A Word We Don't Like Talking About

What is Pride? This word/topic has come up in prayer a whooooolllllleeeee lot recently and there was a sermon on it some weeks ago. Something my pastor said really stood out to me, and its been of those things i havent forgotten about. This has been heavy on my heart for a while, and God is teaching me how to live a life without pride.

It's definetely easy to point out other people's pride, and its easy for us to say "that was really humbling," but when was the last time we said, "I've been prideful lately?"

~Proverbs 16:18,19 Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be lowly in spirit and among the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud
~Matthew 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

1) When we are prideful, we are not active in our prayer life. We are taking situations into our hands, and not seeking God first.
2) We are prideful when we ask God for help when the "big things" come up. We are saying we can do the little things on our own.
3) We are prideful when we skimp out on reading the Bible EVERY DAY. We are saying we can survive without the Word, when Jesus plainly states, He is the "Bread of life (John 6:25)"
4) We are prideful when we know we mess up, but decide not to present our sin to the Father. We say we can learn from our mistakes on our own.

"Poor in spirit" represents our humility. I want to be humble before the Lord.

ToKnow is ToDo

"Be still, and know that I am God.." Psalms 46:10

I have probably heard and read this verse a million times, and I have always looked at it the same way: Translation- Stop what you are doing (right now) and focus on God.
Yes, that is true, but....whatever happens in that moment, that time we focus on Him, needs to be applied to our lives, not just to that, "okay guys, spend 10 minutes right now and just think about who God is" That 10 minutes means NOTHING if we are not LIVING like we know who God is. Are we living each day KNOWING that He is God?

Deuteronomy 32:4 He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.
Deuteronomy 10:17 For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes.
Deuteronomy 33:27 The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He will drive out your enemy before you, saying, 'Destroy him!'

(just to name a few) I could go on and on!!!!

When He is perfect, why do we question how He works?
When He is faithful, why do we complain that He is taking too long?
When He is our refuge, why do we look for people to satisfy us?

Dont just think about who God is. Believe it, and KNOW it, because if we say we know it, and our actions do not reflect it, we don't really know who God is. Our actions reflect what we believe. When it says "Be still..." I think of physically being still. And i am all for that too! But, that "Be still..."also means stop with the questions, stop putting God off, and SETTLE DOWN!

Live like you Know it.

A MUST

I am generally not one to go looking for "good skits" and what not, but i saw this one for the first time some months ago and it is actually one of the inspirations for the message i gave to my youth group.

if you have seen it, welcome back. watch it again.
if you have never seen it, watch it now.



Lifehouse- Everything....DO IT!

He is bigger than ALL OF IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

maybe theres a reason I didnt write this one in the first place, but here it is now:
(I know this is long, but bear with me.....)

At church there have been quite a few students (younger and older!) that have stepped up to the plate to give a sermon to youth group. All of them did an excellent job, and you could tell that the Holy Spirit just had His hand on all of them. The power of their messages still have affect in my life, and i felt like God wanted to me to give a sermon as well.

I thought i had heard wrong because..well me and public speaking had always equaled complete disaster. He didnt want me to did He? ME?!?! So i didnt tell anyone about it, but I kept on praying. Sure enough, God wanted me to get up there and share the message he laid on my heart: Holiness. In fact, when my youth pastor told me that i was "on the list", i started hyperventilating, and almost started crying. The thought of me getting up in front of 100+ people for about 30 minutes terrified me.

But over the months, i prepared mentally, and spiritually. I went even deeper into His Word than i had ever done before. I found myself praying in the Spirit constantly. And in this period, I learned to put my emotions aside- God taught me to trust Him COMPLETELY. My family was praying, my friends were praying, and people i didnt even know were praying for January 20th, 2010.

The day before and the day of I had total peace. I was quiet, focussed, and ready for what was about to come. Well that all fell apart when i arrived at church Wednesday night.. I couldnt speak, the "shaking" started, and everyone wanted to talk to me. "Oh Anna, I'm so excited about you talking tonight".. i wanted to say..."JUST ME AND GOD RIGHT NOW, JUST ME AND GOD...GET AWAY!!!!!!" All throughout worship, the game, announcements, and small group i could barely breathe and i couldnt look at anyone. On top of that, that place was packkkkkkeeeedddddd.

Finally, the time came and i walked towards the pulpit. I stared out at everyone, my youth pastor prayed over me, and all that fear left. I stopped shaking. My heart was not beating 3906428976489273648972miles an hour, and when i spoke, it wasnt me speaking. I felt God give me all the words. They just came, and oddly enough, i felt completely comfortable up there. God gave the confidence, and my words reflected it. I could feel God working in me, and in that sanctuary. There was this unspeakable joy in me, and wanted to make sure I didnt leave saying anything less than what He wanted me to.

He is bigger than our emotions. I had to give God a situation that i literally had no control over. All He asked me to do was get up there, and the only thing He is looking for is our obedience. He will take care of the rest! And despite my fear, and the enemy telling me that i couldnt do it, GOD CONQUERED ALL!!!!

SavedByGrace

~*Ephesians 2:8*~ "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast."

Ever looked at a night sky?
I have, but not nearly enough times.
I live in a neighborhood where the trees often choke the skyline--- but still sometimes, the light from the moon and stars stream through those bare branches :) When I look up at the sky, i feel utterly insignificant and small. is that what God sees? Do we look like little figures rushing and dancing around in this world He made? Its easy to think that. After all, ISN'T that what..its looks like? No. In looking at the sky, God is only asking for our humility. We are small. But we are not insignificant. Not to Him.


~*Luke 12:6-7*~ "Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one
of them is forgotten before God? But even the very hairs of
your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of
more value than many sparrows."

so Little never meant so Much

Glory to God Forever by Fee
NOT... Glory to God When My Days Are Great!

Ever had those days? Yes, you know the ones im talking about. Everything goes wrong, and nothing happens the way it should. Maybe its something big. Or maybe its a million different things that just add up. People ask whats wrong, and you either want a hug or you just want to be left alone. And when you do finally get alone, its often hard to fight the tears that just come anyway. People come and go. Situations come and go. Days come and go. But God remains the same. And the God i know is IN CONTROL. And I want to praise Him regardless of how my day goes. I want to praise Him even when its not my fault. I want to praise Him when i know it is. I want to praise Him when i dont know what to do. I want to praise Him when i dont know what is going to happen. Worry needs to be out of the picture. Why? It is an offense to God, saying that He- THE CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE does not know what He is doing. Are you giving Him control?

~*Everything Falls by Fee*~
"when everything falls apart,your arms hold me together,when everything falls apart, your the only hope for this heart,when everything falls apart,and my strength is gone,i find you mighty and strong,you keep holding on,you keep holding on."

Psalm 145:13-14
"The Lord is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made. The Lord upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down."

the only ONE

~*Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers*~ (OH YES!!)This book is incredible. I remember when i first read it for the first time freshman year, i got in trouble with all my teachers because it was just impossible to put it down. in fact i think i went home because i was "sick" (i mean i kinda was, i had a slight headache..) just to finish it. Anyway, if you dont know about it, it is a sort of "modern" version of the book of Hosea in the Bible. With Valentines Day looming in, i am constantly reminded that there is ONLY ONE that can satisfy me: My Lord and Savior. Yes, God gives us friends, and family, and perhaps that special someone that He wants to place specifically in our lives- but ultimately, He is the Only One that can satisfy us. Perhaps you have heard this before many times, but knowing and doing are two different things. We need to LIVE it like we BELIEVE it. Spend time with Him, listen to Him, and the more you do, the more you fall in love with HIM- the *Creator* of love in the first place! I want to fall in love with Jesus :)

John 6:35~ And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst."