Merry CHRISTmas!

All the excitement  and gifts/stockings, the things we've wanted, the things we got, the dinner and the family, the desserts and the activities. The boxing day sales on the next day. With all these things in mind, we can forget the true meaning of Christmas, or we might remember, but it is not as exciting as the gifts or the events. It is just a story that you hear every year, or really, are you listening? Or thinking about the dinner and presents that you might be getting?

"But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not just an insignificant village in Judah. A ruler will come from you who will be like a shepherd for my people Israel. "
Micah 5:2

This verse is a prophecy of the event which we know as the Birth of Jesus. It says that a RULER will come from an INSIGNIFICANT village, not some high and mighty nation, Jesus our saviour came down to Earth not to be known as great and mighty but as one of us. Once you look at the details of the story, it is truly significant.

"The angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I am bringing you good news that will be joy to all the people. Today your SAVIOUR was born in the town of David. He is Christ, the Lord. This is how you you will know him: You will find a baby wrapped in pieces of cloth and lying in a feeding box."
Luke 2:10-12

This verse is kind of humorous, the angel told the shepherds that their SAVIOUR was born and that they will know who they're looking for is the SAVIOUR because he will be wrapped in pieces of cloth and he will be sleeping in a feeding box. First of all, how many people do you know were born in a feeding box wrapped in pieces of cloth? It would be more likely back then, but theses shepherds were looking for a SAVIOUR. You'd think that he would be born someplace amazing and expensive, but he was practically born in the worst possible place, pretty much. But if you look outside  the box, God had a greater plan for Him. If you just take a second to step into the shepherd's shoes, Jesus didn't sound that significant, but considering that it was an angel that delivered the message, that probably would've been enough for them.
I just thought I'd share this, I know it's kind of random, but I really hope that today I will be and that you'll be focusing on the real meaning of Christmas amidst all the excitement and family.

 Merry Christmas Everyone!

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What Are You Doing?

What are you doing? Are your actions that you're performing reaching out to people or pushing them further away from God? 

Sometimes, I find myself so full of the Holy Spirit that I just want that person that I'm preaching to, to get to know the Lord and what he has done for them. I get all these Christian songs, that relate to their past life that haunt them, that tell them how to find peace in their troubled times or what to do about their hauntings. I get all these verses and want them to read them, I talk about how to solve their problems. I expect them to listen to me and only want them to listen to what I have to say because I feel that it is important for them. All I am thinking then is that I could truly save that person's life. When that person wants to tell me something or show me a song they really like that's not my style or want me to read a page or a paragraph of their essay or a book, sometimes I don't feel interested, and I show it too. I show that I really don't want to listen to that song or read that paragraph. But, what I am doing is showing them that I want them to listen to me but I won't listen to them. That causes them to feel distant and not as close to me as they were before. 

If we, as Christians  want to reach to others, we also have to be listeners and be open ears, If we teach others about the LORD and talk to them about it, then we should be willing to listen to them talk about their god or what they believe in, we do not have to believe in the same thing as them, but we have to listen. If you're willing to give them a couple of your favourite Christian songs to listen to, then whatever song they want you to listen to, you should listen to. You may not like it, but they might not like yours either. 

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We Are Like Robots(Wandering our focus away from God)

Lately, I have been busy with school and tests, and exams are coming up. By this time of year the teachers are cramming all the projects and assignments before the holiday and we just want to get them done before the break. I have been stressed out and focusing on school that I had forgotten what is more important and what matters more. I had stopped reading my bible and I have had very short prayers because of sleeping too late that I was too tired to pray sincerely. At this time, I really need the Lord to guide me and give me and understanding and peace so that I won't be stressed out, but instead I have said, "I don't have time for you God, I need to finish all my studying and school is more important than you right now." Even a little thing like school can take us down the wrong path filled with more potholes than we could imagine, more problems that just grow larger as we wander farther down that dark path. We can lose our focus on God and we can forget about him, our creator, the One who created us with the brain that we are using right now to study with! The way I think about God is like he is the designer and the inventor, we are his robots that he created, he had programmed in us to love each other and to love God, but something went wrong and we rebelled against Him. Now imagine you had created a robot and you created them with a brain and knowledge to know what is right and what is wrong, you would think that it would know what is right to do since it has the knowledge to do so. Instead, it starts doing all these wrong things and thinking that it is more superior than you are, the one who created it in the first place, and does not listen to your commands. We are like that robot. (I am not implying that God controls us, it is just another way to view God's superior) We wander away from God to do all these wrongs and say that we do not need God, we are better off than Him. Doesn't that sound silly? A creation believing that it is more superior than it's creator? That's how I was feeling in the past couple weeks (not more superior though), I didn't think of thanking the Lord for everything He had blessed me with, I was just asking for good marks on my tests and expecting them, I didn't even ask for guidence through my studies. I was just like a demanding Robot.

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Sidewalk Prophets - You Love Me Anyway

This song always touches my heart and it actually makes me think. "It's True." We were the cause for the death of Christ, but we would've suffered in His spot if he hadn't loved us so very much, enough to die for us. He may be a total stranger to us, but we aren't strangers to Him. Imagine dying for someone who doesn't even acknowledge you ever existed or dying for someone who despises you. That's true love.   



You Love Me Anyway lyrics

The question was raised
As my conscience fell
A silly, little lie
It didn’t mean much
But it lingers still
In the corners of my mind

Still you call me to walk
On the edge of this world
To spread my dreams and fly
But the future’s so far
My heart is so frail
I think I’d rather stay inside

But You love me anyway
It’s like nothing in life that I’ve ever known
Yes You love me anyway
Oh Lord, how You love me
How You love me

It took more than my strength
To simply be still
To seek but never find
All the reasons we change
The reasons I doubt
And why do loved ones have to die?


But You love me anyway
It’s like nothing in life that I’ve ever known
Yes You love me anyway
Oh Lord, how You love me

I am the thorn in Your crown
But You love me anyway
I am the sweat from Your brow
But You love me anyway
I am the nail in Your wrist
But You love me anyway
I am Judas’ kiss
But You love me anyway

See now, I am the man who yelled out from the crowd
For Your blood to be spilled on this earth shaking
ground
Yes then, I turned away with a smile on my face
With this sin in my heart tried to bury Your grace
And then alone in the night, I still called out for You
So ashamed of my life, my life, my life


But You love me anyway
It’s like nothing in life that I’ve ever known
Yes,You love me anyway
Oh Lord, how You love me
You love me, yes You love me
How You love me
How You love me
How You love me

Here's the song if you want to hear it: 

                                           http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKMXF21ua9o

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An apology

This month has been pretty busy and I didn't have enough time to continue my challenge, I have been reading though but I couldn't post them on. I will continue later on, maybe the last week of November? Thank you though for reading my first couple posts of the challenge.

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Day 2 of 50 days in the Old Testament

http://www.google.ca/imgres?q=garden+of+eden&hl=en&biw=1384&bih=865&gbv=2&tbm=isch&tbnid=BS05xxFoVAV4hM:&imgrefurl=https://englishi2009-2010.wikispaces.com/Onto%2Bthe%2BArk&docid=NOKEkwFHXYbtsM&imgurl=https://englishi2009-2010.wikispaces.com/file/view/garden-of-eden-image.jpg/142434287/garden-of-eden-image.jpg&w=468&h=320&ei=dmLATq31FoL20gHOprXDBA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=173&vpy=227&dur=1662&hovh=186&hovw=272&tx=109&ty=78&sig=109912479983118836646&page=1&tbnh=140&tbnw=178&start=0&ndsp=24&ved=1t:429,r:12,s:0

Day 2
Genesis 3:1-24


What I learned...


Genesis 3:5 
(Serpent is speaking)
"God knows that if you eat the fruit from that tree, you will learn about good and evil and you will be like God!"


When you read this verse out loud, it sounds pleasing and inviting. But the devil was tricking Eve by telling her that she would gain wisdom and be knowledgeable. Really, gaining the knowledge of good and EVIL was the key and starting point of sin and all the evil present in the world today. What you don't know, won't hurt, right? But in this case, Eve only thought about gaining knowledge and being like God. This was another trick, God knows what evil is, God knows evil, he didn't create evil though. When the serpent said, "You will be like God," he didn't mention that you will literally be like God, nor, that knowing evil, you will know evil like God does. Think about this, when we discover something or learn something new, even a swear word, it pops up often in our minds because we know what it is, we may not notice it, but we are thinking about it often. For example, if you didn't know any swear words (good for you by the way), you wouldn't use them or know what they are and what they mean when somebody mentions them. This is the same idea with Eve and evil, she did not know or understand evil before she ate of the fruit, but after gaining that understanding and knowledge, evil filled her heart and mind, therefore making it simple for her to sin. We are born with evil, we have evil in our hearts, we cannot get  rid of the evil but we can limit it.


Genesis 3:6
...So she took some of its fruit and ate it. She also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate it.


Now in this verse, it doesn't mention that Eve had to call out to Adam in order to offer the fruit to him, actually, it mentions that he was WITH HER during the temptation and deceiving, the disobeying. It did not say that Adam warned her, it did not say that he walked away from this situation because he knew it was a tempting and sinful situation. Instead, it said that Eve offered the fruit to Adam and he ATE IT. It did not say that he refused or tried to convince Eve not to eat of the fruit. Instead he took it and ate it. This verse shows us how we, as humans, can fall easily and loose sight of God.


Genesis 3:7
Then it was as if their eyes were opened. They realized they were naked, so they sewed fig leaves together and made something to cover themselves.


When I was younger, before I understood this verse, I used to think, "ewwww!" whenever the naked part came up. This is what we think now days, it's disgusting to be naked, let's be realistic, if you see a person walking down your street totally naked, what would your first thoughts be? That this person is sick, insane, totally disgusting, inappropriate, right? Well that is because of sin, before sin, being naked was natural, it was like wearing clothes. But once Adam and Eve sinned and ate of the fruit from the tree, it said that they were embarrassed and felt like they needed to cover themselves up.


Genesis 3:14
The LORD God said to the snake,
"Because you did this, 
a curse will be put on you. You will be cursed as no other animal, tame or wild, will ever be. You will crawl on your stomach, and you will eat dust all the days of your life."


I think that this verse is really cool because, what is known today as a "snake", slithers on its belly, on the ground. But here, it said that because it was cursed, it will crawl on its belly. This leaves us to our imagination, did it have legs? If so how many?


Genesis 3:16
Then God said to the woman,
"I will cause you to have much trouble when you are pregnant,
and when you give birth to children,
you will have great pain. You will greatly desire your husband, but he will rule over you."


Wow, imagine that! Giving birth without pain! That would be so amazing to have, but because of sin, and the fall of Eve, we have been cursed to have pain when delivering. It also mentions that the man is the head of the woman. He will rule over us. We ( to wives in particular, no not me, I'm not married yet, but when I am) need to respect our husbands.


Genesis 3:21
The LORD God made clothes from animal skins for the man and his wife and dressed them.


I think this verse is actually pretty important, I hadn't actually noticed this until my brother pointed it out. This was the first death to ever occur in the Bible. Some people think that it was the sacrifice Abel offered, but actually it was the killing of the animal in order to get the skin and use it as clothes. 

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50 Days in the Old Testament

I'm starting a new challenge, I found it in the back of my Bible. I noticed that my knowledge of the Old Testament was little, I only knew a few details of the main events that occurred in the Old Testament.

In my Bible it gives me a few passages to read from each of the books in the Old Testament each day. I decided that I was going to share my notes from each day with you.

Day 1- Genesis 1:1 - 2:3

Notes:
Genesis 1:5
...Evening passed, and morning came. This was the first day.

In the Hebrew Bible, the word for day is Yom. This is also used in the Arabic Bible as well. The meaning Yom means 24 hours. Some people believe, in order to support evolution in a way that the word "day" that was used in Genesis 1 could've resembled millions of years. But in the Hebrew Bible it mentions Yom, 24 hours, Arabic Bible, Yom, 24 hours. So what do we think 24 hours means? It took exactly 6 days to create our world, all the universes, galaxies, and planets! God truly is Amazing.

Genesis 1:26 - 27
Then God said, "Let us make human beings in our image and likeness.

In this verse, it shows that God isn't the only one present in this scene. It mentions Us, and OUR. Some believe that it refers to Jesus Christ, God the Son.

Genesis 1:29
God said, "Look, I have given you all the plants that have grain for seeds and all the trees whose fruits have seeds in them. They will be food for you."

When God first created Adam and Eve, he created them as vegetarians, but after the  flood, God told Noah and his family that he has given them all the animals that walk on the earth, all the fish in the sea, all the birds in the sky as food and they will respect them.  

Genesis 1:31
God looked at everything he had made, and it was very good.

When God finished creating the world, he said that it was VERY GOOD. Before when he was creating the sky and animals, etc. it was just good, it was not yet complete. Until he made humans, it was Very Good, it was complete.

Genesis 2:3
God blessed the seventh day and made it a holy day, because on that day, he rested from all the work he had done in creating the world.

We were the completion of his work. In only seven days, God created the beautiful world which contains many universes, galaxies, planets, and until now, since the fall of Adam, he's been preparing Heaven, beyond our imagination.

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Josh Wilson - I Refuse

I was just watching this music video. It touched my heart, I have been oblivious to many things and acted as if I hadn't noticed that that person had been hurting or that even my friends needed a hand sometimes, I would be too lazy to help and when my turn came, needing for help, I didn't take time and think that they were being kind and gracious to me.

http://youtu.be/6B1Lv8k5pEc

Sorry,  this video doesn't work if you try and play it on my blog, you'd have to click on the link above to view it.

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Behind the Scenes - Francesca Battistelli

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Loving others (Behind the Scenes)

I had just started my first year of high school a couple of months ago with excitement and anxiousness.
Not knowing what I was going to face, whether God was going to use me or use others to help me grow strong in character, what adventures he might bring upon me and what troubles and stresses I might go through. All these thoughts were running through my head as I took my first step into the building with my friends.

It looked normal, but what was behind the scenes at my high school? What were the students like?

High School is a major leap from Elementary school. More work, bigger facilities, more students, more studying, gym everyday (I'm not much of an athlete, I just like Thai kickboxing and Brazilian Jujitsu), more rotary, and harder teachers.

But what was so good about high school was that you can find more people who you enjoy to be around, whereas in elementary school, you were practically forced to be friends with the people in your grade since Kindergarten until grade 8 graduation. This was an advantage for me. I figured, the more people who would listen to me, the more I can share God's love, and in a Christian school! So they've already had some background knowledge from chapel.

I would like to share with you a heart changing experience that I've had in my first semester of high school.

My homeroom is science which I have with one of my close friends, I didn't really get to know much people then because we were just settling in and getting to know our teacher, but one person caught my eye right away, and I'm pretty sure he caught everyone's eyes too. You can't miss him. He was a boy about 6"5 and here I am 4"11 or maybe 5"0. About double my height. WOW. I know. All my life I've dreamed of being tall, but I never thought about being that tall. When you think about Goliath, he sounds pretty tall, but you don't actually see his height, you just get a written description. Now, I think that Goliath was massive because the boy is only 6"5 and Goliath was like 9 feet!

See, this boy, I got to know him as the days went by, he is actually the sweetest boy I have ever come across, but what I didn't know about him was all behind those eyes of his.

I was talking to him one day in one of the classes we had together and another girl as well and we were talking about our elementary school years, the girl was telling me about how she wasn't treated properly because she was born in U.S.A.! Isn't that crazy? People will try to find any reason to bring you down and to raise themselves up. The boy on the other hand wasn't treated well either because of how tall he was! That tore my heart away, all the stories I have heard, it was unbelievable! I started to pray for them, for them to find someone whom they can trust and someone who will treat them as a friend, a true friend. I also gave them my link to my blog.

Later I asked the boy if he looked at my blog, he told me that he didn't have time but he always had that piece of paper with him that had the link on it. That brightened up my spirit. It told me that I was doing the right thing.

That night I went on my blog and found that i had a new follower. I took a look at my comments and found one by a person named Tall but small. I laughed, surely this was the boy. I was so happy that he commented. I clicked on his name and on his profile it showed that he had a blog. I decide to read it and follow it because he didn't have anyone following it. What I read in the next 10 minutes broke my heart. It showed me what I was missing. People in the world look like they're having a great time and enjoying their lives, but once you look behind the scenes, its a whole other world that they're living in. But at the end of each post, he wrote about how he could always count on God to help him get through his pain and how He'll always be there for him. This showed me that I had really impacted someone. After he took a look at my blog it inspired him to make one of his own and I think that through this process he was strengthening his faith in God. Before it seemed as if he had given up on God but now he's a whole new person. I feel like God had used this boy in my life to show me that there are many others in the world who need this type of love and understanding, and a friend. He had also recently added a post called  Friends, it was about me and it showed me how much I impacted his life and how much he impacted mine.
If you want to visit his blog, and know more about him, here's the link:
http://goodformegoodforu.blogspot.com/

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Verses of Love

Love is one of the most important things in our lives; that we show love to others.

“I give you a new command: Love each other. You must love each other as I have loved you. (John 13:34 NCV)

1. Do not love the world or the things in the world. If you love the world, the love of the Father is not in you. (1 John 2:15 NCV)

2. Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous, it does not brag, and it is not proud. (1 Corinthians 13:4 NCV)

3. (for men) Husbands, love your wives and be gentle with them. (Colossians 3:19 NCV)

4. Most importantly, love each other deeply, because love will cause people to forgive each other for many sins. (1 Peter 4:8 NCV)

5. Hatred stirs up trouble, but love forgives all wrongs. (Proverbs 10:12 NCV)

6. And God gave us this command: Those who love God must also love their brothers and sisters. (1 John 4:21 NCV)

7. The second command is this: ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself.’  (Mark 12:31 NCV) (neighbor in this case means your enemies or the people you ignore, in other words everyone else whom you do not love)

8. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. (1 John 4:8 NCV)

9. This is what real love is: It is not our love for God; it is God’s love for us. He sent his Son to die in our place to take away our sins. (1 John 4:8, 10 NCV)

10. (what love isn't) Love is not rude, is not selfish, and does not get upset with others. Love does not count up wrongs that have been done. (1 Corinthians 13:5 NCV)



Take a look at number 5. It says "Hatred stirs up trouble, but love forgives all wrongs" see how powerful Love is? Think about it...is it easier to hate someone you don't love or to love someone you do not love already?

Most of you would probably say to hate someone you don't love, that's probably what I would've picked. You don't know this person, so why bother with trying to humiliate yourself and bugging yourself to love this person?

Love can change many people's lives. You may not know the girl whose locker is 5 down from yours and may have seen her once in a while in the hallways, not know her name, never had a conversation with her...so why does it matter if I show love to her?
You don't know what is going on in that person's mind, she could have problems at home, being abused by her parents, or even witness abuse from her father towards her mother, her family is never around, always at home alone, mother lost her job and can't pay rent so they are having financial problems, think that she's not worth anything and cuts herself wishing to die...well that's not our problem, is it?

We may not need to know what is going on in a person's personal life in order to show love to someone. Just a small act of love towards a person like an occasional smile when passing by in the hallway or at work, or saying "hello" to them every morning, maybe even including them in your little group during lunch. This could truly change a person's thoughts or feelings, it will give them a hope to keep going on in life, it will give them something to look forward to in their life, it will give them someone to trust and to love back.

Take a look at love verse number 8. It states " Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." If we know God, it says we should love.  Whenever you see someone whom you never talk to or acknowledge, remember this verse and show love at every point in your life and the Lord will truly bless you.

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Are Churches Trying to Keep People from attending or Are they Trying to Attract Them?

I have heard many stories in which people just stopped going to church because they didn't feel accepted; whether it was because they were bullied in church or if it was because the church didn't allow them to enter because of a particular reason. I think the church should accept and show love to others even if we don't agree with them. We just lost a life we could've saved by not welcoming them. It saddens my heart that this has happened in different parts of the world. Just thinking of the image we gave those people, that God's people aren't loving and not accepting as he is. "If this is what getting saved is going to make me, then I don't want to be part of it or God, it was just a lie".

We don't want to give out that image of ourselves, we don't want to contradict the Word of God by doing so.
This brings me to when the law in the book of Acts in the Bible was passed out by God, that anyone can be the Child of God and not just the Jewish, it is showing us that anyone is accepted once they get saved; that is if they get saved. We do not want to prevent that.

I ask all of you to pray for our Churches, in the present because they need our prayer.  

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Tim Be Told - Analyze

This is such a great song, one of my favourites! 

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Highlights in Ephesians

I was looking through the book of Ephesians and i found on pg. 1288-1289 of my Bible a lot of highlights and they were really interesting so I'll share them with you.

1. Ephesians 4:1&2                                                                           Therefore I urge you who have been chosen by God to live up the life to which God called you. Always be humble, gentle, and patient, accepting each other in love.
2. Ephesians 4:17                                                                                     Do not continue living like those who do not believe. Their thoughts are worth nothing.
3. Ephesians 4:22a & 23-24                                                                   You were taught to leave your old self-to stop living the evil way you lived before... But you were taught to be made new in your hearts, to become a new person. That new person is made to be like God - made to be truly good and holy.
4. Ephesians 4:25-28                                                                             So you must stop telling lies. Tell each other the truth, because we all belong to each other in the same body. When you are angry, do not sin, and be sure to stop being angry before the end of the day. Do not give the devil a way to defeat you.
5. Ephesians 4: 29&30                                                                         When you talk, do not say harmful things, but say what people need - words that will help others become stronger. Then what you say will do good to those who listen to you.
6. Ephesians 5:2-4                                                                                Live a life of love just as Christ loved us and gave himself for us as a sweet-smelling offering and sacrifice to God. But there must be no sexual sin among you, or any kind of evil greed. Those things are not right for God's holy people.
7. Ephesians 5:8-12                                                                              In the past you were full of darkness, but now you are full of light in the Lord. So live like children who belong to the light. Light brings every kind of goodness, right living, and truth. Try to learn what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the things done in the darkness, which are not worth anything. But show that they are wrong.
8. Ephesians 5:15                                                                                 So be very careful how you live. Do not live like those who are not wise, but live wisely.

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Visit the Answers in Genesis Website!

This is a wonderful organization which focus's mainly on the Beginning, because without the beginning there wouldn't be the rest of the bible. The Beginning is the root to all truth.
http://www.answersingenesis.org/  

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He Has Put His Angels In Charge Of You To Watch Over You

He has put his angels in charge of you to watch over you wherever you go.
They will catch you in their hands so that you will not hit your foot on a rock.
You will walk on lions and cobras; you will step on strong lions and snakes.
The Lord says, "Whoever loves me, I will save. I will protect those who know me.
They will call to me, and i will answer them. I will be with them in trouble; I will rescue them and honor them.
I will give them a long, full life, and they will see how I can save."
Psalm 91:11-16

Those who go to God Most High for safety will be protected by the Almighty.
I will say to the Lord, "You are my place of safety and protection. You are my God and I trust you."
God will save you from hidden traps and from deadly diseases.
He will cover you with feathers, and under his wings you can hide. His truth will be your shield and protection.
You will not fear any danger by night or and arrow during the day.
Psalm 91:1-5

This chapter of Psalm is telling you that you have your very own special bodyguard. Our Lord Jesus. He will always watch over you day and night, he will even send his angels to protect you if you still feel afraid. This passage reaally comforts me. It always reminds me that I'm not alone even in the dark when I'm walking down the streets and I'm not sure of where I'm going. It also reminds me of a song called "Never Let Go". It says
"Even though I walk through the valley
Of the shadows of death
Your perfect love is casting out fear
And even when I'm caught in the middle
Of the stoms of this life
I won't turn back I know you are near"

This song reminds me of God's powerful love and how it is helping me persevere through the tough times when I think I'm just about to quit trying. It reminds me of how blessed I am. Lately I've been saying "why me" and not why me as in a terrible way but "Why me" as in why did You the Almighty God choose to bless me so much? I just thank him so much for that. Just this past week, all the things I would have dreamed of happening at least before I die in my life has happened. God truly is amazing and I praise him and thank him for that. This year (2011) make a list of all the blessings that God has given you and don't be surprised when the next day you remember another one, just keep adding to the list and then when New Year arrives take a look at it and you would be astonished by the number of blessings that are on that list. Happy Thanksgiving!

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You're Beautiful in God's Eyes

Beautiful                   Mercy Me 

http://www.metrolyrics.com/beautiful-lyrics-mercy-me.html

Days will come when you don't have the strength
And all you hear is you're not worth anything
Wondering if you ever could be loved
And if they truly saw your heart
They'd see so much

You're beautiful, You're beautiful
You are made for so much more than all of this
You're beautiful, You're beautiful
You are treasured, you are sacred, you are His
You're beautiful

Praying that you have the heart to fight
Cuz you are more than what is hurting you tonight
For all the lies you've held inside so long
But they are nothing in the shadow of the cross

You're beautiful, You're beautiful
You are made for so much more than all of this
You're beautiful, You're beautiful
You are treasured, you are sacred, you are His
You're beautiful

Before you ever took a breath
Long before the world began
Of all the wonders He possessed
There was one more precious
Of all the earth and skies above
You're the one He madly loves
Enough to die!

You're beautiful, You're beautiful
In His eyes

You're beautiful!
You are made for so much more than all of this
You're beautiful!
You are treasured, you are sacred, you are His
You're beautiful!
You are made for so much more than all of this
You're beautiful!
You are treasured
You are sacred
You are His

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Jamie Grace- Hold Me Video

This is such a great song and she was just recently found by Tobymac, so she is a new singer but has been a star on youtube before then so be sure to look her up. Hope you enjoy this music video!

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Don't hide your Light

http://www.inmagine.com/is098v27e/is098v43x-photo

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Be Strong

Don't let the devil hinder you, instead stand up to him and show that you are strong and that the Lord's on your side. If there's someone that's hurting you or bullying you, to show them that you can't be easily bruised you have to show that you are strong. With the Lord on your side, strength, wisdom, happiness, and peace are also on your side. They may not stop hurting you, but there is someone greater than all your enemies that is watching over you and the next steps you take, and that's the Lord, he won't leave your side ever and he'll stop harm from coming your way. Just allow him to do the work and you'll always be safe. 

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Facing the Giants

Facing the giants of the world may not be so easy, but with Faith, anything is possible.

David defeated Goliath because he had faith that the Lord would help him in the process, all he brought with him was 5 stones. One for Goliath and his siblings.
David was planning on defeating each of those giants with just one shot and one stone. We don't need the world to help us defeat the world and the challenges it brings upon us, we need faith on our side, because with faith we have the Lord on our team. 

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What Do You Do When You Feel Confused, Sad, Mad, or just about anything?

I love to sing and sometimes it just helps me calm down. Whenever I'm just so sorry about something that I did that would displease the Lord and my parents I try to find a song that would help me calm down and get rid of my guilt. The song that always works and is one of my favourites is called "Who Am I". It talks about how lucky we are that even though we're far from perfect, God still acknowledges us and cares for us.

 Who Am I
Who am I
 That the Lord of all the Earth
Would care to know my name
Would care to feel my hurt


Who am I 
That the bright and morning star
Would choose to light the way
For my ever wandering heart


Not because of who I am
But because of what You've done
Not because of what I've done
But because of who You are


chorus
I am a flower quickly fading
Here today and gone tomorrow 
Like a wave tossed in the ocean
A vapor in the winds
Still You'd hear me when I'm calling
Lord You'd catch me when I'm falling
And You've told me who I am


bridge 
I am Yours
I am Yours
I am Yours


Who am I
That the eyes that see my sin
Would look at me with love
And watch me rise again


Who am I
That the voice that calms the sea
Would call after the rain
And calm the storm in me


Not because of who I am
But because of what You've done
Not because of what I've done
But because of who You are


chorus
I am a flower quickly fading
Here today and gone tomorrow
Like a wave tossed in the ocean
A vapor in the winds
Still You'd hear me when I'm calling
Lord You'd catch me when I'm falling
And You've told me who I am


bridge
I am yours
I am yours
I am yours


Whom shall I fear
Whom shall I fear
Cause I am yours


Whom shall I fear
I am yours

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Troubles on the Road of Life

The road of life for a Christian will definitely be a challenge but those challenges will have outcome solutions and even the fulfillment of God's plan for us but the hardest thing to get through on the road of life aren't the potholes or the mammoth bumps, the hardest thing on the road of life is the way you react to those potholes or mammoth bumps. So if you have a positive reaction towards the problems and challenges you're being faced with each day in your life, then the road won't be that hard to get through. It will actually give you peace in your heart and joy always and people will be able to see that in you. It may not be easy to always react positively towards every situation you come across but if you try there will still be a difference.

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Amazing Love

I'm forgiven, because you were forsaken
I'm accepted, you were condemned
I'm alive and well, your spirit lives within me
Because you died and rose again


CHORUS
Amazing love, how can it be
That you my king, would die for me
Amazing love, I know it's true
It's my joy to honour you, in all I do, I honour you


BRIDGE
You are my King
You are my King
Jesus, You are my King


God's love is greater than any love that you will experience and it is the only love that will give you Joy, when you are sad, Peace, in troubling times, Confidence, in things you never knew you can do, and Courage, when you face the giants of the World.

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Have Faith and Watch Your Actions

Philippians 4:13
I can do all things in him that strengthen me.

This past year has been a test to my Faith and courage. I have been faced with many obstacles that questioned me and my Faith. It has been very hard but I had faith that the Lord could give me the confidence and courage to go through them. The Lord has blessed me with a christian family and christian friends of who I am very close to, he has also blessed me with the encouragement of my church as well, and the faith that they have in me. Those who do not know the Lord need someone like all the comforters I have and they need someone to show them the way. If they do not know the way then they will scatter like lost sheep and be like the seeds that had fallen on the thorns, they might hear the word but they will not take it in for they need someone who cares for them to bring it to them. They need the Holy Spirit surrounding them and making sure that they don't wander away, they need our love. They need to see what the Lord has done in our lives, they need to see that they will change their ways and that accepting the Lord will have an impact on how the act, speak, and think. That they will make wiser choices and that they have peace. But if we, as 'born again believers' don't even contain peace and do not  make wise choices then they will not be interested and will think that this God will not change my life. We impact others by our actions, if we show that we make bad choices and do very bad things then we will have a negative impact on others. If we show God's love to others by the way we act then we will have a positive impact on others. People are looking for peace, they are looking for a love like no other and we have to give them what they are looking for. But this is very hard to do when we have people against us, that is why we need to pray together to the Lord in order for him to strengthen us and to give us confidence and faith that we can change many lives. I, myself am not perfect, sometimes the way I act  gives a negative impact on others, I have to watch what I say and how I act and how I think.

So please pray that we, as Christians act the way that God wants us to act and show the world his love through us.

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The Power of Prayer

Set time aside to pray each day, and really pray from your heart. Talk to the Lord about your problems and concerns; what makes you happy, and what troubles you.


God will answer even your smallest request and will give you happiness even if your plan does not line with his. Whatever decision God makes it will be the best for you. 


If you do not understand his plan for your life and are confused by what he's putting you through, he will be pleased if you pray to him and ask him to give you wisdom in order to understand. Prayer is what comes from the heart, it is not a routine that you say the same thing at a certain time, God wants different prayers each time, there will always be something new to pray about each day.

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An Athieistic View

Let me ask this question: Do you agree that if there were no Christians and no God then there wouldn't be any Atheists? So without God, there wouldn't be any Atheists. They use the laws of logic but do not know who created them. Our God created them and gave them a mind and a brain and with that brain they can argue to anything they want, so could we, but it was the almighty God who gave them their wonderful brain. May we spread the gospel and truth to those lost sheep who are wandering in the wilderness. Let us pray for them as well.

This is not meant to be offensive. Please let me know if it is.

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WWJD? (What Would Jesus Do?)

A good tree does not produce bad fruit, nor does a bad tree produce good fruit. Each tree is known by its own fruit. People don't gather figs from thornbushes, and they don't get grapes from bushes. Good people bring good things out of the good they stored in their hearts. But evil people bring evil things out of the evil they stored in their hearts. People speak the things that are in their hearts.
Luke 6:43-45

We are like those trees, there are bad people and there are good people. The Christians in the world should produce good fruit for all to collect. We, as Christians should be like the good tree and only do things that are good, we want to tell and show everyone who see us that we are followers of Christ without telling them so. They should be able to walk by and identify that we are born again Christians. Sometimes though we tend to do the wrong things and end up in the wrong crowd that causes us to do the things that God would not like us to do. It all depends on what we are living around and what type of world is surrounding us. The movies we watch for instance, affect the way we think. If our friends use alot of inappropriate language then we might start using the same language as them which will eventually lead us away and farther from God. What we need to do in order to stop us from making the wrong decisions is use the famous saying WWJD. What Would Jesus Do? That way we would know for sure whether or not we are making the right choices. Praying to the God would also help in making the right decision. In conclusion, just imagine Jesus doing what you think you should do and if the picture doesn't fit then know it's the wrong thing to do.

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A Bush in the Desert

In the Word of God it mentions a few times an expression like a "bush in a desert". He had used the "burning bush in the desert" as an appearance to Moses but a couple other times he mentions it in scripture.

For example Jeremiah 17:6

They are like a bush in a desert that grows in a land where no one lives, a hot and dry land with bad soil. They don't know about the good things God can give.

In this verse, the term "Bush in a desert" has a bad meaning. You wouldn't want to be referred to as a bush in a desert in this particular verse. It gives you the feel of isolation in a big world. 

In the story of moses now, God had chosen to appear to Moses in a burning bush, in a desert. I know that this time it isn't presented as something bad but i am not sure why he had chosen to do so. 

If you have a reflection towards this particular discussion or an answer, I would be more than happy to have you post a comment explaining what you think of his appearance.

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Weekly Verse

John 15: 12-25
"My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.
Greater love has no one than this, that he laid down his life for his friends.
You are my friends if you do what I command.
This is my command: Love each other.
If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.
If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own.
Remember the words I spoke to you: No servant is greater than his master.
If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.
They will treat you this way because of my name, for they would not be guilty of sin.
He who hates me hates my father as well.
But this is to fulfill what is written in the law: They hated me without reason."

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Wonderful Passage!

"Now this is what the Lord says. He created you, (put your name here); he formed you, (put your name here). He says, "Don't be afraid, because I have saved you. I have called you by name, and you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you. When you cross rivers, you will not drown. When you walk through fire, you will not be burned, nor will the flames hurt you. This is because I, the Lord, am your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour. I gave nations to pay for you, and I gave others to make you mine. Because you are precious to me, because I give you honour and love you, I will give other people in your place; I will give other nations to save your life."

Isaiah 43:1-4

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Baptism

Believe
Act of obedience
Picture
Testimony
Immersion
Satisfy conscience
Manifest Christ

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Bible Study Steps

• Observation
• Interpretation
• Application    
• Correlation      

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The Holy Spirit is our Guide

Gift - Romans 5:5 "...He gave us his love through the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to us."
Uses - Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4, 1 Peter 4
 Interprets
Directs
Earnest - a downpayment, the rest is yet to come

The Holy Spirit lives in you. He not only wants to be a resident in you but a president in you.

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Weekly Verse

"Don't be upset because of evil people. Don't be jealous of those who do wrong, because like the grass, they will soon dry up. Like green plants, they will soon die away. Trust the Lord and do good. Live in the land and feed on truth. Enjoy serving the Lord, and he will give you what you want. Depend on the Lord; trust him, and he will take care of you. Then your goodness will shine like the sun, and your fairness like the noonday sun. Wait and trust the Lord. Don't be upset when others get rich or when someone else's plans succeed. Don't get angry. Don't be upset; it only leads to trouble. Evil people will be sent away, but those who trust the Lord will inherit the land."

Psalm 37:1-9


Reflect:
This passage is kind of like the laws of God. What you should and shouldn't do and their consequences. This is a great passage to look at everyday and notice what you have been following and what you have been committing throughout the day. This passage will give you peace and patience if you obey what it says and will bring joy into your life, a good  consequence from obeying the Lord. This passage also mentions the everyday emotions that we feel everyday but we don't notice that they are the laws of God. It also mentions that we should trust the Lord and he will lead us towards the right path with carefulness and will sustain you. If you obey the Lord your goodness will shine like the sun. This means that if you obey the Lord's laws then your consequence will be great and yet you will also become great.

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Weekly Verse

"I will Praise you, Lord, with all my heart. I will tell all the miracles you have done.
I will be happy because of you; God most high, I will sing praises to your name.
My enemies turn back; they are overwhelmed and die because of you.
you have heard my complaint; you sat on your throne and judged by what was right.
You spoke strongly against the foreign nations and destroyed the wicked; you wiped out their names forever and ever.
The enemy is gone forever. You destroyed their cities; no one even remembers them.
But the Lord rules forever. He sits on his throne to judge,
and he will judge the world in fairness; he will decide what is fair for the nations.
The Lord defends those who suffer; he defends them in times of trouble.
Those who know the Lord trust him, because he will not leave those who come to him."
Psalm 9:1-10

This verse tells me that God will judge the world through fairness, those who hurt his children and curse them will have a consequence that will hurt them. The evil will be treated like it should be and the ones who trust the Lord will be treated and judged with kindness and pureness. They will not get hurt whereas those who try to hurt us will get hurt instead. It also tells me that I can leave the problem to God and he will take care of it, whether it is punishing those who destroy the good or rewarding those who do good an trust in him. If i am in a situation where I think I can handle or take care of it but know that the outcome could be bad, I know just by reading this passage that I can just leave the work to God and he will take care of it.

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What is your Favourite verse?

If you have a favourite passage or verse in the bible that you would like to share with me and those who view my blog, then you can post it in a comment and maybe even reflect on it. I would love to see many verses because it would just make me so proud that many people have a verse in the bible that helps them when their down or helps them in general.

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Offer your Lives to God

"So brothers and sisters, since God has shown us great mercy, I beg you to offer your lives as a living sacrifice to him. Your offering must be only for God and pleasing to him, which is the spiritual way for you to worship. Do not be shaped by this world; instead be changed within by a new way of thinking. Then you will be able to decide what God wants for you; you will know what is good and pleasing to him and what is perfect."
Romans 12:1-2 

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What Do you Think?

I am going to start something new called the "Verse of the Week" where i will post a verse every week and reflect on what i think it means and you can do the same by commenting and adding to my reflection using yours. I would also like it if you commented whether you thought this was a good idea right below this post.

This weekly verse:
"I look up to the hills, but where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
He will not let you be defeated. He who guards you never sleeps.
He who guards Isreal never rests or sleeps.
The Lord guards you. The Lord is the shade that protects you from the sun.
The sun cannot hurt you during the day, and the moon cannot hurt you at night.
The Lord will protect you from all dangers; he will guard your life.
The Lord will guard you as you come and go, both now and forever."

Psalms 121

I love this passage, it comforts me in times when i am scared or lost. This verse tells you that God is always there for you, even when you had lost all hope, even when you have nowhere to go. It also tells me that whenever i need an answer to anything i can always ask God and he will provide the perfect answer for me. He is also like our personal invincible bodyguard too, as it stated "He will not let you be defeated" "The Lord is the shade that protects you from the sun" "The Lord will protect you from all dangers".  Isn't that just amazing and comforting? We can always rely on God.

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Know that you have the Lord God in your hearts

Well how do you know?

Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.   John 1:12-13

Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.
Revelation 3:20

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Now's the time

I wanted to create a christian group to help me and send in evidence from the bible to prove to others that the Word of God is True. also to prove that Jesus is the Son Of God and the Messiah that the Jews are still waiting for and that he has already come and is coming again. Even though I'm only 13, ever since I was little i have always wanted to do this and i have prayed for years for God to give me the courage and wisdom to do this. And here i am. and i thank him now for this.

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You Are Like Lost Sheep

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What Comes to Mind when you think about the word "Creator"

We asked a group of teenagers and this was the result:

1. Powerful
2. Awesome
3. Majestic
4. Mighty

God created the world by the power of his words.

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When I say "God", what first comes to mind?

Results:

1. Guide
2. Love
3. Father
4. Peace
5. Redeemer
6. Friend
7. Sacrifice
8. Creator

If this is true, then why don't others see this? We need to show them that they are lost as sheep and that they need a Shepard to lead them, the Lord our God, they need to find those green pastures and still waters where there is no chaos and confusion, where there is peace and love, where there is happiness and truth.

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Steps to be ready to give an answer to every Question you get asked

There are seven Parts to 1 Peter 3:15 :

1. Sanctify the Lord
2. Set apart the Lord God in your heart.
3. Have hope
4. Be ready to give a defence
5. Express the reason for the hope that you have
6. Be ready to witness
7. Be gentle and respectful to those you are witnessing to.

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Always be ready to give an answer

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts and always be ready 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.
1 Peter 3:15

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