. Love isnt God, But God is love. Sometimes God expresses His love through being a God of anger, wrath, judgment, and justice. Sometimes the most loving thing we can do, is destroy someone. The cross is offensive. And we can't be tippy toeing around hoping we don't get someone angry. If your neighbor is sleeping in a burning building, the most loving thing u can do is wake them up, and show them the fire. We need to hate sin, and refute religions. Even some Christians think that all we need to do is follow the religion life of it.

Driscoll mentions that we shouldn't jus feed the sheep, and pray for the shepherds. We need to rebuke the swine, shoot down the wolves, and bark at the dogs. Sometimes i hold my tongue becuz i dont want to offend someone. But im starting to realize that we need to tell people the truth, even if they dont want to hear it. God says the sheep will be separated from the goats, and even families will be divided. If we claim to love God, we must feed His sheep, obey His commands, offer our lives as living sacrifices, renew our minds, be holy, pure, blameless and righteous in His sight. Sounds like quite a load to live out. But it's all summed up Matt 22:37, to "Love the Lord your God, with all your heart and with all your soul, and with all your mind." So is my entire heart joyful? Does my soul sing praises? What's on our minds most? Luke 12:34 says "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Repentance

Today after service we had an epic meeting. Normally we all just pull our heads together, to debrief events, and plan for the upcoming. But today was different. Our youth pastor thought it was necessary to pause for a moment. He basically noticed that everyone is in a busy busy season. Some probably did feel like we were drifting from God, or at least not getting much closer. There was some emotional pain that some of us were experiencing. I dont find it appropriate to get into specifics, but one of our members was really suffering from his sins.

My friend stood up and started to share what had happened to him. He basically shared some sins that he fell into. I could tell that it really took a lot of courage to tell us of the things that he did. I can tell that his guilt was eating him from the inside. He felt miserable for his sins, and was strong enough to tell us specifically what happened. I was blown away by this, because very few Christians are willing to confess their deep sins to another. Our team then laid hands on him, as we began to pray for him.

Our youth pastor then expressed his thoughts, and love he had for the team. Its rare that i get to experience someone expressing their deep compassion. We arnt just a bunch of volunteers doing a youth ministry, we are a body, united in Christ. As Christians we need to have deeper conversations, that expand our outlook on life. We need to not give up meeting with each other, and encourage one another in love. We need to help clothe each other with the armor of God. Prepared, and ready to handle any situation.

This also reminded me that we're all just humans. We all have fallen into sin, and we all fall short. Sometimes we focus n rely too much on ministry and forget to grow in our own relationship with Christ. I was also reminded on how important it is to keep pressing toward God. And how important it is to have joy in the Lord. Christ is not an accessory. God is everything, and without Him we are nothing.

I've been going through a lot of spiritual ups and downs. Lately, there's just too many things on my mind, and i allowed them to consume my thoughts. I became first in my thoughts, and kinda pushed Christ on the side. I lost that extreme desire, and got lazy over devotions. I didn't spend enough time with God. I forgot how to wait in stillness. I forgot how to really pray to Him. I lost intimacy. I took a long break from reading His word, and did what I wanted to do. I gave into my flesh, and was tempted by the world. When it pours down crazy rain (like all this week), we need to carefully drive and slow down. When it rains, our windshields fogs up, we have a hard time seeing, and the roads get swamped with dangerous water. When life gets busy, we need to make sure we slow down and put in extra effort in our relationship with God, otherwise we might fall into a pot hole of water and crash.

Tonight i looked at a paper, which listed all my really evident encounters with God. And i noticed that they all pointed back to prayer. In my life, I encountered God the most, when i was in deep prayer. In many of these past times, i was in rough situations, and pleaded God for His healing. Today was just a huge reminder on how we need to continue to seek God.

Then you will call,
and the LORD will answer;
you will cry for help,
and he will say: Here am I. (Isa 58:9)

But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul.(Deut 4:29)
Another big thing i relearned is that we need to keep up with Repentance. We need to continue to meet up with other believers who will sharpen us. We need strict and consistent accountability. Now days we've become too lazy to keep up with accountability, but it definitely is a must. We need to confess our sins to each other, to help each other grow. But more importantly we need to confess our sins to God. So many salvation messages only preach to believe in God. But in Mark ch1, it says to Repent and Believe. Why would God forgive us of something we arnt even sorry for? Repentance is also part of sanctification, basically saying "Hey God im sorry and sick of my sin, I want nothing more to do with it. Forgive me Lord." We need to see our sins, and be specific in our repentance. Please check out these verses..

Seek the LORD while he may be found;
call on him while he is near.
Let the wicked forsake his way
and the evil man his thoughts.
Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him,
and to our God, for he will freely pardon. (Isa 55:6-7)

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. (James 5:16)

Listening to John MacArthur while Mark was driving home one day, MacArthur pointed out Matt 18. Please go look at the chapter. Pastors and leaders often use Matt 18, saying "For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them." They use that to say, hey God's presence is with us if two or tree of us are gathered together. The real meaning of the context is talking about confessing sins to each other. He even spoke of confessing our sins to the church. Sin is a big deal. Sin is man's greatest problem. And yet we try to hide our sins in shame, pretending as if they dont exist.

Heavenly Father, I pray for my friend who is recovering from many struggles. Lift him up from his guilt, and allow him to continue pressing towards you. Its quite easy for us to condemn ourselves, and each other for our mistakes, but i pray that you allow him to forgive himself, and that you would strengthen him through this trial. Lord I pray for my other friends in general. Give them comfort as they deal with a heavy load of stress n worry. Allow them to surrender their loads to you. For we know that in all things you work for the good of those who love you. God i pray for my family. Sometimes we all hide our pain, and our pain gets worst inside. Many are dealing with depression, because of frustrations. Grab their sorrows, and instill your rest upon their hearts. That they would seek you in all things.

Lord, help us to stay connected to the vine. You tell us produce fruit in keeping with repentance. You tell us over and over in the bible to Repent of our evil ways. So Lord, i repent for my sinful pride. I know that you're King above all, Ruler of all universes, Author of life, and yet i still try to write my own story, n do things my way. Continue to work in me Lord. Change my thoughts, change my heart, and change my sinful ways. Ive been slacking in my relationship with you, i've been selfish, and i lost some desire. Please continue to discipline me. Grow the Holy Spirit huge within me, so I can walk in your direction, and not mine. Im sick of my sins and my big headed ways. Your da boss, so remind me to do everything your way. Help me to be obedient, and stir up a greater passion for you. Teach me how to meditate and fall into deep prayer. God i need to be desperate for you. I can't even love you without your help. Take over, and have ur way with me. Thank you God for being our Perfect Lamb, and Perfect Shepherd. Help me to shepherd your people, and help me not to give up meeting with other believers. Open my eyes, ears and heart, and speak to me in whatever way you do. Open up my bad reception, so i can hear your voice clearer. Guide me, lead me, and conform me to your word. Im desperate for you God. Our world needs more of you, so help people to seek you and want more of you. Also help me to pray for others, help me to be broken and hurt over those who are in pain. You hear these cries Lord, and I thank you for being a God of comfort. Help us to see, that whatever we go through, you are still mighty and in charge. I want more and more of you. Continue to build up my admiration, gratitude, desire, and love for you. God, You are just so ridiculously crazy awesome! Continue to pour down your amazing love. Amen.

Fustration

My thoughts were all jumbled up jus a while ago. I was kinda upset, sad and confused. I dont really want to go into details, but lets jus say i have alot of emotions over a conflict. So first i took a nap, to rest off some of the pain, then went to the gym to get out any resentment, then finally went out to walk to my secret place to find rest. This amazing Christian woman saw me sitting down, and apparently she told me that this isnt jus my secret place. Tons of ppl come to take in the peaceful view. So while i got to play with her dog, we talked about life. It was really great to talk about personal things we're experiencing, and jus talk about God to some random person. I think God sent her to help reveal some things to me.

As i sat there on the grass, i realized again, that no matter what happens, God is still sovereign. God will still give us peace and strength even through the blizzards and tornadoes of life. I think she just reminded me how important it is to pray, and let God take control. Yes, these are things we hear over and over, but its been hard for me to actually apply living out what i learn.

In ministry we need to make sure we're doing things right. Yeah no church or ministry is perfect, but its still pivotal to examine areas we need to work on. If we think nothings wrong with our computer, then bugs and viruses will slow down our computer. But if we say hey, maybe we should make sure everything is working properly, that way we can fix any problems. If we dont carefully try to improve areas in which ministry lacks in, then no ones gonna see any problem, and eventually the computer will crash. Im not saying we should focus on the negatives, which can get in the way of ministry, but we should at least consider how we can solve any underlying problems. Avoiding a problem doesnt make it go away. Its super important to see where we're going, and how were doing that.

Im probably not making any sense.T he bottom line is that all we need Jesus. Jesus needs to be the core of our lives, relationships and ministry. Our main concern should be, What would Jesus do? How would Jesus do it? How do we become more like Jesus? How do we love like Jesus? We need to be as close to Christ as possible. We need to be one in His spirit, and live according to His will.

God im going through some rough trials. Ive been condemning myself, and getting in my own way of you. God all i want to do is live for you, but sometimes i have a really hard time. Help me to see clearly. Im so lost without you. God thank you for always being there. Help me to trust you more. And help me to love you more. Take over. Take it all. Im tired of trying to do things my way. Its not about me, its all about You. Everything is about You. I love you Lord, I want more of you, fill me up with your spirit. I surrender all to you. Thank you Lord. Amen.

How Great

Over this past semester, i felt extremely overwhelmed. Ive been tryin to juggle 17credits, Campus Crusades, Epic ministry, bible studies, n while trying to keep up spiritually, mentally, physically, and socially. Brah, my plate is so full, da kine food stay falling off already! I felt like i couldnt invest my 100% into one area. My energy gets split up into all different areas. I constantly have schedule problems, and often hafta be at 2-3 places at one time. I got tired easily. And whenever i was free, i would jus want to knockout. School grades dramatically dropped down hill, connections with friends slowly started to fade, i lost like 15 pounds since summer, i was inconsistent with church n devotions, i had no time for the gym, bball or surf, i encountered some friend conflicts, I wasnt always home to support my mom, and then now God's calling me to more?! I thought adding another high school ministry to the load would jus make my flimsy little plate break. This all built up into one big stress ball and caused me to slowly drift away from God. Finally you break down, you reach your limit, and realize that you cant do everything. You feel like u need cut down in some area, and jus learn to say no to anything more. But den, i found one trick.

K so listen up ppls! heres the big juicy part! This truth is even deeper than the ocean, so i need need need ur sharp attention! No rush, read slow, and really think about these quotes im blogging k? Lately, God revealed some HUGE HUGE HUGE revelations slash convictions of truth to me. I learned a good amount from reading some books and listening to sermons on the radio a lot. And in dis one book, a girl quite simply said..

"If you're in love with Christ on a daily basis, the rest takes care of itself. If your in love with Jesus, you don't have to worry about anything else." -Ichabod Caine

HO SHNIKIES!! All you hafta do is love Jesus!! All you hafta do is love God and the rest will come naturally! We think, "Oh im supposed to pray, Oh i should evangelize, Oh i need to read His word, oh i need to do some good works, Oh i ought to be nice to ppl" But hey.. if ur loving God.. then all that will follow! It no longer becomes what we SHOULD do, or what we NEED to do. It becomes what you WANT to do! And what you LOVE to do! We feel like theres jus so much to do. But really it comes down to, "Hey am i loving Jesus?".

When you love God, admiration, devotion, ministry, praise, evangelism, trust, faith, works, worship, prayer, and humility will all follow. Are u serious?! Is that it?! Yups, all we hafta do is love God. But now how do we truly do that? Well i always go back to how God best demonstrated His love for us.

"We love because he first loved us." (1 John 4:19)

"When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins." (Col 2:13)

"God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." (2Cor 5:21)

And there is no God apart from me,
a righteous God and a Savior;
there is none but me.
"Turn to me and be saved,
all you ends of the earth;
for I am God, and there is no other." (Isa 45:21-22)

Okay most of you already kno da salvation message, and could find dozens of verses on how God pulled us out of death, forgave our sins, and gave us new life. But hey.. didja ever wonder "What if living for Christ, didnt have a eternal reward in heaven? What if there was no heaven, would u still live for Christ?" Driscoll writes..

"After all, even if there were no life after death, the joys of belonging to Jesus during this life would, by themselves, make it worthwhile to be a Christian." -Mark Driscoll

OH SHNAPAZOIDS!! thats so true. Many ppl become Christians not because they want to love Jesus, but because they want the benefits of salvation, and eternal life in heaven. Its like cleaning your room. When i was a little person, my mom used to say "Clean up ur room, and ill give u some money to buy a toy!" Cuz toys are cool. But yeah, in retrospect, it still woulda be worth it to clean my room of all the junk, even if i didnt get a reward at the end. Following after Christ dramatically changes our lives for the better. So we love God for who He is, what He did, and still is doing in our lives. And ya'kno what, I dunno what heaven is really like, but to take a stab at it, id say that in heaven all you'd do is continue to love God even more and more! All you would need, want and desire is being with God face to face. That in Heaven all there is, is God and His perfect love. That jus blows my mind away. hey check out this gnarly psalm..

Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the skies.

Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,
your justice like the great deep.
O LORD, you preserve both man and beast.

How priceless is your unfailing love!
Both high and low among men
find refuge in the shadow of your wings. -Ps 36:5-7

Okay, so loving Christ is all we need to do.. But it's still easy to get discouraged, tied down, burdened, overwhelmed, overworked, stressed out, and super busy with obligations/responsibilities and with not enough time. We lose sight of Jesus, and stare down at the vast scary ocean we're walking on, and we start to drown. Satan uses all sorts of ways to distract us from Christ. Remember how satan used all the bad stuff to attack Job, but Job never lost his love n faith in God.

As Christians we all know what its like to get discouraged. We feel like, "dang, im not good Christian, im not doing enough, im not doing a good job." We're not perfect, and were not strong enough, But God is. Listening to a sermon, the pastor said..

"Yeah we all feel like we're a looong way from where we should be.. But hey.. We're a looong way from where we were." -Pastor Poncho

The enemy is the one who deceives, condemns and discourages. God never condemns His saints, He builds up, encourages, strengthens, comforts, and empowers. So dont condemn urself or be discouraged when we fall short. We should have full confidence and assurance in Him, knowing we are a new creation, born again, set free from sin, spotless, cleaned, saved, and perfect in His sight. We are reconciled to God the Father, through God the Son, and by God the Holy Spirit. He loves us no matter what, no matter how many times we screwed up, no matter what background we're from, and no matter how dark our past was. He takes us just the way we are, and gives us new life. So strive towards holiness and righteousness. Spur each other on in love and good deeds.

"being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." (Phil 1:6)

"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." (Romans 8:1)

"Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful." (Hebrews 10:23)

God sees all our struggles. He knows our thoughts. Before a word is on our tongue, He knows it completely. God knows everything we go through. And He's right there with us, every step of the way. Paul wrote..

"But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me." 1Cor 15:10

This shows that His saving grace, also includes His Empowering Grace. He equips us with the ability to accomplish many things. He enables us to get task done. Paul was a very busy apostle, He had a long list of things to do, many places to go and people to see, and yet he knew that because God was with Him, God would get many things done through Him. Yet it was not I, but God in me. God is our source of strength, and in Him we are made strong.

I can do everything through him who gives me strength. (Phil 4:13)

Then i heard Wayne Cordero give a message about the unseen truth. Truth is absolute. There is only one way. Truth is not an opinion. An opinion is like ur favorite song. But if u asked "How many M'&Ms are in this bag, there is only one correct truth. The truths that are seen are temporary, but the truths that are unseen are eternal. Ok so i see a blue car, i can see a brown cow, i can touch this rock, these seen truths are real. But what about love, souls, spirits, and God? These unseen truths have a deeper importance, because they carry on for eternity. So focus on the things that will affect and live on for eternity.

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." (2Cor 4:16-18)

"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." (John 1:14)

God You are sweeter than honey, more ono than a chocolate peanut butter milkshake, stronger than the mountains, better than any riches and what money can offer, more gentle than a butterfly, more fierce than a raging waterfall, more creative than cartoons, better than milk and cookies, more beautiful than music, greater than all the seas, brighter than the sun, and greater than all of human kind. Better than life, and better than everything. For whom do you compare. i would trade everything for you. You are worth every drop of me. Worth more than gold. Worth more than life itself. I want you Lord. I thank you for calling us to just love you. You died for us!? You gave us ur life, and defeated sin for us. You gave it all, to save us. Make us in the likeness of ur Son, Jesus. Teach me to be holy, righteous, pure, obedient, humble, kind, and loving like your Son. Thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit, that intercedes for us, and works for your glory. Protect us from evil, and discouragement. Empower us to accomplish your will. Pick up those who are broken, heal those who are sick, and be with those who are lonely. Help the blind to see, and the deaf to hear. Just one touch of you will change their life forever. Be close to us, deeper than our skin and bones. May our thoughts be your thoughts. And may we apply all that you teach us. We ask for your strength and boldness. Lead us into the harvest, and equip us to fight the good fight. God i know theres tons of ppl who are sad, lost and feel empty. Turn their frowns upside down, and give them joy and gladness that you are a sovereign King. Find those who are lost in darkness. Reach out to ppl, even if they arnt seeking u. Fill people up with your love, so that ur love can not help but overflow. Help us all to focus on You, and always keep you on our minds. Speak to us as we sleep, be on our dreams and give us peace in ur stillness. Watch over families all around the world. Help us to love on each other, but more importantly help us to love you above all. Be with my mother, and heal any sadness she's going through. Be with my father, soften his heart, and help him to acknowledge you in all ways. Help me to become a better son to them, so that they would start to seek you more. Strengthen all my friends, building them up in discipline, self control, courage, integrity, faith and love. Help me to become a better friend, so that the spirit inside them would continue to grow stronger. God lead families out of suffering and pain, and grant your guidance on them. You are always in control, no matter if families are dealing with divorce, illnesses, depressions, death, parenting, rebellion, arguing, addictions, drugs, anger, or any other problems. So i pray that you would heal any grudges, disagreements, or struggles within families. Grant them peace, and teach them your love. Help us to serve the poor, and learn to consider others better than ourselves. Bring a wave of revival over our country, and our world. May Christians unite in the body of Christ, and make a difference for you. I pray that we would pray more! That we would humbly bring everything to ur feet, and give everything we have to bless ur feet. Thank you for being so sovereign, and so strong to all your promises. Thank you for hearing our prayers. Thank you for saving us with ur mighty hand. Thank you for always loving us, and for never changing, for you are always good and your love endures forever. Amen.

More Than Enough

Its been like 3 weeks since i last blogged. I finally i have some time to sit down and share everything on my mind. Ive been so overwhelmed with my thoughts, i really need to record them down and drain out my head. I know ppl dont actually wanna read all of this, and i dont expect anyone to since its so long. But if i were writing this for people, i would make it short n sweet, n probably more humorous. But because its primarily for God, i really need to jus clear my thoughts, and lay it all down at His feet.  You might wanna buckle up your seat belt, because its gonna be a long ride. lol, btw my nose is so stuffy n runny right now, its not even funny, But hey God created snot, so im grateful, lol i wonder if Jesus ever had a stuffy nose, boogers or even sneezed? People would hafta say, "Bless yourself" lol

I think it all starts with seeking truth. Seeking answers, understanding urself and others, understanding human behavior, observing life, pondering how we fit into God's plan, and learning how to adapt to these truths. For instance, When i learn more about myself and my identity, i figure out my purpose. Identity = Purpose. When you find who you are in God, you find God's role for you. It's amazing how much we can learn about ourselves by just self reflecting.

In order to share Christ, you need to build on relationships. Yes you can do street evangelism which can be effective, but we already have such an impact on our preexisting relationships. The best place to start evangelizing is right in our family n friends. We have a super strong impact on those who already know us. Think of all ur family and friends. When's the last time you had a deep conversation?

Why so much emphasis on relationships and old friends? because we need to learn effective communication. Having a relationship with someone, is an open door to sharing God's love. Communication + Love = A stronger relationship. The stronger a relationship, the easier it is to share Christ. Think about it. Think about how you communicate with others. How do you listen n understand another? Are you more concerned about urself, or actually care about other ppl's thoughts? People who majority talk about themselves, consider it a good conversation. So ask people how they are, and what's been going on in their lives. People have a numerous amount of problems, but they all point to one super awesome, best solution. People dont realize how God is the answer to all problems. In our communication, it takes choke practice to direct conversations towards Him. How do we get others to think of higher thoughts? People already see the corruption of the world, But what many dont see is God. It's easy to have ordinary routine conversations, about school, work, and what's happening over the weekend. So how do we ease into a talk about Jesus? How do we get people to start pondering these deep questions, and seeking truth? How do we get people to huger God? I dont think jus living as an example will be enough. Often times we are required to step outside our safety box to help someone out. Show them God's love through actions. Ask them, hey could i pray for you? And then follow up by actually helping them out in their situation.

uhmm..kinda got off topic, but yeah.. how do we communicate with others? We can speak the truth about God, But are we speaking the truth IN LOVE? If we're called to save people, we need need need to watch how we work with others. It's quite easy to become a pharisee. One of the reasons ppl are so turned off by Christians, is because they can become very judgmental, forceful, hypocritical, liberal, and offensive. We as Christians need to find that BALANCE of speaking to others. We shouldnt shy away n become passive, nor should we become too strong or aggressive. But the bottom line is that we need to watch how we communicate and love another. If everyone is talking, then who's listening? We cant learn, if we dont listen. We cant teach if we dont speak up. We cant love, if we put ourselves first.

"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others."
(Phil 2:3-4)

It's through our approach of communication and actions, that we get people to think. When ppl think about stuff like life, death, truth, and religion, they begin to seek God. Our small gestures, like a simple smile, can go a long way. So next time ur not in a hurry, jus stop for a second to greet someone, sit down and chat about life, truly listen and care whats on their minds, and lastly, love through communication.

I learned that surrendering, dying to ourselves, giving up our sinful desires, walking in faith, sanctification, repentance and seeking His will is something we need need to do EVERYDAY. Often times i have a hard time getting into that zone of intimate prayer. Sometimes i get completely lost, and dont understand His word. Sometimes my laziness, or busyness gets the best of me. Surrendering to God is not a flu shot. Everyday we have to ask God to take all that we are and Ask Him to use us to the fullest, for we are His to use. Continue to thirst, hunger, desire, surrender, and change ur heart towards Him, for He will always satisfy. When we die to ourselves and desperately reach out to Him, God will overflow our cups, engulf us with His Spirit, and surround us with His love. He is more than enough. His grace and victory over sin is more than sufficient. God is always just, always sovereign, always faithful, and He never once makes a mistake. Christ was perfect and obedient till death. He descended from heaven, humbled himself, and made himself nothing. He fulfilled over 300 of prophecies, which is beyond chance. The odds of someone fulfilling jus 48 of those prophecies is 1 X 10 to the 157th power. Thats like shaking up all universes, and picking up a specific grain of sand on the first try!

As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. (Isaiah 55:10-11)

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the LORD."
(Jer 29:11-14)

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."
(Romans 8:28)

"The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."
(2Peter 3:9)

God is always sovereign. He is always in control. He always loves. God is love. His love is unchanging. His will, will be done. All his promises will be fulfilled. He reigns over everything. God was, is and will always be. He is beyond our knowledge, and our comprehension. We dont always know why or how He works, but His will is perfect. His perfect love and being casts out all fear n darkness.

I cant help but emphasize how great a Father He is. No one compares to Him. There is no other god. I always like to people watch, and observe how parents watch their children. I saw a father sitting by the edge the pool, jus watching His little children swim in the shallow water. He jus smiled, and made sure they were happy and safe. He probably would've jumped in to save them instantly, if they swam too far off into the deep, or started to drown. All children love to latch on to ppl while their swimming. They realize that "Hey im a little person, and my swimming skills arnt too great, but i trust that my father will take care of me, so i should hold on to him." All kids cling on to their parents, like little monkeys. Parents are most satisfied when their children smile, giggle and love them back. They are most glorified, when their love is reciprocated back. God celebrates and rejoices when His lost son returns home. As fathers love spending time with their kids, God loves spending time with us.

Ive been growing so rapid by just hanging around other Christians. Ive learn alot from jus hanging around n listening to strong Christians, I also learn a lot from reading books, of which my favorite is called the Bible, and i actually got to meet the author personally! lol.. Ive also learned choke knowledge from listening to Christian talk radio stations. I get to soak up on sermons, apologetics, Christian issues,  and learn more about His word. God reveals and teaches us many things, in a variety of ways.

When we decrease, God can increase. When we are weak, God is strong. When we humble ourselves, and spend time with God in prayer, we receive a peace and spiritual rest in Him. After we are charged with His Spirit, soaked up in His word, and engulfed in His love, our spirits become so alive and burn for more intimacy with Him. Our lips want to sing songs of praise, our spirits rejoice in His glory, and God dances over us as we draw closer to Him.

We are the salt and light of this earth. If we lose our flavor or hide our light, we arnt living completely for Him. He calls us to share the wonderful message of the good news. Many Christians are honestly getting too comfortable. And i'll be the first to admit it, because we arnt perfect. But its become too convenient to be lazy and selfish in our own ways. We need to be bold in our faith, and persevere through trials. God disciplines those He loves. God calls us to be His ambassadors, royal priest, shepherds, workmanship, teachers and leaders of His people.

God keeps telling me, "Lead my people." And i say "But God thats kinda hard, i dont think im best qualified to lead." then He responds, "Brah no worries, I will make you strong in me." He revealed that He's going to use me as a teacher of His word. He's been revealing so much truth, knowledge, and wisdom lately, i can barely contain it all. I tell God, "Hey i dunno if i can really teach all ur truths clearly. I have a really hard time speaking sometimes." God responds, "I will speak through you, and give you the words to say." Im like "Ho snap! this is jus like Moses!" God basically said to me, "I gave you life and everything that you are. Your mine. You belong to me. You dont own urself. I created you. I make your heart beat everyday. And im going to use you for my purpose." So im like "Ho shooooots! Take all of me God! Im all yours!"

God, i cant wait to meet you face to face in your perfect, glorious, heavenly kingdom. God you are better than life. You are more than enough. Everything else is meaningless without you. Life is nothing without ur love. Your the best Dad in the world! You never stop loving us. God stir up a heart that beats for you. May we glorify you, and be like your perfect Son, Jesus. I want to be as close to you as possible. I repent of our wicked ways. And thank you for the forgiveness that we dont deserve. Its by your mercy n patience, that you paid the price of our wrath. You made Him who had no sin, to be sin for us. And then its by your grace, that you've given us a wonderful new life with you. Sharpen us, train us, and send us out to do your will. Help us to be instantly obedient, without any hesitation. Let us leap out in action, and live out our faith. Teach us how to lead others towards you. Teach us how to speak to others. Teach us how to die to ourselves everyday. Teach us how to effectively listen and learn from you. Teach us to be humble, gentle and Christ centered. Teach us how to forgive as u forgave us. And teach us to how to love, as ur children of righteousness. Remind us, that its not about us, or what we do. Remind us that its all about You! and what you've already done! Let our only desire be to please You. I love you Lord! Amen.

Perseverance

Trials n tribulations require greater resistance. And therefore require greater effort, which produces greater strength. We cant continue to do the same things over and over, and expect a different outcome. If i only stayed at lifting 5pound weights, i wouldnt get any stronger. But if i stepped it up to 10pounds, then 20pounds, i would increase in strength. Im honestly, a really safe person and stay within my comfort zone. Im selfish, im lazy. I dont like change. I dont like new grounds, and i like to stay in my safe little box. God says "Live for me!" and i say, "eee! but God, its hard and uncomfortable for me". He then says "Have faith! Trust me! I will strengthen you through this." then i say "ok God. If you say so." God wants me to take more initiative. Yes im shy and often a scary cat when it comes to stepping up to the plate. But God reminds me, Hes with me each step. Ive learned so much about myself. His word tells us to examine ourselves, so that we can improve on our weaknesses. So lately ive been working on being more personable with people. Understanding, listening and communicating with others help form healthy relationships. Connecting with them allows us to love.

Sweeter Than Honey

So this weekend i went to camp mokele'ia again. Aaron Larson, who is an executive producer, and pastor at One Love came to talk. He gave messages on the importance of God's word, being a disciple, faith and desiring God. I honestly didnt take anything too new from his sermons, but did enjoy getting to talk to him one on one.

I did like when he touched on having an appetite for God. He mentioned we shouldnt hafta force ourselves to eat our favorite food. We normally gobble down our favorite food, and just want more. In the same way, we need to be starving to spend time with Him, to pray, to worship, to gobble up His word, and most of all starve for His amazing love. God definitely reveals more to us when we are desperately desiring more.

We read through 1Corithians CH1-3 for devotions. I love doing devotions with small groups at camp. We should make more effort to do devotions with one another. We go into so much further depth, when we meditate on small bites of scripture. These chapters talk about following God and not man. People would say "I follow Paul", or "I follow Apollos", when we should be chasing after Christ. Yes, he uses men to plant and water a seed, but it's ultimately God who makes it grow. We are only but mere men, and God's workmanship. God is God.

"For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength." 1Cor 1:25

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,
declares the LORD.
As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8-9

God is so much bigger than us! and no matter how many times i hear that, i still forget. I still try to rely on my own. I get caught falling into my own desires, running on my own bit of energy, and fall on my own prideful ways. Every time we sin, its because of our prideful flesh. We can know truth, but how much harder it is to live by truth. We must continue to die to ourselves, and conform to His will. We try so hard to hold on to our little, puny, dry pools of water, while God is waiting to give us an entire ocean of living water. God breaks down our walls, and tells us to take faith in His promises. He's wisdom, ways, and thoughts are > i

I also like goin to their camps, becuz it gives me a chance to see friends, meet new friends, have awesome conversations, meditate on the beach, find family unity among Christians who hardly know each other, and surrendering in hardcore worship. God is always my highlight of camps, but at these camps, He teaches me so much through a little 6 yr old girl.

Its amazing how much a 1st grader can teach us. I have such a strong connection to this little girl named Angelic. She taught me through her smiles, laughter and attachment. She would give funny, silly smiles, that showed her genuine joy. She would lose in a laughing contest, because she is so full of bright laughter. She always yells "Uncle Chris!" as she comes running up to give me a big hug from behind.


So why did i learn so much from her smiles, laughter, and attachment? Because God the Father, calls us His children! Our hearts should be full of joy, full of smiles up to heaven, and just standing in awe of Him. We need to enjoy life with Him, praising Him in our laughter. And lastly, we need that attachment to Him. Finding our comfort, safety, and peace in His love. So smile, laugh, and love with one another. Be a little happy kid, with nothing but joy for our Heavenly Father. Run, jump, and cling on to Him in laughter and love.

Tonight i went over to my Uncle's mansion house, and got to share my faith with my mom's side of the family. My uncle and auntie are considering getting a divorce. So we got to gather around as a small family and show our support. We shared deep feelings, and everything really came out. Other family members spoke of difficult times in their past divorces, and how they thought divorce meant the end of the road. But my other uncle and i got to seriously share Christ as the answer to them. I was like the only one who didnt cry during our family discussion. Everyone was balling n using toilet paper. Everyone tried to remain strong, but God swept our feet with emotion. Least little mochi new how to ease up all the sorrow and pain. I was surprised that they included my 6th grade cuzin Chaz, to hear about his parent's plans of divorce. God is seriously working something in my uncle and auntie, and is using this damaged relationship to reveal Himself as hope. This next season of holidays, is the perfect opportunity to bring our families closer together in Christ. God is seriously showing me the importance of loving on my families and friends. Its so crazy knowing God's abundant love never ceases to pour out on this broken, dark, and fallen world. Even through all the bad, God's love prevails. Whether times are good or bad, happy or sad, God is always! Always, so wonderful, so faithful, so admirable, so majestic, so glorious, so infinite, so sovereign, so amazing, so comforting, so perfect, so everything! Now its our job to go n share Him!

Stir it up in our hearts, Lord

Lately ive been contemplating why does God allow us to fall away? How come we cant stay super close to Him all the time? How come some days we are filled with the spirit, and other days we arnt so much? Why does he allow us to be tempted, and jus not let us sin anymore? Its because this shows our weakness. This shows how deprived we are without Him. If we didnt struggle with anything and had no problems, we'd be perfect, and therefore wouldnt need God. He continues to show us, that we are only but mere men, and that we really really do need Him.

So i had a really lazy and unproductive day. I didnt get anything done in the day, when i could have went surfing, exercised, finished school work, or met up with some people. But i was too lazy, and wasted a day. So while i was lying on the ground like a lazy sloth. i was told to go run. And no1 likes running.. so as i began running around my neighborhood i got to stare at the vast night sky, which never ceases to amaze me, oh and i also got to bark with some dogs, lol, But yah, anyways.. i was pondering "Why cant we always stay super close to God?" and as i was running up this hill, it kept getting steeper, and at each corner it looked longer, higher and impossible to continue. I started to huff and puff, (no i didnt blow a house down) but i got extremely exhausted. I wanted to quit running. I wanted to stop. I couldnt do it anymore. But then, i kept looking towards the goal, which was the top end of the street. My heart was out of energy, and i wanted to collapse, but something kept telling me to go on. At that point, i realized that although i was pooped out, I still wanted to finish the run without stopping. And it was then i saw how desperate i was to reach that last street light pole. Then this sudden rush of power n strength kicked in, and i was able to finish.

This run symbolizes our "run" with God. Yes we do hafta stop sometimes, because we're running on our own energy, and not filled with God's Spirit. We get burnt out when we begin to rely on ourselves. Sometimes our lives get so busy, we forget to fill up on God. We forget how important it is to spend time in His word, soak up in His spirit, and meditate in prayer. Often times we try to make it on our own, only to realize that we arnt strong enough. We do everything possible to make it on our own, and use every effort to climb up to God, and then we realize we cant do it by ourselves. And i learned that, God comes down upon us, when we are most desperate seeking Him. Thats when God kicks in the nitro and takes over. Instead of being self controlled, its better to be God controlled.

He doesnt like it when His sheep run astray, but allows them to go take their own path. The prodigal son can never outrun the grace of the Father. Once the sheep gets lost, scared, empty, deprived, and desperate for rescue, then God comes and shepherds us back. In the same way a man rejoices when he finds his lost coin, so does God rejoice when we come back to Him. We have gone and spent our inheritance, we are left with nothing, and then we see how much we really do need God. And God forgives us, bringing us back, and clothing us with His almighty love.

It really has been a battle for me lately. I was caught fighting temptations and distractions unguarded. I forgot to equip myself with God's holy armor. I actually sensed a few spiritual battles, and it felt really weird. Even some friends at epic said they felt something was up. But yeah, I fell into laziness big time. My physical, mental, spiritual life got weak. I got super sick, and drifted away from the fruits of the spirit. I lost intimacy. I didnt make time to spend time with Him. I didnt extremely desire, or seek Him. I honestly wasn't desperate enough for Him.

Yes hanging out with cool christian kids helps, but i cant rely on my friends for God. I cant rely on my church or pastors to stir up my heart. although they can encourage us. The only one we should completely rely on is God Himself. We find Him only through faith, repentance, prayer, His word, and most especially His love. We need to focus only on Him. Boast only on the cross. So that our lives would reflect Him and that we would glorify and worship Him in every little thing we do. We need to be drunk and addicted on God!

In order to stay close to God, we must continue to humble ourselves and die to ourselves. We need to be weak so God can be strong, and we need to be little so that God can be BIG. We need to change our minds, kill our pride n lustful desires. We can't ever think we're doing enough, or we're close enough. We need to constantly ask ourselves, What can i do to improve? What am i struggling with? What's getting in the way? What's pulling me back most? How can i take one step closer to God? How can i spend more time with Him? How can i be more intimate in my relationship with Him? What are my priorities? What do I want to stand for? What do i value most? What is God's will? This is sanctification, in which we should never stop doing.

Dear God,
Thank you for your amazing love! Thank you sending your Son to die for our sins. Thank you for life. Thank you for blessing us with such wonderful creation. Thank you for breathing into me your Holy Spirit. Help us to be grateful. Help us to see you. Be in our thoughts and dreams. Teach us your ways. Thank you for always taking us back, and forgiving us of all our wrongs. You are so great Lord, that whenever we start to drift away, you pull us right back. How great is your love oh Lord! You are everything that is good. You reign over heaven and earth. You are truly amazing. We are absolutely nothing without you oh God. We are so desperate for you. We proclaim you as ruler and king of our lives. Take my life oh Lord. Take everything that i am. I no longer want to live for myself. Destroy my sinful ways. Continue to stir up new life in our hearts. Direct us onto paths of righteousness. May we not seek to please ourselves, or please others, but help us to please only you. Its all about you oh God. It's all about your crazy love. Your love covers a multitude of our sins. Let us walk in your love. Let us be clothed with your love. Let us sing of ur everlasting love. Help us when we fall, Help us when our faith or spirit grows weak. Help us to desire you more, so we can spend more time with you. I pray for those who dont yet know you. Open their eyes, show them your glory. Heal our land, bring revival, reformation and awakening. Lord i pray that more and more would come to you. Break hardened hearts, transform lives, and pour out your love on this planet. That every knee would bow, and praise you! Let us find rest, peace and joy in you oh Lord. Lord hear our prayers! We are so desperate and hungry for you God!! I love you Lord, you are so good! Amen!

"Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." -Ps 73:25-26

"He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful." -1Cor 1:8

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not put out the Spirit's fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil. May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it." -1 Thes 5:16-24

The Battle

As a young child begins to walk, he or she will constantly stumble and fall. We try so hard to walk on our own. We need a parent or someone to help guide and support us, teaching us to take one step after another. In the same way, we need to rely on God's hand to direct, teach, guide, and support us. Our Father loves us, and tells us to look out for sharp dangerous table corners. He holds us up so that we dont trip over the small things. But when we slowly drift away from Him, thinking we can walk on our own two feet, thats when the falls hurt the most. We fall down, cry in anger and pain, get upset at ourselves, upset at the world, upset that we arnt moving forward. So we try to pick ourselves up, and stumble again, realizing that we really can't do it on our own. So then what do we do? We finally cry and reach out our hands, begging for God to pick us back up. And the amazing thing, is that He is always there ready for us to turn to Him. He then dusts off the filth, cleans our tears, and calms us with His words of love. "Don't worry, I got ya. It's okay, I'm right here. It's gonna be alright. Trust me. I'll take care of you." Wow, how great of a Heavenly Father do we have, that He would always pick up the broken pieces. This is the Father we need to run to with everything, because He knows best. We need to run to Him in desire, just wanting more and more of Him.

Why am i talking about the lows and highs in our relationship with God? Because lately i fell down, and didnt know how to get back up. I got caught up in myself. Caught up in others. Caught up in the world. Caught up in prideful sin, thinking i could walk on my own. I was running on my own fuel, and my spirit started to fade weak. The truth is that i lost sight of intimacy with Him. I had a hard time spending time with Him. I didnt make time for it, I was too lazy, too distracted. I lacked so much intimate prayer. I did things to get by, and didnt focus on Him. When i tried to pray, i either fell asleep, got distracted in thoughts, or thought of how to pray in public. I thought of right words to say, and how to be a people pleaser. When God is the only one we should seek to please. I guess my head got a little big, and i got in my own way of God. I got concerned about my own image, about what people think, and basically got full in myself. Sure i could say nice prayers, speak theology, quote verses, sing worship songs, be humble to others, and do the christian religion walk. But for quite awhile, I lost my reliance on God. I lost that extreme intimacy with Him. I forgot that i cant live without Him, that He breathed in me eternal life, and that i need to make my will and desires that of His. I forgot how worthless, meaningless, hopeless, and lost we would all be without Him. Love, Life, and Light are only found within Him.

Our Thoughts, need to be focused on Him, because thoughts lead to acts, acts into habits, habits into character. If our thoughts are lustful on other things, we will lose sight of Him. How then can i control my thoughts?? It seems our minds, automatically think thoughts of pride, lust, greed, power, hate, self gain, and are focused on building up ourselves, or feeding our own desires. Sin has corrupted our minds. We cant help but categorize, stereotype, and make judgments about people. God needs to reign in our thoughts. Because if satan gains control of our thoughts, our flesh and spirit will have to battle it out. If ur mind tells u left, and ur spirit tells u right, you're definitely gonna experience some internal conflicts. The bottom line is that we need to love what God loves, and hate what God hates. We need to set our minds and desires on Him.

Ive found an awesome accountability partner. His name is Dean. i really admire his integrity and honesty. I can see the Holy Spirit work through him. he's never afraid to pray or ask God for help. We have long talks about our struggles, ways of how to equip ourselves to fight temptation, what works, and what doesnt. We have a long list of common problems, and it really does help to talk things out, and renew our minds. Im really working on sanctifying all areas of my life. And it really isnt easy, changing our behaviors and character for the better. How can we die to ourselves? How can we cut and rid ourselves of our sinful nature? We cant be perfect, but we can strive towards holiness, purity, righteousness and lives that shine Jesus. Sanctification is cleaning and repenting so that we don't just fall right back into our old selves. Dean really has been building me up in a lot of ways, and not just helping me to remember a bunch of bible verses, lol. Ultimately we need to come to God with our sins. But it really does help having someone we can confess to, support, learn, and pray with. We figure out ways we can deny ourselves, kill off and stop sins, live by the spirit and continue to grow in Christ.


"But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ." - Phil 3:7-8

i have choke more to talk about, (relationships, children, books, bottling up my thoughts, Epic, the upcoming conferences) so ill finish it up later, but for now, im super zonked out, so ima gonna go crash. zzzz..

Mighty to Save

Coming to Christ
// So in the past month or so, 3 of my friends are starting to come to Christ. I really dont know exactly where they are, because thats between them and God. I know they have at least faith of a mustard seed, and thats choke compared to none at all. So im glad that 3 of my friends are at least starting to seek the truth. It was awesome hearing how God is starting to change each of their hearts. But now they have already hit major obstacles in their faith. I think all of them are looking for that "God experience", where you truly encounter God's love and hear his voice. I think satan especially goes after those who are about to make these eternal decisions. I think these guys really do want to become closer to God, but are having a hard time giving up worldly desires.

// I think becoming a Christian is a slow process. We may become justified with Him, but other things will still have a hold on us. Does God have to be number 1 in our life for us to be a Christian?? Can one be saved by only having God as just a part of our life? I think God starts off as part of our life, and through the long process of sanctification, God slowly goes up in our rank. We start to see new things, we start to see how evil our sins are, how misleading our world is, and how much greater our God is. The transformation of the heart takes continuous convictions with and by God.

// Yes people can start the race towards God, and yes we will stumble and fall, but God promises that if we truly become His children, He will always be there to pick us up. That no matter how many times we run astray, and take our eyes off the goal, our Dad will always draw us back. That nothing can snatch us out of His mighty hand. God sees our life from start to finish, but the thing is, there are tons who havnt even started this run. The bottom line is that we need to encourage those around us to take that first step of faith, and start this race towards God.

Only One Judge
// God has been constantly warning me to not judge others. I learned this the hard way. Many people that i talked to say that they dont consider it judging, but after hearing how some of my friends said, "dont judge me" i kinda believe that i did. Only God the author and potter can truly know peoples heart. I think by judging peoples actions, they think that im judging their heart. I think it is important that we gently correct others tho. We need to first look at our lives, point out that we arnt nearly perfect, and that we too fall short. But we cant just allow our friends to loove their sins. I think it takes choke love to tell a brother or sister things they probably dont want to hear. But how do we do that in the most loving way? I dont jump out and say "Hey what your doing is wrong, and point at their sin" I tell them that We need to be careful that we dont fall into these temptations. That Christ is way bigger than things of this world. I still dont know if its considered judging though, because if thats the case, then we cant help our brothers n sisters in their deepest sins. Catch my drift?

// As Christians we should love truth, and we should love correction. When someone tells me, "hey we shouldnt be listening to this music, hey we shouldnt say that, hey i dont think we should watch this, hey what we're doing is wrong," i say "yeah man ur completely right, this really isnt glorifying God." But when others here the same line, it becomes a "Ho, who do u think you are". So as of now, until i find a better way to speak to others, im gonna hold my mouth shut. When we become Christians, we should no longer love our sins, we need to actually hate sin. God is disgusted by us loving sin. If God loves everything that is pure and righteous, then He has to hate sin. He takes no pleasure in evil deeds of darkness. Should we judge others hearts? No, only God has the authority of that. But should we test others actions, I believe so. If I just let my friend continue to swear, curse, drink, watch/listen to bad media, talk smack about people, or get involved in sexual impurity, Is it loving of me to continue to let them do so? By no means! By sitting back watching our Christian brothers/sisters sin, is like approving of it.

// Yes we need to constantly test ourselves, Yes we need to renew our own minds, watching all of our actions, Yes we need to be careful how we warn others, Yes we need to be accountable for one another. But right now, im having a really hard time doing that. And I have strong faith that God will heal these friendships, that He will convict our hearts, and that He will show me how to gently and correctly build others up.

Epic
//Friday night I got to talk to my youth pastor, about how Epic is doing a really great job bringing students to come, have fun, and meet new friends. Butt sometimes our ministry gets so caught up with planning events and activities, that we lose sight of our ultimate goal. We need to disciple these high school kids. Sure building friendships with them is important, but what's more, is telling them about Jesus. I know i'd be inconsistent with small groups, so that's kinda preventing me from committing to disciplining some of the guys. On Saturday we had beach day with all the students, and we got to bond over vball, football, and surfing!! And again, i see that Epic wants to connect with these kids, gain their trust, and show them that learning about Christ really can be fun. But its so so important that they take time to know and learn the deep seriousness of God. Jesus is not our homeboy. He is our God! He doesn't fit in our worldly standards. He's bigger than we can imagine. And I think some of our students are beginning to see that. Im glad that we're slowly making a transition to more discipleship. Cuz many are relying on church for God, when they should be relying on God for God.

Baptized!
// Sunday after One Love service i got water baptized. It was really rejuvenating, knowing that God, my family and friends we're there to witness it. I saw it as a rededication, vowing to live for His glory n not of my own, to recommit my life to Him, making that eternal promise to Him, and declaring Him as my Lord n Savior. So yeah, baptism was good. But also being able to see my mom n dad sit on the sides of me during church was also really empowering. I pray that they took something from the service. They came to support me, but I hope God instilled a deeper truth in their hearts. I'm really glad that God is working in my friends n family. I have full faith that God will save them. A faith that He will show them His ridiculously crazy awesome love. That they would continue to seek Him, and find a deeper intimacy with Him.

God is Good! Amen!

fire fall down!

Camp Mokule'ia
At first i honestly didnt think i would take anything from this experience. Even our pastor mentioned how he honestly wasnt that stoked for this camp. And during our camp fire the first night, we just ended up sharing what was on our minds. Everyone including myself had some sort of problem or concern. Something holding us back from completely surrendering. Our minds we're troubled, tired, and distracted. Our pastor threw out his entire message he prepared because he knew that everyone wasnt spiritually ready to receive God. People started to warm up, and we continued to worship. Our group was still disconnected. Some had a tough week, some had broken family relationships, some were sick, and spiritually tired. Justin went on to talk about how we need to work as a body. We need all our parts, or we'll be handicap. Becoming one body became our goal for the weekend. They wanted to keep it to a small size group, so we had about 35 people. We talked about how everyone was valuable, and how everyone was a part of the body. But how were we gonna work as a body? The key is that we need God to hold us all together. Then we got to stare at the night sky. I couldnt believe how beautiful all the stars were. Away from all the city lights n sounds, left us with the glittering stars and the sound of the ocean. Was nuts.

Saturday we had a guest speaker, who is a professor at pac-rim. He was a cool guy, but i didnt really take too much from what he talked about. He did teach me about how to do better devotions. How to take more out from what we read in the bible. He said to pray more than we read. Meditate on scripture, instead of trying to race through as much as possible. Each passage has one correct interpretation, but each passage has many applications. We need to constantly ask ourselves, how can i apply this to areas of my life? I also learned to meditate on bigger chunks of passages. We tend to focus on only one or two verses normally. He said to keep in mind what the author mentioned in stories before and after. After doing devotions on only Luke 10, I really saw what the speaker was saying. Take a smaller bite of scripture, but meditate on the huge context. Many stories connect to each other, and try to reapply the same message in different forms. When God wants to emphasize something, He repeats it over and over.

In Luke 10, all 3 stories had a common ground of being distracted. How workers of the harvest should travel light, not taking bags or sandals, or even greeting people on the road. Basically meaning, dont get caught up with other stuff, focus on the purpose. Missionaries need to stay focused on their mission. The next story was about the good samaritan. A priest and a levite were too busy with other things to help the man in need. The last story was about mary and martha, and how martha was too caught up in preparations, while mary sat and listened to Jesus. Often times, we get too caught up with stuff. Christ reminds us to always stay close to Him. He loves when we spend time with Him. We need to make it a point to constantly have God in our day, setting aside time for Him. We also cant forget to love on others. Caring for those who are hurt and need attention. We cant be swept by worldly distractions.

Everyone's highlight of camp was Saturday night's worship. We worshiped for 2+ hours. At first ppl got tired of worship, we were hoping that it would end soon, we were all super tired. But eventually everyone was able to surrender. We opened our protected hearts, we welcomed God, we let go of all the chains holding us back, we cried out for God to enter, we sought only Him. We craved and desired Him. People stood with their arms stretched high, others fell to the ground in tears. We had so much pain that we kept from God. God took complete control of our hearts and minds. We experienced God as one body. It was also really encouraging to see people pray for each other. We all sat down after, and began to share what God whispered to us. It seems God spoke to everyone's heart that night. We did a round of prayer, and then got to share what God was telling us. God's love jus shook the entire room. We were all in awe of Him. Then later we performed skits, n played games. And I stayed up super late playing card games, and jus talkin with ppl.

Sunday morning, 3ppl said they tried to wake me up for breakfast, but i dont remember that. I missed breakfast, and was the last to wake up. I was kinda bummed, cuz mokule'ia cooks super good food. And the beds were actually super comfortable too! They gave us clean sheets, blankets and everything. It was like living in a local kine hotel, with the beach right outside. Only bad thing was that a bug bit me on the leg, and it was kinda itchy, lol.. anyways the rest of the day we closed with worship, devos, prayer and sharing time. Later that night, God called me to go to pursuit. And it was super strengthening to jus see that i have a family there too. The speaker gave a message on excepting everyone to the body. Loving on them regardless.

One of my greatest highlights of camp was spending time with my friend's daughter. Her name is Angelic, shes 6 yrs old. Shes jus too precious, so adorable, so full laughter, and her smile would jus completely brightened up my day. She would cling to me, make me carry her around, we would play silly games, and we even got a cool handshake. lol, i saw her as the little sister i never had. She was jus a bundle of joy to be around.

Monday i bombed a test. had bible study that talked about gray areas. Then had leaders meeting, then took dean home. And he invited me in for chicken mcnuggets! He also gave me carrots n peanut butter, lol.. what an awesome dinner it was. We couldnt stop talking about God. I had all these questions, and we were looking up verses. Hes probably gonna be my accountability partner from now on. And we're gonna join our small bible studies to make a mega one.

Lately my mom has been facing some rough trials. She has a lot of emotional damage that really hit hard. She told me she was ready to go home, meaning back with God. Her arm was really causing her alot of pain, and she jus had so much attacking her. So i prayed for her, and we eventually calmed down. Realizing that God is all we need. Praying with confidence that God can heal anything. I really need to work on being a better son.

this entire week, my friend has been on my mind. I said something to her to try and build her up. I said something in the wrong way, and was supposed to be accountable for her. But i did a really bad job, and even ended up making her cry. I was so upset with myself. I didnt know what to do. I really need to be careful when being accountable for people. What i thought was leading her, was actually cutting her down. It really is hard sometimes. I know God has this situation covered, but its gonna take some time.

Even tho im growing so much closer to God, other areas of my life have been dwindling. I havnt been eating or sleeping right. I havnt been exercising, or spending enough time with friends. I havnt been there for my mom when she most needs me. Havnt been spending any time with my dad. Ive been slacking in school, and havnt been helping out at church. Im basically a mess right now. But i feel so strong, because i have God with me. I can tell God wants to build me up super strong. He keeps showing me how im supposed to lead one day. I need to find a way to focus completely on God, and yet improve on other areas of my life as well.

I really want to jus run off somewhere. Leaving with minimum supplies. And jus being away out from society. Being in nature. Relying solely on what God provides. Seeking God with everything, and away from life distractions. I want to be alone with God. I jus want to rest in God. And nothing else. Our God is perfect. He never makes a mistake. He is all that is good and holy. I never want to be separated from Him. I jus wanna spend a looong time where its jus me and God. Imagine how much we'd grow if all we breathed in was God. If all we ate was God. If all we slept on, was God. If all our hearts and minds were lead by God. If all we had was God.

I accidentally read some stuff on past revivals in the US. How much of an impact they had. How fast the word spread, How many people came to Christ, How the entire community changed. I want that same revival here in Hawaii. I want to see a change in our school. Im starting to get a better understanding of what that would look like. Im having more confidence, and more faith, that fire will fall down. I want to see an awakening in our state. That our islands would be the first state to start this movement. We Need God to come down and start that fire. We need, need, need Him. But we dont always want Him. People need to want this spirit. People need to want Jesus. We need forgiveness and healing over our land. We need our land to repent for running in the wrong direction, to come together as one body, to ask God to burn those chains holding us back. We need to fully surrender, giving up things of this world, and the sins we desire. We need a revival.

God you know our hearts. You know all our needs, all our desires, all our thoughts, all our fears, all our worries, and all our pains. Heal us Lord. Heal us. Never stop teaching us through your word. Bring new revelations and growth each day. Dont let us get caught up with other ppl and distractions. Keep our eyes fixed on you. God I want to see change in people's hearts. I want to see all praise go to you. Let us speak words of encouragement, and never speak curses. Keep our hearts pure, away from temptation. Help us to love you! We are too weak, we cant do it on our own. We need you God! Take my life, use it for your will. Do with me as you please. Guide me with each step i take. My mind is weak, my spirit is tired. Give me rest in you. Restore my spirit. Keep teaching me how to love others. Thank you for being with me God. I love u Lord, Amen