Never Stop

Do not give in and do not let up! If you have the fire of desire in your heart, put there by God Himself, then under no circumstances should you ever quit.  Whatever it may be, chase it until it has been accomplished; live it out, give it purpose, fulfill the need, and make progress toward the ultimate goal each of us are faced with.  It is so often that people speak of things they feel they need to accomplish, but so easily and willingly talk themselves out of it; I am guilty of this myself, but from this day forward it needs to stop.  Enough excuses, enough of taking the easy way out; He never said this would be easy, but He will be right by our side through every step of it.

What is stopping you from achieving the very things you live for?  For me, the answer is myself.  I know I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, but that truth seemingly slips from my mind when I’m faced with possible failure or rejection.  It is so easy to continue living the simple life, marked with little excitement, and little to be fearful of, but where will that get us in the long run.  We only live this life once, and God longs to see us step outside ourselves, delve into the unknown with Him at our side, cling to Him in times of worry, and allow ourselves to completely surrender and trust Him.

Verse:

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

~ Psalm 73:26

Our flesh is weak, but through Him we have strength!  He is our portion, and He is all we need.  It is time to take this truth and live it out.  Go after the things you’ve longed to achieve for so long.  He put desires in our heart for a reason, He calls us to certain trials and risks in order to strengthen our relationship with Him, and more readily live out the life He has planned for us.   With Christ on our side we have no excuses, no reason to let this short earthly life pass us by.  Quit sitting, start living, and NEVER STOP; never stop living for Him, never stop taking risks, never stop striving to be a reflection of Jesus, and never stop yourself from living out the love and life He has laid before us. 

Audience of One

It is far too often that I find myself wondering what others are thinking of me, trying to please them, and seeking my validation in their acceptance and praise when in actuality, I only need to be concerned with the way God is seeing things.  I am living this life not for the vast number of people who surround me in it, but rather for the audience of One who sees each and every intricate aspect of it.  He is the judge, the critic, the fan, and our number one supporter all wrapped into one loving Heavenly Father; a true audience of One.


We need not put so much weight and value of the opinion of others, but rather we must ask ourselves if God Himself would enjoy watching the life we lead pan out before His very eyes.  He is our sole purpose, our soul purpose, and for Him do we live this life.  It is only His acceptance and encouragement we need, and I want to take this post to remind of you that.  This life is hard, we long for acceptance, we want to fit in, but God who is faithful and just is the most important aspect of this life, and leading a life that is good and pleasing to Him will only result in the respect, acceptance, and friendship of others whom God has planned for our lives. 


Verse:
The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust Him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.
~Psalm 28:7


Live this life for Him, for He is the reason we get to live it in the first place.  Work on placing less value on the opinion of those around you, and focus on the true validation which is only achieved through Christ.  Seek His face, long to truly know Him, praise His name, love unconditionally, and act out this life in a way that will be pleasing to the most important audience you will ever be in front of of; the Audience of One.


Big Daddy Weave performs a song entitled Audience of One.  Here is a link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mt0QWvBJE2Y

Great Delight in You

I wanted to take this week's post to remind each and every one of you of something God has been putting on my heart lately. It is the simple truth that God takes great delight in us, in the way we live our lives, in the small prayers and conversations we share with Him daily, and how we simply love Him in return. It is so often that I get caught up in the parts of my life that need work that I forget to acknowledge the achievements I have made through Him, to thank God for all He has brought me through, and to accept the delight He longs to lavish upon us.


Oftentimes we allow our image of God to be conformed to that of a police officer in the sky, just watching over us, waiting for us to mess things up for ourselves when in actuality He could be better related to the image of a loving father. He is watching over us, but with a heart full of love, cheering us on in our endeavors, rejoicing over us in our victories, mourning in our losses, and waiting to help us back when we lose our way. It is important to remember that one day we will be held accountable for our mistakes, but because of our loving Father's forgiveness and sacrifice we have been washed clean and redeemed, no longer marked by our transgressions.


Verse:
The LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.
- Zephaniah 3:17


He has saved us, redeemed us, and made us new. He is our God, our Savior, and our Father who takes great delight in His children. He wants to see us succeed, and we must remember not to let our minds be entangled in the lies that we have made too many mistakes to be loved by Him. His love knows no bounds, and He is mighty to save. Basque in His delight, and live the life He had planned for you since the beginning of time.

Rejoice

It has been on my heart lately to simply rejoice, to give thanks to the One who has given me everything worth having, the One who has given me reason for hope, and the One who fills my lungs with the breath of life every morning.  I don't know where I would be without Him, and quite frankly, I do not want to think about it.  I owe Him my life, and the crazy part about it is that even though that should never be enough, He calls it even.  He has paid it all, every sin from the past and henceforth is taken care of.  He longs for me, and this only increases my yearning to draw closer, love deeper, and embrace my God for all that He is!


It is with this message that I urge you to rejoice! Rejoice in God for all He is, all He has done, all He is working on in your life, all He has planned, all He has brought you through, and all He will bring you too! This life is a gift, and we must never forget to whom we are indebted for each minute we are allowed to live it.  Life will bring turmoil and hardship our way, but He will bring you through stronger because of it; rejoice in Him and you will find no greater reward!


Verse:
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
~Philippians 4:4


Take time with Him, love Him, and rejoice in who He is; it is all He asks of us!  We serve a mighty God worthy of all our praise, and we must rejoice in Him always!

Confidence in Him

Lacking confidence? Experiencing doubt?


There are some days I wake up and wonder how this life of love I have received through Christ is even possible; yes there are days where I doubt He can hear me, or I wonder if I have simply gone crazy, but then a simple message of love, grace, and forgiveness drifts across my soul.  He is there, He is real, and the love He offers is out of this world!  God, who is faithful and just, whispers hope and life back into my earthly mind, a mind Satan longs to have control over.  Through His redemption He offers confidence in Him, in His word, in His promises, and in the life to come for those who believe.


The gift we have been given seems too good to be true, the plans He has for us that are yet to unfurl seem like they may be just out of reach, and the promise of salvation may appear to far off to even comprehend. And yet somehow, some way, He manages to instill in me a faith that would believe nothing other than these truths.  Satan is continually at work to shake this confidence that can only be achieved through Christ, and yes somedays he finds a crack in the exterior, but it is nothing that our Lord cannot overcome.  He has promised us life, a future full of hope, and I know full well that this is what each of those who believe in Him shall receive. 


Verse:
I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.  This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.  And if we know that He hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of Him.
~ 1 John 5:13-15

We can also be confident in our prayers; He is there for us, He longs to hear our praises, our cries, our pleas, and our frustrations.  He knows the plans He has for us, but He also knows that we are not fully aware of those plans yet, and that we may not understand where He is leading us.  He wants us to communicate our feelings, to be confident in who He is and what He has planned for our lives. Anything we ask according to His will has been or will be granted to us in His name!  

We have so much to be thankful for and believe in, yet doubt still seems to find a way in sometimes.  I urge you to cling to the truth, to His word, and to the promises He has guaranteed for those who love and believe in Him. Be bold in your faith, love like He has taught us, and have confidence through Him in all that you do and all He has planned!