Marching in Joy

[ Contents ]
- Introduction
1) Simple Things
- Walking
- The Small Things
2) Sanctification
- Goals
- Discipline
- Convictions
- Temptation
3)Pride n Selfishness
- Self Righteous
- Taking Credit
- Imitating Christ's Humility
4) Good out of the Bad
- Learning
5) Anger
- More Anger
6) Loving Others
- Conversations
7) The Church
- Investing in People
- The Kingdom
- Comparing to Others
8) Desiring God
- Finding Joy
9) A Relationship with God
- Eyes on Jesus
10) Jonathan Edwards
- True Greatness & Pursuing Righteousness
- Books / Tv
11) Conversion
- God's Love 4 us
- The Case for Christ
12) Am I really a Christian?
- The Cost of Discipleship
13) Relationships
- Purity
14) Experiencing Jesus
- Seeking Intimacy
- Coming Back to Christ
- Grace
15) Purpose & Growth
- Stronger
- Hungry for More
16) Lead by the Spirit
- Salt & Light
- Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ
- No mo' Sea
17) The Enemy
- Division
- Judging
18) What is Truth?
- Importance of Scripture
19) America the Melting Pot
- Man vs. God
- Riches
20) The Cross
- Worship
21) Conclusion
- Prayer
- Songs


Introduction
God has taught me a lot in this month of March. The main theme of this blog is Marching in Joy, lol get it.. MARCHing.. lol its so lame i find it funny. Anywho.. this month I went through many spiritual highs, and spiritual lows. This blog is actually a bunch of little blogs crammed into one massive blog. I write this blog not only to share my experiences and meditations, but also in hopes of teaching, encouraging and challenging you the reader. My goal is to present what God has spoken to us in His word, so look out for my errors if I distort anything. I would have liked this blog to be more entertaining and shorter, but i believe these topics should be handled with great seriousness. I believe these topics are essential to ponder in our walk with God. We must never stop growing towards Christ.

I aint writing this long blog for no reason. I find the message of the cross so important, that it's worth dying for. Coming to Christ is the most important thing in this world. He conquered death, and offers life. He reigns supreme forever, and will always be. I believe that Jesus saves lives and that's why He's worth preaching about. The main theme of this blog is coming to Jesus. If you take just one thing away from this blog, let it be this.. Seek with all your heart, and with all your desire to experience God. Because His love will change you dramatically from the inside out.

Instead of this long blog being about me, I want this blog to be for God’s glory. Im sorry if i throw in too many run on sentences, repeat the same things, have bad grammar n spelling, have super long paragraphs, present too many unorganized thoughts, and repeat the same things, but hopefully reading it will be worth your time. When God mentions something important, He tends to repeat it choke kine. Hopefully that will drive my points, and make 'em stick out more.

You are not obligated to agree, or accept anything I say as true or valid, but I do ask that you seek to grow stronger in your relationship with God. I also noticed how difficult it can be to not sound prideful while talking about how Christ is working in one's life. I only want to boast in Christ, but even that can be misinterpreted. So im greatly sorry if i offend anyone, because that is not my intention. Dont just read the highlights, cuz then you'll miss my cool quotes n awesome analogies. To make this blog seem shorter, pretend its a small book. Dont rush through it, take some breaks, and read it carefully.

This blog is for both Christians and Non-Christians to read, in hopes that it would draw you at least one step closer to Jesus. I hope this blog presents truth clearly, and convicts the human heart. I use this blog as a recording of the wisdom that God revealed through my experiences. He taught me many lessons through difficult trials, conversations with people, books, sermons and through revelations. We must always remember to listen carefully, because God is always speaking to us. In this blog, I want to avoid explaining life in man’s wisdom, and present the Word of God as our highest means of authority. There’s choke knowledge to be experienced and received through reflecting on God’s word. But sometimes I forget how much we can learn jus by meditating, worshiping, communicating, thinking about Him, and jus listening to Him in the still silence.
btw, It's also okay if you skip some chapters. I won't notice. =p

1) Simple Things
(First week of March) Recently life has been super good. I'm beginning to appreciate the simple things in life. It’s important to embrace the playfulness and child-like joy in spending time with the Lord. Sometimes i can get so bugged down and overly concerned with all my little troubles, that i forget how easy i got it.

Embrace each moment to its fullest. Stop to smell the roses. Thank God for the beauty of His creation. Have you ever stared at God's glory?? Look at how blessed we are to have the gift of sight. We can see a spectrum of bright colors, even better than HD tv. We have two legs that allow us to walk, run, skip, hop and dance. God's common grace provides us with clothes and all sorts of delicious foods. We have beautiful streams, lakes, rivers and oceans. We have medicines and technologies to have an easier quality of life. We have sports, movies and entertainment. We have cultures and communities. We have comfortable homes and securities. We have different countries and ethnicities . We have schools and jobs. We have beaches and snowy mountain tops. We have our good health and fresh air. We can experience all sorts of feelings and emotions. And we can all go through different life experiences that builds up our character and personality.

The next time your walking, just stop for a second, and feel the wind brush you by. Stop to feel the sunshine and rain touch your skin. Sit down in the grassy shade. Look up to the zillions of twinkling stars that glow above us. Stop to wave back to the ocean. Stop to admire the sunset. Point out silly animals in the shaped clouds. Stop right now to take in a deep breath. Rejoice and jam out to your favorite music. Stop to feed the hungry. Give to the poor. Love unconditionally. Greet a neighbor. Hug a friend. Really see how far a smile can go. Listen to His voice in stillness. Praise God for a warm bed that keeps you cozy at night. Praise God for parents, family, friends, and relationships to share love with. Sing a new song with a joyful heart. Dance even if people are watching. Thank God for having an education to grow our minds. When was the last time you glanced to appreciate happy children running around laughing? Whens the last time you had a good laugh? Whens the last time you showed someone how much you cared? Whens the last time you barked at the moon? Whens the last time you thanked God for His love? Always remember to count your blessings. Thank God for life and for His own nature. Be grateful for God's grace. Think of the tons of people who don't have it as easy. We must always remember to pray and love those who may be less fortunate. So thank and praise the Lord as many times as you can. Be in awe of Him. Life is precious, dont take it for granted.

March 28th - WalkingToday, my goal was to finish this blog. So instead of being trapped at home all day, i went to go run around the neighborhood. This 30 minute jog was perhaps the highlight of this month. It was definitely my greatest moments for today. I learned to carry a pen and paper whenever i jog, because God always tends to speak to me when im out walking. Heres the things i experienced.

After a few blocks of jogging, i was stunned in sheer amazement. My eyes couldnt understand this incredible rush of freedom i was experiencing. Finding pure joy in God's creation, lead me to find pure joy in Him. I had to slow down from running, because i was so shocked and astonished at what i was experiencing. While scientist can spend their entire lives trying to unravel the puzzle and mystery of life, an average teenage boy walking around his neighborhood, can embrace n experience the beauty and joy of God's creation. Instead of trying to explain Him, we should just enjoy Him. After taking in the beautiful scenery of a purple n orange lit sky, i rested my head down for 10 minutes. I quietly tried to listen to His voice, i desperately wanted to hear Him speak to me. Time froze. I fell into this peaceful state, of love and joy. I woke up upon hearing, "I am always there." That's exactly all i needed to hear. Just knowing that wherever i go, He's always there. It was pretty comforting.

Heres some observations i came across, while power walking.
The feeling of the cool wind, rush all around me.
The awesome fresh air flowing around me.
The friendly birds flying happily together.
The dogs eagerly jumping up to greet me with too much excitement.
The kindness and joy in a short conversation with a neighbor.
The little kids giggling and playing silly games in the yard.
The light and gentle drizzle of rain wetting my piece of paper.
The growth and beautiful life in trees, flowers and plants.
The tiny grass keeping each other company.
The sun setting beyond the horizon.
The huge mountains standing strong.
The thick clouds floating freely.
The calm harbor waters in the distance.
And the breath-taking beauty in all of God's creation.
"For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." Romans 1:20

"Whenever I am afield or outdoors, there steals over me the acute consciousness that I am confronted on every hand by the superb workmanship of my Father. It is as if every tree, rock, river, flower, mountain, bird, or blade of grass had stamped upon it the indelible label, "Made by God." - Phillip Keller

The Small Things
God has a unique way of using the small things to bring about something big. He uses the most unlikely people, and things that may seem insignificant. For example, Sometimes i forget how much i play a role in the kingdom of God. Stopping to enjoy a conversation with someone can really make a huge impact. Here's a big lesson i learned. Its not always about how much we do, But rather it's about how much love we put into the small things. Its not always about quantity, but quality. Sometimes i get bugged down when 1 or 2 ppl show up for a bible study. I figure, dang i spent all this time preparing, jus for choke ppl to cancel on me. But then i realize how important it is to invest with what God provides. I need to pour into specific people, and spend more quality time with them. Some ppl really just need a friend, someone to listen, or a bigger brother to look up to. This is exactly how we are to share Christ.

In the past few weeks, i realized how much ppl appreciate the time i take to spend with them. Sharing Christ requires us to befriend others n build relationships. It doesnt always hafta be inviting them to church and bible studies. You can share a conversation over a meal, hit the gym, walk by the beach, or jus hang out. Take time to catch up on life, love by caring about others, and value the relationships we have. Even having a short 10 minute bible study can have a lasting effect in eternity. I realized once again, how important it is to shepherd and save God's people. We must do our best to help prepare the soil, and then rely on God to make that little seed grow. When we live by the Spirit, it becomes automatic to love.
2) Sanctification
Lately ive also been studying my own behavior. As psychologist love to do, they observe human nature, cultures, societies, and themselves. So ive really been observing my own emotions, communications, spiritual growth, thoughts, desires, and actions. Perhaps im obsessed with learning, growing, and trying to understand my identity/relationship with God more and more each day. And the only way we’re gonna do that is by coming to Jesus. Like i mentioned in previous blogs, true authentic faith, requires us to constantly seek further growth and maturity in God. God tells us to check ourselves daily. We must constantly be renewing our minds, meditating, and receiving revelations and convictions. Throughout the bible theres only hero, and that is Jesus Christ. All knowledge, wisdom, and power comes from Him. We must experience revelations and messages from God. We must always seek to be lead by His Spirit and put God first over everything else.

Sanctification is a life long process. What happens when ur in a kayak and you stop padding?? If we arnt striving to move forward daily, then we'll slowly start to drift further and further away. How do people engage in a more intimate relationship with someone? It takes quality time, devotion and desire. Increasing in love n faith means taking one step closer to Him everyday. In Heb 12:1-2, it mentions to throw off the sin that hinders us, and to run with perseverance. And it also notes how Jesus is both the founder, and perfecter of our faith. Sanctification requires daily repentance, self-control, and full reliance on God.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith." Hebrews 12:1-2

"He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Phil 1:6

If you know me then you know i can get very uptight and overly serious. Yes i am often a hypocrite. Yes sometimes i say the wrong things. Yes sometimes i go a little overboard, and yes sometimes i may not communicate things in the best way. Sometimes im quick to bicker, and slow to exhort. Im guilty of sin. I still screw up, make mistakes and bad choices. So i apologize if i offend anyone or say something too harsh. But that's not my intention. So please please hear me out. Dont listen to what i have to say, rather Listen to what God the Spirit is saying. For the Spirit only builds, comforts and encourages us. If we should become overly serious in anything, we should focus on the obedience to God. There's no such thing as taking your walk with God overly serious. We hear sayings like "Too much of a good thing is bad." and "Everything must have a balance and taken in moderation." Well i would hafta object, Because God is not restrained to human interpretations. You can never have too much of God. You can never be too extreme about God's love. We should see ourselves as vessels and funnels for God's love and righteousness. It should be ordinary to be a radical Christian. Are Christians the ones that are crazy? Or is it the other way around?
I want to challenge our focus, our thinking, our minds, our desires, our morals, our values, our biases, our goals, our lifestyles and our principles. Im not pointing at anyone. But speaking out what God has spoken to me. I challenge u the reader, to reflect on yourself. Ask urself the tough questions. Reflect on life and death. Seek His calling and purpose for you. I challenge you to truly listen to His voice. Those who have ears will hear what i hear. Ive been hearing His strong call. I can hear His word. I have received revelations and I am strongly convicted. I have tasted His truth. It's no longer just a belief, but a knowledge of truth. I can proudly proclaim that i have met Jesus, and that He is my Savior and King. He continues to work in me. He never leaves, never changes, never fails, and never makes a mistake. God is perfect, always sovereign, and His love endures forever. And that is why we can put all our trust in Him.

God calls for passionate Christians to stand up STRONG, to stand up in BOLD FAITH, and to take COURAGE. But most importantly, He's calling us to LOVE. His call is also for those who dont yet truly know Him. He's calling us to repentance and faith. He's calling us to observe His word, and compare it to the world. He's calling us come as we are and join the revolution. He's calling us to constantly change from our evil ways and live by the Spirit. He's calling us to combat sin, and rejoice in the truth. God is basically yelling at us to WAKE UP! We cant go on living in conformity to the world and human reasoning. The reason i'm so passionate about regenerating the human heart, is because i find it to be extremely urgent. You don't have to be a genius rocket scholar to see the direction of where this world is headed. The pattern slash system of this world is teaching us that we can save ourselves. News flash!! We cant save ourselves!! A self serving life always leads to destruction. Good works wont save. Human wisdom doesnt cut it. America doesnt save. Religion doesnt save. Man doesnt save. Only God saves.
For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. Luke 9:24
"Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord" Acts 3:19

The Pride in man's sin is our downfall. So that's why God steps in. Here's da good news!! He sent His Son Jesus Christ, to atone for our sins. Jesus suffered the wrath of our sins. Through our faith in Him we are washed as white as snow, giving us clean hands, and pure hearts. He then warmly welcomes us in, and adopts us as His own. He constantly invites us to enter a deeper and more intimate relationship with Him! He wants us build a stronger foundation on Him (Matt 7:24-27). He begs us to start trusting Him. He desires us to repent of our wicked ways. He's crying out for us to have a dramatic change in heart. So i guess my questions are, "So why arnt we?? Why arnt we more consistent? Why arnt we more desperate? Are we following God's ways? What are we worshiping? What's distracting us? Why do i struggle to follow His desires? How strong is our commitment? How bold is our faith? Are we jus getting by with enough? What's getting in our way? Are we shying down cuz of the fear of men? Exactly where is our heart's direction? How will we respond? "
March 3rd - GoalsToday was perhaps my most productive day ever. Last night i jotted down everything i wanted to accomplish for today. It included working out, fasting, praying, meditating on God's word, reading various books, working on a bible verse book thing, journal time, doing homework, running, buying ingredients, and cooking dinner (first time by myself!). I avoided watching any television, taking ridiculously lazy naps, playing video games, and wasting the day on the computer.

On Sunday i actually wrote down all my current goals, and how to accomplish them specifically. This is helping me out more than i imagined. In general my goals included God's greatest two commandments. Matt 22:34-40 sums up what i'm aiming for. Love God n love others. I also wrote down specifics for pursuing righteousness, leadership/practical skills, staying conditioned in physical exercise, using money wisely, how to manage my time, school + reading books, and how to increase my motivation/discipline to succeed in these goals. Above all, my chief end is to glorify God. To be a living sacrifice that worships God. Now that i got my head on straight, i jus gotta work on being more consistent. Btw if u make goals, u hafta review it often to keep urself in check.

March 23rd - DisciplineToday was another super productive day. I disciplined myself to get stuff done. I woke up and read for a while. I made time to talk to God. I went to workout. I cleaned up many areas of the house. I organized my stuff. I did the laundry. I watered the entire garden. I picked up leaves for like half an hour. Swept up the garage. Ike came over, and we bought ingredients to make dinner. (check out the food recipes link on the right side of my blog.) We made this bomb pasta with bacon, cheese, chicken, zucchini, penne pasta, and a bunch of awesome spices. It came out perfect. It was one of the best dinners ive eaten in a long time.

Convictions
I also wrote down major convictions of my sin. I think it's important for God to reveal us our sins. It's important we acknowledge our weaknesses. We must recognize our infidelities, disobedience, unfaithfulness, anxieties, fear, idleness and stubbornness. Our flesh and sinful nature will definitely cause us to make bad decisions. We cant completely die or kill our flesh, but we can suppress it. We must be on our guard, equipped with salvation, faith, spirit, righteousness, truth and readiness, so that we will be prepared to defend our hearts and minds. We must apply, obey and live out God's word. I can emphasize that enough. We must surrender, and lift your weaknesses to Him. Instead of hiding our troubles, doubts and fears, we are to cast them on Him. Repent of our sin, and let God cleanse our hearts. Let Him renew our minds. Let Him correct and convict us.

What are you looking for most in life? What changes in my life do i have to make? What is the Lord asking of me today? What sins do i need to surrender and repent of? What am i doing right? How can i do that more? Where/whom am i looking to for happiness? What is God’s will for me? Ask urself these questions. Cry out to God for help. Recognize our failures and inabilities. Ask Him to help us in our unbelief. Ask Him to help you love Him more. Tell Him your fears and struggles, God is a pretty good listener. Ask for peace, wisdom, faith, strength, humility, and conviction. Embrace His love and grace. Soak up His word. Fill yourself with the Holy Spirit. Come to Jesus.

Temptation
On Feb 28th, i went to the Roots Fest, which was a Reggie concert at UH. I hadta write a paper on it for school. The music was pretty gnarly, but i got pretty zonked out after a dozen songs. I was turned off from the atmosphere, cuz choke ppl were smoking drugs. The smell was overwhelming. I felt like i was gonna die from second hand smoke. The turn out was about 600 people. And so we jumped into the crowd of 400 people skanking. Skanking- "Slang. to dance rhythmically in a loose-limbed manner."
So anyways, after a while some girl pushed her way in front of me, and just started dancing there. I havn't really experienced this before, but i know seduction when i see it. So i felt trapped, in a crowd of 400 ppl, with loud music, ppl going crazy, this super attractive girl rubbing herself back into me, and my friends encouraging me to go for it. I admit that i had some pretty bad thoughts. I freaked out, and knew i hadta resist. My mind was screaming "Oh my gosh.. this is gonna be trouble..." I heard the enemy say "Ya man, just go for it." and the Spirit saying "Gaurd yourself. Protect your purity." As much as i wanted to give into temptation, i knew i would have to kill my commitment of righteousness to God in order for me to go through it. I would have to throw away my values, morals, and everything i stood up for. Eventually, i got out of the situation, and was relived nothing really happened. But boy was i tempted.

Even though my lustful thoughts were corrupt, im glad it didnt turn into the sinful action. I was so thankful that God took me out of that situation. This is a good example of how the flesh is weak and can easily fall into temptation. But through training and dependence on the Holy Spirit, we can become stronger in our self control. Satan is like a prowling lion looking for people to devour. We must protect ourselves by putting on the full armor of God. I like how Job made a convenant with his eyes, and how Joseph's technique was to flee rather than fight. Never being in a bad setting or situation will help u to avoid sin. If hanging out with the wrong ppl, watching tv, going to parties, causes you to sin, that may be telling u something.. But no matter how hard the situation, God always provides a way out of temptation. Just as Jesus is that exit door from a lifestyle of sin. So when you find urself in a burning house of temptation, you better find the door and run out as fast as you can.
"No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." 1 Cor 10:13

If you're not on guard against evil, you'll be influenced by evil
Convictions recognize our sinful ways. Recognizing our sinful ways, leads us into repentance. If you take a quick look at Luke 15, all the stories talk about the importance of a sinner’s repentance. The Lord rejoices over a sinner who repents. And He wraps His arms around us, putting a robe and ring over us, and throws a party for us. He celebrates over our redemption. It pleases Him when we choose Him over sin. But because we will make poor decisions, mistakes and commit sins everyday, we must be sure constantly repent. His grace is always sufficient enough. His promises are always true. His faithfulness never lets us go. And His love endures forever.
3) Pride n Selfishness
I ask myself, "So why arnt i more desperate for God? Why cant i be more consistent with keeping this passionate drive? Why don't i always desire to follow God?" and the answer is quite simple. Its because of my sinful pride. When we focus only on ourselves, we become selfish. This is why its so easy to get distracted from God. Because the god of this world (satan), uses any means to paralyze us from following God. I'll use myself as an example. My pride is only concerned with myself, so therefore, i only think about what i want. "What would please Chris?" rather than "What would please Christ?" We can become so arrogant, and comfortable with ourselves, that we dont desire to grow or seek change. When we only think of ourselves, that's when we get caught up with money, girls/boys, appearances, pleasure, good impressions, and our own filthy desires. So then, to make up for our selfishness, we try to get right with God on our OWN strength. So then we get the attitude, "Brah, I can do anything by myself." And the hard truth is that we cant. We cant do anything good on our own strength. Religion, wealth, good works, counterfeit professions of faith, and self help books jus wont cut it. Love, peace, truth, joy, and salvation is found in Christ alone.

"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness." Romans 8:26
Self-Righteous
One thing i am constantly concerned about is that i not become like the self righteous pharisees, zealots and sadducee. Observing myself carefully i realized how much i like to be appreciated and thought highly of. Who doesn't like to look respectable, with a good attitude and lifestyle. And this is where i do not want to go. I am not here to please or impress others. I need to watch my pride very carefully. I know ive said pretty prayers, picked up trash to show off, raised hands to seem compassionate, bragged about running bible studies, quoted scripture to flaunt knowledge, and carried intellectual books to impress others. Even in Christianity, people can get pretty full of themselves. Sometimes i feel like i hafta be extra careful, because even talking about the Bible, or a relationship with God, can be easily perceived as being cocky and prideful. I am not pursuing righteousness to seem ambitious. I know where my intentions are at. God looks on the inside, and He's the only one i should be concerned about pleasing. The trick is not to be arogant, self righteous, cocky, prideful, or better than others, but to feel confident in our Savior.

"When we accept ourselves for what we are, we decrease our hunger for power or the acceptance of others because our self-intimacy reinforces our inner sense of security. We are no longer preoccupied with being powerful or popular." -Brennan Manning
"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean. "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness." Matt 23:25-28

"His ministry was to those whom society considered real sinners. They had done nothing to merit salvation. Yet they opened themselves to the gift that was offered them. On the other hand, the self-righteous placed their trust in the works of the Law and closed their hearts to the message of grace." -Brennan Manning
Taking Credit
I’ll be honest. Sometimes I want to take credit for what God does through me. Sometimes I wanna take the praise for myself. I am selfish for taking away from God. I like to be acknowledged for good works. I like to be patted on the back. I like to be noticed. I sometimes misuse and boast myself with what God has entrusted me with. I have done many things for the wrong intentions. This is a good example of what not to do. This is what happens when we live for ourselves. This is the American Dream + individualism. Me, me, me. Self, self, self. We become self-centered and greedy. And that makes me sick. Instead of putting ourselves first, instead of building up our image, instead of doing things for ourselves, and stealing what belongs to Him, we ought to give all praise and glory to the one who deserves it. We must strive for a life of humility, submission and obedience.

"Once we think we're humble, that's when we're not."
Honestly, my flesh loves compliments. Who wouldnt want to be known for being a great bible teacher. Our flesh likes to hear good stuff about ourselves. Sometimes i really do need to check myself and ask "Am i being self adsorbed? Am i building up my pride?" I used to like when people would see my good works. I used to like when others knew i was fasting. I used to like saying extravagant prayers. I used to like being seen as a strong Christian. I used to love the compliments of men. But all that misses the point. It's not about looking good. We are not to take any credit or praise for these things. The Holy Spirit does everything that is good in us. God deserves all the glory. Dont do things to buff up ur self-esteem, dont front morals to look more righteous before men, do everything only for the praise of God. Chase after God in secret.
"Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. Matt 6:1

"The danger with our good works, spiritual investments, and all the rest of it is that we can construct a pricture of ourselves in which we situatie our self-worth. Complacency then replaces sheer delight in God's unconditional love. Our doing becomes the very undoing of the ragamuffin gospel." -Brennan Mannaning
Imitating Christ’s Humility
We need to imitate Jesus. Jesus had all knowledge, all authority, He could perform huge miracles, summon an army of angels, heal any sickness, and save people from their sins. And yet, He did it all in humility. God was a servant to man! He never boasted with His good works, He didnt show off with His miracle wonders, or flaunt His wisdom. But He did display His power, so men would come to witness that He truly was the Son of God. I think that's pretty amazing.
"Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!" –Phil 2:5-8

We need to look and act more like Jesus. The more we grow in His likeness the more we will glorify God, and attract others to Him. We have a part to play in His plan, but ultimately it is Jesus who draws people closer to Jesus. He busts down the door, rescues us out of sin, and breaks down our hardened hearts and walls of defense. No matter how many times we hear it, we still tend to forget, that it’s not about us, but about Him.

There's two things that come out of religion, either Pride or Despair. We either think we're better than others by our works, and that we have a pretty holy resume of good works that will get us into heaven, or we think we're complete failures, and feel condemned by not meeting religion standards. Religion says its from the outside in. That external things will shape the inside, justify and satisfy us.That’s a big NOPE! It’s all about an intimate, personal relationship with experiencing and walking with Jesus. Relationship says inside out. Relationship says what God has already done for us. We shouldnt follow God for spiritual gifts, obtain good morals, or cuz we don’t want to go to hell. We should follow and love God, because He first loved us. God gave Himself up for us. He demonstrated His passionate love, by dying for our sins. That’s why we should love God.
"Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers." 1Tim 4:17

I still get choked up when i hear what Christ did for us. He lived a perfect life for us! He took the wrath of God for us! He paid the price of our sins, so we could be the righteousness of God. He saved us from sin and death! And then He continues to pour His incredible love and grace on us. Thats jus how awesome God is.

Our lives must match up to our faith. Our lives must conform to God's word. Our desires, need to be replace with His desires. Are we refusing or disobeying God? Are we living out our will or His will? Sometimes i know i can get pretty stubborn, when i know God demands something, and i dont wanna listen. But the bottom line is that we need to allow Him to have His way with us. We must instill His perfect and pleasing will as our default. Stop tryin to do everything on ur own. We must learn humility, because only through humility can we accept Christ. Look at how children freely receive. They rely and depend on the care giver. So let God handle ur problems, give Him your sins, let His grace, peace and love set you free.
We must decrease, so God can increase. In order to say Yes to His will, we may have to say No to ours. In order to put a new bed in your room, u must first get rid of the old one. Allow Him to reveal the fullness of His grace. Even if there were no heaven or eternal reward, I would still follow Christ, because experiencing an overwhelming joy and God's incomparable love, surpasses anything that this world has to offer. Its completely worth it to give up a worldly life of temporary pleasure, for an everlasting life full of His love. So ask urself "Whats really been getting in my way of God? Whats been slowing me down?" Cuz when i ask myself that question, i realize how much i get in my own way. I prevent myself from further growth. I not only trip over my own shoe laces, but also over my own self condemnation. I stumble and fall because of my pride, shame, anger, guilt, stubbornness and selfishness. We must stop trying to do things on our own.. If you trust Him with everything, He will lift you. The more we decrease, the more God can increase in our lives.
4) Good out of the Bad
Imagine u had huge holes in your house floor. Say one day you woke up, and on your way to the bathroom you fell into a hole and broke ur ankle. "Ouch!" The next day, you wake up, and fall into the same hole again! "Ah Barnacles!" Now by the third day, ur smart enuf to realize. "Dang i gotta be super careful. I should really watch out for those darn holes." As we go on living, we become better aware of avoiding the holes. Ask yourself, what are the dangerous holes in my life? How many times do i wanna sprain my ankle? What sins am i really struggling with? How can i patch this hole up, learn from this, and not fall into it again?

Last week i accidentally used the wrong bathroom. Apparently some bathrooms are made for a specific gender. lol, So after making an embarrassing mistake, i realized how i could have done that better. In the same way, we must observe our sins, struggles, conflicts, mistakes, failures, trials, and short comings. Because it will only strengthen us. When we fail to obey God, we not only learn what not to do, but what we should do from now on. So with each new day, we are offered a brand new start. We have the opportunity to take a closer walk with God. It's never too late to come to Him. He is always waiting with His accepting arms wide open. There's no one else who can offer such comfort, warmth, and love.
"Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." Romans 5:3-5

I saw the movie "Watchmen" over a weekend. I really liked it, because it made ya think about human morals. I heard that a lot of ppl didnt like it, because it wasnt what they expected. I have a different appreciation for movies. To me, the best movies are the ones that make you think about life. Anyways, i liked Watchmen, because one of the hidden messages was that normally something good can come out of something really bad. When theres a tough situation, chaos, anger, suffering, confusion, stress, fear, and loss, theres normally something good to be taken away from it. So has hard as times get, remember to embrace the underlying blessing. And sometimes God uses our bad decisions to teach us how to do things better the next time. Whenever something bad happens, we must learn our lesson from it.
(March 8th-ish) Honestly, these past two weeks have been great. I feel the freedom from sin. He has taken my heavy bag of shame and guilt. A lot of stress and pain has been lifted off of me. He taught me to forgive myself and look forward. I feel joyful for life. I praise God for the simple things. I can barely explain the feeling. I really dont have any major stressful problems in life. I can sleep peacefully at night. Nothing really really troubles me. School has been surprisingly pretty easy. The work load has been lighter. Im not that stressed with anything. I have become more disciplined and responsible. I'm actually progressing well in seeking to grow mentally, physically, and spiritually.

If you were to look at my life a year ago, and compare it with me today, you'd see huge results. My relationships with my family and friends are doing great! I enjoy spending time with people, and having good conversations. I’ve also been more consistent with reading and praying. Worshiping God with one’s life, and striving to die daily really does build one up stronger in the Lord. It’s been easier to talk to God and spend time in His presence. I feel more confident with my school work, bible studies, and daily task. My attitude and perspective on things have become extremely optimistic. I am constantly seeking growth, transformation, and change is proving to show maturity. I am learning to humble myself, surrender my pride, deny temptation, repent of my sins, obey God's word, and live with joy. I am no longer as focused with pleasing or impressing others. I dont seek the praise of men as much as before. Being born again, means living a new life, and no longer living for the self. I have switched my mind more on eternal things. God says to store up our treasures in heaven.
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matt 6:19-21

Those who lay up treasures in heaven are the richest people on earth

"Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness." Matt 6:33
"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory." Col 3:1-4

I am far from perfect. I am by no means writing all this to show off, or look like a good Christian. I am not writing all this to defend my character, but to proclaim His. I am writing all this to share my joy in the Lord. I am no where near perfect. Im a complete mess without Christ. Im not always on top of things, i sin everyday. But through the Grace of God, i am what i am. But I worship the one true God, who is perfect. I cant do anything on my own strength, but everything through Him who gives me strength. i am jus like everyone else, but saved from my sins, and forgiven through Christ. I went through a few months of sluggish storms and trials. I struggled a lot to overcome myself. But God never walked out on me. He is always sovereign, holy, faithful, just and perfectly wonderful. Yes we will always continue to stumble, but it's important that we get right back on track and always remember to keep our eyes on Jesus.

When you go beyond introspection, and reflect deep into your own heart, you begin to realize who you are in Christ. You begin to see how much God truly does love and care for you. You become super sick of your sin. Because sin is what separates us from Him. Our foolish wicked ways, fog up our relationship with Him. We become stubborn and prideful, most times without noticing it. We start to settle for getting by. We may feel guilty, shameful and unclean, but that doesnt always stop us from chasing after our own pleasures. So we wait till things get really bad. Till the darkness consumes our view of the light. Till we become a helpless wreck. So God pulls us out again and again. And yet we slowly compromise our priorities and settle for enough. I know we cant pursue God whole heartily all the time, but we should definitely strive to.

No matter how hard times get. With Jesus, everything will be alright. Stuff happens for a reason. We must grow stronger from them. We must learn to forgive ourselves, and let go. Jesus himself went through the most unbearable pain and suffering. He died our death, and paid the consequences for our sins. Through Jesus' death, the curtain was torn. We are no longer under the law, but under His grace. We have the ability to enter a personal relationship with the living God.
"For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace." Romans 6:14

"This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live ²⁰ and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life" Deut 30:19-20

Learning
The Christian faith is meant to endure hardships. It can be very distasteful to the flesh, and make one feel uncomfortable in new territory. The change of the human heart requires discipline, desire, passion, and perseverance. But most important, the change of heart requires faith, trust and hope in Christ Jesus. It is ultimately God who dwells in us, and starts to shape us closer to His likeness.
I’ve also learned that all strong believers, must face struggles. It’s the hardships and challenges that make us stronger. As mark likes to say, “If your not bumping heads with the devil, maybe ur on his side.” We really do need to fight our sins. We need to put on the full armor of God, and always be prepared to stand for truth and righteousness. It’s also important to admit our weaknesses, so we can see what areas we need improvement on. God doesn’t look for our perfection, but our direction. We must constantly strive to move forward, no matter what obstacles we will face. For when God is on our side, who can be against us?

5) March 10th n 11th- Anger
I know in my previous paragraphs, i explained how much i saw God working in my life. I really did take my relationship with God to another level. But even though i climbed another step of the latter in growth and maturity, I didnt prepare to trip and stumble so fast. God continued to teach me through a trial of anger. Im normally pretty slow to anger, and easy going. But somehow i allowed my emotions to get the best of me.
I was preparing for a hawaiian class presentation. And i couldnt find something i needed. So i relentlessly searched my house for 2 hours. I thought it was necessary to have this object for my presentation, so i refused to give up. In the end i still didnt find it. It was 11pm, and i still didnt get to memorize a dozen of hawaiian sentences. I was pissed off. I took it out on my mom, because i needed someone to blame. She probably didnt misplace what i was looking for, but i just needed someone to help me figure out what to do. I was also mad cuz i ate choke beef jerky + cuttle fish. Flossing a bunch of junk out of ur sore teeth can really become quite tedious.

So by midnight im stressed out, hungry, tired, groggy, pissy, fussy and jus completely angry. Anyways, i jus ended up going to sleep. The next morning i still woke up mad, because i didnt prepare for my presentation. So i woke up early, n memorized my hawaiian while driving to school. I finally got my script down decently, lugged in a huge box and bags to class, and prepared for the presentation. But first 3 other girls hadta give their presentation. The first girl does hers quickly. But the other 2 girls take 15-20 minutes, when really your supposed to limit urself to 10-15. So i went up to the teacher, and she said that i couldnt present, cuz we ran out of time. And if you know me, u know i hold in my anger. I was so upset, i just threw my stuff in my car and drove home. I wasted the last night and early morning panicking over being ready. And anyone who drives, knows how reckless you get when your angry. I started getting super pissed at bad drivers. I started swearing in my mind and out loud. I needed someone to get mad at besides myself, so i took it out on God.
During this time of anger, God taught me a lot. God warns us, that in our anger do not sin. I definitely understand why He said that. Our anger allows us to make rash decisions. We become reckless with our actions. We shake, push, kick, throw, slam and yell to release our anger. God showed me how impatient i become in a troubled mind. In our anger we begin to compromise with sin. Negative thoughts flood our mind. We begin to hold in all the pain and allow it to ruin our interactions for the day.

I saw myself like a rebellious child against his parents. I just didnt wanna listen to God. I basically lost control of myself. I allowed these emotions of anger to drive away what the Holy Spirit was pleading. I felt weak. I condemned myself a lot. I cried out to God for some sort of help. I expressed my troubled heart. And then God spoke to me. He showed me the effect of my anger. I needed to cool down. So i bought some lunch, went home to watch a movie, took a nap, went to the gym and felt much better. Instead of holding all the little problems inside, we jus need to learn to let them go. Let it go and look forward. So even though i sinned in my anger, God still taught me of the many lessons to be learned.
March 20th - More Anger
Today i was driving to skool like normal. And i saw an open parking space on da street. I was like "sweeet! i dont hafta pay money for parking today, and i can get to class sooner!" So i turned into a drive way, and poked out to make a left turn. But this huge truck was coming with a line of cars behind. So i thought it'd be nice to let them go first, so i dont hafta hold them up as i parallel. (btw im super pro at parallel parkin) Then as i follow the last car, i see him stop and steal MY stall that I had been looking at fo da longest time. I was like "Oh dude.. no your not.. You frickin buggah, you better not..." but he did.. I guess it was all fair game, but i was still super pissed. So i gave him da stink eye, and den went to park in da struct-chur. Wasnt a real Christian thing to do.. So I held that anger in for a good 17minutes. It was pretty difficult trying to let it go. But eventually i just got over it and moved on.

Staying mad at something or someone will end up ruining the rest of your day. So because i remembered my anger from before, today i got over my anger quicker. God is also teaching me how to walk in patience. Sometimes I allow my frustrations, stress, worries, anger, and irritations to get the best of me. I’m continuing to learn to live be the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23). The only way we can please God, is through the Holy Spirit. I wish I could rely on the Spirit 24/7, and not follow my own fleshy ways. The wages of sin is death, but it is in the Spirit we find life. It doesn’t surprise God, that we continue to drift away, and fall short. Perhaps this is why God must regenerate our hearts everyday. We must continue to surrender and repent of our ways, so the Spirit can do what we cannot. It is only possible through God’s own strength.

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." Gal 5:22-23
"but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." John 4:14
"Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." Matt 19:26
"God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." John 4:24

6) Loving OthersWhat’s the trick to genuinely loving others? How are we to be broken for the lost? How are we to truly care for another? We must look through the eyes of Jesus. We should eagerly serve others, and be concerned with how others are doing. But how? Where do we get that motivation and discipline? My simple theory is, the more we’re filled with the Spirit, the easier it is to love. The trick is to find a deeper relationship with God first, because it’s hard to pour the Spirit onto others when we ourselves are running empty. The difference between our shallow love, and God’s love, is that ours is very conditional, and His love is unconditional, not to mention perfect and pure. When we are moved by the Spirit, we can tap into sharing not our love, but God’s love. I believe that’s the secret.

When we find joy in the Lord, it becomes easy, automatic, enjoyable and our delight to spend time loving others. You start to compliment more, greet more, smile more, and love authentically. You find urself getting involved in deeper conversations, and actually enjoying spending quality time with people. But again, this isn’t possible without the help of God.
“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. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.” -Phil 2:3-5

On Saturday, March 7th, i went to Kevin's house for a fellowship/prayer/worship party. It was truly great to meet with other believers. You could instantly connect to the foundation of Christ. We had worship, communion, and got to truly pray for each other. This is what i imagined the body of the church to look like. Not necessary having a church service on Sunday, but just a gathering and meeting of disciples. We exhorted, encouraged, comforted, and strengthened each other. The Holy Spirit made itself well known. It was definitely a time of praise and restoration.

Kevin mentioned how he heard john piper give an illustration to explain our identity w/ God. (in da book Desiring God). He said "Imagine your entire body is paralyzed. You're stuck in this bed for life. All you can do is move your mouth. God is like the care giver. He's constantly by our side. But there's nothing we can really do for God. God doesnt need our help. But we definitely need His. So the most loving thing we can do, is depend on Him. Ask Him for help, and He'll help. In humility we recognize our inability to do anything on our own. All we can do, is pray out to God to help us. And when we ask, we should ask with true faith and belief that He is working. For anything that we ask in His name (according to His will), He will gladly give it to us. The best thing we can do, is receive what God gives, and praise Him for it.

Here's my point. We cant pray on our own, we cant worship on our own, we cant do anything good without God's Spirit helping us. We cant even love God, without Him interceding for us. So we learn that all credit, praise and glory goes directly to God. True humility, is seeking to live only for Him, saying No to our ways, and Yes to His. We are His vessels and ambassadors. For it is Christ who works through us.
"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will." Romans 8:26-27

One thing that ive been struggling on is loving those that are hard to love. Its much easier to love the meek, the tired, the depressed, the hungry, and the sick. But how do you truly love on those that are prideful and arrogant in themselves. We all know people who can get on our nerves. How do we love those who we often get irritated with? How do we love those who are selfish, and seem to only talk about themselves? How do you care for someone who only cares for themselves? These people arnt enemies, but they are just hard to love on sometimes. Its a challenge to give to those who will freely take whatever you offer. Sometimes i have a hard time jus holding a conversation with them because they jus seem to get caught up with themselves. These people are perhaps even harder to love than the broken. How do u share Christ with them?? Only God can offer such a powerful love to transform humanity.

ConversationsIn the last two days i have also had very successful conversations. I met 4-5 new ppl, and really got to know them. I walked half a mile to the parking structure, to realize that i parked in the upper manoa parking (which is super far away). But then i knew God was gonna turn this mistake around. I then met an old friend from elementary school, and got to catch up as we caught the shuttle to upper manoa. Sometimes i forget how everything that happens is meant to happen, and that it is by divine design.

This week i also got to meet with friends who im not that close to, and got to dive into some fun conversations. I think part of loving others, involves taking the time to care about others. Being others minded, helps us to show others that their appreciated, and that the time we spend with them is meaningful. Sometimes the best thing we can do, is just be there to listen. People who are having a hard time in life, really just need a friend to talk to. People will appreciate the time and love you take to spend with them.

We must always keep in mind to be relational and intentional. Build strong relationships, so that you can be intentional with pouring into people. Invest in relationships. We must practice leading conversations into something deeper and meaningful. Sure its fine to talk about video games, sports, movies, jokes, school and work. But we must try to ask them questions to get them to think and ask themselves the tough questions. We must shape conversations leading to the importance of Jesus. You can ask them what they plan to do in life, Where they see themselves now, What their goals are, What they want to improve on, What they’ve learned, What they’ve gone through, What’s most important to them, and Where they see themselves in their relationship with God. Find out their troubles, fears, confusions, anxieties, and insecurities, So we can tell them about the incredible love of Jesus. Because just thinking about God can lead to transformation, restoration, peace and joy.

Ask them how they’re doing spiritually. Lend your help. Become a bigger brother or sister. Take time to listen and pray with them. We must be ambassadors of Christ. What good is salt that lost it's saltiness? What good is a light under a bushel? We must share the good news, invite the lost, teach the young, refresh the weary, and challenge the faithful to take courage. Whoever we talk to, it should be our goal to bring them closer to Jesus. Even when it seems we’ve failed. God still works in their thoughts.
7) The Church
I used to think not being part of a local church was alright. I used to think that it was good enough to just think of God wherever I was, so I could sleep in on Sundays. Then I started to realize, that we don’t go to church to just hear a message, we go to gather n worship with other fellow Christians. Remember to keep in mind that the church is not a building, but the body of believers. We are called to use our gifts to build, serve and edify the church. We must build relationships with Christians, n talk about Christ. We must gather as small churches to strengthen and encourage each other through prayer and exhortation. I find it quite pivotal to attend weekly services, small groups, fellowships, bible studies, and discipleships, Because I believe it worships God, grows urself, and strengthens others. Its considered a sin not to love on our Christian brothers and sisters.

"And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching." –Hebrews 10:24-25

It's important to have fellowship with our brothers and sisters (Christians). We are told to confess our sins to each other, encourage each other, pray and share with each other. The reason we have spiritual gifts, is to build up the body of Christ. The church is the body of believers. We as Christians need to make sure we consistently meet with the body. Whether it be bible studies, small groups, discipleship, fellowship, a conversation over a meal, or Sunday church, we need to serve, share, build, strengthen, and love on each other. Jesus saw the importance of eating together. He spent quality time with His disciples, Ate with anyone who was hungry, and called us all to take communion with Him.

I've experienced some intense fellowship before. There r times doing worship where you can actually feel ur heart tremble, and the fire of the Lord swarm through the room. I've been in rooms with hundreds of Christians, doing nothing but praising God. You can almost hear the angels rejoicing and dancing along your side. We need to make it a priority to praise and worship God together. We need to make it a priority to pray for each other. And lastly, we need to make sure we love on each other. Making friendships and moving as one body, under the one God, is perhaps the most effective way we can reach the those who don't know the Lord. As we build up our brothers and sisters, they will also be building us up. So when we're in a situation on our own, we know we can stand up for God, and share the love of Christ.

Investing in PeopleI really have a heart for ministry and bible studies, but lately i'm realizing that im stretching myself to thin. I need to focus and key on a few ministries, so i can invest in specific people. People who are not yet believers need a lot of care and preconversion time in order to be ready to make a solid decision to follow Jesus. Some ppl need to hear the gospel more than once. We need to harvest the field carefully, instead of backing them up against the wall and pressuring them to accept God. The process of Christian conversion can really vary. As God's royal priest, we need to be patient with teaching and guiding them. We also need to watch our witness to them. By "our witness" i mean watching our lives closely, because whether we know it or not, people are observing our character. Our lives need to reflect His image, because looking like Jesus, will lead people to Jesus.

Witnessing is not just something a Christian says, but what he is.

Jesus says to come as we are. But sometimes people’s fears hold them back. People need time to let go of this fear. They need time to reflect and think. They need to come to saving faith by personally encountering the living God. Most people need a lot of time, before they know their ready to get married. In the same way, most ppl need to go on a few dates with God, before they're ready to make a true commitment and professing faith. This is why it's important to connect them to the body, and invite them to Christian events. The soul hungers and thirsts for the Word of God. People need time to get their blurry vision cleared up. People need to get comfortable with God's love and truth, before they can truly commit to Him.

Im sure it was really tough for the prodigal son to return to his father. But our Heavenly father wants us to come to Him with our sins. In the parable, i learned that the fathers true treasure wasnt his money, but his son. His son was priceless to him, so he gave him the inheritance. And the son's true inheritance wasnt the money, but his father, in which he came back home to.

People think we must become perfect before we can stand in His presence. Its common to think we need to get our act together before we can see God. But because of Christ, we can come as we are, and we will freely forgive. Do you get over ur illness before you see a doctor? No, you go to the doctor sick, so he can help cure you.
Going to alter calls, raising hands, professing faith and having them repeat a simple prayer, may not be saving as many people as we think. In the Matrix, Morpheus gives Neo a decision between the real true life, by taking the red pill... or going back to a fake comfortable dream world, by taking the blue pill. People can say they want the red pill, and believe the red pill, but end up swallowing and living by the blue pill. True believers continue to believe and walk in His ways. True justification always leads to sanctification.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hhymzx6ovfQ&feature=related

In Matt 13, Jesus gives a parable about scattering the seeds, and only the seeds in the good soil grew. In my mind, the soil is the time that takes them to prepare for the cost of discipleship. Following Jesus isnt always easy and can be uncomfortable at times. People don’t want to leave their old life of sin, and submit to God’s ways. My calling is to tend and care for the sprouting seeds, and letting God grow them. We must also not forget to take care of the plants already growing. Both seeds and plants require nutrition. In the same way, people need fellowship, prayer, encouragement, discipleship, accountability, and guidance. Many plants may not be getting enough nutrition. God has called me to shepherd and help struggling Christians to take one step closer to Him. And the only way plants can grow successfully, is if they are being well fed everyday.

The KingdomRecently i heard that the "kingdom" is here and now, and still to come. I have to do more studying on the what the "kingdom" is, because i am hesitant to believe anything just because a bunch of people say so. But it is a very interesting concept. I was taught that the OT prophecies point to what the kingdom would be, and also what Jesus described. After Jesus' death, supposedly the kingdom lives within us, and is also still to come. The kingdom is within us. Im still trying to wrap my mind over the idea. The idea that, all God's people are given the Holy Spirit, and enter a kingdom, where Jesus is the King. Those who have part with Jesus, have part with each other, as a body of the church. We of many make one. This kingdom is not from man, but an eternal kingdom of God. This kingdom is within us, and yet still to come, where can see Him face to face in His heavenly courts. I am still unsure if hell/evil has it's own kingdom in people. I am still greatly confused on the topic, but find it quite interesting to study. But like i said before, test everything i say, and match it up to God's word.

"The kingdom of God embraces all created intelligence, both in heaven and earth that are willingly subject to the Lord and are in fellowship with Him. The kingdom of God is, therefore, universal in that it includes created angels and men. It is eternal, as God is eternal, and it is spiritual—found within all born-again believers. We enter the kingdom of God when we are born again, and we are then part of that kingdom for eternity. It is a relationship "born of the spirit".
Comparing to Others
I know ive mentioned this before in previous blogs, but it's worth bringing up again. Both non-believers and believers can get caught up with comparing ourselves to others. When we compare ourselves to others we either feel prideful or insufficent. We feel either better and more righteous or feel like a stinky pile of poop compared to others.

I understand why some people dont want to meet Jesus. Because instead of looking at Jesus, they point out and see Christians. Sometimes we as Christians can ruin our witness. We can easily come off as judgemental, hypocritical, prideful, and just as ugly sinners. Which are all still true. People think that just because someone is a Christian, they dont fall into sin anymore. So yes, we do need to aim for holiness and righteousness, so we can reflect the light of Christ. But instead of people looking at Christians, we need to tell them to look at Jesus. I hope that makes sense..

8) Desiring God
In March 2008, one year ago, I learned that in order to grow we must desire to be closer to God. Here’s what I learned today from reading Desiring God., by John Piper, a Christian Hedonist. I relearned what it means to desire Him, with some extra lessons. I thought to myself.. “Why aren’t Christians growing more spiritually?” And the answer is “Because they don’t truly desire to." If you desperately chase after God with a burning zeal for more, you will definitely find more.

The chief end of God is to glorify God, by enjoying Himself forever. God would cease to be God if He wasn’t for Himself. He is the infinite source of joy. He must therefore be for Himself, if He is to be for us. Everything He created is meant to reflect His glory. For through Himself He holds all things together. God displays His glory in all His creation, and He brings life through Himself. Therefore it should also be our chief end to glorify God, and enjoy Him forever. We shouldnt jus praise God for what He's done for us, but praise Him for who He is. God best demonstrated His love by sending His one and only Son to die for our sins, in order to gather His people, and to declare His glory over all the earth. He wants us to come to Him, and witness His love, so we can disperse His light and glory throughout His creation.
How do you glorify God?
You bring praise to His name.
How do you worship God?
You can only worship Him when you have joy in Him.
How do you find inexhaustible, and infinite delight in the Lord?
By embracing and taking delight in His perfect being
"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." 2 Cor 3:17-18

"We must make His desires our desires. We must make His principles, our principles. We must make His values our values." - David Burr
It is not only our duty to love God and others, it should be our Joy to Love. He is the eternal reward. He is the treasure, inheritance, and prize. He is all that is good. He is the Author of the beginning, and the Finisher of the end. He works all things to His purpose. He rules all galaxies, and universes. He reigns over the sun, moon and stars. He is. If u’ve looked at David’s psalms, you’ll find that they all praise the Lord, with a yearning soul, and Spirit filled joy. At the end of my blog, I included a song that mentions the names men have used to title God. God has many different names, but all the meanings are the same. God is above all, and worthy of all praise. He was, is, and still to come. God’s greatness is beyond all of man’s wisdom, words and imagination. The most joyful moments of my day, are the moments that I spend with Him. So let our lives be our spiritual act of worship. Let us conform to His word, His will, and His way. Glorifying Him in everything we do.
So why is it important to find joy in the Lord? Because that’s what glorifies Him most. When we are most satisfied in Him, He is most glorified. God seek the fullness of our joy, which is only found in knowing and praising Him. We can grow a deeper relationship with Him, the more we desire to. But again how exactly do you build up that desire, love, and joy to chase after God?
The answer is.. by taking pleasure in His supremacy, sovereignty, faithfulness, kindness, gentleness, mercy, grace, peace, power, strength, wisdom, justice, compassion, holiness, character, beauty, wonder, magnificence, simplicity, complexity, and perfect love. He is perfect in every way. And when you take a true look at His perfect and loving being, you can’t help but find awesome joy in Him. Your soul will rejoice, and sing songs of praise. You will fall in an intimate love relationship with Him. This love is beyond anything the world can ever offer. His love is eternal. God is love. God is the way, the truth and the life.
Think about how much God is on ur mind.. Now think about how much you're on God's mind.
"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" Phil 4:4
"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38-39
K so here's my logic theory. The more you seek Him, the more you’ll find Him, the more you find Him, the more you’ll desire Him, the more you desire Him, the more joy you’ll receive, the more joy you receive, the more you’ll grow spiritually, the more you grow spiritually, the deeper your faith will increase, the deeper your faith increases, the more you’ll pursue righteousness, the more you pursue righteousness, the more you’ll live by the Spirit, the more you live by the Spirit, the more you’ll love, the more you love, the more you’ll praise Him, and the more you praise Him, the more you glorify Him. Thus, the more you seek Him = the more you'll glorify Him.

"Our sincere desire counts far more than any specific success or failure." -Brennan Manning

Sing to the Lord a new song;
sing to the Lord, all the earth.
Sing to the Lord, praise his name;
proclaim his salvation day after day.Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous deeds among all peoples.
For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
he is to be feared above all gods.
For all the gods of the nations are idols,but the Lord made the heavens.
Splendor and majesty are before him;
strength and glory are in his sanctuary.
Ascribe to the Lord, O families of nations,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
bring an offering and come into his courts.
Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness;
tremble before him, all the earth. Psalm 96: 1-9
March 27th - Finding Joy
Why must we march in joy? Because the Christian life isnt to be seen as just a list of rules and chores, it should be our delight to follow Christ. It should be pursued in celebration, because of the triumph over death. Why is the gospel (good news) so important? Because Christ conquered sin and death!! Jesus has defeated the enemy. We are given new life! We are saved through Christ our Savior! We need to March as His body, lifting our voices in victory! Shouting praises that glorify His name. Rejoicing in the Spirit of love, peace, truth and joy.

He has come to save His people!! Even though we as sheep go astray, He always comes to rescue us. Christianity is not a religion bound by a strict law, legalistic rules, and good works. It is through a touch from Jesus, that we explode with joy. A relationship that stirs up a passion to chase after God. A desperate want and need to spend time with Him. To actually want to pray, read the bible, and love others. Theres a difference between feeling that we hafta clean our room, and actually wanting to clean our room. Are you forced to eat awesome chicken katsu curry?! Is it a hassle to spend time with friends? Do we find it a chore to love God? i hope not. It should be our joy.
I asked myself "How do you build up a joy in the Lord?" because sometimes i know we definitely don't always feel like living for God. How do we set our hearts on fire? And i was reminded of how desperate we need to be, in order to truly want Him. When a little kid wants a toy, does he just ask you once? ...lol, of course not.. I've been asking my mom for a dog for ages... You beg, you plead, and you fall on ur knees with desire.

When we become most desperate for Him, we find ourselves pleading and wanting more of God in our life. You find urself praying, not because u should, but because you want to. You begin to spark a joy. When you want to want God, then God reveals more. And when you really really want something, you'll do anything to get it. If you arnt hungry for more delicious food, you probably wont get second servings. God is an infinite delight. When we rely, we submit, when we submit we trust. When you realize you cant make it on your own strength, thats when you turn to Jesus. Our depravity, points to a dependence and need of the perfect one. Get caught in God's grace, you'll be quite amazed.
"How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!" Psalm 119:103

Think of God as an incredible art piece. A portrait full of memorizing colors. When you catch a true stare of it's beauty, you find an emotion of joy. You become enraptured with full wonder and awe, trying to take in His amazing beauty. We need to spend more time taking joy in viewing all His splendor and creation. We may not be able to see God directly face to face now, but we can definitely smell His fragrant aroma. God is truly breath-taking. The earth is filled with His love and glory, but most of the time we arnt aware of it. We take His blessings for granted. We become distracted with material and human loves. God is like the sun, everything revolves around Him, and depends on His warmth and light. Instead of worshiping the gift of life, we should be worshiping the giver of life.

"Now there was only one hope, the sovereign grace of God. God would have to transform my heart to do what a heart cannot make itself do, namely, want what it ought to want. Only God can make the depraved heart desire God." - John Piper

"The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want." -Psalm 23:1

9) A Relationship with GodGod looks on the inside. He sees our efforts. He looks down and smiles on us, jus for trying to communicate to Him. He encourages us to reach out with everything. He constantly tells us to trust Him. He sees our intentions. He knows our thoughts. And He knows what we can handle. And when we screw up, He instantly looks past it because of Christ. He says "Get up, try again. You can do it. Turn from your wicked ways. Follow me. Im right here. Trust me. Come to me. Pray. Repent. Believe. Trust. Push. Run. Chase. Fight. Pursue. Love. I'll take care of you. You're mine and I'll never forsake you. Im always right by your side. I love you no matter what." God doesnt go back on His word. God doesnt forget His promises. God freely saves us, tenderly holds us, and pours out His Spirit of love and grace. God is a redeemer. That's just who He is.
When you get to know God more personally, you also get to find yourself. What you know, or what do, isnt as important as who you are. Religion says "DO!", Relationship says "DONE!". Just BE. See yourself as God sees you. See yourself as His beloved child. God not only reveals our identity in Him, but shows us our purpose. When u listen carefully to the Creator, He tells us exactly what we are meant to do.

When you open a box of legos, u can try to figure out how to build ur own creation. You can try to find extra pieces to make it feel more complete. But then when we get crushed into broken little pieces, we realize that its useless on our own strength and knowledge. So the Creator steps in. He picks up the broken pieces, and shows us the lego instruction manual. (Da Bible) He then goes through His blueprints one step at a time. He shows us our purpose of what He has designed and created us to do. Then He continues to build us up, stronger and stronger.

In August of last year, I found myself on my bed, asking myself “So why does God love me so much, that He would die for my sins? That He would freely offer Himself, to cleanse and forgive my evil ways. Why does God love me so much!?” And then it dawned on me.. “Cuz that’s just who He is! He is our Heavenly Father, and I am His. He adopted me into His kingdom. He reached down and saved me, because I am His!” He says "Chris, you're mine. You're my child, who i love." This stirred up an incredible amount of praise and love to God.

Until this day, I cant stress the amount of freedom and beauty that is found only in the gospel. His-story is about how God saves His us from sin, doing what we could not do on our own. It is by His crazy awesome grace, that He redeems His lost sheep. There is so much joy to be found in giving God glory. He is of infinite worth. He offers us everlasting life. He draws you closer to Him. He pours out His loving Spirit upon us. He guides us, protects us, comforts us, and looks upon us with His compassionate eyes. He reigns supreme over all.
When u find an intimate relationship with the living God, your heart may begin to tremble, you become aware that the entire room is filled with His glorious presence, you’ll begin to hear His voice speaking to you, you begin to weep in sheer happiness, thankfulness and adoration, your heart will spark up a passionate fire, and you’ll cry out in songs of love, joy and praise, you’ll be given a calm peace and restoration, you’ll be lifted from any darkness, pain, hurt, guilt, shame, sorrow, fear, and troubles, you’ll begin to smile back to God, you’ll stir up this hot burning zeal for more of Him, and then you wont be able to help but spill out this love onto others.
March 21st - Eyes on Jesus
Sometimes i can become very legalistic. Sometimes i worry too much. Sometimes i rely on my own strength. Sometimes i forget of the importance of obeying Jesus. Sometimes i fall into worldly temptations. Sometimes i get angry, and pessimistic. Sometimes i think negatively about someone. Sometimes i dim my light down, and hold my tongue to avoid any conflict. Ive made many bad decisions. Ive hurt people. Ive done evil to people. And even though im guilty of a ka-zillion wicked sins, God sees me as white as snow. I am no longer a slave to sin, but to Christ. We cant allow sin to master us, and reign in our bodies. We should count ourselves dead to sin, and alive in Christ.

For when we become Christians, we die to sin and death, because Christ conqured over that on the cross. But then we become "born again". We enter a new life, that seeks to glorify God Almighty, who is our Savior and Redeemer. We must accept God's grace and leave our sinful past behind. For God’s own blood, washes us perfectly clean. We are welcomed into His kingdom. He invites us into a new life of truth. And even after knowing all that, I still forget to love and thank Him.
"For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has been freed from sin." Romans 6:6
"Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!" Romans 7:20-24

Keep your eyes fixed on the prize

I don’t make enough time for Him. I forget to acknowledge Him more. And that's what it all boils down to. God gives us a huge hint, He says that all we hafta do is love Jesus! For it is God who strengthens, who drives out fear, who molds us, and it is God who helps us to love Him back. Lets keep our eyes focused on Jesus.

I talked to my accountability partner dean, and he really exhorted and encouraged me throughout my cluttered mind of confusion. I realized that everything that is not from faith is a sin. I realized how much ive been sinning, because i havnt been glorifying God in many of my daily activities. Forgetting to acknowledge and appreciate our relationship with God can be seen as a sin. Not honoring Him, means choosing to do things our way. Sometimes I can get so confused with interpretations of scripture and what's considered a sin, that i forget to just trust Jesus.
"But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin." Romans 14:23

"Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching." John 14:24
10) Jonathan Edwards
One of the books im currently reading is on the life of Jonathan Edwards. He lived between from 1704-1758. He is considered one of the last medieval scholastic puritan orthodox theologians, and first modern American philosopher-theologians. Snap, what a title. He is also known for pursuing a life of holiness and righteousness. He also lead a strong movement of revival in the Great Awakening. He wrote 70 resolves, that he often reflected on. He grew very popular because of his strong sermons and deep convictions.

Another thing i admire is that he stood strong to his beliefs. He had a disagreement with the way people were taking communion. He felt that non-believers without any fruits of conversion shouldnt be allowed to take communion. And i think that makes alot of sense, because ppl were thinkin that they were saved, jus because they took part in communion, went through a ritual baptism, and attended a few church services. This controversy pushed him to no longer be the head pastor of a church. Other big churches asked him to come lead their churches, but he chose to go preach to the Mohican and Mohawk Indians.

Edwards laid is life down in sacrifice to Christ the King. He saw his own inadequacy on his own strength. Instead of doing things in hopes of God's blessing on it, He saw the importance of conforming his own will to God's will. What made Jonathan Edwards a great leader and noble teacher, was that behind each of his resolutions was the driving force of God. True Greatness is a life that is lead by Jesus.

"God granted Edwards many converts and changed lives, but was also in many conflicts and controversy. Nonetheless, Edwards is greatly admired for his relentless passion and devotion to further growth." - Steven Lawson

"Edwards clearly realized his life was not his own, but that he belonged entirely to God and, therefore, must live in surrender to Him. As David Vaughn writes: "He was determined to devote himself to God. Indeed, this is the key to understanding his power and life." Edwards knew he could not make a resolution that was contrary to God's will and expect His aid to keep it. Rather, every resolution must be in accord with God's will." - Steven Lawson
"Edwards argues that only the regenerate person can truly choose the transcedent God; that choice can be made only through a disposition that God infuses in regeneration. The one who wills to believe in Christ, Edwards taught, is the one in whom the Holy Spirit has already performed His sovereign, monergistic work in the new birth." -Steven Lawson
True Greatness & Pursing Righteousness
I admire influential theologian leaders like Jonathan Edwards, John Calvin, Martin Luther and some other old authors. There's a long list of brave leaders i look up to, and they all seem to be Calvinist. Many of the leaders are similar to the apostle Paul. They understand the pursuit of personal holiness. In my mind, True Greatness is living a life pleasing to God. The chief end of man is to glorify God. Putting Love over all spiritual gifts and needing nothing else in life but God.

True greatness is living a life that grows in humility, servitude, obedience, submission, righteousness, godliness, holiness, purity, integrity, and develops a genuine, authentic, relentless heart after God. True Greatness also requires great faith. All the high names of men in the bible, were only due to the fact, that they trusted, obeyed, and followed God. These things are only accomplished by life through the Spirit. Otherwise, it is impossible to please God on our own. Why should we strive towards being righteous, blameless and pure? Because it will not only glorify God, but it will bring us closer in relationship with God. So because Jesus demonstrated how we are to love another, we must imitate Him. We must continue to grow in His likeness, becoming more and more like Him. WWJD?

"Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you." John 13:14-15
"Then he said to them, "Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For he who is least among you all—he is the greatest." Luke 9:48

"So the last will be first, and the first will be last." Mark 20:16

Paul tell us to imitate him, as He imitates Christ. Paul sets up a pretty good example of how a Christian should live out his/her faith. Although he used to kill Christians, God turned him around and he become known for being a father to the Christian church. Of course our Heavenly Father reigns supreme over all. But Paul successfully oversaw the development of the first early churches. He saw the importance of spreading the good news of Jesus. If u found the cure for cancer, u would go from city to city sharing it to all that needed it. Jesus is that cure. After the resurrection of Jesus, lives have been changed and saved every single day.

"To be alive is to be broken. And to be broken is to stand in need of grace. Honesty keeps us in touch with our neediness and the truth that we are saved sinners. There is a beautiful transparency to honest disciples who never wear a false face and do not pretend to be anything but who they are." -Brennan Manning

Don’t try to hide ur sin from God. Just come as you are. Surrender any fears, confusions, arguments, stubbornness, insecurities, and pain, and step over the line from darkness to light. Step out in faith, and trust Him to wash away our filthiness. Pass over from death to life. Just as Christ conquered the grave, we must be born again, to receive eternal life. The holy angels, and entire kingdom of God are ready to celebrate. Reflect deep upon your life. Consider what God offers. Cry out to God and accept His love and forgiveness.

God always accepts us, even when we come home covered in filthy mud.

"Whatever our failings may be, we need not lower our eyes in the presence of Jesus. Unlike Quasimodo, the hunchback of Notre Dame, we need not hide all that is ugly and repulsive in us. Jesus comes not for the super spiritual but for the wobbly and the weak-kneed who know they don’t have it all together, and who are not too proud to accept the handout of amazing grace. As we glance up, we are astonished to find the eyes of Jesus open with wonder, deep with understanding, and gentle with compassion." –Brennan Manning
Books / TVMost of the stuff ive been reading is by present day authors and leaders. I definitely want to dive into the earlier influential leaders in the 1600-1800’s. This is when a bulk of Christianity in Europe and early America was founded. I have so many books I wanna read, cuz there’s so much vision, understanding of God’s word, knowledge and wisdom to soak in. I really enjoy reading eloquent writers, learning profound revelations, deep insights, biblical theology on Christian doctrine, and books on reformed revival movements. I’m very careful not to waste my time reading from the amount of garbage out there. But I do realize that, if you wanna learn more about God’s characteristics, the world’s humanity, and about Christian church history, you can probably find a list of good authors who wrote a tremendous amount of works on the topic.

I’m still having a hard time transitioning from tv to books though. I can get pretty inconsistent with my reading habits. But it seems once I open a book, and get caught by its wonder, I cant stop reading. It also applies to clicking that tv power button on the remote. Im still very confused with where i stand on watching/listening to media. Tv can cause me to lust, become lazy, cause my friends to stumble, compromise with inappropriate humor, and become unproductive with my time. Btw go read the "Ragamuffin Gospel" by Brennan Manning. It really helped me to learn about God's grace.

Most media out there doesnt seem to glorify God. But should we consider it a sin to play video games, watch movies, sitcoms, comedies and cartoons? Should we filter what we should or shouldnt watch? I think it'd be wrong to accept all media or band all media. Maybe you can understand my fustration and confusion over this. I would throw this into the grey areas catergory, with tattoos, gambling, drinking, etc.
"Everything is permissible"—but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible"—but not everything is constructive." 1 Cor 10:23
11) Conversion
Okay, so who is God? What did He say? What did He do? Who is Jesus Christ? Is Jesus really God? You either believe Christ was a Lunatic, Liar, or Lord. Was he jus a crazy man beliving to be God? Was He the wolrd's greatest deciever? Or was He truly the Son of God?! Because if He is God, then we would need to believe in everything He said, including Him being the only right way.

How do we know if Jesus was God? Are we gonna listen to what men think? Or will you allow God to reveal Himself to you. God does all the saving. Saving from what? I think we firstly need to understand our desperate need for a savior. Sometimes it takes a lot of time for people to realize "Hey i dont know everything, i cant do everything on my own, im lost, empty inside and have no meaning. Ive been living for myself. And im stuck in a life style of sin." At that point, people start to jump at what Jesus offers. Understanding our total depravity in life, leads us to seek something that will satisfy. And God, who is love, is the only one big and complete enough to satisfy the human heart.

True conversion requires us to die to ourselves (take up your cross daily and follow me). True conversion requires a desire, need, and commitment to change. Look at athletes and musicians. They have a drive for growth, a daily commitment, and they never stop practicing. The more they exceed in a skill, the easier and more comfortable they can perform. In the same way, Christians and non-Christians, need to desire more, if they are to receive and grow more. If you want something, you hafta go get it. If you don’t truly want or desire something, you probably wont get it. These are simple sayings, but have a lot of truth to it. True desire will fight over the difficulties, and the difficulties will only make you stronger. Growth in instruments, sports, jobs and relationships, all require time, effort, discipline, training, persistence, drive, commitment, devotion and a strong desire.

"Then he said to them all: "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." Luke 9:23-24

I enjoy hearing the testimonies of how people come to know the Lord. I was listening to C.S. Lewis’s testimony. He described his search for truth and meaning in this world. He described his fascinations with myths, poetry, and religions. He came to learn that he did not own himself. He knew he was not god. He knew he was part of something greater yet to be known. He had a tough time moving from atheist to theist. He would then argue about God’s principles, and how God did things. But through his frustrations, reflection, experiences, conversations, books, and much thinking, he moved from theism to Christianity. He finally gave in one night, and surrendered to God. He described himself as perhaps the most dejected and reluctant converts. But nonetheless, he knew deep inside that God was God.

God's Love 4 usAllow God to love you. Take hold of His promises and truth. Accept His forgiveness. Let Him break down any walls, and soften your heart. Let Him comfort you and hold you. Ask and recieve. Step out in faith and trust Him. His love will convince anyone. And i can't explain God's love, it is something that one must experience first hand. Only when you have truly experienced God's love, will you believe. So seek after Him and taste His overwhelming love. Repent, and cry out to God, for Him to pour down His infinite love. Keep praying endlessly, until God reaches down graciously and rescues you.
“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Cor 5:21

"He himself is the propitiation for our sins.." 1John 2:2
Why is God worth living a life for? Why is God worth dying for? Why should we praise Him? Why should we trust Him? Why should we follow Him? And why should we love Him? The answer to all of these questions is because God loves us. We dont deserve salvation or a savior. But because He sees us as His, He graciously and lovingly took the place of our sins. His sacrifice on the cross, completed the final atonement for the sins of His people.

Stop to think right now and focus on the love of Jesus. Didja know at this very moment, Jesus is loving you. He loved us even before we were born, and it endures forever. His love is stronger than our sins. In order for God's wrath to be satisfied, He used Himself to pay for the consequences of our sin. When we see God's undying love for us, we begin to transform and change from the inside out. And then even when we want to, we cant even seem to love Him back correctly. So God intecedes for us even more, by sending Himself as the Holy Spirit. Like i mentioned before, Instead of focusing on how we can surrender our sinful selfs and love God more, we must focus on becoming fully aware of His love for us.

God's love still stands when all else has fallen

Heres my short deductive reasoning... God's love for us => our love for Him => our love for ourselves and others, while desiring to follow Him in every way. So it all starts with acknowledging His true, infinite, perfect and everlasting agape love for us. Then somehow His love pours out in our love. Seeking God's love and truth, is the answer to every problem. God is always the solution. Booyah! That's a good reason to rejoice, praise, adore, worship, trust, follow, chase, and love Him. Surrender to Him, live for Him, for He is worthy.
Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ
"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38-39

The Case for ChristSome arguments people use are, “Well I don’t believe the Bible is accurate and trustworthy.” Well my answer would be, "Have you really studied it?" Research what doubts you have, and you’ll come to find that the bible speaks nothing but truth. “Well we cant except such an outdated 2000 yr old book.” Even though we accept the works of authors such as Homer (850 BC), Plato (380 BC), Aristotle (350 BC), Caesar (60BC), and Tactius (100AD). Most of these writings are lost the accuracy to present any original. The bible used over 14,000 copies to reconstruct the accuracy of the bible to 99.5%. Lee Strobel wrote an awesome book, called “The Case for Christ”. Which dissects the presented arguments against the Bible, and goes through the testing of evidences and research. But even with an overwhelming, solid and convincing argument, people still wont fold there philosophies.

The bible passes all test of evidence. The Bible never once contradicts itself, it stands against all test, and continues to reveal itself as God’s word. The biographies and eye witnesses can be trusted. The original eye witnesses, always gathered information from other people’s testimony to report what really happened. The eye witnesses pass the intention test. They had no reason to lie or try to deceive. There was nothing to gain by distorting what they witnessed. Most continued their life as martyrs, dying for their faith and preaching. The testimonies of Jesus were consistent with another. People would have corrected each other if their stories were inconsistent from another. It would have been in the author’s self interest to leave out and omit certain events or sayings because it raised too many questions. But the Bible still includes things that would have been seen as embarrassing or against the culture.

The Jewish leaders couldn’t find anything wrong with Him, and had nothing to charge Him of, except that He claimed to be God. Over 500 witnesses, claimed to have seen Jesus resurrected. Historically the Bible matches up very accurately. The names of kings, decedents, places, and cities all match up. Archeology continues to dig out more and more supporting evidence of scripture. I also like how the Old testament speaks of the Lord’s coming. God not only spoke to people before Jesus’ time, but revealed hundreds of prophecies, that Jesus fulfilled. There were over 400 prophecies that pointed to Jesus, and He fulfilled every single one. The chance or odds of any one man fulfilling those prophecies is impossible. The chances of fulfilling just 48 of the prophecies would be 1 in 10 to the 157th power. That should make u say "Wow!"
The bibliographies were also reliably preserved for us. People had such a high value on copying the bible precisely to hand down from generation to generation. There are other Jewish accounts that also mention that Jesus was a healer and a miracle worker. If there were no Bible, we would still know that Jesus was a Jewish teacher, He performed healings and exorcisms, He was rejected by Jewish leaders, crucified under Pontius Pilate, and many from all kinds of cities worshiped Him as the messiah and son of God. Many skeptics, and atheist, have tried to disprove the accuracy of the Bible for ages, and still end up with no argument. People have tried to come up with contradictions, and objections, and still have nothing to show for.

The Bible defeats all of man’s test. People we’re dramatically changed by Jesus, people we’re healed by Jesus, people dropped their entire lives to follow Jesus, people devoted their lives to sharing the life of Jesus, and even till today, millions of people are coming to saving faith, and being transformed from the encounter of Jesus. I say these things because there is a tremendous amount of evidence that points to Christ as God, and some people need apologetics, sciences, and evidences outside of the Bible, to help them to recognize it as accurate.

But no matter how much we articulate a human mind argument, Christ is only received through faith. So look at and test the Bible yourself. Look at the life of Jesus, who did He claim to be? What did He do? What did He teach? Did He really resurrect from the dead? Research the identity of Jesus, and hopefully you’ll begin to see that Jesus really was and is the one true God. Examine, test, research, ask, seek, meditate, and observe on the scriptures, and see whatever decisions, answers, truth, and understanding you come up with.

12) Am I really a Christian?
“Am I really a Christian? Do I truly have faith? How can I be assured and confident in my salvation?” I think every strong Christian comes to ask themselves these questions sometime in their walk. “How exactly do I know I’m saved? Is this all in my mind? Do I really believe Jesus was God?” I think it’s important that people ask themselves this. It shows that you want to be committed, and definite about being a Christian.

But in order to figure the answers to these questions, you must ask urself more questions, such as “ Am I willing to surrender my heart to Jesus? Am I willing to following Him no matter how difficult or uncomfortable the challenges may get? Do I desire to see God move in my life, no matter what the cost? Do I have a personal relationship with God? Am I striving to make God first in my life? How much do I prioritize or desire to follow God? Is following God worth it? Am I striving to die to myself? Do I desire to please God, or myself n others? Has He changed me at all? Am I still continuing to experience a change in heart? Has God saved me from my sins? Am I trusting on Him?” These questions help to clarify if your faith is truly saving faith.

Your not a Christian just because you were baptized before and have a certificate paper. You’re not a Christian because your parents are. You’re not a Christian because you attended a dozens of church services. You’re not a Christian even if you professed to be one. Your not a Christian just because you said a few prayers before. You’re not a Christian even if you believe that Jesus was real and understand the concept of Him dying for sins. You’re not a Christian if there hasn’t been a change in your life. You’re not a Christian if you used to believe in Jesus. According to the Bible, you ARE a Christian if God see’s you as one of His own, and you believe in and on Jesus Christ. You ARE a Christian if God declares you as righteous in His sight, and you're still believing to this day. You must turn and repent of sin, love the church family, witness to others, and follow His ways.
“Christianity is not a noun, Christianity is a verb.” -Waxer

When we profess to have faith in Jesus Christ, we must ask ourselves, "Am i living out and walking in this faith?" Just because you went to a wedding, got wedding rings, and were told that your married, you must still be committed to your marriage everyday. Following Christ requires a daily devotion, and sanctification of growth. Who doesn’t want to be saved from a tormenting hell? Of course people would want to accept a savior. Saving faith requires us to surrender everything to Christ. Not 1 out of 7 days. Not 2 days out of the year. Not 25% of our heart. But our entire life.

God cannot remain to be just a part of our life, God must become the throne of our life.

Instead of accepting Him as your Savior, try seeing Him as your Treasure. Millions of people profess Jesus as Lord, but their lives profess something else. Faith leads to praise, worship, fellowship, growth, maturity, hatred of sin, life by the Spirit, and produces good fruit. Faith leads to adoration, joy, obedience, humility, conviction, repentance, and love. Are we living by faith? How assured is our faith? Are we willing to die for it? Are we jus following the Christian religion n traditions, or have we encountered God personally? Are we trusting to follow God’s will? Or do we just want the Christian LITE. “Oh yah, I go to church.” “Oh yeah, I give donations to the poor.” “Oh I pray to God when I need to.” "It's great to teach my some morals." “I think it’s okay to just keep God to myself.” We must live out our faith.
"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Luke 12:34

Are we convicted of our sin? our pride? our idolatry? Do you treasure Him over everything? Cuz if we truly believed in God, we should see a changed life. Yes boldness, courage and passion for His righteousness can take some time. But everyone on Jesus' team, needs to step up to the plate. Are we still desiring to live for ourselves? Or for a life pleasing to God? Are we trying to make God first in our life? Are we God-centered? Yeah its not easy, but where are our hearts at? Following Jesus is a daily commitment, with a constant transformation of the heart, renewing of the mind, fighting off sin, training in righteousness, singing songs of praise and digging into a deeper relationship with God. We shouldn’t treat all this as a religion, but doing these things because its our delight to express our love to Him in devotion and praise.

Christianity According to the American Religious Identification Survey
The percentage of Americans who call themselves Christians has dropped from 86% in 1990, to 76% in 2008. About 8% claimed to have no religion in 1990. That percentage rose to 15% of Americans claiming to have no religion in 2008. This is probably the best known national religion survey that presents accurate statistics. They survey over 54,000 people. They have cool charts, that distinguish Christian traditions, ethnicities, geographical differences, etcetera.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/metro/document
/aris030609.pdf?sid=ST2009030900856

The Cost of Discipleship
Why is it challenging to follow Christ? Because it means we have to be willing to give up our old life of sin. People still want to hold on to their own wills. True faith, demands that we trust Him with everything. God knows us better than we know ourselves. He has a perfect purpose for us, and has the best intentions for us. So why dont we trust Him w/everything? Most of us havnt fully surrendered something to God. We like to keep hold of the things that we want, when sometimes God has other plans for us. Trust God with your money and material, its His anyways. Trust God with your career, job and purpose. He has a specific plan and place for you. We're all part of something bigger than ourselves.
New believers must firstly consider the cost of following Jesus, and ask themselves if they think its worth it. Before u build a house, or go to war, would you not first count the cost? And in my experience, i would say its completely worth it to follow Christ. Surrendering and dying to ourselves daily, leads us to embrace His love and Spirit.

Perhaps one of the tougher ones is trusting God with your relationships. Sometimes we refuse to give up our desires for His. We still want to have things our way. If God says wait, then wait. If God says to be single for the rest of ur life, then conform ur desires to the best you can. It's far from easy. But sometimes we must make the decision of doing what's right, rather than what's easy. If God says to surrender something, surrender. Trust God with everything. Give Jesus your life. It's completely worth it.
13) Relationships
I normally don't discuss too much when it comes to my "love life" in my blog. Well actually i kinda do. Jesus is my love life. God's love far surpasses any emotional attachment or human love. But i would be lying if i said i didnt sometimes desire a companion. Imagine if God never created Eve for Adam. Imagine a world without marriages and families. God designed us to seek happiness. By default we look for something to fill us. We often look for the external things outside, to fill our emptiness inside. Rather, we should be focused on letting God change us from the inside out. Changes from the outside in are short-term don’t truly satisfy.

A survey was conducted, asking the question, “What do you seek most out of life??” And the most popular answer was “love.” People wanted someone to care about them, give them gifts, and be thoughtful. The problem with this, is that human loves will never truly satisfy. Only God offers such a love and comfort. His love never fails, and is unconditional. We rely too much on others for love. Often times we settle for good, rather than God’s best.
I hafta admit, that sometimes i just miss having that special someone to truly care for. That someone to share silly stories late at night. Someone who supports you. Someone who sees you differently. Someone deeper than just a friend. That someone who makes your knees weak. That someone who makes you stutter over simple sentences. That someone who cracks you up with goofy faces. Seeing that gorgeous smile that makes u melt like cheese inside. That someone who understands you for you and actually takes the time to care. That someone who listens. That someone you can share moments with. That someone who gives you butterflies and makes you feel comfortable at the same time. I hope i meet that someone someday. And more importantly, i hope it'll be a God-centered relationship, where we strengthen each other in our relationship with God. That sounds pretty incredible. But for now, God told me i am to just focus and train in His righteousness. God's choice for me is more important than my own.

PurityI’m striving to save my purity only for my wife. As much as I would like to meet my future wife, I don’t wanna just jump into any relationship. I dont want a relationship just for the sake of companionship. I don’t want any relationship that isn’t God approved. Cuz sometimes we settle for a puddle of muddy water, when God has an entire ocean for us. I want to save myself for my wife, and my wife only. So until then, I must learn to be patient. Before i used to be more content with being single. Lately its been increasingly difficult. Its been over 5 years now. I did learn to appreciate just working on myself. I think it's a lot easier to focus on God when you’re not distracted by a relationship. We must pray so we may not fall into temptation.

I'm still constantly learning more about myself each day. God really does reveal our identity and purpose the closer we get to Him.The majority of the time i dont mind being single, because i know all i need is Christ. Plus u see shows like the Bachelor, where the guy has so much pain and drama. But then often times i do wish i could just meet my future wife already. Its hard to watch couples being lovey dovey, its hard to watch movies where people find their mates, it's hard. It's quite challenging trying to save urself only for your wife or husband, depending on ur gender, lol.
It's kinda funny how i desire a relationship and yet honestly i still dont think im ready for one. Its like wanting a child. I dont want a kid now, but i know definitely one day. You may want a kid, but just might not be ready for one. To have a kid, u gotta be prepared mentally, physically, spiritually, financially, and have a devoted commitment. These type of relationships take choke time, responsibility and love to invest in. Sometimes we might feel ready, but it's just not in God's will at the time. Sometimes i catch myself just trying to rush into a relationship.
We must make a covenant with our eyes and hearts if we are to gaurd ourselves.

Observing my behavior, i learned that i can be a pretty superficial guy. I get infatuated pretty easily. I greatly change my behavior to impress a girl. I become so tactical, with when to flirt, when to pretend u dont care, when to give attention, what to talk about or what to say, and how i should present myself, instead of just being real, lol. I usually notice that after a few conversations i realize that she's probably not the one, and get over infatuation/physical attractiveness. Sometimes i wanna just settle for any Christian girl, even if she's not as mature in her relationship with God. Sometimes i try to compromise my desires with God's desires. Im really just looking forward to meeting my future life long wife, if that's in God's will.

14) Experiencing Jesus
Another thing im focused on is teaching others to hear God’s voice. Many people, even Christians, say they really havnt heard His voice yet. I find that to be kinda shocking. I think all true Christians, should deeply desire a close personal experience with the living God. He’s always speaking, but we aren’t listening. We forget to make time for Him. We push devotions aside and become distracted by the world. In this postmodern world, we are flooded with a bunch of noisy garbage. There’s an increasing amount of competition against God. Man refuses to surrender to God, and would rather listen to themselves. Man + Man = chaos, selfishness, deception, sin, lies, pride, and death. Man + God = understanding, humility, truth, identity, wisdom, meaning, purpose, strength, trust, joy, guidance, salvation, and life.

"A living God can and does make His presence felt, can and does speak to us in the silence of our hearts, can and does warm and caress us till we no longer doubt that He is near, that He is here. The direct experience of God is grace indeed, and basically there is no one to whom it is refused." -Brennan Manning

If your a Christian, think back to when you first encountered Jesus. Reflect on His resurrection and the message of the gospel. Ponder His limitless love. Every moment, is a chance to share with God. Every second, is a chance to seek Him. In order to fall in love with Him, we must become aware of His love for us. Love Him for His being and loving nature. Fall in love with who He is. And ask yourself.. "What has Jesus done in my life? What does Jesus mean to me?" If your not a Christian, try reflecting on your need for Jesus as your Savior. Cry out in extreme desperateness. Ask Him to forgive your trespasses, pride, stubbornness, failures, weakness, wickedness and sin. Cry out for Him to save you from sin, death, fear, and darkness. For your repentance will lead you to His forgiveness. One touch of His love and grace will change your entire life, not to mention ur eternity.

When we encounter and experience Jesus firsthand, that's when our heart begins to grow with a burning passion and relentless pursuit for more. Just a few moments with God can answer a life time of questions. But we wont find God if we arnt seeking His love. Grab a huge jar and see if it can contain God's love, it wont. Cry out for Jesus to convict you, and speak to you personally. When you meet God firsthand, you'll see a transformation and change in your life. Get away from the loud noises, and sit in His stillness. If you can successfully experience God, you should feel a wave of peace and blanket of warm love.
"And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." Eph 3:17-19

"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

Listen in stillness. Clear out your mind. Stop thinking and humble thy self. Write a poem, read His word, dive into intimate prayer, and invite Christ into your life. Seek, desire, receive, trust, surrender and crave Him. And I guarantee He’ll reveal Himself to you. Experiencing God move in you, hearing Him speak words of comfort, and embracing His love is the most incredible rush you could ever get. Soak up His love, because when you get a true, sample taste of it, you’ll be starving for more.
Seeking Intimacy In order for Christians to grow stronger spiritually, they must become obsessed, resolved, and crave nothing but a deeper relationship with God. Like all relationships, communication is essential. Prayer is our way to talk to God. His way of communicating to us is spoken through scripture. God’s word requires much examination and dissection. Another form of hearing God, is waiting upon Him in silence. Seek His voice of guidance and comfort. Listen to the blowing wind, rushing through the trees, you might hear Him whispering to you. Study God’s character and principles. Read the historical life of Jesus. And then desire to encounter Him personally. It will rock your world and put a shock to your system.. lol.. You’ll be left with wanting more. You’ll experience endless joy. You’ll see the foolishness of the world. You’ll be convicted and moved. The message of the cross is beautiful and piercing to the heart. The truth becomes clear.

"A little child cannot do a bad coloring; nor can a child of God do bad prayer." -Brennan Manning

"Faith means you want God and want to want nothing else. When God's love is taken for granted, we paint Him into a corner and rob Him of the opportunity to love us in a NEW and SURPRISING way, and faith begins to shrivel and shrink. When I become so spiritually advanced that Abba is old hat, then the Father has been had, Jesus has been tamed, the Spirit has been corralled, and the fire has been extinguished." -Brennan Manning

"Once you come to experience the love of Jesus Christ, nothing else in the world will seem beautiful or desirable." -Brennan Manning

One of the things i love about God, is that He hears my faintest whispers. He hears all my prayers. He knows my heart, listens to my thoughts, and probably read my blog too. He speaks to us in all sorts of ways. God sends His messages of love in all sorts of ways. God speaks through His word, through people, through nature, through dreams, revelations and directly through the Spirit. It's always pretty trippy when God suddenly communicates to you. Its normally like "Whoa! i gotta write this down quick!"

Coming Back to Christ
In our lifetime, Christians will drift away a countless number of times. We get distracted by the world. We allow relationships to get in the way. We seek to satisfy ourselves in other things, and forget the warmth of our God. We run away from God and dig our own cisterns, looking for water, when God is the spring of eternal water. God is the only stream that gives everlasting living water. We need to be rooted in His Spirit. We need to receive daily nourishment from Him, so we can produce good fruit. No matter how far off we go, our sovereign God awaits with open arms. Live through the power of the Spirit. Cry out for more. Go back to when u first met Jesus. Go back to the message of the gospel and reflect on His resurrection.

“If the LORD delights in a man's way, he makes his steps firm; though he stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand.” Ps 37:23-24
“Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The LORD is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made. The LORD upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down.” Ps 145:13-14

GraceWe are saved by grace through faith. God already knows that we’ll slip up. God has already forgiven our sins through Christ Jesus. We must come to Jesus as we are, and allow Him to wash us from our own condemnation. We must learn to forgive ourselves. No matter what we do, God will still love us. His grace is sufficient enough. He’ll never forsake you and always love you for eternity. When you know Jesus you are clothed with righteousness. He doesn’t remember ur last sin, because you are seen as clean n perfect in His sight. God forgives before we can finish saying sorry. His love never changes.

I am definitely still influenced by this fallen world, and i still fall into sin, but i have gained a stronger resistance. I am dying more and more to my human lusts and desires. Through the Spirit i can deny fleshy temptations . I can control my actions, and put the breaks on my sinful thoughts. I am equipped with the holy armor of God. Ready to move forward with the Spirit.

Im not saying i have everything perfectly together. I am not boasting in myself, or in my self pride. For i have a clear conscious. So i apologize if you perceive it that way. I really jus want to turn from my wicked ways, and repent more. Im sick of my sin. Yes i slip up. Yes i have impure thoughts. But Yes, I am moving forward, growing closer, and letting God work a deeper change. I want to die to myself, and live through Him. As Gal 2:20 puts it "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me." I seek to live by the Spirit. Gal 5:16 says "So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature."

"She simply let herself be loved. The central truth for which Mary's life has come to stand is that it is possible to be delivered through love from the lowest depths to the shining heights where God dwelleth. Where sin abounded, grace abounded all the more." -Brennan Manning

Our sin is great, but God's grace is greater

We are created in God's image, in His likeness. No not our bodies, but the Spirit. God breathed His Spirit into us. 1Cor 6:19 says "Do you not know your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own." If the Spirit is within us, we must live by Him. Understanding God's grace has also helped me to accept the freedom from my sins. God's grace changes the way we see ourselves. In order to live more by the Spirit, one must truly desire to grow closer to God.

"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 "

"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." - 2Chro 7:14

15) Purpose & Growth
Most people don’t really know their purpose, and can spend a life time searching for it. In order to find one’s purpose, one must first find their identity. Through an intimate relationship with God, my identity and purposes are revealed. The meaning to my existence was spoken to me in visions and revelations. God has confirmed my mission in His word. This chapter is more about how God intends to use me, and how i fit into His plans. To read more about an individual's significance and meaning in life, try read the chapter called fulfillment in my last blog. God has very specific plans for each and every one of us. And because God's love never stops for us, He always has the best and greatest plans for us.

Everything falls under glorifying the Almighty. I am to firstly love God with all my heart, with all my soul, and with all my strength. This fellowship with God will produce a complete and full joy, which then overflows into loving others. I am to live by the Spirit, by following God’s will. I am to pursue righteousness, grow in maturity, work on my character of integrity, and walk in obedience and humility. I am to grow in His likeness, more and more each day. I am to speak the truth in love, discern against lies, hate sin, and fight off evil. I am to preach the word to strengthen the body of Christians, and also to lead the lost to Christ. I am to encourage, serve, and equip others with the Spirit. And weather I eat or drink, I must strive to glorify His Holy Name. That’s my purpose in a nutshell. Now I just gotta learn to live, follow, submit, and discipline myself to stay consistently devoted to Him. Just as faith without works is dead, I say knowledge without application is foolishness.

God has also revealed to me, that i am not to live a typical and normal American life. I am to continue in my relentless search for knowing God even more personally. Just as married couples should continue to grow closer, so should i be in my relationship with God. I can not settle for enough, and allow my burning heart to dry faint. I am to become a noble and honorable leader that shepherds, teaches, loves and guides His people. I am to become increasingly determined, devoted, and dedicated. I will fight the good fight. I will fullfill my work He has called me to accomplish. I will live for Him, and bring glory to His name. I will finish the race. This life is 2 seconds compared to eternity. Lets make this vapor of life glorify His supremacy and being.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsT6JLTx68o <= one of my favorite videos / John Piper

"But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses." 1 Tim 6:11-12

"For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." Phil 1:21

In my last blog i talked about fulfillment, significance and meaning. Sooner or later, ppl come to the end of their road, and wonder.. "What was the meaning of my life?" They may have lived a yuppie life, with wealth, family, friends, kids, a house, car, successful job, hobbies, and still find no real meaning behind it. Some might think, "So life was just seeking out my own pleasure??" Yes and no. No because the physical and temporary things wont pass unto the next. Only the eternal unseen life will continue. Yes because God fulfills that highest pleasure we seek. He's the answer and key to unlocking truth, and the truth is that He is our loving God!
"Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it" Matt 16:24-25

Stronger
One year ago in March 2008, i heard a clear call to shepherding others. Its now March 2009, and i still hear that same mission. I am to become stronger and stronger in the Lord. He is constantly working on my heart, building me up strong on the solid rock foundation. I am to be well trained, equipped, and prepared to lead His people. I am to live a life that glorifies God. Becoming a pastor is the best path God has chosen for me. Understanding my purpose has also made it easier to share God's love.

God is using me to draw others closer to Him. I am to build up the church, set young Christians hearts on passionate fire, and become a servant to those in need. The best way to get others on fire for God, is be on fire for God yourself. People ask me what u plan to do, or what work ur involved with. That window makes it easy to jump to the subject of the church and ministry. People are also starting to look up to me to lead them closer to God.

I was struggling with the pressures of leading, and fell short to my own discouragement. But I am realizing that i need to step my game up. I am learning to become more God fearing. I am becoming bolder to step up to the plate, to jump at a moments opportunity and to stand up with courage. Not to be tossed by the wind or easily distracted by the effects by man. My faith is not easy shaken. Nothing anyone says can really offend me. I have also become wiser in my decisions.
Love, pray, praise, glorify, repent of sins, believe, trust, surrender, die to self, humble self, worship, receive, thank, chase, pursue, grow, hunger, thirst and then repeat.

"I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." -Phil 3:14

Hungry for MoreOnce we settle for enough, we stop growing. The more we seek, the more we'll find. We must continue to increase our relationship with God. We must step up our devotion and joy in the Lord. Today i learned more about the importance of fellowship and accountability. I got to hang out with a bunch of friends from epic and got to connect with them more. I think we're becoming much more closer as a family. We played some fun relationship building exercises, got to share conversations over meals, and played some ball.

We definitely need more Christians friendships, and more talks about Jesus. Spending time with other Christians really helps build one up. Iron sharpens iron. But as Christians, we need to become more open about having conversations about God, and seek more fellowship. We shouldnt be able to keep quiet about the love of Jesus. We need to invest more time into building relationships, encouraging others, and getting others connected to a deeper relationship with Christ.

Its hard to feed those who arnt hungry. Its easy when ppl are craving God, and its even easier when ppl are starving God. We must make Christ our treasure and our delight. Seek joy n intimacy with the Lord, and jus watch what happens. I cant think of anything better in this world than experiencing the love of Christ.

Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty." John 6:35

"On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." John 7:37-38
"The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life." Rev 22:17

I need to learn when to feed milk, and when to switch over to meat. Pastor Waxer talked about how we dont need to break down their entire wall all at one time. We should focus on one brick, and feeding them truth through removing that brick. As much as we try to break walls, its ultimately God who will move that wall, and allow the plant to grow. Gosh im throwing in too many analogies, lol. but today i realize how selfish we are born into this world. We only desire what pleases us. And the only way we can become selfless, is if we change our desires to His desires. We must seek God, if we wish to grow closer.

"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

"You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness." -Romans 6:18

"But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him." -Hebrews 9:26-28

"Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 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. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching." -Hebrews 10:19-25

"Our understanding of Him, increases our image of Him, which increases our victory in Him"
-Waxer Tipton

"God isn't just who He is, but it's His job description!" -Waxer Tipton

"I know I ain't perfect, but I worship a God who is." -Waxer Tipton

16) Lead by the Spirit
As I prepare to become a stronger leader in Christ, I asked other leaders of what advice they have for my present training. And one thing I heard that really stuck out to me was when I heard “Work on your character”. Pastors should have no cause for accusation. It should be quite difficult to point out his sins. In order to lead others towards righteousness, purity and holiness, they hafta make sure that they’re leading an authentic life example. I need to watch my life and doctrine closely. I need to watch my actions. I need to correct my sinful ways. I need to constantly renew my mind, grow in intimacy with God, and take courage in shepherding His sheep. I am called to be a leader for His church, children, sheep, and people. And in order to lead others to Christ, I myself must be lead by the Spirit. In fact, it often seems that it’s no longer me, but Christ living in me.

I feel so much more comfortable when I don’t rely on myself. Sometimes I forget that it’s the Spirit that gives us the words to say, and guides us each step. But when I look only to my own strength, that’s when I freak out. We are justified by grace through faith. He died for us, He saved us. We did nothing to deserve a savior. And so because God knows how lost n helpless we'd be without Him, He sends the Holy Spirit to empower us. God lives in us. And that's how we are to respond back to Him.

Our lives must be engulfed in His Holy Spirit. But we got no room for the Spirit, if we're too full of self pride. The more we die to ourselves n fleshy desires, the more we can live by the Holy Spirit. First we must learn to breathe out and release the stinky filth (no not ur bad breath) but our sins, doubts, troubles and fears. We must continue to surrender, submit, trust, repent of our sins, and obey His ways. Then secondly, we must inhale and breathe in the Holy Spirit. Let God take control. The weaker we become in ourselves, the stronger He becomes in us. It's kinda the theme to fasting. The weaker our flesh is, the more we rely on Him for spiritual food. Again this points back to humility.
Hearing my call has also allowed me to be more committed. In order to lead ppl to God, u gotta be pretty tight with God. I'll be honest. Sometimes I dont desire to read God's word. Sometimes i rather watch tv than read a theology book. But i know the Spirit living in me hungers for God's word. I know God living in me, soaks up truth and knowledge. The Holy Spirit loves worshiping, praying, and leads us towards righteousness. When u live by the spirit, you'll actually enjoy researching answers to tough bible questions and enjoy listening to sermons. I love to journal all the new things that God speaks to me. I have gained confidence not in my self, but in the Lord. I can also hear that im to do missionary work for many years. I am basically crazy for Jesus, and excited for the work He's entrusted me with. It will be far from easy, but I’m confident because God is on my side.

Salt and Light
True believers are called to preach the gospel. Sometimes it's a discomfort. You will look a little out of place. You'll contradict what the culture, society, and world says, but the most loving thing you could possibly do, is preach God's word, in hopes of saving someone. If you had a 95% chance of losing a friend if u spoke about Christianity/Jesus/God/Bible, you should still take that 5% of telling them the truth. Because people's eternity and salvation is based on if they come to know the Lord or not. Even if they dont want to accept the gospel, u did your part in obedience to God. We're making an impact on them, even if it's not seen instantly. God is the one who's in charge of rebooting their hearts. Most times our persuasive theology, slick words, n crafty arguments won't do any good. It's the ethos part that people look at. When they see your true character, integrity, and actions of love, they'll start to listen. We must also remember to be relational and intentional. Dont dim down ur light, or lose ur saltiness because of the fear of man. Be ready for Christ's return, dressed and waiting for Him.

Dead to Sin, Alive in ChristWhen reading Romans 6, (go read that chapter) we see how Christians are dead to sin, and alive in Christ. We can no longer go on sinning. We no longer have any excuse to continue sinning. We are no longer our own. We as Christians cannot compromise with sin. We need to develop a hatred for sin. Hate what God hates, and Love what God loves. Surrender your old selves to Jesus, and receive the new life by the Spirit. Trade in your filthy, stinky, broken, beaten up, dirty old shoes for the brand new, sparkling, shiny, clean white shoes that Jesus offers. These new shoes never fall apart or get dirty, but that is no excuse to jump in mud. We must surrender our sinful ways, to taste the true glory of God. I cant stress how wonderful it is to receive an infinite grace, a joy so complete, a transformed new life, and God’s eternal love. Throw away ur sins, let God burn them up, and refine your life. Subscribe to the free love and forgiveness of God.
"For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin." Romans 6:6
"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price." 1 Cor 6:19-20
"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me." Gal 2:20
No mo' Sea
He bore our sins, and died for us, But He didnt stay dead! He conquered sin and death. Death cant hold God back. He lives forever and reigns over all. What does it mean in Rev 21:1 where it says there will no longer be any sea in heaven?? Remember when Jesus walks with authority over the water? This shows His power over the water. And remember how when Peter kept His eyes on Jesus, he too began to walk on water towards Jesus, but once he stared at the water below n took his eyes off Christ, he began to drown. Perhaps the great flood in Gensis could also be linked.

Okay, so what does the sea often represent in the bible?? Rivers n streams of living water correspond to life. But throughout the Bible oceans and dark sea water, represent the chaos, sin and death of this world. So through His resurrection, He showed His power over sin and death! So when we are baptized into His death, (hence rising from the water), we are then united in His resurrection (new life). So in heaven, there's no more death, pain, saddness, suffering, and sin. That sounds pretty darn awesome! instead, we'll get to enjoy God forever. That sounds pretty wonderful if ya ask me. But again, go back to the Bible itself, i could very well be wrong in this interpretation.
"Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ⁴He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." Rev 21:3-4

"Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection." Romans 6:3-5

"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:23

17) The EnemyWhy do we try to fight God? God is not the enemy. God is for us. Why then do we condemn ourselves? We are not the enemy either. We need to fight against the evil one. In a spiritual battle, it’s good vs evil. We need to train ourselves in the Lord, so we don’t fall to the evil temptations that arise. We need to strap on our armor, defend ourselves, protect our purity, gaurd our hearts and pursue righteousness. We need to combat sin. Sin is incompatible with the work of Christ. As Christians, we should have victory over sin! Sin is a rebellion against God, to do things our own way. I used to think sin was only doing bad stuff, like murder, lying, stealing, sexual impurity, getting drunk, and things along those lines, until I took a closer look at Romans 14:23. I then realized that sin is anything we do that is not from faith. For even eating food not from faith is a sin. The lack or absence of doing good, is just as much of a sin. The deprivation of good and obedience to God is considered sin. Everything that doesn’t meet God’s perfect standard is sin. If u push someone to get hit by a car, uve sinned. If you see a car coming, and don’t bother to warn, or save the person, you’ve also sinned. Not obeying and following God’s way is against Him. 1 Cor 6:12 says everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial.
Division
Christians should be able to acknowledge that some of our beliefs might be off. We should be able to say, i could be wrong on a certain issue. We can stand firm in our understanding, but admit that there has been division and controversy over some biblical arguments. Its completely okay to disagree with someone.

When it regards salvation, we must take the issue very seriously, because that's the meat of the gospel. Can we one lose their salvation? Is water baptism necessary for salvation? Is works required for salvation? What exactly is God's character and sovereignty? Who exactly was Jesus? These sorta topics need to be discussed/debated and treated with truth + much aloha. We must be careful not to distort any of God's word, and especially the fundamental, essential doctrines of God's word. Always check everything back to God's word.
Judging
Christians are often accused of "judging" whenever they speak out against a sinful activity. However, that is not the meaning of the Scripture verses that state, "Do not judge." There is a righteous kind of judgment we are supposed to exercise with careful discernment (John 7:24). When Jesus told us not to judge (Matthew 7:1), He was telling us not to judge hypocritically. If a believer sees another believer sinning, it is his Christian duty to lovingly, gently and respectfully confront the person with his sin (Matthew 18:15-17). This is not judging, but rather pointing out the truth in hope and with the ultimate goal of bringing repentance in the other person (James 5:20) and restoration to the fellowship. What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. "Expel the wicked man from among you." 1 Cor 5:12-13 In Matthew 18:15 it says that if a brother sins against you, we are to go and show him his fault. This is super dangerous because it can easily get out of hand.

Sometimes we can get so caught up in pointing fingers and bickering at controversies. However, judging is very permissible. It's actually our responsibility to judge righteously. We are to test teachings, with sound judgment. But again, we are not to judge hypocritically or self righteously. Nevertheless we are called and commanded to expose the false prophets and leaders. Can u imagine adding a bunch of false books to the bible? One thing that we ought to judge is our own actions and character. Are our lives matching up to the Bible?

Judging can become very dangerous when the truth is not communicated in love. And one day, we will all face the one who will judge where we go for eternity. "If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. Luke 17:2 Again this is talking about a brother accepted as part of the body of Christ. We are to rebuke Him if He does not acknowledge a holding sin. And 1 Cor 15:11, talks about not even associating with men who are false brothers. Sheep must look out for wolves.
"To stand for justice, means to stand against injustice."

18) What is Truth?Question. Why is it so important to have accurate Biblical interpretations? Because wrong interpretations will give us a wrong understanding of God. It's super pivotal (one of my smart sounding words i like to use.) that we dont throw error into truth. Now days you can make the bible say anything you want it to. You can easily pull out verses out of context, take the wrong meaning, and try to make an argument. I think most people have a wrong idea about the bible, because most people are willing to research/meditate on what God is saying. There's a reason why Jesus doesnt just tell us straight up what He's saying. It's a process of unraveling truth. Now days we think any church or book that has the name of Jesus is speaking the full truth. Nope! Many religions n leaders may have nuggets of truth, but we must discern what is actually from God.

We must constantly examine the scripture, and meditate on it day and night. We must be rational, and objective in our understanding of God's truth. Not subjective (what feels right), pragmatic, (what works) or relative, (relation, comparative). Absolute truth comes from God alone. Be careful with things that you want to be true. God is truth, whether we like it or not. Your gonna wanna disagree with what a lot of the bible says. Your not gonna wanna believe some things. But we must learn to accept what God's word declares as true. I would highly dislike giving the wrong information to someone. I don't want to lead people in my false truth, but in God's true truth.

March 1st - Importance of ScriptureI forgot of the important importance of observing scripture. I found myself drifting to read many other books instead of reading His word. If i'm to teach from this book for the rest of my life, i really gotta understand it more. The main problem with churches today, is that we arnt teaching, emphasizing, and following God's word. Sure we may be using the bible, but are we accurately feeding them the gospel? I think now days we have put too much emphasis on being relevant, and taken away from teaching key doctrines. Are we just saying things that people want to hear? Are we more concerned with the numbers of the church? We may throw a few verses and talk about how to be successful, but we arnt teaching them to feed themselves. People can go to services now days and still have no clue who Jesus is. We must hold strong to what God has breathed.

Instead of teaching to live self-help lives, we need to learn God-help lives. We need deeper convictions, and revelations of truth. We need to go further into God's word, and understand the content + context. We need more sound bible teachers, more solid small groups, passionate leaders, and more fellowship, but most importantly, we need more of Jesus.

I need to make time to meditate on scripture more. Lately it's been difficult to juggle school work and bible research. I have a bad habit of becoming lazy, and living in the now. "eehh work stuff can wait till later.. i'll go have fun now.." At least in bible stuff, i can find pleasure in reading. School stuff still hasnt caught much of my interest. I think i need to look at my priorities and goal list again, cuz ive really been getting lazy.

Upon finishing reading the entire bible, i kinda had this attitude of, well i went through it already, i gef 'em already. I knew this was a huge mistake. My goal was to read through it all once, and then start covering book by book in more detail. Dr. Manning, a teacher from pac-rim came to a pursuit camp, and taught us of the importance of reading in full context and pulling out deeper meaning, n application. So recently i decided to read through 1 to 2 chapters a day, and try to disect it carefully, and soak up exactly what God the author is saying. Taking a slower and more focus look on scripture reveals a deeper underlying truth. Sometimes i miss alot of stuff cuz i dont really try to interpret each verse. We need to meditate on smaller chunks of scripture, journal, understand the context, and apply what we've learned. Meditating on scripture is essential for extreme growth.

A pastor once said, that if Jesus was to come to America to give a message, He would hold up the Bible and say, "This is my word." Everything you need to know is in it. Study it. Disect it. Everything we need for salvation is found in God's word. We need to learn more about His principles and character. We need to have more conversations about Jesus, more bible studies, and a stronger passion for reading God's word.

Paul Washer says that the more we preach the resurrection, the more we'll have changed lives. We must preach that the King has risen! Christ's resurrection is the meat and foundation of scripture. He also warned not to just rely on others. Not to just listen to what others have learned, found, how they pray, and what they've experienced, He challenges us to dig for ourselves. We must seek to recieve revelations, personal experiences, and find Him in prayer. We must always strive to know Him more.
This past Sunday i went to two churches. And both pastors talked about the importance of God's word/ the Bible. If the resurrection of Christ never happened, then all of this faith is worthless. But if Jesus really was who He claimed to be, then there is a hope for us. He offered the gift of eternal life in the arms of a loving Father. He promised a joy, peace, and love that surpassed anything of this world. He gave purpose, meaning, fulfillment, and life itself. He conquered death and sin. He was the perfect lamb, holy and blameless. He’s the atoning sacrifice for God’s wrath against man’s wickedness and rebellion.

Jesus is the only way to come to God. Because men of sin cannot come to God, unless He is in the Name of Jesus, who covers all works of inequity. Jesus who is fully God, is the only one able to wipe our sins off the record. He already paid the price for us. But none of this will really make sense until you experience Christ yourself.

I think it would actually take more faith to deny that Jesus really was God. And even more faith to not believe in a Creator. If u dont believe in Jesus, then what exactly do you believe? Who is the god your rejecting? Because i would probably reject to that god too. Are we believing in anything that we want to believe?

"If we dont know what to believe in, we'll believe in anything." Alec Shimizu

19) America the Melting Pot
We'll listen to something that sounds good, or follow some guys proposal to life, and probably feel good about it. Believing that what you believe is true, does'nt justify it as truth. Without an existential god, one cant explain origin, meaning, morality, and destiny. But u sure can try and come up with something, lol. We live in a very fallen world, in a land of opportunity. We even have the right to reject such a claim of God existing. You can become whoever u want to be. You can do whatever you want. You can come up with whatever you want to believe. America is a melting pot. America is like Wikipedia. Everyone gets to throw in what they think is true. Your entitled to believe in anything, and no one's opinion is considered wrong. Man pushes to create their own god. Man chases after relative truth, believing we can make whatever you believe in true.

This new age spirituality is honestly a bunch of garbage. All of our own acts of righteousness look like filthy rags to Him. We rather follow our own spiritualities and religions, than follow God's ways. What does the Bible really say? We rather seek to justify our own preferences. We start to only pick out claims that support the belief. Our pride says "I believe and do what I think is best." Listen to the word of God, and encounter Jesus.
"For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths." 2Tim 4:3-4

"All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away." -Isaiah 64:6

Here's a good idea, lets jus say everyone is right! You dont even hafta believe in anything if u dont want to, but thats a belief in itself. You can say there's no such thing as truth! (and jus proven urself wrong, believing that your statement is true). You can go to heaven if ur a nice person, or if u do enough good things. All gods are the same god. You create your own god, and heaven. Just follow a teaching. Only a cult will be saved. Only good looking people are saved. All truths are true. You hafta follow traditional religious rituals. Just believe in any god, man can save themselves. Man is god. There is no god. We're just evolved monkeys. Dreams are actually the reality. There is no truth. Nature is god. This reality is heaven. A golden cow is god. god hasnt come yet. Only Moses was right. Only buddah is right. Only Chris Chur is right. Everyone is right. No one is right. Everything leads to god. Only those of high conciousnesses and enlightenment will reach heaven. You create ur own heaven. Theres 20 heavens. As long as ur a "good person" you'll be saved. Says who?! Who's good?! (Romans 3:10-12 says no one is good.) As long as ur close enough to truth. 40+60 can equal 99. "Well, u can go to heaven as long as u believe in something." There is no sin. Only men are saved. We're reincarnated and have zillions of life times. Aliens planted us. This is the matrix. You're only a creation of someone's imagination. Everything you know is part of your imagination. Good karma practices will save you. Everyone gets to go to heaven, unless your a mass murder. I think i made my point. Only God can save. Ultimately, our source for answers cannot be traced back to men. Sure men can come up with numerous of ways to get to God, but only God can speak the absolute truth, and only Jesus can save.
"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

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

"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

Man vs God
Why do i talk about discernment so much? Because there are so many lies being mixed up with God's word. I went to a discussion at school on quantum physics, cuz my grandma insisted i skip class to attend. I was probably the only guy there under 50. So obviously these ppl had experience with what they believe is true. The lady running the discussion would ask us questions like "So how would you define consciousness? What is the truth?" And ppl would mention a bunch of science articles, different religious leaders, and what men have said to be true. So i couldnt help but speak out, because we were defining truth in our own human philosophies and sciences.

Are we gonna listen to postmodernism, cults, religious leaders, universalism, new age self spirituality, doctors, scientist, professors, human morals, rituals, traditions, philosophers, psychologist, astronomy, evolutionist, politics, governments, theist, universities, cultures, media, horoscopes, witchcrafts, psychics, joesph smith, musulini, gandi, buddha, muhammad, krishna, emotions, feelings, theories, organizations, communism, fascism, myths, legends, ghost, aliens, demons, angels, preferences, societies, the world, and what men come up with?

OR are we gonna listen to what the Bible says. What does the living God have to say about absolute truth? Are we following our own minds, or the deception of others? Are we creating our own gods? Are we so smart, that we can determine and explain truth? If Jesus was God. Then everything Jesus said is must be true. So the question is, do you believe that Jesus was and is the Christ, the Son of God, worthy of the atonement of sins?

“You take the physical universe as you see it. And however you slice down the physical reality to it’s minutest form, the fact of the matter is, you end up with a physical entity or quantity that does not have the reason for it’s existence in itself. Ultimately, the physical universe, reduced to any form, cannot explain its origin. It has to find its explanation outside of itself. Which means the first explanation of a universe as we see it, needs to have something non-physical as a first cause.” –Ravi Zacharias

RichesOne of the many dangers of America now days is the amount of riches we have. We make up 4.6% of the world's population, and yet consume over 40% of the world's resources. We have twice as many malls than schools in America. And yet all we want is more. 94% of Americans think that we're too materialistic, and yet 89% of our population still believes we have the right to have anything we desire. Since the 1950's our technologies has increased at a faster rate than any other nation, and yet since 1950's we are 10% more depressed, and 40% more violent.

Basically i think many Americans are wasting their life away. We are chasing after the material world. The pursuit of happiness is getting what you want right? Well that's exactly what we're getting. Our wealth is just ridiculous. John Piper said we should just bow down to our big screen televisions, surround systems, video games, net flex movies and entertainments. Im not saying all this is wicked evil, but i am warning of the high dangers of it. I raise my hand in being guilty to this luxery. Comfort and security isnt evil, but easily transformed into a god. Watch out for Money and Media. Watch out with how much we value our possessions, careers and comforts. Satan will use anything to drag us away from God, and distract us with our own sinful pleasures. Treasure Jesus. Set our hearts on eternal things. The best things in life cant be bought by money.
Test yourself. Ask urself, what do i value more.. Football or Jesus? Work/School or Jesus? Food or Jesus? Money or Jesus? A bf/gf relationship or Jesus? My family & friends..? or Jesus? Is there anything that we are putting before God? What do we truly value most? God cannot be just a part of our life. Is God our King, or are we are own king? Who are we living for?

Jesus speaks about the dangers of money and Hell more than He talks about the kingdom of Heaven. He tells us to be rich in faith, and in Him. For our reward is in Heaven, where we can enjoy our God as our treasure for eternity. Stop looking at the worlds superficial apperances. Look deep for the invisable qualities of God. Look for His invisable truths and beauty. Seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and full of His love. What are we most concerned with? Where are we looking to for happiness? What do we treasure most?

Whether we like it or not, we will all die one day. It wont matter how much money you have, how much wealth we've accumilated, how much education you have, or how much success we have had in our career. These things will not truly satisfy the empty heart. One will never be content with the material world. Oh, so then we figure we need girlfriends, boyfriends, husbands, wives, children, and friends. Surely great relationships will satisfy this emptiness. But in the end, it doesnt. Death will still come, and these things wont matter. What will matter is if we have found a relationship with Jesus Christ the living God.
20) March 15 - The CrossOur King lives! Our Savior has risen! We must never grow old of the gospel. The message of the cross isnt just something we recievied once while we got caught up in an emotional moment. Christ reigns forever! He is alive and well today! He paid the price in full! He has set us free from sin, and gave us the right to be children of righteousness. If you know Jesus, then God sees us as perfectly spotless, pure and holy. We can be assured of our faith. Our names are written in His book. We have eternal life full with His passionate love.

So what's all this fuss about this guy? What makes Him so special? Well didja know that Jesus is the most famous person in all of history? What is His story? Why do 2.6 billion people today still profess Him as their Lord and Savior? Why are there churches everywhere that worship Him 2000+ years later? When people follow Christ, why do we continue to see such dramatic changes in people lives? Why have societies built their values on this man? Did He really fullfill all 300+ prophecies?

Why has our entire system of the calender based on His death? Why did He go around preaching that He was God? At 1AD why was there 350,000 martyrs going out to preach about this man? Why are people all around the world still willing to die for their faith in Jesus? Why do people surrender their entire lives to this guy? Were all these records false witnesses and liars? Was Jesus just a lunatic, teacher or magician? Why is there so much ephasis on this one man's death? Could it be that this man, was really the Christ? Was Jesus the one true God? Did He really resurrect from the dead? Is the Bible true? Well there's only one way to find out... Look for Jesus urself, study the Bible, look at the evidences, pray and seek His face.

The church is the body of Christ. It is the church's duty to be the light to this darken world. Today i went to One Love church. It was awesome. I was reminded of salvation. It made me recommit to a deeper relationship with God. Hearing about how Christ conquered sin and death for us is the most wonderful, beautiful and overwhelming story we could hear. Hearing about His victory over the grave, and the resurrection of new life is jus mind blowing.

Jesus lived, died, and lives again forever. Everyone was super hyped, because we were all there to follow Jesus. The body understands that Jesus is our perfect savior. Our King has given us a new life. He reigns as Lord over all. He pours out His amazing power of the Spirit on us. Christians need to unite as one body. Gathering to pray for each other, studying His word, and loving on each other. Then we must go out into the world and invite everyone to meet Jesus. There’s nothing more important than the message of the cross. Nothing more important than salvation. Nothing greater than meeting and knowing God.
Worship
Worship God in everything. Worship isnt limited to singing songs. We are told to worship God with our lives. We are called to worship God in everything we do. Weather your doing work, or going for a run, you can worship God. Worship God with all your heart. Join the angels in their praise. Tune your heart to wake and sleep in worship. Shout and jump in freedom!!

At church i witnessed a moment of the party in heaven. In heaven, we'll hear amazing shouts of praise. We'll hear a huge choir of people singing hallelujah. We'll have people dancing and rejoicing forever. There will be no more sin, no more sorrow, no more death, no more chaos, no more suffering, no more crying, and no more pain. All there will be is God's glory and His holy, embracing love. But till then, the Spirit has made its house in us.

True Christians are part of His kingdom, where the Spirit dwells. God set up an eternal kingdom, where God’s sovereignty reigns forever. Plus when we worship God with relentless passion, we also grow closer to Him. We must do everything we can to share the gospel to the world. Talk to people about God, show them Jesus, bring them into His kingdom. Seek Jesus, pursue righteousness, and be ready for His return.
One of my favorite passages is Eph 3:14-21, because it askes, How deep, how wide, how long, and how high is the love of Christ? It is always surpassing and always greater than we can fathom. When you are touched with God's mighty love, your heart will become full of worship and adoration. For our God is Holy, Holy, Holy. He never ceases to amaze. Drink from the fountain and spring of everlasting life. He pours out His love, spirit, mercy and grace freely, and denies it to no one. Take a free sample of His love, and you'll want to buy a life time supply.

21) ConclusionSo you finally completed the worlds longest blog. I know i babbled a lot and went on dozens of tangents, but hopefully some good came out of it. I hope you've become more resolved, and passionate about Jesus. I hope you've learned something that will take you one step closer to enjoying God. I pray that we continue to grow, and share the good news of Jesus Christ.

Lord, Help us to be more like you. Help us to humble ourselves. Teach us to love. Stir a fire in our hearts. God we cry out for you. We are desperate for you. I want to know you more and more each day. Help us to listen, seek, and desire you. Help us to walk in your paths of righteousness. Protect us from evil. Let us turn away from our sins. Give us pure hearts. Wash away our self condemnation. Thank you Jesus for being our perfect Savior, rescuing, and saving us from our sins. Thank you for your grace, forgiveness and acceptance. I pray for the lost, sick, weak, hungry, confused, and tired ones. Renew their spirits, regenerate their hearts, and change lives. Thank you for the Holy Spirit that intercedes and guides us. Fill us with your Spirit, so we can produce good fruit. God help us to surrender everything. Help us to genuinely love and trust you more. Thank you for being our holy, sovereign and perfect God. Help us conform to your will, so we can glorify you in everything we do. We love you and praise you in the Name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Songsheres a few lyrics to songs that have been stuck in my head. Worship really helps me to stay focused on God. It jus makes my whole day better. Listening to worship music or jus singing tunes is a window to spending more intimate time with Him.

You're my God, im proud
I want to sing about you
Praise your name out loud
I want the world to hear

I love you Lord, and I lift my voice
To worship you, Oh my soul Rejoice
Take joy my King, in what You hear
Let it be a sweet, sweet sound in Your ear

Waves of mercy, waves of grace,
everywhere i look, i see your face,
Your love has captured me,
Oh my God, This love,
How can it be

I called, you answered
And you came to my rescure and I
wanna be where you are

Better is a one day in your courts
Better is a one day in your house
Better is a one day in your courts
Than a thousand elsewhere

Im here to meet with you
Come and meet with me
Im here to find you
reveal yourself to me
As i wait, you make me strong
As i long, draw me to your arms
As i stand and sing your praise
You come, you come, and you fill this place
Wont you come, wont you come and fill this place

Everlasting your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending, your glory goes beyond all fame
And the cry of my heart is to bring you praise
from the inside out of my soul cries out,

And i will never stop praising you
For all the things you've done for
And i'll be yours forever
Jesus, you're everything to me

And together we sing, everyone sing
Holy is the Lord, God almighty
The earth is filled with His glory

Jesus, lover of my soul
Jesus i will never let you go

You are holy
You are mightyYou are worthyWorthy of praiseI will followI will listenI will love You
All of my daysI will sing to
And worship
The King Who Is worthyI will love and,
Adore Him
I will bow downBefore Him

You’re my Prince of peace
And I will live my life for You

I will sing to - - - You are Lord of lords
And worship - - - You are King of kings
The King who - - - You are Mighty God
Is worthy - - - Lord of everything
I will love and, - - - You’re Emmanuel
Adore Him - - - You’re the great I AM
I will bow down - - - You’re the Prince of peace
Before Him - - - Who is the Lamb
I will sing to - - - You’re the Living God
And worship - - - You’re my Saving Grace
The King who - - - You will reign forever
Is worthy - - - You are Ancient of Days
I will love and, - - - You are Alpha, Omega
Adore Him - - - Beginning and End
I will bow down - - - You’re my Savior, Messiah,
Before Him - - - Redeemer and Friend

You’re my Prince of peace
And I will live my life for You

Freedom

Contents
- Introduction
1) Catch up on life
2) Books
3) Discernment & Reformission
4) Change
5) Cheapening the Gospel
6) Ordinary Radicals
7) Flesh and Spirit
8) Pleasing others
9) Fulfillment
10) Postmodernism
11)Agape
12)Poem

-Intro
I have been wanting to write this blog for so long, and i kept pushing it off cuz of time. Now its gonna be one ginormous punch all at one time. I didnt know how to word that, but u know what i mean. Its so long i broke it into chapters, lol. I have a hundred little thoughts that i wrote down on tiny pieces of paper for the last few weeks. Blogging is a way to collect n organize my thoughts, so i can pour out my head and share the things ive been thinking about. Its more of a serious blog, with not too many humorous hahas. I dont blame ya if u dont wanna read it all, cuz its probably my longest blog, so u can probably get away with jus skimming it.

1) Ketchup on life
Just to ketch everyone up, ive been super sick with stomach pains (ulcerative colitis) . In the last week it has gotten a lot worst with severe cramps in my small intestines. I would describe it in further detail but its kinda gross, lol. I've never been in such stressful physical pain before. I did have something similar a year ago, but it jus went away after 3-4weeks, so we didnt find a cause. Right now, I barely survive through classes, and im on a lot of medications. Sometimes i get super dizzy n feel like throwing up. I cant really eat a lot of foods, or else i end up suffering for it later. I can basically only eat starchy foods. Its junk not being able to eat ketchup, fruits n dairy foods. But the worst part is having to endure dozens of sharp attacks. The doctors are kinda unsure of what illness i have, and i have to go through some more examinations. Hopefully its nothing too serious, and it'll jus end up going away on its own.

Update
My stomach really hasnt gotten any better. However, it did test negative for parasites n bacteria. But there is some sort of internal bleeding that im concerned about. I thought i got the stomach pain from eating 100 frozen grapes one night. I thought the acid burned a hole through my intestines, lol. But apparently that wasnt the issue. I also thought it coulda been drinkin too much coffee, cuz that normally gives me an upset stomach for a day. Its been over a month, so it cant be food poisoning. Im not too stressed about anything else in life. So its probably some virus. I hafta go in to get a colonoscopy, which isnt a super fun procedure. My stomach has been going through attacks where it feels like my stomach was punched 100 times. I constantly get to fall to the ground, curl up, yell for my mom, pop some pills, moan, and cringe. Ive asked God to let this pain pass, but apparently im still supposed to deal with it. Its super junk knowing its a beautiful day outside, and im trapped inside all day. It really bites not being able to go out to exercise, swim, ball, etc. I jus home n try to read, :( Well least i get to blog, and make use of my bathroom, lol. Im also working on typing up all my highlighted bible verses. It'll be much easier to reference and share scriptures with people. So even tho im struggling with a lot of pain, God is still sovereign.

Update2
Saturday i hadta drink this gross liquid that cleaned my insides out. Then i went to get a colonoscopy. They made me dress up with this weird coat robe thing, and gave me a warm blanket. They laid me down on a comfortable bed, hooked me up to an IV, and in seconds the drug knocked me out in a deep sleep. The doctor used some sorta device that went up my butt and got to look into my stomach intestines. I didnt really feel anything, but jus the thought of it was kinda akward, lol.I woke up in a different room, and was super sleepy. I walked all funny kine, and then they gave me juice and crackers. The doctor says that i have ulcerative colitus. Basically my intestines is inflamed with internal pains. They dont know the cause, but said it musta took several months to a year to get damaged so badly. But so far the pills he prescribed are working great. Seems like its healing fast. But im still kinda immobilized from physical activity and from eating certain foods.

School has been pretty easy so far, with few easy exams. I enjoy teaching psych labs and getting to teach psychology fundamentals. The guys bible study at LHS has been pretty good, im still trying to move them from religion to a relationship w/ God. The bible study at UH, just started and hopefully it'll be consistent with more guys coming. I also started goin to this other guys bible study that he just started. We go over short chapters, and get to the main point. It's always humbling to relearn something deeper than before. The bible study with friends at home hasnt been consistent because everyone jus seems busy. Epic high school ministry at NHL, is goin pretty smooth. We're transitioning them into small groups, and lately having more discussion over relationships. I havnt gone to One Love church in a few weeks, cuz there's been family gatherings. My aunty from California came to live with us for a little. And my cuzin just turned 1, and she had a fun first birthday party. Now my little cuzin can actually walk on her own! Shes pretty wobbly and falls down a lot, but its super fun jus watching her explore the big world. In other news.. my beloved PC blew out, and i now i got a Mac. I still really miss my PC because it was more practical and could do more stuff. But i like the Mac because it's more secure from viruses, and it runs pretty smooth. I jus need more time to get used it. I tried to make a cool Christian utube video, with all sorts of cool pictures, and cool songs, but i had too much trouble with the mac, and gave up on it, lol. Oh i also went to a short seminar on motivation. The ex mayor of New York, Rudy Giuliani, gave a good talk on leadership.

In introspection n self reflection.. Im learning that i struggle with taking my role of leadership. It's always so much easier to sit back and let someone else do all the work. Leadership requires choke courage, and sometimes i rather just follow someone else, lol. But im starting to understand that i need to take more charge, get my act together, be more responsible, and lead others. I believe all strong Christians should become strong leaders for the glory of Christ. I know God will instill His Spirit and give me the confidence to become a stronger leader in Him. It's tough to maintain humility in leadership positions. But i need to learn to voice up and make tough decisions. One of the things i need to do is make sure i manage my time wisely, and stay productive. I have a bad habit of being lazy, and unmotivated to work at anything. The only way we can accomplish work joyfully, is if we value what it is we're doing. So i guess im saying that..I need to also value worldly things. I went so far off towards living for God, that i slacked off on taking care of physical things. I need to put my full effort into everything that i do. Even Jesus worked as a carpenter. Even tho He knew His life would come to pass, He still lived it out to the fullest. We cant ice out our earthy responsibilities, nor ice out God. However it is far greater to love. 1 Corinthians 13, poses the question, "What good is living a life, if we have not loved?" Treasure the eternal things. Take notice of the simple things. Take care of the earthy things. And above all, love.

Another thing im also working on, is finding greater intimacy with God. Normally taking walks, waiting in silence, praying, and constantly thinking of Him allows me to grow more dramatically. So ya, i need to not only make time to spend with God, but i also need to make sure i get my earthly responsibilities done too. Another thing i need to work on is speaking the truth in love. I can efficiently speak God's truth, but i often forget to communicate in through His love. I can get so obsessed with teaching correct biblical doctrine, that i dont remember to say it in love. I really gotta work on genuinely loving others more.

2) Books
I finished two books. The first one is quite popular, and is actually made up of 66 books. It took me from March 8th, 2008 - February 11th, 2009. if u calculate that it took about 11 months to finish reading the Bible. I did slack off for a month or so, and missed many days, but it becomes easier the more u stick with it. I'm actually quite surprised that i actually stayed true to my commitment of doing daily devotions, which i picked up at a camp retreat. I have gained much insight, and grew choke spiritually. Perhaps the greatest achievement of the year was actually getting to meet the author more personally. I put much emphasis on God's word, because scripture should be our utmost authority. It really is a guidebook and manual to life. It had many verses which seemed debatable, and at times got really confusing, but all in all, God's word is sound.

"But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathedand is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:14-17

Reading it has only strengthened, supported, and increased my faith in God. I learned dozens and dozens of things, and yet there is so much more to discover and learn. My uncle is reading it a third time, and i plan to read it a second. The Bible has allowed me to take my walk more seriously with God. I am convinced that Christ truly died for our sins. And i am committed to continue pursuing more truth and knowledge about God. We are told to eat the word, and write it on our hearts. We are told to be prepared and equipped with scripture. I feel like ive hit some sort of huge check mark in my life. I feel like i am renewed and rejuvenated in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

In more detail, the bible is a tough book to read. I struggled through Leviticus talking about the law n sin offerings, i couldnt help but think that the bible didnt need long chapters of decedents in 1,2 Chronicles, i scarcely remember the many OT small books of prophets, I blanked out through the long books of Isaiah and Jeremiah, but still found huge chunks of knowledge in 'em. I learned that a donkey actually spoke in Numbers 22! I learned that there existed two powerful creatures called the behemoth and the leviathan in Job. I learned much about God's character, including His righteous anger, jealousy, justice and wrath. I probably gained the most from the books of the New Testament tho. It jus became difficult to start memorizing where key sections of scripture belonged. My favorite books are Romans, Acts, Corinthians, and Philippians. The Timothys and Johns were also makai'i loa. I loved the Psalms because it does nothing but rejoice and sing praises of God. However, i did have a hard time understanding some of Jesus' parables, and got super lost in the representations of Revelations. However i found much amazement in re-reading all the miracles that Jesus and other prophets demonstrated. It was interesting how God lead His people to the land of Israel, and how He spoke and worked wonders through people. It was interesting how He used average joes to lead and perform His works. Yes at times the bible can be frustrating to comprehend, but it shouldnt stop us from examining it closer. Just because the Bible is preserved 2000+ years old, written by many authors, and sometimes difficult to understand, It doesnt mean we should disregard it as truth or say that its too challenging to read. If u have a higher reading comprehension of me, then hopefully u'll have an easier time!

My advice to anyone who wants to start doing daily devotions, or want to become more consistent, is basically to desire to get closer to God. U arnt gonna like reading the Bible if you dont want to. Read it even if u don't believe in God. Hopefully it'll stir a deep change of heart or help u grow in maturity. It only makes sense that we cant understand everything about God, because His thoughts n ways are higher than ours. We take God's word for granted, when people in other countries are being persecuted for having a Bible. Anyways heres a short list of stuff that may help w/ devos..

1) Find or buy a suitable Bible, i recommend the NSAB, NIV, NLT, or ESV, Use sites like biblegateway.com, just1word.com and blueletterbible.com
2) Carry that baby around! Read it when u got nothin to do, or not paying attention in class. Get captured in God's words
3) Get connected with a solid bible study group to dig even deeper, and try finding an accountability partner to share stuff with
4) Highlight verses that stick out to u! it'll make it easier to find
5) Journal all your thoughts on ur devotions, write down verses, take notes
6) Start in the new testament, or balance reading OT n NT
7) A man used to read until God stopped him. Read until u have enough to chew on. Another dude made this rule, of "no breakfast, until devotions are pau."
8) Meditate n Pray on specifics, and try to Apply them in ur daily life
9) Find the best time to devote to God, Practice making devotions a daily routine and good habit, You may want to use a check list to stay on track.
10) Go over and re-read a book to gain more understanding
11) Ask Questions! and try to look up n research the answers..
12) Like i said b4, it gets much easier the more u stay consistent with it.

The 2nd book I read was called the "Ragamuffin Gospel" by Brennan Manning. Its about 250 pages, with easy to read chapters & fun examples. It challenged my attitude, and increased my view of God's loving grace. Its instantly become my second favorite book. I highly recommend every Christian to read this book, Especially if you find urself in a constant struggle. Its not the healthy who need a doctor. Jesus came to set sinners free from their sin. I highly recommend "The Ragamuffin Gospel" to anyone who may feel like they are doubting their faith, or confused about who God is. This book will, i repeat, will pick you up when u feel like a lazy, filthy, dirty slob. Its not for the upright but for ragamuffins. Its for sinners. Its for those who have a haunting past, for those who are going through tough addictions, those trying to let go of common sins, those with a lowered self-esteem, those who are condemning themselves, and even for those who are unsure of their faith. It is a reassurance that by God's grace, He still loves you no matter what.

I learned that we have a freedom in God. Yes we know we have a freedom, but do we actually take hold of it? Why do we still allow our old habits to get the best of us? Why do we allow our guilt and shame hold us back? If ur frustrated or lost, there is a hope of peace. If one has a faith that relies on God alone, God will help u to break past any temptations of lust, any trials or tribulations, and any difficult situation of fear, pain, doubt, sorrow or anxiety. Take hold of God's promises. Believe and trust Him, for He is always good, always faithful, always sovereign, and always reaching out with His loving arms and compassionate eyes. He never leaves you on ur own. He will constantly call you back to Him, and forgive like the father in the Prodigal Son. Even before u can repent or say sorry, He will lovingly clothe you, hug you, and throw a huge party for you. He celebrates when we are redeemed. He forgets all the wrongs we've done, and only sees the good in us. He treats us with unconditional love, n adopts us by His amazing Grace.

I wanted to quote every awesome passage in this book, but it would be super loong. It's mainly about God's infinite Grace, Forgiveness, and Love. I strongly encourage u to go buy the "Ragamuffin Gospel" by Brennan Manning. Buy ur own copy, cuz ull want to keep it.

I also finished reading a shorter book called "When the Darkness Will Not Lift" by John Piper, and "The Radical Reformission" by Mark Driscoll. Who r still probably my two favorite pastors out there. I wanted to read "The Westminster Confession of Faith" which talks about John Calvin, and very sound doctrines of scripture. And i also wanted to dive into "Systematic Theology". But those two books are jus straight up, hard core biblical truths, without fun & interesting experiences. Kinda like my blogs. Sharp to the point, but not necessary the easiest or most exciting to read. I am currently reading "The Irresistible Revolution" by Shane Claiborne, which talks about a wave of revival in Christian hearts, looking for an authentic church, being an ordinary radical, having discernment for where "Christianity" is going, common deceptions in America, how "Christians" deal with the comfort n discomfort of following Jesus and learning more about our true identity in Christ.

I've also been listening to a lot of sermons from a 2007 conference called "Contending for Truth", which includes a super strong team of leaders, such as Piper, MacArthur, Mohler, Sproul, n Zacharias. They basically talk about how vital it is to have absolute truth, not rationalizing what truth is, and the danger of relativism. They also talk about Postmodernism and jus a whole bunch of super interesting Christian apologetics. I know most ppl arnt as excited about these things, but for me its super fascinating, it stretches my mind of reasoning, and helps prepare me for future teaching.

"But even if you should suffer for that is right, you are blessed. "Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened." But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit." 1Peter 3:14-18

You might wanna take a short intermission from reading my blog here. Go use the bathroom, cuz i havnt even started yet. lol

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3) Discernment & Reformission
Let me first say that the paragraphs below may start to sound kinda bitter. But try to fully grasp what im trying to say, and not take it offensive. Test to see if what i'm saying is true. We must apply the knowledge of God's word, and form unity as a body in Christ. Of course no1 is perfect, but Christians should feed off the one who is. I am work in progress, and constantly strive to get farther away from sinful and corrupt trends. We're gonna constantly screw up and make mistakes, But that's why Christ came down for us. We must reform our thinking, and blossom into what God has in store for us. The important part is to move forward and allow the Spirit to crucify our sinful ways. Until the day we die, we should be constantly growing, strengthening and improving our walk with God. I dont wanna be the guy who jus complains at the direction of where Christianity and Churches are going. Ive learned that i need to be more focused on building up what Christianity should look like, and what solid churches should be like, and focusing more on gathering groups of passionate Jesus followers. We're the future.

As a freshmen in college, i heard a guest speaker. He bluntly challenged us to analyze ourselves to see if we were truly in the faith. He asked "Are we living our faith out? Or are we hiding it to ourselves?" I was radically changed because i knew i only turned to God when i needed help. Even tho i called myself a Christian, I wasn't living like one. I wasn't bearing much fruit, or taking my journey with Christ very serious. So reader, this is my challenge to you. Analyze yourself, and ask.. "Do i wanna get closer to God? If so, what are the mandatory steps i need to take to follow after Him? Is God first in my life?" The moment we stop growing, is the moment we start drifting. Instead of following Christianity, we must follow Jesus. We must be willing to go the lengths of taking up our own crosses, and chase after Him. If you look at all Paul and some other strong followers, they left everything behind to truly understand what it meant to love God and love others. I look at that, and often think that i suck at living a Christian life. My life doesnt always reflect Christ. But God saids not to condemn ourselves, because thats why God has so much Grace. He sees our short comings and makes up for it. He gives us the love to love, gives us the hope in fear, and gives us the strength of the Spirit to tackle the weaknesses of our flesh.

For the rest of this blog i'm gonna talk about how we need a regeneration in this generation. Christians and myself included, need to reform their thinking and take the pursuit of God more seriously. We need to grow in maturity and faith. Many Christians are still sleeping! Many are being deceived by false beliefs and false teaching. We have fallen into lies and deception. We have become too passive and too comfortable. We as Christians often hold our tongues and dont preach the gospel because we fear man. We are afraid of what people might say. We value our reputation, so we hide our light, dim it down so no one will be offended. We Christians are often too scared to stand up for our faith. We cannot be ashamed of the gospel of Christ Jesus. We try to be normal so people dont think we're crazy or nuts. Well i think the foolishness of God should seem pretty crazy to people. But why are we so overly concerned with what others think of us, rather than what Christ thinks of us. Are we more concerned with saving a friend? or a friendship? Faith is only meant to be lived out.

"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." 1Cor 1:18

"For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear." 2 Tim 4:3

"Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels." Mark 8:34-38

Why are so many ashamed of our Father? Why have we fallen into acts of carnality. We who give ourselves the title of "Christian", need to always examine ourselves. Have we seen a change? or are we still living exactly like the world? Do we look, act and behavior just like a non-christian? Do we actually hate our sin? Are we convicted when we lie? Convicted when we laugh at a sexual joke? Convicted when we gossip about someone? Are we convicted when we see sin in media? Do we point out our errors, or do we find them to be jus natural? God not only tells us to believe, but also to repent of our wicked ways. And you know what the result of truly being convicted, and truly repenting is? Falling into the same sin less and less, and loving God more and more.

We can often get caught up with religion. We shouldnt treat the Christian walk like a religion. Religion puts emphasis on stuff you hafta do to gain salvation and look presentable. Religion puts emphasis on stuff u cant do. Make sure u dont smoke, make sure u dont drink, make sure u dont sleep around, etc. And religion barely talks about just being in a relationship with God. Church is commonly linked to religion. We still define church as the building u go to on Sundays. From intermediate to college, youth groups are more about having fun than anything else. Kids often go to youth group church to meet guys/girls, eat cheap junk food, and listen to cool bands. We must be careful that we don't make church jus a cool place to hangout and pretend we're good people. Church is a body of Christ, where one can share deep feelings, emotions, struggles, and have fellowship. Church is meant for strengthening Christians in God's word. Church is people you can worship God with. Church should be lead by the Spirit, and engulfed in prayer. We must be careful when we talk about super mega churches. Evangelist should not be trying to sell Jesus like a used-car salesman. Church and Religion are not God.

Im not here to bash young Christians, nor am i here to boast my image. I am here to challenge our values, principles and desires. Try to take something away without taking offense. The body of the church needs some discernment even if its sour. Do you know how bank tellers can tell a counterfeit fraud? You know how they can tell a fake $20 from a real one? They dont examine all sorts of fakes. They intensely examine the true $20 to separate the real from the false. In the same way, we must pursue truth, expose the wolves, and discern the false teachings, lies and deception.

I think my eye of discernment is super sharp. I need to be careful with how i communicate error. It's understandable that churches have flaws and make mistakes. I jus think that its important that we strive to build up a church with as much biblical truth as we can. The more we preach a cheap gospel, the more we'll end up with cheap faith. Remember in the movie "300", when their alliance army had over 1000 soldiers? Leonidas asked his spartan's for their profession, and he showed that He brought more soldiers. Dont get me wrong, the number of Christians is important, but what's more important is how devoted a group of Christians are.

"And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching." Hebrews 10:24-25

We often get so caught up with His power to heal, or the gifts He's given us, that we forget to praise the giver. We are not to love the gifts more than the giver. We are not to love the blessings more than the blessor. We can easily get caught up with prophetic visions, revivals, spiritual power, blessings and miracles, that we forget to jus sit back in awe. We can easily get caught up with angels, demons, prophets, spiritual preachers, ministry, worship songs and miracle workers that we miss the Big picture of God's love. It's very very important to seek His will, and seek the Holy Spirit, but perhaps even more important is just joyfully praising Him.

"When we are most satisfied in Him, He is most glorified." John Piper

4) Change
Ask yourself, Am I still living for myself? or living for Christ? Phil 2:12 says to continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling. Are we confident of our salvation in Christ? Are we a new creature? Have we been BORN AGAIN? And if yes, then we cannot afford to be idle. We must keep careful watch for the bridegroom. He is returning, and many have been side tracked. We too often lose focus on Jesus. We still try to keep God as part of our lives, and dont fully submit our entire life. We are selfish in our pride. We want to have things our way. We cannot get by, by being Sunday Christians. God spits out the lukewarm. Every good tree much bear good fruit. Every strong Christian should grow n equip themselves with biblical discernment, sound theology, leadership, courage, prayer, and the Holy Spirit.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Cor 5:17-21

I have a feeling that we as Christians are losing our sense of change. Perhaps we were once transformed by the love of Christ. The question i pose is, "Are we still being transformed?" I have this strong feeling that we have become awashed by our secular culture. We cannot be of this world. I feel like many of us are being swept by today's culture. We cannot allow culture to pull us away from Jesus. We get caught up with new movies, popular celebrities, mainstream bands, big sport games, vacation trips, new relationships, hot restraunts, new clothes, upgraded technology, high paying jobs, and have become distracted from submitting to God. We must keep our minds on eternal things, and build up treasures in Heaven. Are our lives bringing glory to God's kingdom. Where is our focus? What do we value most? The things of this world are temporary. Things will come and go. Look at where we've changed from high school. Many friends have lost touch. Some of us moved out of state for school. Some of us are dating someone new. Some of us have found time consuming jobs. Things change, and don't always last. But one thing is for sure. God never changes. God IS, always and forever. Nothing can change His embracing and faithful love. God is always sovereign. He's the only one we can always count on, because He never changes or abandons us. No matter how many times we get spiritually drained, or how many times we take our eyes off Him, He will still always be our loving God. That should be enough reason to praise Him. Just by studying His character and supremacy, we should be in great awe. There is no one else like Him.

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Luke 12:34

I think of the Samaritain woman who was getting water from the well in John 4. Jesus broke the customs of culture, because He cared to help this Samaritain woman. She was so ashamed of her sinful life, that she did her best to conceal it from others. As she fetched water from a well, Christ began to tell her of a living water than would satisfy for eternity. Heres the point. Are we fetching earthy water, that will still cause us to thirst? Or are we rooted near the spring of living water, that provides everlasting life?

I jus looked over Matthew 25. Go get a bible, and read chapter 25, and see what "The Parable of the Ten Virgins", "The Parable of the Talents", and "The Sheep and the Goats" all have in common. What does 5 virgins getting locked out from the wedding banquet, a servant who did nothing with what he was entrusted with, and a shepherd who separates the sheep from the goats, all have in common?? It should be quite obvious what Jesus is saying.

5) Cheapening the Gospel
We cheapen the gospel. We preach cheap faith. God didnt tell the rich man to give up 25% of his stuff, He required him to go home and give everything to the poor. He doesnt want us to respond with partial love, He requires ur entire heart. We cannot rationalize the gospel to accommodate our preexisting beliefs. We say "I don't think it'd be fair for God to.." "Well i believe God wouldnt..or doesnt.." Lets get one thing straight. God has all authority, and has every right to do exactly what He wants, and it would be fair and just. Who are we to make ourselves God? We misrepresent God, when we claim to be Christians and manipulate His word. Talking to a Christian about the condom fair at school, he/she said i waited a long time for sex, and we're gonna get married anyway, so i think its okay. The Bible is quite clear about premarital sex, and yet we compromise so we can still get what we want.

Compromising the cost of discipleship will draw a bigger crowd. "Hey it's okay to manipulate the word if its more seeker friendly." Uh no! We allow our culture n society trends to change the imagine of Christ. Oh Jesus is my homeboy. Lets dress Him in cool jeans, blasting a loud punk radio, and crack jokes about Him. Belittling Jesus' image is honestly a huge disgrace. We walk around with necklaces of crosses, bumper stickers, t-shirts, and then bring shame to His name. If u wanna represent Christ, then let ur life reflect that. 90% of Americans claim they are Christians. I wish that statistic were more true. Okay so we've put the title "Christian" on our myspaces and facebooks. Big deal. Anyone can talk the talk, but do we walk the walk?

The cost of following Jesus requires and demands that we give up our entire heart. When we get married, do we love other men/women? When one is in a relationship, do u lust after another? This is exactly how we can cheat God. We say we love God, but then we become foolishly selfish. God is highly displeased when we choose sin over Him. God should be all that we want. We lack nothing when we have Christ. "The Lord is my shepherd, i shall not be in want." We need to continue dying to ourselves everyday. We need to seek His love and correction. We need to love His word, and hate our sin. Phil 3:19 warns us not to make our god our stomach. We need to change our desires!

Mark Twain once said "It's not the parts of the Bible I don't understand that scare me, but the parts i do understand."

Its important to acknowledge our sinful nature. I'll be the first to say that i am stubborn, prideful, selfish, a fool, a coward, and a hypocrite. But i also acknowledge that im a work in progress. We can no longer be mastered by sin. We must hate our evil ways, and look forward to constant transformation. But dont trust on ur own strength, trust on God to lead you. We are absolutely nothing without the blood of Christ. But if we claim to live by the way, the truth, and the life, we should be able to see a clear change. Every branch that bears no fruit will be thrown into the fire. But every good branch that is connected to the vine must bear good fruit. Do we see the fruits of the Spirit? Read Galatians 5:16-26. Are we living by the Spirit??

Faith without works is absolutely dead. People with cheap faith who profess they have genuine faith are not Christians. Faith in Christ is not a one time flu shot. Faith is meant to be lived out, trusting God until we finally see Him. It's not enough to just believe that God exist. Its not even enough to say i believe that Jesus Christ is God. For even the demons know and believe He is God. What actually does save people, is belief manifested. Faith that is lived out in trust and reliance on Him. If you love Him, u will obey His commands. If one is connected to the vine ull be rich in fruit. My challenge to Christians is to wake up! Stop hiding ur light, dont lose ur saltiness.

"For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Eph 2:10

Many will say "Ho who is Chris to tell Christians how were living?" Well my answer would be, it isnt Chris, its Christ. Scripture can often be confusing, but there are many parts where scripture is blatantly obvious and clear. I know how Christians are accustomed to living, because i myself have been there. I know what its like to go through the routines, and follow the religion, and not have a bit of intimacy with God. Christian religion is shallow, compared to a passionate relationship with our Creator. The reason Jesus got so angry at Pharisees and high priest, was because they were hypocrites. They had their halos on so tight, and held the law so strictly, they were blinded. Religious leaders were the ones who persecuted the King. We can often go to the other far end, and become too legalistic. We need to make sure we communicate in love, and be extra careful in disciplining others. Its easy for people to take things the wrong way. But as Shakespeare once wrote, "Sometimes 'tis necessary to be cruel in order to be kind." If ur neighbor was sleeping in a house that was burning, the most loving thing u could possibly do is bust kick the door down, wake them up, and drag them out of the house. If someone were to get hit by a car, the most loving thing you could do is tackle them out of the way.

6)Ordinary Radicals
My challenge is to be ordinary radicals. Stand firm in ur faith. Cry out to become closer to Jesus. Follow Him with all of ur heart. Have full assurance and confidence in our salvation. Live as children of light. Live as obedient children who are holy, pure, righteous and blameless. Read God's Word and seek to live a life of integrity. Dont cheapen the gospel, compromise the cost, or believe in ur own preferences of truth. Listen to the voice God and hear how much He loves you. Praise, glorify, worship, celebrate, rejoice, sing, pray and love the one who has set us free.

Without daily nutrition we become weaker. We need to get fed from God's word. We need to constantly renew our minds everyday. We need to strive for growth everyday. We need to increase in faith everyday. We need to move forward, and fill ourselves with the Spirit everyday. It would be wrong to assume that Christians should always be happy and optimistic. Christians are not perfect, but should follow in the likeness of the perfect one. There is no growth in Christ Jesus without some difficulty and fumbling. In order to keep growing we have to keep risking failure throughout our lives. And the more we spend time with Christ, the more we'll look and act like Him.

"In faith there is movement and development. Each day something is new. To be Christian, Faith has to be new, that is alive and growing." B Manning

"Until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work." Eph 4:13-16

We cannot shy down, nor can we be too aggressive. We must also not condemn ourselves or others. Because it isnt ur fault. Its the sin living in us. It is the enemy who manipulates us to become lazy, idle and paralyzed. So whats the solution you ask? Live by the Spirit. For the Spirit doesnt gratify the evil desires. The sinful flesh and Holy Spirit dont get along too well. And you cant serve two masters. We are to serve one and hate the other. We must hate our sin! Sanctification allows us to move forward. Are we growing in the likeness of Christ?

7) Flesh and Spirit
There are no shortcuts in life. I know that first hand because i am used to doing enough to get by. For the first time i found myself angry at God. I thought, dang i think it'd be a lot easier if there were no God. Following after God is quite hard. Gotta be restricted from sins, gotta practice obeying Him, have to humble urself, have to give up worldly pleasures, and i'm always in a constant struggle to get closer to God. I went through a rough season of trials upon trials. Spiritually i could not stay consistent. It was so frustrating trying to die to myself and fleshy desires. I started to doubt myself and God's will. I was afraid to follow Him, and give up worldly things. I was afraid of the world, and what men would say. I kept condemning myself and allowed my rotten guilt to eat me up. So i got upset with God, and didnt want to pray or seek His face. I thought "brah i can do 'em on my own." In less than a day i realized how foolish and irrational i was. Believe it or not, life is actually harder without God. Because without God, there's no joy.

Life without God would be chaos. Because if there is no God, then there is no moral law, or ethics. There would be no order and no meaning. It would all be an episode of seinfeld, pure nothingness, and absurdity. Nothing to live for, no purpose and no hope. If we assume that there is a moral law, then we must also assume there is a judge, if we claim that a judge exist, then we must also infer that he is just and perfect, to uphold a law. If a supreme judge exist then he must also be all powerful, to throw us into what we deserve. Otherwise, if there is no moral law, we are just animals who try to govern ourselves with preferences.

Besides Jesus, I admired 3 men in the Bible. David, Paul, and Moses. David was a perhaps the strongest King that Israel ever had. He understood what it meant to praise God. I want to start mimicking David's passion in the Psalms. I see Paul as the greatest apostle who every lived, because he was so core to biblical truth. He stood up for his faith, preached the full gospel, and endured persecution and hardship. Paul also exhorted the churches, and built up many disciples. I really admire the leadership of Moses. He interceded for God's people. He prayed for forgiveness of His people, and found favor in God's eyes. Scripture tells us that Moses was the most humble man on earth during that time. But the one who mastered humility and love was Jesus. He descended to earth as a servant to all. Our King died for us! He lowered Himself into a man, and demonstrated what love is. He was obedient, compassionate and completely humble. All these men got one thing down right. They knew they had to submit to God will. They surrendered an easy cruise life, for the obedience and joy of the Lord. I feel God has given me the task of leading His people. I hear a similar call to those of the Bible. I must continue to learn humility and meekness, so God's Spirit can fully empower me to do His work.

I've been learning a lot more about the Holy Spirit. God has given us a helper and counselor to direct us on the path of righteousness. When we surrender, the Holy Spirit kicks in, and works through us. We can't even love God without His help. The Holy Spirit drives out our fears. The Holy Spirit empowers us to do God's will, and the Holy Spirit gives us peace when we are most down. The Holy Spirit also gives us pure joy to love others. The Holy Spirit's love does not delight in evil, but rejoices in the truth. It's like being on autopilot. We give up our control and allow God to have His way with us. The Holy Spirit intercedes for us, it prays for us, it helps us to understand God's word, it moves us closer in our relationship with God.

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. 5For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows." 2 Cor 1:3-5

8) Pleasing Others
I couple weeks ago at church, Pastor Waxer spoke about how important it is to chase after agape love. We get so caught up with chasing the other 3, storge, philia, and eros. Storge is the love u seek from ur family. Philia is the love from co-workers, classmates, n friends. Eros is the love of finding a mate, bf, gf, spouse. These loves are nothing compared to Agape love. God's love never fails and always endures. Unlike the other 3, agape love is unconditional. God loves u no matter what. Often times the other loves seek something in return. These loves are conditional.

Oh btw im writing most of this on valentines day! Yes God intended for us to love each other deeply. But in America we have shifted our values and priorities to finding a significant other. Like i said before, this love still wont satisfy the human heart. We must love God first before we can truly start loving others. But yah, who doesnt get all jittery over those shy butterflies. My argument is that we should leave those relationships in God's hands. When a couple is founded in their faith in God, it creates such a stronger relationship. Now days we often get infatuated and try to rush in just to be in a relationship. Perhaps we need to take a step back, and first try to understand ourselves, and our relationship with God. Then we wont be so dependent on our relationship status. We must not allow our selfish desires to get in the way of God's desires. Do we go to sleep envisioning our dream boy or dream girl? Or are seeking God's will? Seeking intimacy with Him first and foremost. Because instead of settling for good, we should wait on God's best. Settle for pleasure now? Or wait for sweet pleasure in God's eternal kingdom? When we're dependent on God's will, everything works out for the best.

We seek approval from our parents. We seek to be accepted by our peers. And we constantly try to be in a beautiful relationship with someone. Well heres the problem with those loves. These loves change ur behavior to please someone else. This is super important to understand. Look at how many times a day u change ur behavior or actions to impress or please someone. I notice how much i do things differently when i know other ppl are watching. I try to self present myself in a manner that is accepting to others. For instance look how much u change ur behavior when u sit next to someone u really like. You'll sit differently, u'll try to communicate extra friendly, you'll be kinder in gestures, you'll try to make urself look good, and do everything to seem more attractive to them. We like to be well thought of. When someone is watching, u wanna look cooler. You wanna say a funny joke to get people to laugh and like you more. You may pretend to read a book to seem more intelligent and sophisticated. Are we living according to God's will? Are we yoked by non-Christians? Are we bold in our faith? Or are we living for our own reputation?

I am a pro at pleasing others. I can change my behaviors as a chameleon changes his colors. I notice that im pro at relating to others. If i know what pleases someone ill do it. If i know what ppl like out of me, then that's who ill present. If i know what ppl like to talk about, ill try to agree with them in a conversation. Im good at it. And thats why i'm warning us all to check ourselves carefully. Dont be a chameleon. As the Genie in Aladdin once said, "Bee yourself!" Dont get caught up with trying to please others. Be honest to urself. Heres the even more dangerous part. Sometimes all we want to do then is to please ourselves. Without taking God's will into consideration we'll start to live for ourselves. What makes me happy?? Well then im gonna go do that. I'll do what i want, when i want. So there's a balance between being others minded, and when to take care of ur own needs. I didnt really explain this really well, but the bottom line is that we need to be first concerned with pleasing God. When we please God, we become real to ourselves, we understand our true identity in Christ, and start to genuinely love on others.

We rely on storge, philia, and eros to fill us. We hunger for love. We thirst for acceptance. So we base our self esteem with our appearances. Do i have the approval of others? Am i well liked? We try to make ourselves better by ourselves. No wonder self help books are so highly sold. We seek happiness in these loves because we think it'll satisfy us. But what happens when u put so much emphasis on relational happiness? You often get hurt, because u realize that ur dependent on someone else. These loves are not perfect, they can fail and are temporary. We like to wear nice clothes to feel better about ourselves, we light to have our hair just right, we like to have the newest gadgets, expensive toys, and pretty relationships to please ourselves. But what happens when that gets taken away? We're left empty inside, because they didnt truly satisfy. By no means am i saying we shouldnt be others orientated. Think about others, care about others, be concerned with their needs, but dont fake or pretend to be someone ur not to impress someone. Of course its good to have polite manners and class, its wouldnt hurt to shower and have good hygiene.

9) Fullfillment
We all seek fulfillment in life. We want significance and meaning. We seek acceptance. We want accomplishment. We constantly seek something to satisfy us. So we turn to the American Dream and the pursuit of happiness. Get a good education to get a good job, to make as much money as you can, so you can be happy, and have a security in a wealthy house. Well then what? Are you happy then? Money, relationships, material, expensive dinners, wealth, power, fame, comfort and securities still wont satisfy. Only the love, gentle acceptance, forgiveness and grace of God will satisfy the human heart.

"The gospel of grace calls out, Nothing can ever separate you from the love of God made visible in Christ Jesus our Lord. You must be convinced of this, trust it, and never forget to remember. Everything else will pass away, but the love of Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Faith will become vision, hope will become possession, but the love of Jesus Christ that is stronger than death endures forever. In the end, it is the one thing you can hang onto." Brennan Manning

Its not about how long we live, its about how meaningful our life is. We all want to live a full and purposeful life right? The most purposeful thing we could ever do is live for God. Live to please Him. What is His will for you? His calling for me is to devote my life to sharing the love and gospel of Christ. It'd be a life worth living. Can you think of anything more productive than bringing others closer to God? God fills us with the Spirit to use us for His glory. Have you ever shown someone God's love? When u see someone having a tough day, or someone down in the dumps, tell them about the joy of God. It's the only thing that will fulfill our emptiness.

After i finished a Lutheran bible study with some high school guys, I actually heard God say "Good job Chris." And actually hearing that God was proud of me, really meant a lot. I forget how much God truly admires our obedience. He smiles down on us when we find satisfaction and glory in Him. It's always comforting to hear His voice and know that your life is being lead by the Divine Creator.

"Geniune self-acceptance is not derived from the power of positive thinking, mind games, or pop psychology. It is an act of faith in the God of Grace. The more fully we accept ourselves, the more successfully we begin to grow. When we accept ourselves for what we are, we decrease our hunger for power or the acceptance of others because our self intimacy reinforces our inner sense of security. We are no longer preoccupied with being powerful or popular. We no longer fear criticism because we accept the reality of our human limitations. Once integrated, we are less often plagued with the desire to please others because simply being true to ourselves brings lasting peace." Brennan Manning

Why are we so caught up with boyfriends and girlfriends. Why are we more excited about super bowl football, an episode of Oprah and more excited with President Obama, then we are with Jesus? They don't offer any salvation. People are looking everywhere for a solution. Tons of ppl are suffering from drug/drinking addictions, ppl are depressed, empty and completely lost. So they turn to therapy, and self help books. The bottom line is that we cannot satisfy our discontentment on our own. Only God's love offers a fulfilling peace.

I know there are many sound Churches, and many Christians are in fact diligently pursuing further growth in Christ. But yet all Christians still struggle. And if ur not struggling, then u know something is really wrong. We cannot get comfortable by settling for an easy earthy life. We should acknowledge that we arnt perfect, and that we are desperate for God's grace. In our humility, God offers His strength. God the Son made up for our bad mistakes. God the Father now declares us righteous in His sight. And then God the Holy Spirit lives in us, to do what we cannot do on our own.

Are you diminished by other people's perception of you or your own definitions of yourself? I know i often felt that pressure, of not living up to my own and other ppl's standards/expectations. That is why i loved the Ragamuffin Gospel so much, because it helps Christians to break free from the holds of darkness, discouragement, inconsistency, self hatred, self condemnation, fear, shame and guilt. We think we hafta be good for God to accept us, but the good news is that He came for sinners. His grace oversees our imperfectness. He paints a clear picture of how God's grace carries us through our more desperate times. Once we are justified by grace through faith, we are completely forgiven of all our sins. We must then learn to forgive ourselves of our sins. We must allow God's warm compassion to be greater than our filthy sinfulness.

"I long for you to let go of worry and allow yourself to trust God completely. It's one thing to know your Father loves you and quite another thing to experience it." Brennan Manning

I've done things that hurt my witness. I forgot to go do something for someone when i said i would. Someone relying on ur help, and u forgetting looks really bad. It looks worst when they know your a Christian. I had a quick temper with someone, and made it obvious that i didnt like them talking to me, that sorta stuff will ruin a Christian's witness. We are to constantly watch ourselves, and live with integrity. People watch Christian lives and look at our behavior. Our lives should convince others to seek God. There should be something different with us, so that people will want what we have.

10) Postmodernism
Perhaps the reason why we are to be hated by the world is because we should be completely against the machine. We live in this world, but we're not to be of this world. We must be careful when dealing with man's reasoning, logic and science. Instead of conforming to this world, we ought to conform to God's word alone. We cannot be lead by postmodernism. We fall into the new age of thinking. Universalism says that everyone will be saved. Just be a good person. No one is wrong, there are thousands of ways to salvation. Being a theist wont save you. You cant jus believe that there's a high source in the universe, and that's good enough for salvation. Religions dont save either. Its always stuff u hafta do to gain or deserve God's approval. Cults and Religions practice rituals, traditions, and good works, but that all adds up to nothing. We follow so many false preachers now days. We start to defend our preferences, and make truth relative. What does this text of scripture mean to you? People will come up with their own meanings and own truths and think they will be saved. Something is radically wrong.

Lets talk about postmodernism for a little. I too was confused when i constantly heard that word, postmodernism. We are in an age of shaping the world with new ideas. In this new age, we are coming up with new trends, and new age thinking. Now days everyone walks around with cell phones and ipods, including the young ones. Now days we cant live without a dish washer, microwave, television and air condition. Are those things wrong? Of course not, but with increasing technology, we have become distracted from God. Postmodernism is developing igods. Igods are people who think we can do everything on our own. Americans especially are very individualistic. Along with being individualistic, we build up a pride of ourselves. We figure that making money will allow me to use other high-tech resources, which will in return satisfy me.

A good example of postmodernism is architecture. If you havnt noticed, the buildings now days are beings designed quite different than before. Now days everyone wants a postmodern architect, because its creative, unique and has style. But no one now days wants a postmodern engineer. Who would want a engineer that subtracts vital pillars, or guesses on foundation measurements. Engineers must have their buildings precisely to the t. We have postmodern artist. You've seen the jagged lines, blue circles, and red spolts of paint. How can such simple artwork be worth thousands? Oh but the artist is a genius for it's emotion. There's a postmodern wave of sexuality hitting America. Politically its not right to say homosexual, we must say gay, lesbian, bisexual, transsexual, and leave room for any other titles. We have postmodern music, where we can add in beats, synchronize tones, and manipulate the sounds to create a hot new track. Postmodernism is breaking through boundaries and leaves room for interpretation. Would u want a postmodern bank teller? Who says i dont think 2+2=4. That jus isnt working for us. I think 2+2=3. It would completely screw up civilization if everything we're open to interpretation. Yes its okay to have new clothes trends, yes its okay to have pop culture, yes its okay to have postmodern buildings. But its not okay to have postmodern engineers, bank tellers, and postmodern bible teachers.

If we as Christians truly want to follow in Jesus' steps, we hafta be prepared to face many trials. Following Jesus does not exactly lead us to the most comfortable life. It kinda reminds me of "The Matrix", when Neil had to choose the red pill or the blue pill. You can choose to go back to an ordinary happy fairly tail land, or you can choose to swallow the red pill which will show you the truth. Often times people want to swallow both pills, to have some truth, but mix in their own understandings so that they can also live more comfortable. One must be very careful not to add or subtract to God's word. You cannot chase after Jesus if we still want to live for ourselves, because they contradict. Its like saying "I love mac computers, they're the best. But i only like to use PCs." "I love basketball, its my favorite sport! But i only watch football and golf." "Ya i love Jesus, He's my Savior, But i practice my own spiritual beliefs and think its okay to have other gods." You cannot compromise truth, follow our preferences, or believe in only some parts of the bible that accommodate our truths.

Pastors, evangelist, preachers, and saints, must constantly examine the scripture to test if they are in His word. Postmodernism says we can come up with new ideas that work. Postmodernism says lets be super seeker friendly, so no one is offended, lets preach what people want to hear, and cover up the tough parts of the bible. Lets just not talk about sin, because ppl dont wanna hear that.

In politics, we govern ourselves. The population votes on what they find morally correct, and what is illegal. In democracy we come up with what we feel is right. Remember how dependent Moses was for God's law? We must look to the authority of scripture to define our ethics. Christians should strongly fight for God's standards and not human standards. Can u imagine children coming up with their household rules?


Christ's resurrection and forgiveness of sins is sufficient for our salvation. Christ demonstrated perfect love, and is the only one to have conquered death. Muhammad, Buddah, are dead. Christ is alive. He's the only one who even claimed to bring God to us. He's the only one who dealt so radically with human wickedness. He's the only one who offered atonement. Can u think of anyone else who resurrected, and still lives with us? When Thomas said i dont believe Christ appeared to more than 500 ppl after His burial, unless i stick my finger through the holes of His hands i refuse to believe. And Christ appeared, and said okay Thomas go ahead. God didnt hafta give us any way out. God just giving us one way for salvation is enough and sufficient. If God says I am the only God and there is none but me. And if God says salvation is found in no one else, and Christ says im the only way, then that's what we are to believe. Sure itd be nice if everyone was right, and that there were a hundreds of different gods, and hundreds of ways to salvation. But that's just not how it is. There is one God who is supreme over all, and there is only one way to Him.

If Christ never resurrected, then there is no resurrection for us either. If there is no God that saves us, then everything under the sun is meaningless. As Paul says, if the dead are not raised at all,.. "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die." But the truth is that Christ has risen. He has conquered sin and death. IF u look at the bible closely, ull see that all the main characters went through a Redemption. The Bible is all about being set free from sin, and having redemption in our Savior. True salvation is dependent on Christ's atonement and resurrection. Hallelujah! He has risen! We are saved by His Grace! We have Freedom, Love, Peace, and Joy everlasting!

11) Agape
One of the greatest things i learned in the book was to just allow God to love on you.
The emphasis is not on what we have to do, such as the "do-it-yourself spiritually, self disciplining, and doing things to gain acceptance. But rather on what God is doing. He tends and loves His sheep. Let Him soften your heart. Let Him take out ur trash. Let Him take hold of you with His warm embrace. Allow God to love you. He accepts us just the way we are. He loved us even before we were in our mother's womb. He takes us in unconditionally, removes our hearts of stone, and gives us eternal life + infinite love. God welcomes and invites us to take communion with Him. Jesus would have died for us even if we had been the only person on earth. He calls us to come to Him now with all our brokenness, insecurities, fears, and sinfulness. He takes us jus as we are, and not the way we think we should be. Your mind should want to explode when u truly experience God's love firsthand. Nothing else in the world will seem more beautiful or more desirable than the love of Christ. Brennan Manning says to pray these simple prayers over and over throughout the day, "Abba, Father I belong to you." and "Yahweh is my shepherd, I lack nothing." Our lips should sing pslams and hymns of praise to Him all day. We need to put more emphasis on the family. We should pray for marriages, pray for blessings, pray for the sick, and pray for God to have His way with us.

God loves what in us is not yet. What has still to come to birth. What we love in a person is what already is: virtue, beauty, courage, and hence our love is self-interested and fragile. God, loving what is not yet and putting faith in us." Carlo Carretto

"A little child cannot do a bad coloring; nor can a child of God do bad prayer." Brennan Manning

Dont take God's love for granted. We dont know how much God loves us. He is uncontainable. And the moment we think we understand it all is the moment we do not understand. Faith begins to shrivel and shrink when we become bored with the Christian life. When prayer, scripture, worship, ministry become routine, thats when we need to be desperate to find God in a new and surprising way. It takes serious reflection to grow deeper, more passionate, more mature and stronger in commitment of faith. Enjoy the simple things, be grateful for ur blessings, and stare up at the sky in awe.

"By and large, our world has lost its sense of wonder. We have grown up. We no longer catch our breath at the sight of a rainbow or the scent of a rose, as we once did. We have grown bigger and everything else smaller, less impressive. We get blase and worldly-wise and sophisticated. We no longer run our fingers through water, no longer shout at the starts or make faces at the moon. Water is H20, the stars have been classified, and the moon is not made of green cheese." Brennan Manning

One thing that we could all use is, more compassion for those different than us. I know ive treated others different because of their attitudes, age, race, apperance, weight, gender, disabilities, economic status, sexual orientation and just because someone is different. Why do we look at ppl differently? I treated someone differently cuz they were older. I got irritated with this boy because he kept talking to me, and became unfriendly towards him, even when he was mentally challenged. I got super pissed off one day because it seemed like everyone was a bad driver. People speeding up to block you, people not paying attention, people cutting you off, etc. I got super angry at people. I saw an old bully from high school at church, and tried to ignore him, instead of greeting him. I looked at someone differently because he liked boys instead of girls. I kept my distance and ignored the poor and homeless. I was superficial. I chose to love on only those i care about. God demands that we love on people even if they dont care about you. God doesnt jus teach us to love our friends n family, He commands us to love everyone and treat everyone equally. We must learn to truly pray for others and be others minded. Love those who dont have many friends, love the unpopular, love the ones who are lonely, love those who can get on ur nerves, love bad drivers, love your enemies, and love people genuinely regardless of how they look or act. If we could apply any scripture, we should seek to apply Matt 22:36-38


"For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." Eph 3:14-21

12) Poem
I got inspired to start writing psalm poems like David did. I dont like to take lines from other songs, but its already embedded. Its too much work to incorporate syllables, rhymes, and all that jazz. But i think simple prayers and poems are one of the best ways to glorify God.

I will wait upon the Lord
For I am so desperate for more
My soul cries out for your Holy Spirit
Engulf me, fill me, and surround me
Whisper your words unto my heart
For you are my Holy Father
and I am your precious child

Oh that I may have a genuine heart
That only seeks to praise you
For you loved me first
You rescued me and gave me a home
You fed me, you clothed me
You delivered me out of the darkness
and comforted me in your light

For I will only move forward
closer and closer to you each day
The old has gone and the new has come
I no longer want to live as before
For when I am weak you are most strong
I will surrender to your sovereignty
and put all my trust in you

For you are my rock, and my foundation
Your love never fails, and you never let go
You shine as my sun, reign as my King
and you lead me as my Shepherd
Your grace pours out an everlasting love
You've covered my sins
And you washed me clean

For you are always there
Even at my lowest of lows
You never gave up
You rooted for me all the way
You looked upon me with your compassionate eyes
You gave me hope, protected me,
lifted me out, and saved me

You sit high upon the clouds of Heaven
And you sprinkle your grace like rain
You are so powerful, and yet so gentle
You love and bless all your children
For you alone are worthy, and you alone are King
I cant wait to enter your heavenly gates
And finally see you, face to face

Oh how your love endures forever
Your love is so incredible
It is perfectly wonderful
Your love is so overwhelming
My spirit races with joy and laughter
And yet at the same time
you grant your calm stillness and peace

Oh how great is your complexity
Oh how divine is your simplicity
The war has been won
I have victory in your strength
Renew the tired, awake the sleep
The King is coming,
Be ready for His return

No Confidence in the Flesh

Just got back from Epic's Man Camp. The high school girls went to a nice warm hotel, while the boys roughed it out in the wild. We played choke choke choke games. We went paddling, swimming, played football, dodgeball, hit da cracker, had a massive food fight and a bunch of funny relays.

The camp really help me form stronger relationships with some of the boys. I got to lead a team 4 of the boys. Most of the guys have faith, but are still in a stage of maturing in Christ. Our theme of the camp was becoming Men of God by Humbling ourselves. And honestly, it was something i too really needed to hear again.

The most challenging part of camp, was sleeping in the cold tent throughout the entire stormy night. It was freeezing coooold! And somehow water leaked in. So we had puddles of water leaking over in our blankets, n sleeping bags. I got super irritated with little flying bugs biting me, and making me itchy. The pouring rain would drop and hit me in the face. I rolled into puddles of water so my sweater got super soaked. We all tried to avoid da puddles, so we were super cramped with little sleeping space. Basically it was a hard night. I finally jus covered up my face, and dealt with the wet environment. I then started to count my blessings, and realized how lucky i was to actually have a tent, sleeping bag, and friends to sleep next to. Many ppl live with worst every night. I was grateful for God's warm love, that pours down like the storming rain. I started to worship and praise God, for His wonderful peace He gives us. Then i zonked out, got choke hours of rest, and woke up to a beautiful morning.

"I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength."
-Phil 4:11-13

Perhaps the deepest moment for everyone was the campfire on the beach. The moon was huge n bright, the stars were twinkling, the clouds were all illuminated, the ocean was calm, and the horizon made us feel small. I stood with my toes dug into some sand, while the shoreline waters would wash my feet. The boys had earlier taken some time to write on boards of wood. They wrote down their fears, struggles and what the world expects men to be. They then got to karate chop their boards of wood and throw them into the fire. This represented surrendering our fear of the world and what people say men should be. We talked about how the world gives us many wrong views of what it means to be a man. It seems many high school students decided to take a serious oath with God. Many reflected over their hearts, and decided that it was time for a change. I got to pray over some of the guys, and i realized that they will one day take over our generation. We need to make sure that we build our little brothers n sisters in faith and maturity.

Boys will be boys. Of coarse the burping, farting, wrestling, pranks, eating contest, and silly goofiness will always live on, but now these boys are really starting to take their faith more seriously. I think i too need to mature in Christ. I'm starting to realize that i can't get away with being a kid all the time. Men of God need to take charge, and lead with the strength of humility.

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross! -Phil 2:5-8

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Im reading The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning. Ive been learning so much, after jus reading the first few chapters. It talks about God's grace, accepting ourselves, accepting others, allowing Christ to take away our messy sin, and move forward in faith. Ill probably write an entire blog about it, after i finish more. But in short, heres some stuff i picked up. We should all admit to being dirty, filthy, beat-up ragamuffins. We're all sinners, and desperate for a savior. Christ surrounded himself with the lowest of the low. Christ came for sinners, He had affection for the least expected, the tax collectors, prostitutes, lepers, the downtrodden, the persecuted, the hungry, the poor, the blind, the lame, and the smallest of the least. Jesus has a desire for the undesirable. A love for the unlovely. He cares for the lost and broken. As ragamuffins, lets allow Christ to purify us and heal our hearts.

Honestly, ive been feeling kinda burnt out lately. I hit a road block, that shook my faith. Faith is belief manifested. I believe my God is God, but I havnt been putting my trust on Him. There's a difference between believing that the chair exist, and actually sitting on the chair, relying that it will hold you up.

I guess my faith relied a lot on hearing God. I can normally hear God when i truly want to. But it was a few weeks of not really really hearing His voice. I would call upon Him, and i wouldnt be aware of any answer. It was wrong of me to demand God to reveal Himself when i call upon Him. God doesn't have to reveal Himself to me if He doesnt want to. Anywho.. I did get to hear His voice on Friday night during worship. He said "Trust me, my child. I am with you always." So that was super comforting.

And then yet again, i allowed myself to go back to the fear of man. I heard about a guy who was diligently pursuing ministry, and he ended up losing a lot of his faith in God. For some reason i started worrying about conforming to God's will. I feared that i would make bad decisions. I feared that i wouldnt be good enough. And i feared that i wouldnt become a good leader. And you know what, I probably will make dozens of wrong moves, I wont be good enough, and I wont be a good leader. I, I, I. Of coarse I'll be terrible if i focus on I. God is the one, who will direct me to make wise decisions, who will offer His grace for my shortcomings, who will lift me up when im down, who sees me as righteous in His sight, who will strengthen me through His Spirit, and use me to lead His people. God is the one. God jus keeps reminding me how desperately i need to humble myself.

"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." -Matt 5:3-10

It seems my own fleshy mind tried to get the best of me. I would hear "You wont be good enough. You wont be strong enough." whispered in my ear. And satan or my own flesh would try to tear me down. "Why dont u just live like everyone else!? It'll be so much easier and way more fun!" And i basically let the enemy, allow me to doubt God's will. I condemned myself, and even questioned my trust in God. What if I wont do things right?! What if i just end up making a fool out of myself?! What if i were to lose my faith in God?! I got so overwhelmed with being under confident in Christ. My flesh has won many battles, but in the end God's Spirit will have victory over my heart and soul. God is always, always faithful, His agape never fails. Our God is a God of redemption, and He uses the meek to become strong. Paul was just a man, but become extraordinary because he was willing to comply to God's will. So we need to pray, pray, pray, for true obedience and submission. The Holy Spirit is ready to do it's thing, we just need to walk by faith.

"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 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death"
-Phil 3:7-10

"What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God?" -Romans 3:3

"And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God." -Phil 1:9-11

"We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true—even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life." - 1 John 5:20

Not about Chris, But about Christ

Just got back from California. It was a good experience. I learned a few new things, but most of it was strengthening what i already knew. The greatest thing i probably learned was to actually apply what i know. We need to take our faith very seriously. We need to practice what we learned. Its like learning a new vocab word, but never using it in dialogue. What good is knowledge if we don't apply it to our lives.

Faith
A few blogs ago i talked about how important loving God is. Everything stems from our faith and love in God. But before we can love God, a prerequisite is knowing God's love for us. A few questions ive been asking myself are "How do i have faith? How do i seek God's love?" Obviously faith and love will push us to grow closer to God, but how do we do that?? We hear "Trust in the Lord, Repent and Believe, Take up ur own cross.." But how do we actually do all these things? There is no way we could do those things on our own. God's help is required for us to grow closer to Him. The Holy Spirit actually does choke work to draw us closer to God. The Holy Spirit encourages us to leap out in Faith. I know experiencing God would help. Reading His word would help. But i know so many non believers, and struggling Christians, that don't know how to increase in faith. We can read about His promises, but how can we truly believe in them? How can we put all our faith into what is unseen? I think faith produces faith. Trusting God, and allowing Him to fulfill or provide, will help us to trust Him even more.

Counting the Cost
I think too many people are afraid of putting all their marbles on God. But God tells us to count the cost. He doesnt say give me some of you. Just give me 10%, or 25% of you. He really requires us to devote 100% to Him. The Christian life is only meant to be lived out 100%. The question is why shouldnt we? We're already His to use, He gave us life, He gave us everything we have. We belong to Him. He even died for us, so we could be with Him. So why then do we have such a hard time submitting our trust, faith, and lives in Him? Most of the time, people realize how lost they are without God. Sometimes people hit rock bottom, finding themselves without any options. Then when there's no other place to turn, people finally surrender to Christ. I still find myself struggling with faith. I desire genuine faith. I want a heart that bleeds for God. I think it's a life long process to grow deeper in faith. We can never completely die to ourselves, and fully know God, until we see Him face to face.

"In our culture of seeker sensitivity and radical inclusivity, the great temptation is to compromise the cost of discipleship in order to draw a larger crowd. We do not want to see anyone walk away from Jesus because of the discomfort of His cross, so we clip the claws on the lion and clean up a bit of the bloody passion we are called to follow." -Shane Claiborne

Introspection
I think we learn much about God, by learning and reflecting about ourselves. Understanding who we are, and understanding our relationships with others, helps us to better understand God. How does God speak to you? How do you think? How do you learn? What is my purpose? How can I change or improve my ways? How can i conform to God's plan for me?

Fundamentals
The core heart of the bible, is the gospel (good news). That Christ died for our sins, so we can have a direct relationship with God. We need to always come back to the basics, like reading His Word daily, digesting it, meditating on it, and coming to Him in prayer. The foundation of our faith, is in the life of Jesus. That He came not to call the upright, but the sinners! He came for those in need of a savior.

Relationships
Having conversations, leads us into forming relationships. People are seeking to be understood. The way we can understand people, is by listening. We need to be more concerned with others than ourselves. The greatest thing that people like to talk about is themselves. So get to know them. Ask them their story, their background, their experiences, and be real with them. Love on them, and try to turn regular conversations, into deep conversations.

Teresa
I met a 3rd mom on this trip. She reminds me of the oracle from the matrix, because she tells people exactly what they need to hear. One thing that she helps people do, is get over the past pain. She understands that many of us, hold in some sort of internal pain. Most of us don't know how to grieve or face our damaged hearts. When we fall down, we need to recognize that we got hurt and sometimes we need to be nurtured, before we rush to get back up. She also taught me to be playful with God. Finding that peace and joy that passes understanding.

Rejoice in Suffering
I got sick through all the traveling and cold weather. And yet i will still rejoice and praise God, even though i feel physically weaker. Sometimes being sick shows us that we need to slow down. We need to find rest in Him. We need to humble ourselves. I think God intended us to struggle and face trials. God often uses suffering to glorify Himself. Far be it from God to do evil. But He does allow us to face trials, because He wants us to find the light throughout the darkness. All the men of the bible screwed up. They saw what it was like without God. They witnessed how worthless life would be without a sovereign God. Many times we pray for healing, and often times He does grant healing. But we have to keep in mind, that sometimes these trials are according to His will. We can pray for protection and health, but sometimes that's not how God intends it to be. Sometimes we need to struggle, in order to learn perseverance.

Party in Heaven
During the Winter Conference, we were worshiping, singing "Gloria, Hallelujah" over and over. And everyone's hands and hearts were lifted. The entire room was praising God. And i was jus imagining how much greater the party is in heaven. God is preparing a wonderful place, where we can fully witness His Holy being. We got a taste of how great the celebration will be. But until then we need to expand His kingdom, and show others this narrow gate.

Boldness
As Christians we need to be bold in our faith. We need to be confident in the Spirit. We need to take lead, and voice the love of God. If you know me, then u know that i can be extremely lazy. I dont like to be in charge. I rather someone else lead the way. I dont like taking risks or being responsible for things. But especially as a male, I need to see things to completion. I need to be proactive. Initiating, pursuing and willing to risk it all. In order for me to become a stronger leader, i need to block out fears, and build up more courage. Sometimes we need to go for 2 or 3 yards at a time, rather than for the touchdown pass. As long as we're taking a step froward, and striving for a first down, we'll eventually get to the end zone.

No Limits
Anything is possible with God. So why not trust Him with everything? He is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine. Sometimes it seems we hold the Holy Spirit back from doing what it really wants to accomplish. We're afraid of what the world might say, or fearful of what others will think.

Prayer
One thing i need to work on is prayer. I dont nearly pray enough. God is always present. Its just that most of the time, we arnt aware of Him. We need to fill ourselves with His Word and the Spirit. We need alone time with God. Check in with Him throughout the day, and jus talk story. Prayer often leads to intimacy. We need prayer if we are to become stronger Christians. We need prayer if we want to humble ourselves and seek His face. If God is with us, who can be against us? Well alot of stuff are against us, but none are successful when we have God. Lets face it, we cant do anything right without God leading us. Lets just put everything aside, and fill our hearts with genuine faith. For God is always with us, even when we cant see Him.