Confusing Times

 Hi Friends,

I thought it would be good time for another blog. The times we currently live in are just awful. Confusion, division, depression, loneliness, health scares, wars, and just overall awful stuff. Even in the church it is bad. Many falling away. Many arguing with each other and even insulting each other. There are Christians out there with their own podcasts, using their platforms for poking fun of other Christians.  That is ridiculous. We are also seeing many of the Christian elites falling away and trying hard to drag others with them. We are also seeing the church pushing people out the door because the church is more interested in being an exclusive social club with it's exclusive spiritual wording and phrases and so forth and not so much functioning as a biblical church. Not to mention churches storing up wealth within its very own walls. My heart is just heavy. There seems to be less and less compassion for others. People are hurting. 

Anyway, these are tough times. In all this, I believe we can rise about it and continue to be the people God has called us to be. I am going to dig into the word and see how The Lord leads this blog. 

2 Timothy 3:1-5 "But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God---having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them."

1 Timothy 4:1-2 "The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron."  

Matthew 7:15-23 "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. 

Not everyone who says to me,' Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me evil doers!'"

Heavy stuff for sure and toe crunching too. But we need to know it. You can see so much of this stuff in the times we live already. Jesus warned this would happen.

As Christians, we should be really stepping it up and loving others and sharing our hope with them.

Here are some good scripture to meditate on in regards to navigating these times:

2 Timothy 2:22-24 "Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful." 

Jude 17-22 "But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. They said to you, "In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires." These are the men who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.

But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. Be merciful to those who doubt..."

Ephesians 5:15-17 "Be very careful, then, how you live---not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is."

Colossians 4:5-6 "Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone." 

1 Peter 4:7-11 "The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone  serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen."

Colossians 3:12-14 "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity." 

This next verse is bit of a tough one.

Titus 3:1-2 "Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men." 

That one is tough. I don't want to touch on politics too much, but with the current president and his increasing amount of unpopularity, there is a phrase people who don't like him chant to mock. Should we as Christians partake in that? It's thought provoking. I just wanted to ask that as a question and let my readers think on that. That is ultimately between you and the Lord. I'm not so sure we should be partaking in that. 

I'm not a theologian, or anything of that nature or a pastor or a professional speaker. I'm just a believer sharing things that God is teaching me and questions and thoughts along with that. I want to see change for the good. Change in the church that will bring it to a welcoming place and being a biblical grounded church. The way the church has gone and even many of the public faces speaking for the Christian view, is going to a not so good direction. Even when a lead singer of a big time Christian band is calling out negative things on another Christian podcast, mocking those people isn't the way to go or boasting the number of streams his music got on Spotify. In the end, the success of a band; the albums sold, the awards won, the number of fans, the amount of times your music was streamed. That really won't matter. 

Matthew 6:19-21 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

That being said, we need to keep our eyes on Christ and the mission he has called us to. Nothing else matters! Not the awards we win, being a top rock band winning tons of awards and the popularity of fans, not the immense wealth churches literally store up in their own walls. Our own popularity or how many likes we get on social media. What matters is loving others and making disciples of others. Jesus will return one day and we need to be ready.

1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 "For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words."

Revelation 1:7 "Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen." 

Bearing this in mind, we have this great hope and we should focus on it. However we need to keep this next little message in mind too!

"Not everyone will want the moment, however. "Unready people all over the world...will raise a huge lament as they watch the Son of Man blazing out of heaven." (Matt. 24:30 MSG)." From "You'll Get Through This." by Max Lucado. 

We need to share the good news with those outside of the church and those inside the church need to knock it off with the exclusive club mentality and invite and include people. Time is short.

"We don't know how long  we have here on earth. We don't know how much time we've been given. But in that time, run hard, run fast, and encourage as many people as possible. Let's make a difference 100%." ~ Tim Tebow 

And a final bible verse I will leave, I will leave as an encouragement. But before I do, I just want to say that the church needs to stop this arguments with each other and start returning to it's biblical roots. 

1 Corinthians 15:58 "So my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically  for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless."

 

   

   

The Ultimate Skillet Experience!

Hello Friends! It has been a long time since I have put out a blog and I honestly have missed writing them, so here we are! I recently had an awesome concert experience and I thought it would be fun to share about it. It is a good follow up to my last blog I wrote about what rock music meant to me. So, here we go! 

I recently attended a concert with my siblings. We saw Eva Under Fire

Adelitas Way

and of course, Skillet!

It was phenomal! 

At this concert, my siblings and I had the opportunity to meet Skillet and attend a Q/A session which included a trivia time. It was so cool! 

Once we were let into the venue, we had a bit of a wait with a small group of people whom were waiting to meet Skillet too! Hanging out with these people was an enjoyable experience. We all just talked about our mutual interest of Skillet and our past concerts we attended and shared some good Skillet stories. In particular, my siblings and myself met one fan whom we got to know a bit and sorted adopted into our group since this fan was there by himself. It was fun hanging out with this fellow fan. That is what is so cool about concerts in general, for me at least as an awkward person, I'm not so awkward at concerts and it is easy to strike up conversations with people. It truly is amazing! My siblings and myself also ran into some family friends at the concert too. You never really know who you will run into or meet at concerts. 

Inside the venue, they had setup a Skillet backdrop for photos and seeing that is when it became surreal for me that, "Hey, I am actually getting to meet Skillet!!" I have been a fan since 2008 and this was my 10th show. This was my first time meeting the band as a whole. I got to meet one of the band members, Seth, years ago at another show, but I had never met the whole band. Here is the backdrop in the venue:

Soon the time came to meet the band; I had so many butterflies in my stomach from being so nervous, especially when I saw the band walk in and straight to the backdrop where they started meeting and greeting people. Soon my turn came and here it is!

So cool! They were so friendly and genuine. You could tell they were genuinely happy that you were there and you came to their show! I told them I had been a fan for years and that was my tenth show. I also told John that I enjoyed his book. Jen Ledger, their drummer, thanked me for coming back to their shows, that was great! 

The meet and greet came and went, way too fast for sure, and we then had some down time. My siblings and myself and the fellow fan whom joined our group walked around the venue a bit. I bought a shirt. Soon the Q/A and Trivia session began. That was fun too!

Before hand, everyone apart of the Q/A had the opportunity to submit a question to be possibly asked. My question got asked. Mine was asking each member of the band what their favorite Skillet music video is. John and Korey said "Monster" was their favorite. Jen said their newest one, "Surviving The Game" was hers. Seth said "Back From The Dead" was his favorite. So cool to have my question chosen. The Trivia was tough and I honestly was amazed at some of the other fans' knowledge. I guess I still have ways to go yet before I am truly a Panhead ( what skillet fans are called).

Before the Q/A and Trivia event ended, we took a group photo with the band. So, what an experience! 

Eventually the concert came and it started off with some difficulties and due to technical difficulties, Eva Under Fire was only able to perform two songs, but she gave it her all and interacted with fans. So she still made what she could of it. That was impressive. 

 Addelitas Way played next and they were really good.

Their setlist was: "What It Takes", "Sick", "Ready For War (Pray for Peace)", ""Still Hungry", "Good Versus Evil", "Last Stand", "Criticize", "Notorious", and "Invincible"

Finally, it was Skillet's turn to perform and they did not disappoint! They were amazing!

Their setlist was: "Feel Invincible", "Not Gonna Die", "Sick of It", "Whispers in The Dark", "Legendary". "Lions", "Surviving The Game", "Awake and Alive", "Back From The Dead", "Hero", "Anchor", "Undefeated", "Stars", "Comatose", "Monster", "Rebirthing", and "The Resistance." 

What a show! They played most of my favorites and they even played a new song that isn't on a full album yet. It was a night to remember. 

What Rock Music Has Meant To Me

Hello Friends,

This entry is going to be a bit different from my last few blogs, but I think it is important.

Music is powerful; that is something I think we all can agree on. It can cheer us up after a hard day or a loss of a relationship or even a loved one or family pet. It can push us forward during a rigorous work out or during a long day of work. Music in regards to worship on Sundays leads us to be more receptive to what God wants to say or it just helps us to praise God and thank him for all he has done. Worship can tear down strongholds; when we go through hard times, it can get us through, it can clear our minds and helps us to set our eyes on God and trust him more.

In the bible, David often played music for King Saul to calm him as he was often tormented by an evil spirit (1 Samuel 16:14-23).

In Ephesians 5:19-20 "Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Music can calm our spirits, be a powerful weapon in spiritual warfare and can lift and encourage us and others around us. Cool stuff!

I want to talk about the music I love and that has become a big part of my life and has helped lift me out of some dark places and times in my life. Such music is Hard Rock/Heavy Metal.

Now, that genre has a bad rap for being associated with drugs, sex, and alcohol. And yes, I did say sex. It is true. Yes, there has been and is a lot of that associated with that genre, but you can find that in country music too, as well as other kinds. But that is getting off topic. I want to share my experiences and enjoyment from this genre of hard rock and heavy metal.

I quickly want to address a few bible verses to talk about because we do have freedom to choose and freedom to listen to whoever we want. We do need to be careful what we take in, it can cause us to stumble. There are bands we as Christians need to be wary of, there are some dark stuff out there.

Romans 12:2 "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is---his good, pleasing and perfect will."

1 Corinthians 6:12 "Everything is permissible for me"---but not everything is beneficial." Everything is permissible for me"---but I will not be mastered by anything."

We have freedom, but we have to be careful that those freedoms  do not take a hold of us and cause us problems. We should seek to stand out.

1 Corinthians 8:9 "Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak."

If we are not careful, we can cause others around us to stumble. I mostly listen to christian rock and heavy metal, but I occasionally listen to secular stuff too. There are some whom that kind of music bothers or even causes to stumble in some way. They maybe have had some hard experiences with that in the past. So we should be mindful and not listen to that when they are around. Just things like that. Not all Christians are going to agree on everything or have the same freedoms and convictions which is ok, we are to bear with each other in love.

I just wanted to hit those points briefly before digging into what I am wanting to share.

Back in the early 2000's I went to a Christian Rock Concert with my youth group, at that time, I had no interest in that music at all, even after the concert, I mostly had no interest at all. It would not be until when I got into college, my music tastes changed. At this concert there was this one band called Skillet, early Skillet. Their latest album at the time was "Alien Youth" Don't get me wrong, they were pretty good, and I enjoyed them, but Rock as a whole did not connect for me just yet. I had no idea at that time I would one day become a huge Panhead (as what Skillet fans are called.) I was there with some friends. There was one band there they really got into, and I did too and this band was the Newsboys. So that is where I started.

Over that time between then and college, I mostly just listened to  Newsboys but got into other bands too. I really got into contemporary artists; such as Jeremy Camp, Kutless, Nicole Nordeman, Rebecca St. James, among some others. So, that was neat season for me in my taste of music.

In the fall of 2008, my interest in hard rock and heavy metal would take form. The band, Skillet came to my local state fair and preformed. I went with my sister and her friend. O man, it was awesome! From there I really got into their music, but I will get into more of Skillet later in the post.

From there on, I was into Skillet and of course listen to other stuff too. I did get into one particular secular band as well.

One band I got into, would really shape me and my walk in the Lord. This band shaped me just as much as Skillet's music has. The band is called Fireflight. Now, Fireflight, they have had some great success but are a lesser known band. They are awesome though! They have such a heart for God and for people. The one concert I went to, it was awesome. I bought a meet and greet and so met them and a few other bands there and got an autograph and my picture taken with them and a exclusive shirt from that tour. The concert came and went and it was so awesome. The amazing thing, all the bands stayed afterwards and hung out with the fans. It was so cool! Fireflight could have left but they stayed and spent time with their fans. Fireflight's lead singer was even nice enough to take a photo with me and we hung out a few minutes. Like, they were so genuine.

Another cool story I have of Fireflight, it happened two years ago. One day, I bought some merchandise from them online. The merchandise came on Valentine's Day which was well timed. God knew I needed this on this day as I was feeling really down about not having a significant other to share the day with. Well, I got my items and went to throw away the box when I noticed a posted note inside. I pulled it out and it was a hand written note from them that really blessed me beyond belief.

Here is the note:

Psalm 139:14 "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well."

That was pretty awesome! I believe God reminded me in a pretty powerful way, through a band I really looked up to and whom has influenced my walk and have encouraged me, that I am loved. So cool!


So, it's been cool!

Now onto to Skillet. After that concert in the fall of 2008, I became a huge fan. I have seen them in concert 9 times now. I have many shirts, CD's and other cool accessories. I have seen them with other Christian bands and I have seen them with secular bands. For me, I believe it is especially important to show up at secular shows as a Christian to show that people like that kind of music and I believe it is important to be a light in the darkness, to be there to represent Christ.

Matthew 5:14-16 "You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."

So many concerts, each time, Skillet has proclaimed the gospel, their faith to believers and non believers. Their music has reached so many people outside of the church. It's amazing! My walk with God and boldness for him has grown through the influence from Skillet. Recently, my sister and I saw them in concert and got to attend a question and answer session. I honestly wasn't expecting much from it but God really humbled me in that. Many of their songs are about depression and suicide. I have battled with depression myself and it is brutal. Skillet's music has helped me through my own battles. There were many questions on that and the lead singer shared and even talked about his very difficult relationship with his father. It was humbling. You look around and could see many people struggling and searching for anything to grasp onto. Any kind of hope. And you could see Skillet's heart for people and it was humbling. Skillet is so needed to reach these people and those around them. We need more Christians sharing the reason for their hope with those around them, Christians need to be willing to walk into the dark places to shine a light. That is why I love Skillet so much! They are walking out their faith and it is inspiring.

During that concert my sister and I went to, the venue was basically a night club almost. Quite a bit of drinking going on, but Skillet stayed true to form and proclaimed God. They dropped a worship time that night by singing "Be Thou My Vision" and one worship song they wrote called, "Stars". Many hands went up in response and they worshiped along with Skillet. It was awesome! So humbling too. We need that. We need worship in the dark places. Worship leaders should be seeking to take their music beyond the church building.

I have been blessed beyond measure by Skillet and other bands like them. I have such great memories of concerts. There was one I went to that I ended up really close to the stage and at the end of Skillet's performance, I got a drumstick from their drummer. So cool! I have so many neat stories and moments from their concerts.

I would encourage anyone reading this to give them a listen. To my christian friends, give them a chance. I know of many people who think their music is of the devil. That is so not true. Give them a try. Or try Fireflight. I recommend them anyway.

I could go on about my journey of listening to hard rock and heavy metal primarily from Christian bands. Lacey Sturm (former lead singer of Flyleaf), Zahna, Bayless, The Letter Black. Lecrae (more so a rapper but still, great music), I could go on.

I hope you are encouraged by this and maybe even discover some new music. If not, cool. If this is not your kind of music, cool. We have different interests and different convictions. We just have to seek God and ask him to help us not to conform to the world but to transform it.

Be encouraged!

Community

Hello Friends!

First of all, awhile back I put out a blog that I thought was something that needed to be discussed, but it wasn't. The Lord convicted me on that and so I removed it. If you read it and it caused you to stumble in any way, I am truly sorry. Here is to learning from my mistake and moving forward.

Here is a new blog on something that for sure is needing more thoughts on and something God has been teaching me and challenging me on this year and that is:Community.

Community in the church is so important, but yet, many Christians, including myself, are struggling with loneliness and isolation. We were never meant to live life, to go about life alone. For me, I have struggled with that. I have often looked at Elijah and a lot of his ministry, he did on his own with God. But at a certain point, God brought Elisha into Elijah's life to encourage him and help him. In fact, this happened not long after Elijah had fled for his life in terror after his showdown with all the false prophets at Mount Carmel.

1 Kings 19:1-16 "Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, "May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them." Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a day's journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. "I have had enough, Lord," he said. "Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors." Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep. All at once an angel touched him and said, "Get up and eat." He looked around, and there by his head was a cake of bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again. The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, "Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you." So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. There he went into a cave and spent the night. And the word of the Lord came to him: "What are you doing here, Elijah?" He replied, "I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too." The Lord said, "Go out and stand on the mountain  in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by." Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.  After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" He replied, "I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too." The Lord said to him, "Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisah son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet."

1 Kings 19:19-21 "So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen, and he himself was driving the twelfth pair. Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak around him. Elisha then left his oxen and ran after Elijah. "Let me kiss my father and mother good-by," he said, "and then I will come with you." "Go back," Elijah replied. "What have I done to you?" So Elisha left him and went back. He took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. He burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his attendant."

So, Elijah accomplished some great things on his own, along with God. But even he needed someone else to aide him. Out of total fear for his life, he ran into isolation and was depressed and anxious. But God lifted him up and put Elisha into his life to eventually take over as prophet but he also put Elisha in Elijah's life because he needed the help and encouragement of someone else.
In the same way, we believers need each other. We can't go about life alone. The enemy wants us to be divided; isolated and alone. It is easier for him to attack us and get us down when we don't have others around us. We are much stronger and accomplish more when we are in unity and in community with other Christians.

Jesus himself says:

Matthew 18:19-20 "Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."

There you go, big things can and will happen when you gather with others. There will be times when you do things on your own to minister to others, but there are times when you minster to others, with others. Community is so important. Anymore, that seems to be a struggle for many in finding that or even working at finding that. It is good to kick back and have a day at home, watching your favorite movie or show or reading a book. I know I find myself doing only those things on my days off from work, but if you are not careful, you can get into a routine of that and go months without spending some time in fellowship with old friends or building relationships with new friends. I can't tell you how many times I've done that and found myself isolated. I have had to be intentional and be willing to break out of that routine to spend time with other people. I can tell you it is hard, but it is worth it.

I am introvert, so, I usually do fairly well doing my own thing, but sometimes I do need connections with others, especially other Christians.

"Christianity was built upon intimate community. Jesus lived with his twelve disciples. They traveled and ate together; they worshiped and discussed things together. Jesus seems to love bringing diverse group of people together. The church body is the same way. The relational aspect of Christianity cannot be overlooked, and it really spoke to me, especially in the worship context. 
So, as much as I needed and loved to worship God on my own in my room, or on the beach, or on the roof during sunrise or sunset, I also needed and loved being in the midst of an assembly of people who were seeking God in united diversity. This is where the most challenge, encouragement, and confirmation in my walk with Christ have always come from." 

~ Lacy Sturm


That quote really sums it up well. I for sure have experienced a lot of growth and have overcome a lot through the help, encouragement and challenges from fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. So we need each other; we need community.

It is going to be hard at times; uncomfortable and sometimes even painful. Conflicts will happen and being around others has often been hard for me, but the good things outweigh the bad by far. The older I get and more I grow in my walk with the Lord, I am learning that I really do need other Christians to help me, guide me, challenge me and sometimes call me out on things.

Here is some scripture to mediate on:

Hebrews 10:24-25 "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another---and all the more as you see the Day approaching."

Romans 12:9-13 "Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are need. Practice hospitality."

I have gone through seasons of just wanting to be a lone ranger, sort to speak. To go about life on my own, accomplishing things outside of the church. But I have been challenged on that and earlier this year, God placed me into a great church where I am plugging into and serving along others and it has grown me a lot and has overall, been great for me.

I want to just encourage other Christians out there to get out there and be in community and grow with others. There will be disagreements, personalities that require a lot of patience and grace to put up with, and other challenges, but that is all worth the growth and encouragement you get through being in a community. It is so much better than living in isolation. Being in isolation eventually becomes a miserable experience. Now, it can be tough to find a good community; there are for sure some not so good ones out there. But, trust me, it is worth the effort to find one. I am really thankful for the community and church I am apart of now. So, please, find one. Fight through the fear, anxiety, or whatever you are fighting that maybe holding you back. There are people out there who do want to help you.

I want to leave you with a final bible verse that shows how important community is.

Acts 2:42-47 "They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple court. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved."


Be encouraged. We are all in this together.

Have Faith, Not Doubt

Isaiah 26:12 "Lord, you establish peace for us; all that we have accomplished you have done for us."



Hello Friends,

Here is another blog for your encouragement. In this one, we will talk about Faith and Doubt. Doubt and fear are big weapons of the enemy that he uses to discourage us and keep us from being effective and who we are meant to be. In these moments of doubt and fear, God calls us to look to him and trust him. We are called to live by faith and not by sight. Over and over again the bible tells us not to be afraid and have faith. That can be hard. Let us look into the scriptures and learn some neat stuff that hopefully will help you in your battles.


We will begin with a bible hero who had doubts; doubts about Jesus even though he came preparing the way for Jesus. There were doubts from John the Baptist!

To give some context to this, at this point, John's time of ministry was about if not completely finished and John was serving time in prison. So, he was dealing with discouragement which can lead to doubt.

Luke 7:18-28 "John's disciples told him about all these things. Calling two of them, he sent them to the Lord to ask, "Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?" When the men came to Jesus, they said, "John the Baptist sent us to you to ask, 'Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?' " At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses, and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind. So he replied to the messengers, "Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me." After John's messengers left, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: "What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind? If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear expensive clothes and indulge in luxury are in palaces. But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written: 'I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.' I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he."

Pretty interesting huh? John struggled with doubt in this time, being in prison and all. Jesus put the doubt in its place but he also lifted him up too and still spoke well of John.

So know that this great bible hero had wrestled with doubt, so you are not alone.

Next we will discuss at another moment of doubt. Now, I don't want to focus too much on the doubts as the goal of this blog is to build people up and show that we can move past these doubts and be courageous.

This example also happened during the ministry of Jesus and this time it was by one of his own disciples. Keep in mind this happened right after Jesus fed the crowd of 5000+ people.

Matthew 14:22-33 "Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it. During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear, But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." "Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water." "Come," he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!" Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?" And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, "Truly you are the Son of God."

So, a pretty big thing going on and you have to hand it to Peter for having the faith to leap overboard and walk to Jesus. He just lost focus and doubt crept in and the fear of what was going on with the wind and he started to sink. So, Peter, even though he made a huge impact for Christ, he had his moments of doubt.

Now, let's take a look at the faith aspect!

For our first stop, we will return to Luke 7, which is pretty interesting. First see you seen an example of faith that we are about to read about; then later in the chapter is where we read about John dealing with doubt. Interesting for sure!

Luke 7:1-10 "When Jesus had finished saying all this in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. There a centurion's servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, "This man deserves to have you do this, because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue." So Jesus went with them. He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: "Lord, don't trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it." When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, "I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel." Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well."

So here is an instance where Jesus is astounded by such an act of faith by this centurion. Jesus healed the servant as the centurion believed he could.

Let us take a look of another example of faith that Jesus commended:

Luke 18:35-43 "As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. They told him, "Jesus of Nazareth is passing by." He called out, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" Those who led the way rebuked and told him to be quite, but he shouted all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" Jesus stopped and ordered the man be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, "What do you want me to do for you?" "Lord, I want to see," he replied. Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight; your faith has healed you." Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God."

So this man had faith in Jesus and believed he could heal and Jesus did. It took faith from this blind man. If you read about a lot of the other times Jesus healed someone, he commended their faith. The faith these people had to believe Jesus could heal them was important.

Let's see more neat scripture on faith:

This next one, is about the faith of a major character of the bible:

Hebrews 11:8-19 "By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. By faith Abraham, even though he was past age---and Sarah herself was barren---was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise. And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore. All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country---a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned." Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death."

Abraham showed great faith; he faltered at times, but kept up the faith ultimately and is credited as righteous. Take a read at what a passage in Romans says:

Romans 4:18-22 "Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, "So shall your offspring be." Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead---since he was about a hundred years old---and that Sarah's womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. This is why "it was credited to him as righteousness." "

So, pretty neat stuff!  

Another good verse to check out is in Hebrews:
Hebrews 11:32-34 "And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies."

So any way, I am hoping you will be encouraged. We all struggle with doubt and fear from time to time, but the great news is we can overcome. Some of the great bible heroes accomplished big things despite their moments of struggle. We can accomplish big things too!

I am going to leave you with some more encouraging verses as well lyrics to two really great songs I would recommend you check out!

Hebrews 10:35-36 "So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised."

2 Corinthians 5:7 "We live by faith, not by sight."

Joshua 1:9 "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."

"But I hear truth remind me/You are right behind me/Go ahead and break the mold/I'm gonna be bold/Gotta hold my head up/Cause I know when I get up/There's a victory I already hold/I'm gonna be strong/Gotta get my banner/Cause I know whose side I'm on/Got a heart like steel, a faith like gold/I'm gonna be bold." ~Ledger "Bold" 

"Today is ours, it's always been/Before we face the fight/We know who's gonna win/We live by faith and not by sight/We don't want safe and quite/We don't want to run and hide/This is not an intermission/It's our time, not gonna miss it/You've already called us fearless/Unafraid/If we're going to fly, we fly like eagles/Arms out wide/If we're going fear, we fear no evil/We will rise/By your power, we will go/By your spirit, we are bold/If we're gonna stand, we stand as giants/If we're going to walk, we walk as lions/ We walk as lions." ~Skillet "Lions"

Wonder Women of The Bible

Hello Friends,

I thought it would a good time to do another blog. This one, I'll be honest and say that this is a great deal out of my comfort zone, so please bear with me. I felt challenged to write this piece and I do hope I am bringing some hope, encouragement, and love into this.

Lately, in my devotions, I have been reading about some of the many things Jesus accomplished during his ministry. I want to focus on some of the really cool interactions he had with women, though not all. As well as a few other neat stories that involved women in the bible.
I want to dig into this due to the things going around us in our culture today and want to encourage you ladies out there. I have been brought up to respect women and treat women with respect. I am close to my mom and my sister. I adore my niece. My life and walk with Christ has been heavily influenced by some amazing women; as leaders/ teachers and friends too! So, to any of you reading this, I hope I am doing this piece justice and I hope you are encouraged.

Here we go...

Mark 5:24-34 "A large crowd followed and pressed around him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, "If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed." Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, "Who touched my clothes?" "You see the people crowding against you," his disciples answered, "and yet you can ask, 'Who touched me?'" But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering."

How cool! If you read carefully, Jesus and this woman's interaction occurred in front of a large crowd of people. He did not shame her, brush her off, or condemn her. He was compassionate and treated her with dignity and love. Something really cool about this verse too is that he called her "Daughter". A few years ago, I learned that nowhere else in the bible is it recorded that he called anyone else but her that. This woman not only suffered physically, but she would have been looked down upon and viewed as an outcast in that day. Jesus flipped a social norm here and raised her up and showed her honor. She not only regained good health, but dignity too.

I want to add something here in regards to Jesus calling this woman, daughter. As of today (Dec. 23,2018) I have learned of another time Jesus in fact called some women, daughters, but he called them daughters of Jerusalem. This is in Luke 23:27-31. I don't ever recall seeing that. So, pretty interesting. I would say Jesus was bestowing honor upon the woman he called daughter while he was telling the mourning women to not worry about him but be mourning for the hard times that were to come to Jerusalem.

Mark 14:3-9 "While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head. Some of those present were indignantly to one another, "Why this waste of perfume? It could have been sold for more than a year's wages and the money given to the poor." And they rebuked her harshly. "Leave her alone," said Jesus. "Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her."

I find it pretty cool that Jesus said the woman whom poured the perfume on him would be remembered for what she did and even now in this blog, she is being remembered. Jesus made that promise for her and he kept it! He was touched by her act and her sacrifice she made with the expensive perfume. It's interesting for sure and this passage is something we should mediate on.

Another thought on this story is that the version of it told in John 12:1-8, it was Judas Iscariot, the one disciple whom would later betray Jesus, whom objected to the woman's use of the perfume and wanted her to have sold it for money to give to the poor. The passage also said that Judas said that not because he actually cared about the poor, but because "he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it." Some serious greed going on there. Jesus stood up for the woman though. Now the woman is remembered for this generous act, while Judas is remembered for betraying Jesus. That is something to think about...

The next moment, I wrote about in my last blog, "Finding Hope in the Times of Struggles and Suffering" but it's a big deal and I feel it is important to talk about it again.
John 8:2-11 "At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" "No one, sir," she said. "Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."

So, yeah and pretty cool event. Jesus stood up for this woman; he did not join in the condemnation, but rather extended mercy and compassion. He told her to leave the life she was living, that was weighing her down, and be on her way.

Jesus demonstrated his Father's love to all he encountered. You will notice he only tangled and got into it with the teachers of the law, Pharisees, and Sadducees; the religious social clubs.

Another good one, I'm not going to go into too much, as I feel that the Lord is leading me to another less known story of Jesus to share. So I'm simply going to refer you and encourage you to read for your self. Check out John 4:1-42 In this story, Jesus talks with a Samaritan woman, which in that day, that was a big deal as Samaritans were looked down upon. Anyway, check it out!

The last encounter of Jesus with a woman I will write about is actually one that occurred at the beginning of his life, when he was just a baby. I just read about it in my devotions a few days ago and was amazed as I don't ever recall reading about it. So, I for sure wanted to share what God revealed to me.

Luke 2:33-38 "The child's father and mother marveled at what was said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: "This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul." There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem."

I thought that was interesting about a prophetess. I didn't know that.


Now for another pretty neat story that occurred after Jesus, but during the time of his apostles spreading the gospel.

Acts 12:1-12 "It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. When he saw that this pleased the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover. So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him. The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. "Quick, get up!" he said, and the chains fell off Peter's wrists. Then the angel said to him, "Put on your clothes and sandals." And Peter did so. "Wrap your cloak around you and follow me," the angel told him. Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision. They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him. Then Peter came to himself and said, "Now I know without a doubt that the Lord sent his angel and rescued me from Herod's clutches and from everything the Jewish people were anticipating." When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying."

So here, a miraculous thing happened; The Lord sent an angel to get Peter out of prison. The big thing here is that many people; men and women were gathered together and were praying for Peter. A big thing happened in result of that gathering in prayer together, functioning as the body of Christ.

We are to function as one; as the body of Christ. We all have a place, a part to play.
Ephesians 4:15-16 "Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work."

So, yeah. Ladies and Gentlemen, lets love each other as Christ does, respect each other and seek unity and function as one.

There were two big characters whom I wanted to focus on, but I was lead down a different direction and used the verses that I used. I think it would be great to still mention them and where in the bible their stories are written. Be sure to check them out for yourself, they did some big things!

First is Deborah, she was a Judge of Israel. See Judges Ch.4 and Ch.5

Also, Esther, she had become Queen of Persia and saved her people from a massacre. See the book of Esther.

Both of these characters did big things. So, check them out!

I hope whoever reads this is encouraged. I hope you learn something and that maybe someone will be inspired in some way or another to step up and use their gifting or even read this and discover they too have something to contribute and can do big things too!

Finding Hope in the Times of Struggles and Suffering

Hello Friends,

Lately I've been struggling through some tough trials and such, and I know of some friends and family who have too. If anyone else out there who reads this and is struggling, I hope you will be encouraged as this blog will dive into talking about finding hope and joy in the middle of the struggles.

Now, let us dig in...

James 1:2-3 (NLT) "Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow."

This is a commonly referenced verse.  Times of trials builds character. It can be awful but if we allow it and allow God to, it can build us and make us stronger and better for it and we can use our struggles and perseverance to help others in their trials. Further in James 1 we get some more understanding on how our trials can actually bring about some good.

James 1:12 (NLT) "God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him."

James 5:10-11 (NLT) "For examples of patience in suffering, dear brothers and sisters, look at the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. We give great honor to those who endure under suffering. For instance, you know about Job, a man of great endurance. You can see how the Lord was kind to him at the end, for the Lord is full of tenderness and mercy."

James had a lot to say about persevering trough trials. As painful and hard as they can be, they can make us better and help us grow. God wants to helps us through them and bring us comfort. He also wants us to help others too.

2 Corinthians 1:3-6 "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer."

We are to comfort others in their times of trouble. I have either seen or heard of examples of  Christians whom have watched others of the faith struggle with trials and sufferings but they either ignored them, flat out shunned them, or even made things worse by gossiping about them or putting them down. That is wrong. We are to build each other up and others up. Just because a believer is suffering, does not mean they are not a believer anymore or not praying enough. We are to share in Christ's sufferings to be more like him.We are also to respond like Christ when we or others around us are suffering. Condemning and shunning or belittling others are not Christ-like responses but rather, responses of the Pharisees/hypocrites!

Here is a good example that Jesus set:
John 8:2-11 "At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" They were using this question as a trap in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" "No one, sir," she said. "Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin." 

Good stuff right there! Jesus showed compassion and stood up for this woman. He did not condemn her. God shows us compassion and mercy to us all the time for things we do or don't do. We should extend, what is shown to us, to others. In particular to those you see struggling. Check out Luke 19. Jesus took time and hung out with a much despised tax-collector of the town. The tax-collector's life was transformed after that and he paid back the money he cheated people out of.

Compassion goes a long way. Both the one whom compassion is being extended too and the one extending the compassion. I have seen and heard of examples of other believers extending compassion to those enduring hard times. I have had many believers be there for me when I was in need of prayer or comfort or simply a friend. I have seen and experienced compassion, which is a great thing. So, if you want to make a difference in someone else's life, show compassion, that is huge, it really is.


Jesus says for us not to let our hearts be troubled and not to be afraid. Also, we will face trials and suffer, much because of following him. Following Christ can be costly and Jesus said it would be, but he also said not to fear for He has overcome them. We have victory in Christ.
Spend some time reading John 15 and 16 if you can, they are good chapters to read.

1 Peter 4:12-14,16,19 "Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you...However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name...So then, those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good."

So despite the hardships and painful trials, we should not be surprised. We should actually rejoice. It is not easy at all. But we need to, and to persevere. We need to commit ourselves to God and trust Him and his plan he has for our situation. He is in it and helping us every step of the way. Maybe we should focus on the ways He has provided or brought us rest, comfort, joy, or maybe a loving community around us to help. I certainly need to, and not grumble so much, lol. Grumble I do. It's a learning process for sure.


I want to share a few verses that are so encouraging and that God has reminded me of in the last few weeks:

Zephaniah 3:17 "The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing."

Hebrews 10:23 "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful."

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

Some good stuff! There is a lot in the bible covering trials and suffering. Jesus suffered a lot. His disciples did too. Paul is a great example of whom went through so much trials; as did Job. I hope the surface we scratched will help you readers through the trials and sufferings you may be going through. I would encourage you to read more for yourselves and maybe consider reading my last post on "Spiritual Warfare." But seek the bible first.

I will leave you with some encouraging scriptures:

Philippians 4:4-7 "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Psalm 46:1-3 "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with surging."

Be encouraged!