Stormy Clouds

It looks like the clouds are falling; finally giving up the fight to hold on. Or maybe they are crying and that's why they are grey. They are depressed and tired of life. All that's left is darkness to fill their void. It's sad, they could be happy but they have to turn all stormy. 

The True Friend

1. What a friend we have in Jesus,
2. All our sins and griefs to bear!
3. What a privilege to carry
4. Everything to God in prayer!
5. Oh, what peace we often forfeit,
6. Oh, what needless pain we bear,
7. All because we do not carry
8. Everything to God in prayer!

Have we trials and temptations?

Is there trouble anywhere?

We should never be discouraged—

Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Can we find a friend so faithful,

Who will all our sorrows share?

Jesus knows our every weakness;

Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Are we weak and heavy-laden,

Cumbered with a load of care?

Precious Savior, still our refuge—

  Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?

Take it to the Lord in prayer!

In His arms He'll take and shield thee,

Thou wilt find a solace there.

Blessed Savior, Thou hast promised

Thou wilt all our burdens bear;

May we ever, Lord, be bringing

All to Thee in earnest prayer.

Soon in glory bright, unclouded,

There will be no need for prayer—

Rapture, praise, and endless worship

Will be our sweet portion there.

As I look over my life and see the relationships that I have had, I realize that God has been so good to me. I remember losing friends and feeling down because I had no one to turn to and no one to trust. I would cry and ask God, "Please, can I just have one friend that won't leave me and hurt me?" It was rough. I remember lies that were spread about me that would crush me. It wasn't the lie itself, but it was the fact that people actually believed those lies and turned on me. I mean, these were my BEST friends! I felt so alone and rejected. I thought that I would never have another friend to trust. I had given up on trust in all aspects of my life. I stopped trusting my family and sometimes even God. It wasn't that I gave up on God but I failed to trust that he actually cared for me. I stopped trusting that he loved me. I was in a bad place. I became depressed and didn't know who to turn to. Thank God that He woke me up and screwed my head on straight! In the loneliest moments Jesus was there holding out His hands. He took me to scriptures like:

 Hebrews 13:5-6

Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

So that we boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.

WHAT!! I know! I would begin to cry as he showed me that he was MY friend. It didn't matter what people did or said He would always be my friend.

Then when I would doubt his love for me scriptures like:

Jeremiah 31:3

Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.

He began to lead and guide me in His word, and the more I listened to His voice the more I believed that he was my friend. 

Soon I began to see that it didn't matter who hurt me or who turned against me. All that mattered was that Jesus was my friend. Even now I am so happy to know that I have a friend in Jesus. He was the one that I could turn to and He would answer my prayers. He was the one that cared about my feelings.

I hope you know that Jesus can be this friend to you. He will never hurt you. He will never fail you. He will be the friend that you have always wanted. While He holds you in His arms, He will whisper words of love to your soul. You will no longer have to live with fear of rejection or slander. He will only bring forth the truth in your life. You will be able to draw closer to Him when you realize that no one can ever be a friend like Him. He will always be your friend. I pray that you can see Him as your friend just like I have. I pray that you can learn to trust and love Him just like He loves you. Oh, how he loves you! Let Jesus be your friend. This friend is the friend that sticks closer than your brother. (Proverbs 18:24) He is the friend that loved you so much that he laid His life down for you, His friend. (John 15:11)

I hope that you can see that you are not alone but you have the greatest friend that could ever be. That friend is Jesus. Today, I give you Jesus.

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Don't Forget Me for I Haven't Forgotten You

"Don't forget me for I haven't forgotten you." The words echoed through my mind. As I sat on the floor in my bedroom, tears began to run down my face. The realization of the love of God came to me in that little moment. He has done so much for us. He took the cross with us in mind, yet we can't spend one little moment with him. He knows us all so well but what do we know of him?

When God spoke these words to me I realized just how rejected God is. He wasn't just rejected when he was beaten, spit on, and hung to die on the cross. He is rejected daily. You may ask how. Well, how many times have we just gone about our day when we felt that small tug on our hearts? How many times has God wanted to spend time with us but we have ignored his voice? This is how we have rejected him. We have rejected him and asked him to leave our schools. We have asked him to leave our government. We have asked him to leave our lives. We have asked him to step back and let us have control. 

One question I have to ask is, "What has being in control ever done?" It has done nothing but mess up everything. When Cain took things in his own hands thinking that he had a right to be angry, he killed his brother. When Abraham's wife told him to have a child with her handmaid that way they could have their promise child, doubting God, it left them with anger and strife between the family. We are terrible at controlling things. Why not just let God have control? Why not just surrender your life to him and let him work it all out? Don't forget what he has already done. He hasn't forgotten those moments. He hasn't forgotten you. He loves you. Will you still love him or will you just go on about your day ignoring him? He has been calling you but you have been shutting him out. He's screaming out today, saying, "DON'T FORGET ME FOR I HAVEN'T FORGOTTEN YOU!" I can see the tears streaming down his face as just another person walks away from him and says, "I've got other things to do." 

God is everything. He is the one that gives each and everyone of us breath. He gives us everything that we have need of. The question I have is, "Will you remember him in your day or will you forget him and walk away?"

Overcoming Temptation

How do we overcome temptation?

In order to overcome temptation we have to know what temptation is and where it comes from. What is temptation? According to Easton's Bible Dictionary, temptation is a "trial; a being put to the test." 

James 1:2-3

My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;

Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

In this scripture it is saying that temptation is trying our faith and through this it is teaching us patience. 

James 1:12-14

Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man.
But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished bringeth forth death.

So let's just study out this scripture for a minute. In verse 12, If a person endures temptation he will receive the crown of life. What does it mean to endure? In this scripture, endure means to take it patiently, persevere, suffer, and to stand firm. So In order to receive the crown of life we must stand firm against temptation and we must push forward in truth. This way we are able to overcome. 

How can we overcome when we don't know who or what is tempting us? Verse 13 is letting us know that God does not tempt us. We know this because God is not evil and there is no way that he can be tempted into doing evil. So who is the tempter of our soul? Verse 14 says that every man is tempted when he is drawn away by his OWN lust. This does not mean that we tempt ourselves but it means that we all are born into sin and have a sinful nature that draws us and entices us. Who tempted us in the beginning? It was Satan. He enticed Eve into eating the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil. From that point, humanity was now able to see the difference between good and evil. They were able to see wrong from right. We know that our desires can get us tripped up and cause us to sin. Satan plays on those desires.

Now that we know that Satan is our tempter, we can see in James 4:6 that if we resist the devil he will flee and if we draw close to God, then he will draw close to us. Resist, in this scripture, means to rebel or to withstand. 

We can see by the word of God, that the way to overcome temptation is to persevere. We must push forward. Then, we must resist or rebel against the devil. We must stand up and say, "Hey! I'm not doing that. God's been to good to me; I can't fail him now." After that we must draw close to God and let him move in our minds and souls. It is amazing how just one prayer meeting can change your entire outlook on things. If you turn to God, he will clear your mind. You can overcome temptation.

A Vessel of Use

2 Timothy 2:19-21

Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity

But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonor.

If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.

What does it mean to be a vessel of use? What do I need to do to be a vessel of use for God? These questions have ran through my mind many times. I want to be a vessel of use for God, but how do I become that vessel?
According to this scripture, in order to be a vessel of honor I must turn away from sin. I must purge my heart of all of the things that hold me back. I must turn  my life to the master. That is the only way that I can be a vessel that is sanctified and meet for the master's use. 
This is my prayer, "God let me be a vessel of use. Let my heart be clean and prepared for what you have for me. Let me walk after you and in righteousness. So I can do a work for your kingdom. I give up the pleasures of this life in order to follow you. I give up my ideas on how life should be ran and I place it in your hands. Have your way in me."

Mark 10:20-21
Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.
And he was sad at that saying and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.

I don't want to be like this man. If the Lord tells me to give something up I want to give it up. I don't want to become sad and leave and not change. I want to be changed so that I can be what God wants me to be.
Today I hope to encourage someone. You may feel down, tired, and worn. Don't give up! You too can be a vessel of use. Keep on pressing on and have faith in God. Our timing is not his timing. He knows what he is doing. Sometimes it is hard to wait but trust me it WILL be worth it! If you are following the plan of God and doing what the word says, then you are one step closer to being used of God. Don't let go of the hope. Don't let the storms cloud your vision. Just keep on moving forward. Don't look back but look forward. There is a blessing coming your way! It's right around the corner! HOLD ON!

I Wont Go Back

Proverbs 14:12

There is a way which seemeth right unto man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

I wonder how I got here?

What did I do to get here?

Somehow I made the wrong turn and now I'm lost and burned

In my mess I fell deep because my flesh was weak

But now I hear your voice and I'm making the choice

I'm turning away from the things that I do 

That I know aren't pleasing in your sight

I'm turning away from the messed up mindset 

And the things that I know aren't right

I'm turning away from the past, the hurt, and shame

All the things that had me bound

I'm turning away, turning away

When temptation tries to lure me off my course

I will choose you, I'll choose you

'Cause I've been there and I'm not going there no more

Said I want a new start I'm giving you my heart

From your love I never want to depart

(I'm turning away) From the way of my past

(I'm turning away) I've changed my mind, changed my heart

(I'm turning away) I'm surrendering unto you

(I'm turning away) I'm turning away

(I'm turning away) I'm turning away

I won't go back to the place that God has brought me from. There is no point. What does this world have to offer? What does sin have to offer? The only thing that this world brings is death and destruction of your mind. Sin corrupts and takes over the heart. Just like a poison, it eats away at the soul. Just like a disease, it starts slowly, only to leave your mind and heart crippled, deformed, weighed down by guilt and heartache. It leaves you with scars and flashbacks that will never leave you alone. 

I have made my decision. I will not go back to the things that held me away from the presence of God. I will not allow my soul to be destroyed by the pleasures of this world. For what shall it profit a man, if he gain the whole world an lose his own soul? (Mark 8:36) 

I feel like someone is at the point where they have the choice to stay with God and follow his will or to turn away from everything and follow after the world. I have one question for you. What does the world have that could ever be better than the presence of God? I hope you can realize that nothing is greater than what God has done to save you. No one could ever love you like Jesus can. No one will ever hold you like he can. 

Please don't go back to what God has brought you out of. It isn't worth it. What will you gain? Remember how you used to feel. Remember the depression, remember the misery that you felt in the world. Then, tell me that it is worth going back to. Nothing is worth losing your soul. Nothing is worth losing your ticket to heaven. Nothing is worth losing your relationship with God. Please make up your mind that you won't go back.