Faith

Wow, it’s been a while since I have written…so much has happened and so many topics I could write about but faith is the one that God is teaching me about the most this week.

Faith…such a big topic…it goes hand in hand with trust. We just talked bout faith on Sunday night with my freshman girls at Ignition and it reminded me of how important having faith is. There are several good verses that go right along with this topic.

Hebrews 11:1 – “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”
Hebrews 11:6 – “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

To me these are two very powerful verses. It is hard to know what faith is and to even have faith when it is based on something we cannot see right now. For example, right now I do not have a job that pays even half my bills. I had some money from unemployment saved up but that money is slowly dwindling. I am starting to worry about how I am going to pay my bills, pay for gas, groceries, get baby gifts, Christmas gifts, b-day presents etc. in the upcoming months. This world is so consumed with things and money that it is hard to live if you don’t have money. It is also hard to live in t his world if you don’t have faith. Because if you don’t have money and don’t have faith than what do you have to hope for. If you have faith, than you can pray and hope for God to provide you with what you need.

So this brings me back to the topic for today…I must have faith in my god that he will provide and keep his promises like he said he will. I have to trusts that these things will happen. If I don’t have faith, why would he reward me with the things that I need. I do not understand how people live in this broken, messed up economy of the world without God. God created us; he created the world and everything in it. Why wouldn’t you put your faith and trust in Him. That is the one thing t hat baffles me more than anything.

Matthew 17:21 – “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

At ignition this week we discussed the story of Abraham and Sarah and how God came to her and said they would have a baby in a year. Sarah laughed at what God had told them. Abraham was an old dude, almost 100 and Sarah was pretty old too, but a year went past and Sarah and Abraham had a baby named Isaac (which means laughter). Gen. 18:1-15, 21:1-7

Sarah laughed in disbelief, thinking, they are too old to have kids, they've prayed about this for a long time, why now. They had little faith...can God do the impossible? Absolutely! He kept his promise and Sarah had that baby a year later! This story spoke to me on Sunday night and to my girls and it made us realize that with God nothing is impossible (Matt 19:26). It also made us realize that he longs for this daily relationship with us of trust and faith.

If I don’t have faith that God is going to provide for me, or faith that he has a perfect plan, that I will get a job etc. then my life will be impossible because then I will be living this life alone, on my own strength…and that would be stupidity on my part when I have a higher being, named God who is walking next to me every moment of my life, guiding me, showing me, speaking to me about the things he wants me to do and the things he has promised me. So I don’t know about you, but I am definitely putting my faith in God today and every day.

God, I thank you sooooo much that you sent your son to die on the cross for our sins. So that we can have eternal life and live according to YOUR plan not our own. Thank you God for protecting us, keeping your promises, and loving us even when we fall short and sin. Lord, I put all of my faith in you today because you are my God and Savior. I know that you will provide for me in this tough time in your timing. Lord, open my eyes to what you have planned for me next. Thank you Lord, I love you! AMEN!

Below is from the Spirit of Prophecy bulletin that I receive each day...this is today’s. This is so relevant to this topic of faith and trust. God promises that he will be our shelter and safe haven from destructive storms but challenges are going to come. God will help us get through these challenges if we put our faith and trust in him. Read below and soak on this for the week.

Beloved, this is a time when you must deliberately refocus your faith so that your dependence and trust are not in the things of the world, but in that which is eternal. You can trust Me when I tell you that I will be your shelter and safe haven from destructive storms. This does not mean that you will not be challenged through difficult circumstances, but it does mean that you can depend on Me to bring you through every situation in victory, says the Lord. Psalms 107:30 Then they are glad because they are quiet; so He guides them to their desired haven.

New Adventures in Des Moines

Well, the church in MN finally called me last Monday evening, a month and a day after my interview and said that they could not offer me a job but that I made it very tough for them to decide. I was relieved that they finally called me. I had planned to call them the very next day since I hadn't heard from them. I was not upset that I was not offered the job. I feel like that was totally the right thing and after praying about it and thinking about certain things over the past month, I realized that I may not have even taken the job if they had offered it to me a month later. I am so thankful that I know and that God placed it on my heart that I am supposed to stay in the DM area.

Later that evening (last Monday), after I had received that phone call I was checking my facebook and received a message from one of my freshman girls in my ignition small group. She basically told me how she was telling her mother that I am an amazing leader and can change the lives and tougch the lives of everyone in our small group. I about cried and was so excited...that is when I knew that a new season/adventure was going to start for me here in the DM area. I have so many things going on and I feel like this is the most important one that God has placed in front of me at the moment. I know he is going to use me to touch the lives of these freshman. I am sooooo excited for this challenge and adventure with them over the next year.

I just got done going to a soccer game of two of the girls and it brought so much joy to know that they wanted me there and were excited to see me afterwards. They did such a good job. They both scored goals today and they told me that this was the first game all season that they had scored goals. How cool is that?! Good for them. I am so excited to continue this journey with them.

God, I pray for each of my freshman girls. I pray that you be with them in school, give them self-control and help them resist temptation of this world. Give them your confidence and help them get along with their families as well. I pray Lord that you speak to me about their needs and that you give me the words you want me to speak to them and minister to them. Thank you Lord for this new adventure! :)

John 10':10

"The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." John 10:10

Yesterday as I was working at Des Moines Christian subbing in a preschool room the kids were napping and a friend had given me this verse earlier in the day. I decided to study it and ponder it during nap time. Since this is a Christian school we are encouraged to read the Bible or devotionals during nap time, which is GREAT! I love feeling free to do that where I won't get looked at weird etc. Although, in this broken world it would make sense to read your Bible on break anyway to be a witness to those who don't believe.

So during this time of studying and pondering I asked the Lord to speak to me about this verse and this is what it means to me: The thief seems to be people who try to destroy your dreams. Who tries to stear you away from what you know God has called you to do. For me, God has called me into youth ministry and I have told many people this and many people (mostly my family) has encouraged me to pursue other things...and tellking me that there are many many options when I know that but also know that God has seriously called me into youth ministry so why would I waste my time looking at other things that I know I am not called into?

God has died and come back so we don't have to suffer like Jesus did and so that our sins are forgiven. that is what it means that we may have life because we are free because of those things that He did for us.

Those who aren't happy in their lives or are trying to feel accomplished through you will try to steal or destroy wha you are doing or what you could do. Everyday is a gift from God and it will be full if you allow God to enter in each moment of each day. :) Thank you God for giving us each day as a gift and symbol of your love.

Ephesians 2:8-10

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works so that no one can boast. For we are God's handiwork created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God has prepared in advance for us to do." Eph. 2-8-10

These verses...specifically vs. 10 keep popping up throughout my weeks. 2 weeks ago I was in Wisconsin visiting my grandma for her 80th b-day and I went to a church that she attends. This was the main scripture for the sermon. In the past two weeks, I have seen this vs. in AT LEAST 3-4 other spots. Now I have started to memorize vs. 10. This is interesting to me because I am not a good memorize nor does God usually speak to me through verses. I enjoy this though...God is doing some cool things right now. So I am not exactly sure what God wants me to learn from these verses but I do know that I need to pray over these verses and ask God what he wants me to learn and see from them. I definately feel like the last vs., vs. 10 has to do with whatever job God has for me to do next. I am not sure though that that is all of the meaning of that vs. I was talking to some friends at church about this vs. and one of them said that it could be several things that God has prepared in advance for me, not just job related. I never thought about it like that. I just find it non-coincidental that I have seen this vs. at least 4 times in 2 weeks.

Lord, I pray that you show me what these verses mean. What do you want me to learn from them? Lord I pray that you speak to me, show me specifics, and help me have spiritual eyes and spiritual ears so that I don't miss any important steps in the works that you have planned in advance for me. I pray that they all fall together like pieces in a puzzle. Thank you for being so faithful to me when I don't deserve it. Thank you for giving me hope and faith for the things unseen. Reveal the unseen things to me Lord. Thank you Jesus!

Thankful

Today God has spoke to me in many ways. It all started this morning when our pastor was talking about God's covenant and that it means: "Sacred promise from God." At Ignition tonight covenant was brought up again. As I have been thing about this word...."covenant" it seems that God is speaking to me and saying that he promises to provide in this tough situation that I am going through. He promises to provide in any way needed. He promises to comfort me in times of sadness and to be joyful with me in those joyful times. I am so thankful that God has reminded me of this and brought this to my attention. I am comforted by just being reminded of this. It brings me joy to know that God promises all these things for us and that he sent His son to die for us to be in covenant with him. Imagine if he hadn't sent his son to die for us. What kind of corrupt world would we live in? It freaks me out to even think about that.

Thank you Lord for creating this covenant so that we have assurance that we are protected and provided for. I have been reminded tonight Lord that you will provide for me and take care of me through this tough and trying time. I pray that I continue to see your grace, gentleness and mercy that you give me each day. I love you Lord. AMEN!

After I went to the 9:15 service I helped out with One Body KQ (our special needs ministry during Sunday School) at the 11:00 service. This is always a blessing to me because not only do I learn from the Bible lessons, but I get to make a difference in a young child's life who has special needs. Today the girl I usually work with didn't show up so I worked with a little Kindergarten boy. He is actually pretty independent until craft time comes and depending on the craft time he sometimes needs help. So the lesson today was on Abraham and Sarah and how they wanted a baby and God said that he would give them a baby. However, Abraham was almost 100 so they thought it was impossible. But God promised them a baby. So...they waited, and waited, and waited, and waited, and waited, and waited!!! We had to act out the waiting part in several different ways and this just hit home sooooo much and kind of makes me want to reread that story again. Abraham and Sarah had to be patient and wait. As we were acting this "waiting" out, it was so cute to watch the kids put their hand on their chin, then lie on their stomachs and do the same thing, then lie on their back just waiting and waiting...it really reminded me of how long I have been waiting. I totally understand that I am supposed to wait and be patient and continue to be patient.

Thank you God for that reminder today. It is not easy to wait, but it is worth the wait in the end. God, I know you have perfect timing for everything. I thank you for that and pray that you show me what that timing is with this youth ministry thing that I am pursuing, whether it be this job in MN or wherever...I know your timing is perfect and if you want me at HOPE for the rest of the year to minister to these freshman girls I am happy to do that. I just want to be obedient Lord and go where you want me. Thank you Lord for giving me this gift with children and this desire to be a youth director. I pray that you lead me where you want me when you want me there. It's all about you Lord and not about me or my plan or my timing. Jesus you are AMAZING! AMEN!

Created in His Image

Last night I was helping out with Powerlife our 7th and 8th grade confirmation program and our senior pastor spoke on creation the first couple chapters of the Bible...Genesis 1 and 2 about all the things that God created in the beginning. He talked about how after God created them he said..."and saw that it was good." We are part of God's creation and he created us in "His Image" (Genesis 1:27). This means that He created us to be like him and act like him. Not only did he create us in His image, he saw that we are good. God was a generous, loving, non-judgemental, accepting man. So often we are pressured in school, at work, from friends and/or family to be someone we're not. Especially in 7th and 8th grade. I pray for these middle schoolers through these tough years that they would hear God's word and know his heart for them. That they would resist temptation from the enemy and falling in the trap of trying to be someone they're not. It's hard in this broken world not to fall into that trap because there is always someone saying...."hey if you were only better at that" or "I wish you would do this..." These are the traps that we all fall into and we end up doing something that we may have never wanted to do or that would make us someone that we are not. Please Lord, speak to these students and everyone in this season.



On the 7th day the Lord rested from all of the work that he had completed. As the 7 days of completion were demonstrated by students last night, the last one just stuck out to me today. God rested on the 7th day. This is a huge reminder to me that I need to take a day of the week to rest. I work so hard on the other 6 that I need to rest, take a sabbath and keep that day Holy as God did. Too often I am running, running, running and I get run down. I get so run down that I am exhausted and not even wanting to hang out with anyone or talk to anyone. That is not a good state to be in. Luckily that hasn't been the case lately but it was a wake-up call last night that I need to continue to take a day of rest and just kind of "chill". Thank you Lord for the amazing things that you are teaching me in this season. I pray for the middle schoolers and all the leaders that they get rest and that they don't try to be someone they are not. I pray for protection over them. Thank you for your creation and your works. I love you Lord!

Ignition

Ignition is our high school youth group at my church. I am an iGroup leader, which means I have a small group that I lead and discuss the topic from the night. I have about 9 freshman girls and I love them already and it has only been 2 weeks. They seem very eager to learn, open to asking questions, being themselves and being involved in group. Tonight we talked about Jesus' disciples and how Jesus asked them to drop everything and follow him. We read several scriptures and then watched Rob Bell's "Dust" video. It was really great for the students to hear because they often wonder, why would a man just drop everything he is doing and follow Jesus. Well, after watching the Rob Bell video we broke into small groups and discussed what we had learned tonight. A few of the girls spoke and said it made much more sense after watching the video. The video basically explained that everyone back then wanted to be like the Rabbi so these young boys would prepare themselves to know everything they could about being a Rabbi and then when their time came and the Rabbi came to them he would put them through many "screenings" to see if they knew the Torah and could do what he could do. Some passed and some didn't. Then the vidoe talked about how Jesus has faith in us and asked, "What if we believe we can live the way Jesus lives?" I posed that question tonight in our group. I posed it in the way of, "What would your lives look like to live the way Jesus lived?" Several of them answered with good answers....some basic answers and some more complex. I think it is so interesting that these girls are so eager to learn and how simple their thoughts really are at this stage in life. I am used to working with younger children so this is a slight adjustment for me but a very good one. I definately feel called to be with this age group and help build the foundation of their faith so they can go into the world and to college after HS and take all that they have learned with them instead of just leaving it behind at home or at church.

Lord, I pray of these young girls Lord that they would seek you daily. I am impressed that they even think about that right now Lord because when I was their age I was never taught that. But they seem so eager to learn about you Lord and know you more. I pray for those who aren't as mature in their faith right now that they would continue coming back to Ignition to learn more and soak in some of what is being said. I pray that as questions arise or prayer requests come up that they would e-mail me or each other. I pray that they would build a strong community at school to keep each other accountable. Thank you Lord for giving me this desire to work with these girls. Lord give me wisdom and knowledge to help the students feel comfortable in our group. Thank you Lord. I love you! AMEN!

Fully Devoted Follower

This was the sermon title for today. Pastor Molly did a GREAT job with this topic. There are a few great things that I learned today. The first one being that the word "devoted" does not mean "deep" as many of us often thing. Devoted actually means: persist in, persevere, occupy oneself diligently with, spend much time in, continually be in. I found this interesting because when I say I want to be more devoted in my time with God etc...the above definition is exactly what I think of. I think today just brought a deeper understanding of it though. I am at a point in my life where I am ready to be more devoted and to be persistent in my prayer life, my time with God. Acts 2:42 says, "All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, and to fellowship and to sharing in meals (including the Lord's Supper), and to prayer." This is what I want for my life. This is what my prayer is for myself and all of my friends and family and even those I don't know.

Lord, I pray that you would give everyone that I know desire to be more devoted to you. I know that is going to look different for everyone Lord, but I pray that they hear your desire for them Lord, that you want more devotion from them. That you want them to be persistent in getting to know you even more Lord as you are persistent with them. God I pray that everyone can find a strong community, an inclusive community in order to build one another up and encourage each other. I pray that for myself as well Lord, that with the friends that I have that we would be an inclusive community where others feel welcome and that they would have the same desires on their hearts as we do. Thank you Jesus for desiring us, for being persistent with us and just loving us where we are. Thank you for giving your life for us. I love you Lord! AMEN

A question that Pastor Molly proposed towards the end of her sermon was, "What is keeping you from being a fully devoted follower? I have thought about this a little bit today and the first thing that comes to mind is that my priorities are not always correct and that my business definately gets in the way of being a fully devoted follower. I challenge all of you readers out there with the same question: "What is keeping you from being a fully devoted follower?"

Lord, I pray for my readers that you would speak to them and reveal to them what it is that is keeping them from being a fully devoted follower whether it is a boyfriend, girlfriend, business, friends, family, addictions, etc. I pray that their eyes are opened to that and that they choose to become a fully devoted follower so that they can know you more. I know that I definately want to know more of who my creator is and I am excited to know you more Lord and become more devoted on a daily basis. Thank you Lord for opening my eyes to see what is keeping me from being a fully devoted follower. I love you Lord! AMEN!

Patience

My friend Kari sent me this devotion that she got yesterday on patience. With everything I am going through right now it was a great reminder for me. Below is part of the devotion.

Being forced to wait ratchets up the stress and shortens our fuse. When that happens, we not only fail to be patient but we undercut the Spirit’s work in our lives.

Patience is not just a virtue, it’s a fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22)—which means that demonstrations of impatience reveal the sour fruit of our fallen hearts rather than the sweetness of Jesus in our lives. Since God is a patient God, when we abandon patience we miss the opportunity to show our world the glory of God through our lives.

This was so good for me to read. I don't want to undercut the Spirit's work in my life. I don't want to be impatient and reveal the sour fruit of my fallen heart...that is the way of the world. The world gets so impatient so easily that they become angry and annoyed very easily when they are stressed and impatient during tough times. I choose to be as patient as possible and give everything to God when I am starting to be impatient. I am living for God so I don't want to be revealing sour fruit to the world when the world gets enough of that from others. I am living in God's grace and light and will reveal good fruit to the world.

Lord, prepare my heart for whatever it is you have next for me on this journey of yours. Give me patience during these tough times so that the world can see you through me. Help me not dwell on the past but to trust and understand your timing in everything. I know Lord that when all is said and done I will see the magnificent plans you have for me, immeasurably more than I could ever dream or imagine. Thank you God! I love you!

Trusting God

Living in this broken world trying to not listen to the enemy speak lies to me is extremely hard, especially during this waiting period about this job in MN. I constantly have to keep myself busy in order not to think about it. Everytime the phone rings I think it is them. It has been 2 1/2 weeks and I am getting very frustrated. But, I don't want to be too busy to take God out of the situation though. I need to put all of my focus on HIM and trust and have faith that on His timing everything will turn out the way He has planned.

I was reading the Spirit of Prophecy Bulletin today that I get everyday in my e-mail and this is what it said: "Let life's circumstances come as they will. Do not be so naive as to think you can outrun difficulty. Trying to run ahead to avoid possible trouble will get you out of the flow of My Spirit, says the Lord. Refuse to be driven by fear. The situations that you encounter will be the platform from which you choose to exercise your faith and trust Me. I am with you, walking with you, if you choose to not lag behind by focusing on the past or running ahead by focusing on the future. Stay with Me."

Isaiah 41:10 Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.'

The first sentence caught my eye "Let life's circumstances come as they will." They told me they would call at the beginning of the week and they haven't so I talked to our youth director at my current church and he told me to not call them again because I don't want to seem too eager. I guess that I will let the circumstances come as they will and as God wants them to and not force the situation. It's not an easy thing, it involves a lot of trust and faith. Sometimes I just want to look into the future and say, I am just going to expect to not get the job because then I won't get hurt or disappointed. Sometimes I want to look to the future and look for places to live etc. incase I do have to move suddenly. I don't think either of these are wise choices for me right now. I choose right now to not be afraid of what is to come, not focus on the past or the future but live my life where I am at and keep God at the center and walking with me at all times.

My prayer for each of you is to trust God with all of your situations. Do not place fear in those situations because fear is not from God. 2 Tim. 1:7 "For God has not given us the spirit of fear but of power, love, and self-control." God is waiting and listening for you to give him your situations so that he can overcome them for you. Trust in God, have faith, and even if things don't turn out the way you want them to, that is okay because you are a child of God and He wants the best for you. He will turn your tough situations into good. I pray that your eyes be open so you can see the good that God has planned for you. Don't look at the past or the future, live in the present and let God be the center of your lives, walking with you in every present moment. AMEN!

New Season

God is transitioning me into a new season of life. The pruning and growing has been a continual process for the last 6 months. I am hoping that the waiting period is finally over. This summer God called me into youth ministry and I have been pursing that ever since. I have had two interviews with a church in Savage, MN and they told me they were making the final decision this weekend. It has been 2 weeks since the face-to-face interview and I am anxious to hear what they have to say. I have not been great at praying about this over the past two weeks but certain things that God has placed in front of me just make sense that I should be at this church. I pray that your will would be done Lord. I pray that you open my eyes Lord that I would see the good in whatever decision is made and that I know that the plans you have for me are good, no matter where it is you want me to be doing youth ministry. Thank you Lord for this opportunity.