Known and Loved

John 4:13-14
Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

We are a HOLY nation!

Hey Girls!
Today I'm here to talk about being different. We are called to be different.
Sometimes I don't like the thought of being different because I just want to fit in with the world. Maybe it's the little things such as wearing a bikini, gossiping, or cussing ,but we all want to fit in at some point in our lives.

I've always thought that trying to "cool" was pretty much, stupid. You know....the girls who flaunt their bodies, laugh at crude jokes, or roll their eyes behind their parents back. That's the norm in this day and age.
I'm here to tell you it's time to be different!
People WILL NOTICE!

One of the reasons I wanted to be normal and fit in was because I felt there was no one out there who would appreciate it. Just kinda live live ya know? Boy was I wrong!
I was SO lifted up today when I found this blog:
http://www.susiemagazine.com/Blogs/Through-The-Guy-s-Eyes/May-2010.aspx

There are actual guys out there who appreciate us trying to be modest and have a servants heart! Even though your effort may seem like it's going to waste trust me, it's NOT!
You are setting an example for all the unbelievers. Trust me, they will notice your different lifestyle. They have mine. It's a fabulous way to witness. Even if you only witness for a couple seconds, you are planting a little seed in their hearts that might eventually grow into something big.

1 Peter 2:9 (New International Version)

9But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

Anyway, I hope this post encouraged you to live DIFFERENT!
Go change the world! :)

♥♫•Madison

Every step that you are taking, history is in the making.

Romans 15:4
For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.


When you read through the Bible, especially the story of Israel, it's easy to see that they repeated their mistakes, like being prideful and following other gods. It is pretty simple to see that they could have learned from their mistakes, but, just like them, we have a hard time learning from ours. Maybe you look back on your past and feel horrible because of the people you've hurt and the mistakes you made. However, if you have been forgiven by the blood of Jesus, those things aren't there to make you feel guilty. They are there to help you grow and learn.

In Christ Alone,
Becky

Rebellion

Danger entices us. "Don't look!" someone says, and our first reaction is to look. Sometimes it seems "cool" to do something dangerous and different because you know you will get in trouble for it. I know that seems like an oxymoron but it's true. The world proclaims that if you are a teenager, your sole purpose in life is to have fun and be rebellious. Ignore every moral your parents have ever instilled in you, lose your virginity, drink, party, and love life. If you do that you are totally okay. Normal. It is accepted and allowed. Yeah, sin is fun- but only for awhile. It's got to end sometime. And usually it doesn't end easily. The majority of teenage rebellion is directed towards parents and authorities. Most teenagers don't rebel against their friends. We have an awesome example of rebellion in the Bible and what God thought about it.

Numbers 16

Korah son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and certain Reubenites—Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth—became insolent and rose up against Moses. They came as a group to oppose Moses and Aaron and said to them, "You have gone too far! The whole community is holy, every one of them, and the LORD is with them. Why then do you set yourselves above the LORD's assembly?"...

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Say to the assembly, 'Move away from the tents of Korah, Dathan and Abiram.' "

...So they moved away from the tents of Korah, Dathan and Abiram. Dathan and Abiram had come out and were standing with their wives, children and little ones at the entrances to their tents.

...the ground under them split apart and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them, with their households and all Korah's men and all their possessions. They went down alive into the grave, with everything they owned; the earth closed over them, and they perished and were gone from the community.

These men were rebelling against their leaders- Moses and Aaron, and they were swallowed up whole by the earth. God obviously takes rebellion seriously.

Proverbs 17:10-12 (New Living Translation)
¹⁰ A single rebuke does more for a person of understanding
than a hundred lashes on the back of a fool.
¹¹ Evil people are eager for rebellion,
but they will be severely punished.

As young adults, our sole authority over us besides God is our parents. They have been endowed by God to raise us and we are called to obey them whether we like it or not. We will be disciplined and rebuked by many of our peers, but that will make no difference in our life if we do not listen to their advice. Be wise and understanding instead of stubborn and rebellious.

Proverbs 19:20 (New International Version)
Listen to advice and accept instruction,
and in the end you will be wise.

Your Sister in Christ,

Jessica

Give 110%

Colossians 3:23
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.

This past week I've experienced a lot of bad attitudes. Often there is a lot of talent waiting to come out of people, but is blocked by selfish desires. "I want you to give 110%"
Coaches tell their athletes this all the time. They want you to do your very best. So does God. He wants you to push yourself hard until you simply can't go any further. It doesn't matter if it's a soccer game, chasing your life dream, saving your first kiss, or running for president. he wants you to try. HARD. It doesn't do any good to go halfway. You can't be in-between. Either don't try or give everything.

Revelation 3:16
So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

Wherever you go in life go with your whole heart. Never give up. You may fall over, but you'll be able to get back up. Whatever you do, do it as if you were doing it to save your life.

Your sister in Christ,
♥♫•Madison

Just Stop

Have you ever thought that Salvation has drifted from the child-like faith and commitment to Christ in the New Testament into a system of rules, regulations, and guidelines? One of the huge parts of Salvation that seems to be overlooked by many people is repentance.

Matthew 3:2
...and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."

Matthew 21:32
For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.

Mark 6:12
They went out and preached that people should repent.

Luke 13:3
I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.

Acts 2:38
Peter replied,"Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit..."


Repent means to feel remorse for your sins and to turn from them. According to God's Word, you cannot receive the gift of Salvation with out turning from your sinful nature. Of course, no one will ever be sinless, but we should begin sinning less. If you see sin that continuous on or has not been confessed, that may be a sign to evaluate your relationship with Christ. Ask God's Spirit to bring to mind anything that is contradictory to Him and help you remove it. It is hard, but behind it all is a simple idea: just stop! When you are really working toward removing sin from your life, you have freedom to grow in Christ and to hear His will; an open line of communication. Prayerfully consider all areas of your life and take action to clean out the garbage.

I'm praying for all of you! :)

In Christ,
Becky

Prayer for a Friend

It's really hard to see your brothers and sisters in Christ struggling. I have friends that are facing challenges ranging from illness to an abusive parent. I feel like I can't do anything to help them, but when you really think about it, I can be doing one of the most effective things. Praying.

James 5:16 (New Living Translation)
The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.

We really do not comprehend how powerful our prayers can be. We have a direct connection to God through the Holy Spirit who is inside each of us who are saved. Think about that. God Almighty who created the universe, who formed you in your mother's womb, and clothes the lilies of the field; you get to talk to Him. How amazing is that?

So what can we specifically pray about for our friends?

Pray that they will be comforted by God's love. (Psalm 117:76)

Pray that they will make the most of every opportunity God gives them to witness to others. (Colossians 4:3-4)

Pray that God will give them boldness and courage when talking to unbelievers. (Acts 4:29)

Pray that they will have faith that God can and will do anything. (Hebrews 11:1)

Pray that they will be bright lights in the darkness of the world; that they will shine like stars! (Philippians 2:15)

Pray that they will stand strong against Satan and not let him get a foothold into their life. (1 Corinthians 16:13; Ephesians 4:27; Ephesians 6:11)

Use that God endowed power that you have and pray! Although you may not be able to fight any physical wars, you definitely can fight a spiritual war for them.

Colossians 1:9-12 (New International Version)

⁹For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. ¹⁰And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, ¹¹being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully ¹²giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you^a]"> to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.

Your Sister in Christ,

Jessica

Worthy of Praise

It's easy to forget. It's easy to think it's all about me. Sure, sometimes I think differently. Sometimes I notice the world's problems, what is going on around me. But is that what it's really all about?

Umm, no.

Revelation 1:8
"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty."

I love this verse! Somehow it puts everything into perspective. No matter what is going on with me, God is still Sovereign, still Lord, and still deserving praise. I'm amazed by how much He loves me, how much He loves all of us! Truly and honestly, He deserves nothing less than continuous praise, and we deserve death. By His infinite glory and grace, He grants us the privilege of life! Don't you think He really deserves our praise now? What an amazing, awesome, infinite Lord we praise. Live a life of praise for His never-ending glory!

In His Love,
Becky

P.S.- Thank you for all your feed back on "Thoughts on Love"! I'm working on my second "installment" now, and am looking forward to hearing more of your input!

In Christ Alone

Lately God has been teaching and showing me that HE is all I need for fulfillment. I don't need to look to anything besides Him; friends, boys, youth group, school; none of those things will make me feel complete.

Isaiah 40:31 says: "But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

God alone is our hope and strength. We can't rely on our selfish, sinful flesh to sustain us.

Psalm 73:26 (New International Version)

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

God has so many promises in His word that we can hope and trust in. I am so comforted by God's love, mercy, and grace that He pours out upon us. He loved us as lowly sinners. And He continues to fulfill us day by day.

In Christ alone my hope is found,
He is my light, my strength, my song;
this Cornerstone, this solid Ground,
firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
when fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My Comforter, my All in All,
here in the love of Christ I stand.

Your Sister in Christ,

Jessica

Here's my LIFE!

Yesterday wasn't a great day for me. My coach's family member died. I had allergies. I learned my friend was bi. My friends were heartless to each other.

It broke my heart to see us, God's children, acting so immature and ungodly. Sometimes we don't realize that God really is up there above watching our every move. He IS actively involved in the earth and didn't just "leave" us to be on our own. I clearly see this now.
I was having my Bible study two days ago and I had a certain face pop into my head. I started relentlessly praying for them all day. Little did I know that a couple days later they would be facing a very hard time in their life. Coincidence? No, it was God. God is up there watching us. He is up there helping us. He is taking hold of our hand and helping us through.
He is SO WORTHY.

I never realized how amazingly he was still working here upon earth until yesterday. Even though part of my world has been crashing down, he has been raised up. One song that has really helped me this past week is Here's My Life by Barlow Girl:

Here's My Life

Girls, I know life isn't going to always be easy. God uses these time to make us so much STRONGER.


James 1:2-4 (New International Version)

Trials and Temptations
2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Your sister in Christ,
♥♫•Madison

Meaningless Talk

Gossip is something that all of us girls struggle with. Some of us maybe more than others. Our speech is something that we really have to keep a handle on. Besides gossip, I often find that girls are prone to simply talk about meaningless things. Recently I was reading on a christian girl forum and some girls were talking about how they wouldn't date a guy if he wasn't between a certain height. My first thought after reading that was "why does it matter?" If God sends you the right guy, are you not going to marry him because he is too tall? My other thought was how immature and and very...ungodly like it sounded. I'm not saying that whoever started and replied to that forum thread was a horrible person! But I do think that when you have your priorities straight and God is the number one focus of your life, those things don't really matter. I didn't see Christ through that conversation. The Bible clearly states that meaningless talk is a sin and not something to be proud of.

1 Timothy 1:5-6 (New International Version)
The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Some have wandered away from these and turned to meaningless talk.

You can either have a pure heart and sincere faith, or you can turn to that meaningless talk. Obviously those things do not all go together. Is Christ being put to shame and trampled because of your unruly tongue that indulges in meaningless talk? Or are you lifting Him up and bringing glory to Him with your mouth?

Romans 1:28-30a (New International Version)
Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers...

People with a depraved mind are gossips and slanderers. Does that sound like a child of God to you? My life goal is not to have a depraved mind. And quite honestly, I highly doubt anyone is striving after having that. But according to those verses, gossips and slanderers are fruits of a depraved mind. So what does that say about you? What does that say about your mind and character?

Titus 2:9-10 (New International Version)
Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not to talk back to them, and not to steal from them, but to show that they can be fully trusted, so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive.

That verse isn't directly talking about meaningless talk and chatter but it does show us something about how we are to act in our speech and our life. Paul was telling slaves to prove themselves as hardworking and trustworthy so that their masters would see Christ through them and that their behavior would hopefully lead them to the Lord. Although none of us are slaves, we should also present our self to others in the same way so that our life will be a witness to someone! When we spread slander and gratify our sinful desires with meaningless talk, we are not respected and are not attractive to unbelievers. Our life should be beautiful and attractive to the lost so that they will wonder what it is that makes us different from the rest of the world and come to a saving realization of Christ.

Proverbs 12:18 (New International Version)
Reckless words pierce like a sword,
but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

In order to get a handle on the bad habit of meaningless talk, you have to make a serious effort to do so. I am a big talker, so the thing that helped me get a little bit more control over my tongue was to step back and not talk. I still talk with my friends and such but I try not to just talk about whatever pops into my head. It is also great to get some note cards and write bible verses that encourage and remind you to watch your tongue. One verse that helped me get a handle on my tongue was 1 Peter 3:4 which says, "a gentle and quiet spirit which is of great worth in God's sight." I want to be of great worth in God's sight, and a quiet spirit is one of the things I need to master!
So tell me your thoughts! What do you do to combat the temptation of meaningless talk? What are some things that help you?

Your Sister in Christ,
Jessica

Contented

Hey Girlies!

Today I'm gonna talk about being content. Lately, I haven't exactly been content with my life. I want more friends, I want to listen to certain music, I want to go to public school....the list goes on. As I have been thinking about all this I felt God telling me that He is using this time in my life for His greater purpose. Even though I may be lonely or restless he is using that time to rely on Him. My Nanna is the most contented person I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. She is always so happy and always giving to others. I wish I could be more like her. She has lived in the same house forever, she pays for our dinner(well when we let her!), she drives her old-lady friends all around town. Truly, she is a great example for all my family.

Philippians 4:12 (New International Version)
12I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.

No matter what my needs are I know God is up there always looking out for me. Even though I may be going through some tough times I don't understand at the moment I will TRUST in Him and his great plan.

I encourage you to do the same.

Your sister in Christ,

♥♫•Madison

Thoughts on love

I would like to pose a question: What is love?
Do you truly know what love is?
The Bible actually tells us what the greatest love is.
John 15:13
Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.
So, what is love? It's commitment. It's sacrifice. I know those are all "churchy" terms, things you've probably heard over and over again, but do you really put them into practice in your life? Loving someone is not being attracted to them. Loving someone is not being grateful for all they do for you. Love is an action, a verb. I've heard it said that this is not "boyfriend-girlfriend" love...but I think it is. What would a marriage be like if the husband and wife weren't constantly putting the other before themselves? The relationship would fall apart (as marriages often do these days). What is the point of dating? It's to prepare for marriage. Relationships with people of the opposite gender really aren't supposed to be taken casually. Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying you should completely shy away from guys (or girls if you are a guy), but you need to guard your heart. I'm pretty sure you can think of a time when you found yourself more attached to someone emotionally than you want to be; I know I can. I want to challenge you today to really consider your future. Think about how the relationships you have today are going to effect the goals and dreams you have. Don't let anything hinder those dreams!

In Christ,
Becky

P.S.-I would love to hear your thoughts on dating. Please leave a comment or shoot us an email!
P.P.S-Expect to hear much more on this soon!

Patience

Galations 5:22 (New King James Version)
But the fruit of the Spirit is...longsuffering.

I have always thought the word longsuffering was much more applicable to what patience really is. Having patience is not a walk in the park. It is suffering for the good of others, for possibly a long time.

Patience is not freaking out when your computer randomly shuts down when you are in the middle of trying to post. (yeah, totally happened to me this morning. I think God was trying to teach me something :)
Patience is allowing your siblings to push the buttons on the elevator. :)
Patience is letting someone else ride in the front of the car.
Patience is controlling your anger when someone steps all over your new books.

According to dictionary.net patience is: a minor form of despair, disguised as a virtue. Uncomplaining endurance of evils.

I like how it said uncomplaining endurance of evils. You are not patient when you wait your turn to do something and complain about it the whole time. Patience is to be seen, not heard.

1 Thessalonians 5:14 (New International Version)
And we urge you, brothers...be patient with everyone.

We aren't to have patience with just our friends or people we like, we are to be patient with everyone. Like Madison was talking about yesterday, we even have to be patient with those mean girls. I know for me some of the hardest people to be patient with is my family. Because I am with them so much, I seem to ignore the fact that they are real human beings and they are precious in the sight of God, and I am very impatient with them.

1 Peter 2:20 (New Living Translation)
But if you suffer for doing good and endure it patiently, God is pleased with you.

Although patience is a difficult virtue to attain, we do not strive to be patient in vain! God is pleased with us when we are patient! To be patient we do have to suffer long; it takes time. But the more you are patient, the more of Christ's glory you reflect to the world! Who are you impatient with? What gets on your nerves? Point that out to yourself and work on changing your level of patience with that someone or something.

Your Sister in Christ,
Jessica

Mean Girls

Mean girls. Yupp, we have all dealt with them. The snobs. The jerks. The I'm-only-nice-to-you-if-I-wanna-be girls. Yeah, they aren't generally the nicest people out there.

I have dealt a lot with these girls. Trust me, it isn't easy. I'm usually a pretty quiet person but sometimes when they are annoying me with their mean personalities I just have to sigh and try and not retort something else back to them.

It may be a little thing such as not waiting up for you, or laughing behind your back but chances are these girls are going to get on your nerves. Since these girls have come into my life I have found the best of way of dealing with them is just loving them like Jesus. I am never rude to them but always compliment them. Guess what? Now they think of me as their friend. Even better, they aren't half as mean as they were. Let me tell you, this was a RELIEF for me. However, some of my other friends still aren't getting along well with them. The reason? They are resisting and being mean back to them. Being nice when people don't deserve it makes all the difference.

You know who I'm talking about don't you? Yes, you can see their faces in your head. Pray for them today. Even though they don't deserve it, they need it.

Matthew 5:44 (New International Version)
44But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.

Your sister in Christ,
♥♫•Madison

Make every day Mother's Day. Start today!

Although we may read through certain passages of the Bible many times, God always seems to have a way to bring to our attention different things and we may have overlooked before. I read the following verses yesterday as I was on a "road trip" with my family. They brought an overwhelming sense of God's presence into my heart and really encouraged me-especially the last 2 verses. I pray that God will touch your heart today and that you will continue to grow in your relationship with Him! Have a lovely week! :)

Colossians 1:9-14 (New International Version)
⁹For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. ¹⁰And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, ¹¹being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully ¹²giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. ¹³For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, ¹⁴in whom we have redemption,^e]"> the forgiveness of sins.



Your Sister in Christ,
Jessica

Creation without the BIBLE!

Hey Girls!

Yesterday I heard Ken Ham talk. He was amazing. I highly recommend you look up some of his articles on the internet or his website at: http://www.answersingenesis.org/

Anways, one thing he said really hit me. When we argue creation vs. evolution we all have a starting point. Either your starting point is yourself or it is God. You can't have both. You can't have an arugment for creation without the Bible. That is your FOUNDATION to everything you believe in!
Think about that for a moment!
When people ask you to prove creation to them without bringing religion into it you can't! That is your very foundation where you get all your answers.
Athesists are pushing God away because they don't want to be held accountable for their life. I can understand- I don't either. That doesn't mean I'm not going to live with my whole heart for Christ! When your friend asks you to explain creation without the Bible and explain your views from a neutral standpoint, you can't! She has her starting point too, it's just not the Bible.

Anyways, I hope you have a fabulous day and remember that God's word is your FOUNDATION!
Your sister in Christ,
Madison

A Reminder

When life gets busy, it is easy to forget where our eyes should be focused. This excerpt from Tomas á Kempis' book The Imitation of Christ is a good reminder.

The Ninth Chapter
ALL THINGS SHOULD BE REFERRED TO GOD AS THEIR LAST END
The Voice of Christ

My child, I must be your supreme and last end, if you truly desire to be blessed. Whith this intention your affections, which are too often perversely inclined to self and to creatures, will be purified. For if you seek yourself in anything, you immediately fail interiorly and become dry of heart.

Refer all things principally to Me, therefore, for it is I Who have given them all. Consider each thing as flowing from the highest good, and therefore to Me, as to their highest source, must all things be brought back.

From Me the small and the great, the poor and the rich draw the water of life as from a living fountain, and they who serve Me willingly and freely shall receive grace upon grace. He who wishes to glory in things apart from Me, however, or to delight in some good as his own, shall not be grounded in true joy or gladdened in his heart, but shall be burdened and distressed in many ways. Hence you ought not to attribute any good to yourself or ascribe virtue to any man, but give all to God without Whom man has nothing.

I have given all things. I will that all be returned to Me again, and I exact most strictly a return of thanks. This is the truth by which vain-glory is put to flight.

Where heavenly grace and true charity enter in, there neither envy nor narrowness of heart nor self-love will have place. Divine love conquers all and enlarges the powers of the soul.

If you are truly wise, you will rejoice only in Me, because no one is good except God alone, Who is to be praised above all things and above all to be blessed.

Girls, lets keep our focus on eternity today, and look to Christ. True delight will be found only in Him!

God Bless,
Becky

By faith

Hebrews 11:7 (New Living Translation)
It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before. By his faith Noah condemned the rest of the world, and he received the righteousness that comes by faith.

Most of us have heard the story of Noah numerous times, complete with pictures and a rainbow craft. :) But when you really think about this story, it is amazing the kind of faith Noah had. He completely surrendered to God's desires and threw off the condemnation that came from the world.

By faith, he built an ark to prepare for a flood. Rain water had never come from the sky before the flood. Noah trusted God and blindly took a step of faith with full assurance that God's divine plan would dominate.
By faith, he spent 100 years of his life preparing for this strange flood that was seemingly impossible.
By faith, he took a stand for God and was different. He warned the wicked people of the world of what was to come, and gave them an opportunity to save themselves. He was an outcast; shunned and despised by the world for not indulging in pagan sins.
Compared to the rest of the world, he was a crazy radical. But through his faith in God alone, he was saved and he received the "righteousness that comes by faith."

Is God asking you to trust Him with everything? He isn't asking for the mediocre, comfy Christian attitude, He wants all or nothing.

The faith which saves is not one single act done and ended on a certain day: it is an
act continued and persevered in throughout the entire life of man. ~Charles Spurgeon


Your Sister in Christ,
Jessica

Building Blocks for the Christian Life

2 Peter 1:5-8

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

It is easy in the Christian life to get caught up with serving others, learning all you can about theology and the Bible, and living like Christ. However, these things shouldn't come first. Faith is to the basis for all Christians. When people do not focus on faith and grow their faith, they can not be godly, loving, or controlled. Like any other hierarchy, faith must be in place before you can work on goodness, knowledge, control, perseverance, godliness, kindness, and love. If you are now a Christian, spend time increasing your faith, by talking with Christ and learning more about Him.
If you have never accepted Jesus as your Savior, you can today. Know that God loves you. We've all done things wrong, and because of that can not be close to Him. However, in His great mercy, God sent his son Jesus Christ to live a life here on earth without sinning. He died unjustly, having never done anything wrong, in order that our wrong could be covered by His blood. If you want to be redeemed, to be able to come close to God, just cry out to Jesus. Tell Him you are sorry for the sin you committed, and that you believe He paid the price for you. Commit to living a life based around Him, and tell someone about your decision! If you accepted Christ, we would love the chance to talk to you (iheartministry@yahoo.com). Find a Bible and get into it. Join a Bible believing church and get to know your brothers and sisters in Christ. I'm praying for you!

In Christ,
Becky :)

Separated

God's intent for our lives is not for us to be influences a little by the things of God. We are told to abandon our our sinful lives and live passionately and ardently after Jesus. He wants all of you. We surround ourselves with so much filth from this world. But we are called to total separation from sin, nothing short of that. But really, you can just stay locked up in your room separated from everything for the rest of your life. It's pretty much impossible! But when you surround yourself with the love and peace of Jesus, He can and will fill your life! Sometimes it seems like God is so far away, but God never cuts Himself off from us. We are always the problem; something is holding us back.

Isaiah 59:2 (New International Version)

But your iniquities have separated
you from your God;
your sins have hidden his face from you,
so that he will not hear.

God cannot stand sin. He can't be around it. So when we indulge in that sin, and don't even try to stay away, God is isolated from us. My first thought is: How can we do that to God? When we sin, it's like we flaunt it in His face. We know He died for that sin; but we don't even care.

That makes me so sad that Jesus died this horrendous death to pay the penalty for our sin, and yet we still continue on that path.

But you know what makes me beyond happy? Is that even though we are born in our sin, when we become a child of God, we are made new once again!

2 Corinthians 5:17 (New International Version)

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

I love this verse! It reminds me of the special gift God has given me: salvation. I have no words to express my gratitude to the Lord that He took my filthy heart, and made it pure and white with his blood.

Sometimes I feel so worthless, so bogged down in my sin, that I feel like there is no way Jesus would ever let me into heaven. But then I think about what God says in Jeremiah 31:3: I have loved you with an everlasting love. That just fills me with a peace beyond anything I can imagine. No matter what I do, God will always love me, and I can never lose my salvation! :) I pray that God will fill you with a peace and love that transcends all else; that helps you realize that whatever you have ever done, you are still precious in God's sight.

Your Sister in Christ,

Jessica

I declare this a WONDERFUL DAY!

Hey Girls!

I just wanted to say that today is going to be a beautiful day!!
We are going to have amazing new promises from God!
We are going to shine a light for Him!
We are going to spread his love.
He is going to smile down at us!
We are going to have DIVINE appointments!
LOVELY DAY!
FANTASTIC DAY!
IF GOD IS FOR US WHO CAN BE AGAINST US?!?

Your sister in Christ,
♥♫•Madison