I have found that Christianity is like a tool. Without the right tool you get nothing done. Once you have the right tool, you learn to use it and get good at it, you get just as much out as you put into it. Christianity is our tool to establish a closer relationship with Christ and God. For me reading scripture and keeping Him on my mind daily is irreplaceable to guide me. Its the single largest thing that has ever happened to me, I love it. Once you understand and start to have faith you realize that it is so much more than a tool. Christianity is our link to our salvation, it is the link to forgiveness, the link to unconditional love, a link to Gods wisdom and understanding. Christianity is a way of life, a community, and an understanding. When we decide to take the step and accept Christ in our lives it opens new doors for us that were never visible before. For me I know that God opens doors for me to take certain paths; sometimes it is hard to see those doors and sometimes you dont always want to take them. It can be hard to step into the unknown and place your whole trust in God. I know that He is taking care of us and has our best interest in mind so I can be confident that I'm heading the right direction even if its scary at first or a rough ride.
I know that taking that step and placing trust in Him can be hard for people that have not tried it before. I recently asked someone very close to me to place their trust in God, try to pray daily, and be silent, listening for Gods word. They tried it and told me that they did not hear anything, that it did not effect them. I suppose they are just not ready to hear God. It hurts. I pray that God changes hearts so that they can listen to Him.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Jesus is the way to our Salvation
I ran across this website today: Click It talks about some basics of Christianity. The site explains the foundation of our religion and why its important. I just thought I would share it with others. Building a stronger relationship with our savior is one of the key topics addressed. It ends with this prayer that I found appropriate and refreshingly simple:
"Lord Jesus, I need You. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of the throne of my life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be."
The foundation of Christianity is so simple yet so hard for some to understand. I know that one of the hardest things for me is to only rely on Jesus when I am in pain. I suppose I am human, flawed, and want the company of friends or family members but I am getting better with practice.
"Lord Jesus, I need You. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of the throne of my life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be."
The foundation of Christianity is so simple yet so hard for some to understand. I know that one of the hardest things for me is to only rely on Jesus when I am in pain. I suppose I am human, flawed, and want the company of friends or family members but I am getting better with practice.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
The Devils True Colors
I was looking around on YouTube yesterday and ran across this film that made me start thinking. The film portrays James Brown meeting with the devil to renew his contract that made him his success. He argues that he cannot maintain his fame and fortune because of the aging process. The actor that plays the devil, Gary Oldman, plays the part just about perfect. Watch it below:
If I were to ever meet the devil in real life I can only imagine this is how he would look and act. At first he seems to be just another person, a person that wants to have fun and wants you to come have fun with him. He seems harmless at first, small stature, dressed like Elton John (sorry Elton), and he seems nice enough. The film is put together in such a way that it is surreal, a clue to the darker agenda going on here. Once you are past the initial introductions you start to see his true colors, the dark atmosphere he lives in, the company he keeps. His true nature comes out as the film progresses. At one point he looses his wig and you see what he really looks like in the sun light, his evil is completely revealed. The tricks he was using to seduce those around him are gone.
Although we may not meet the devil face to face, he is very much there lurking around us. He tempts us and uses things around us to lure us away from God. The devil trys to temp Jesus in Mathew 4:1-11. Jesus sees through the devils tricks and wards him off.
God tells us to remain steadfast in prayer and avoid temptation. Proverbs 16:6 says this:
Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for;
through the fear of the LORD a man avoids evil.
One of the ways we can draw near to God is through scripture. Reading scripture, will help you to recognize satans temptations and avoid them. Sometimes we are our own worst enemies, its not always satan tempting us, its just us tempting us. We cannot blame satan for all the things we do or are tempted with. In 1st Corinthians 1.18-20 it says:
"The Message that points to Christ on the Cross seems like sheer silliness to those hellbent on destruction, but for those on the way to salvation it makes perfect sense."
Again this is telling us why scripture is so important. Scripture is one of our main weapons not only to keep satan from our lives but to keep us on track. The same applies to the Proverbs verse above; when it says "fear of the LORD" it literally means a fear and respect. That fear and respect is what keeps us from being our own worst enemies. It is the part of our lives that we can control. Daily scripture combined with a respect of God and His kingdom will help you stay on the right path, Gods path for you!
If I were to ever meet the devil in real life I can only imagine this is how he would look and act. At first he seems to be just another person, a person that wants to have fun and wants you to come have fun with him. He seems harmless at first, small stature, dressed like Elton John (sorry Elton), and he seems nice enough. The film is put together in such a way that it is surreal, a clue to the darker agenda going on here. Once you are past the initial introductions you start to see his true colors, the dark atmosphere he lives in, the company he keeps. His true nature comes out as the film progresses. At one point he looses his wig and you see what he really looks like in the sun light, his evil is completely revealed. The tricks he was using to seduce those around him are gone.
Although we may not meet the devil face to face, he is very much there lurking around us. He tempts us and uses things around us to lure us away from God. The devil trys to temp Jesus in Mathew 4:1-11. Jesus sees through the devils tricks and wards him off.
God tells us to remain steadfast in prayer and avoid temptation. Proverbs 16:6 says this:
Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for;
through the fear of the LORD a man avoids evil.
One of the ways we can draw near to God is through scripture. Reading scripture, will help you to recognize satans temptations and avoid them. Sometimes we are our own worst enemies, its not always satan tempting us, its just us tempting us. We cannot blame satan for all the things we do or are tempted with. In 1st Corinthians 1.18-20 it says:
"The Message that points to Christ on the Cross seems like sheer silliness to those hellbent on destruction, but for those on the way to salvation it makes perfect sense."
Again this is telling us why scripture is so important. Scripture is one of our main weapons not only to keep satan from our lives but to keep us on track. The same applies to the Proverbs verse above; when it says "fear of the LORD" it literally means a fear and respect. That fear and respect is what keeps us from being our own worst enemies. It is the part of our lives that we can control. Daily scripture combined with a respect of God and His kingdom will help you stay on the right path, Gods path for you!
Monday, May 4, 2009
Hope.
Earlier today I felt overwhelmed, lost, alone, and stressed. Stressed about school, my future, the people around me, and the people that are special to me. I had to just walk away from school for a while to get some fresh air. As I walked downtown I felt especially sad despite the nice day. I need a quiet place where I could relax and be alone. I walked by a church near campus, went in and found an empty room with no people around. I sat and tried to pray but couldnt, the only thing I could do was cry, I felt horrible because of all the things going on around me, my doubts and worries. Once I got it out of my system, I was able to pray and asked for Gods help. I felt Him telling me to stop being sad and get back up so I did. I went back to school, and He helped me get everything done that I needed to. I started to feel better about my day and the people around me. He gave me a gift in the form of a call from someone very close to me that cheered me up even more. God provided emotional support for me throughout the rest of my day and I wanted to thank Him. Through Him we are able to get the strength we need to press on past our obstacles and short comings. He uses the events in our life to bring us closer to Him and for that I am truly grateful.
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