James 4:2-3

"You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight.You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures." James 4:2-3

This, is a good verse.

This happens alot, doesnt it? We want something so so bad, but we don't get it. Let's talk about this.

We want things alot, right? Right! We want several different things. We want to be able to go somewhere. We want to be able to do something or have something. Or even have someONE. We want things so much sometimes. "When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives." Often times we want things because we long to have them. We want the satisfaction of knowing that we have that thing or person. It's hard to explain the feeling of desiring something. But I'm sure you all know somewhat of what I'm talking about. Guys, next time you want something so badly, you want to go somewhere so badly, you want to be with someone so badly. Stop. And think. How is that thing/person going to benefit you. Is it something you need right now? Is it something God wants in your life? Is it glorifying to him? Or is it just something to make YOU happy. Making decisions is hard too. About anything. But hey, pray about it. Ask God what HE wants you to do. He might not answer right away but you've got to be patient with him. If you truly want to follow God and live your life to please him, you need to want what he wants for you. Not only want part of it. You have to be willing to let stuff go, if he wants to take it. Don't hold on to it. Obviously it's causing you to slip away. Or it's causing you to get off focus. Or it's causing you some kind of pain. And all those things aren't really great and dandy. There is so much better stuff that could be in your lives. Everyone always says, when one door closes another door opens. That's true! Sometimes God closes doors and we're kind of like.. umm? Why did you just do that? I liked that. But then he opens another door and we're like.. Oh my goodness! That is so much greater! Why did I waste so much time over there in that other stuff? Everything we go through, all the happy times and all the relly bad times, is for a reason. Cliche, I know. But really. once you look back on certain situations you will se how much you've grown and you will not regret it at all.

I hope everyone is having a great day today! Love you guys.

The World Is Watching You.

It's Your Life - Francesca Battistelli.

I haven't heard this song in forever until it got stuck in my head the other day. If you never heard the song before part of the chorus goes, "It's your life whatcha' gonna' do, the world is watching you, everyday the choices we make." It goes on more, but that's the part that was stuck in my head. Haha. So I've been thinking about that line. And those words and what it's saying. I'm real big on keeping promises and actually meaning what I say. "Your actions must speak louder than your words" Is like my motto. Haha. but really, if you think about it it's a huge thing. I might've said this in another post but being a Christian is more then just saying you are one. That goes for a lot of things. If you tell someone you will be there for them always, you've actually gotta' do so. If you tell someone you'll do anything for them, you actually have to be willing to. Here's a good one. If you say that you're going to give everything to God, you actually have to give him everything. All of whatever situation it might be. All of anything. All of everything. I'm pretty sure I've said this before. But for me, personally. I always try not to make promises that I know I cannot keep. Because the last thing I want to do is hurt someone. The world is watching you. Kind of creepy, but true. People can only see how we act. People can't see our hearts or our feelings. However we come off to that person is how they really know who we are. Sometimes we act a certain way and we don't even know it. Our feelings take a tole on our actions sometimes. If we're hurting sometimes we are mean to people or we shut people out. Or sometimes if we're extremely happy we can be annoying(Or I can anyway :P) I hope you haven't stopped reading this because I'm just rambling. Please keep reading :) So anyways. As Christians, we need to be acting in a way that shows God love through us. If we're mean to people and like.. complete jerks, they'll be like.. if having God in my life means I will be like them then I don't want it. We don't want that now do we!? No! We need to be doing acts of love. Showing people what Christ is all about. We need to Be imitators of God. Smiling at a cute little old lady at the grocery store. Seems simple and kind of pointless right. you'd think nothing of that. But that smile could make that ladys day. Helping random people is showing Gods love too. Maybe someone drops something. You could pick it up, it really won't hurt you. Just being generally nice to someone is a way of showing Gods love. I hope this makes sense to you who are reading this. It's just been on my heart lately so I thought I would share. So go be nice. Do something for God. Do something for someone. Don't be a jerk :)

Have a splendid Tuesday, everyone! Love you guys.

Psalm 37:24

"Though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand." Psalm 37:24.

I really like this verse! So, let's talk about it.

"Though he may stumble," We all stumble. We all run into things in life that aren't really considered to be enjoyable times. We all go through tough times, the world throws alot of stuff our way. "He will not fall," Okay wait a minute, what? He will NOT fall. Sounds kind of crazy right? When it seems like the weight of the world is resting on our shoulders and when it seems like things just don't get better, ever. He will not fall. How? Why? Why won't he fall? "For the Lord upholds him with his hand."

:O

That's pretty amazing. Okay think about this. The Lord, who create the earth that we live on. The planets in the sky. The stars. The universe. And everything in between. He made everything. He even made you. And he hold YOU in his hand. He won't let you fall. Now, that doesn't mean that you'll never feel as though you have fallen. Because often times things just build up in our lives and it can feel like we have just been pushed down by the world. But look at who is holding onto you, even when you do stumble. The Lord! He's holding on to you, so cling tighter to him when you stumble rather than loosen your grip. Yesterday in church my Pastor said something along the lines of, "Just because you go through troubles doesn't mean God has abandoned you." That, is super true :) Just because you're struggling with something does NOT mean that God isn't there. He's always there. And he will always be holding on to you, your world will always be in his hands. So, next time your stuggling with something, just think and remember that The Lord is holding you and all your problems and struggles in his hands. That sounds like a pretty great place to be if you ask me :)

I know this was short today but I still hope you enjoyed it :) I hope everyone had a splendid day today :) Love you guys.

Soaking.

Hello out there :) Like I mentioned before, I know I haven't been posting verses too much lately. But I have just wanted to talk about so much stuff. Haha. I hope you all enjoy my ranting though ;)

Okay! So. This week has been a crazy one which is why I haven't posted in a while. So let's get this blog goin'.

I have mentioned this before but here I am again, about to talk about it. I told you all about that book my friend got me for Christmas, Crazy Love by Francis Chan. Welp, I finished it! Just today actually. This book from the begining has been amazing. (If anyone wants to borrow it, let me know!) Through out the few last chapters he's talking about completely living your life out for God. He tells stories about people who, some of them had crazy lives before they found God and then did crazy things FOR God. During the last chapter he quotes this lady, whose name I forget.. but she said "How we live our day, is how we live our lives." Okay, that statement can be confusing unless you read it a good amount of time. Having a relationship with God is more then just saying, "I have a relationship with God." The way I think of it (meaning, I'm not saying this is the right way to do things, it's just how I look at it) having a relationship with God means seeking him everyday, spending time in the word often, if not everyday, praying alot. Alright, get ready for my usual.. jumping subjects and confusion. Haha. So like I mentioned in my other post, at my small group we've been talking about media. That has been on my mind alot. In fact, I don't watch Tv much anymore. The only thing I watch is Arthur (Yes, the little kid show. It's always been my all time favorite. Don't judge me haha.) But honestly, the tv is just a distraction. That's how I feel anyway. You see, I'm cyber schooled so I have a ton of time on my hands during the day. Before I came to a huge realization in my life. I was spending all my down time doing useless things. Like, really useless things. And, honestly I would rather spend my time glorifying God. Even if it's just in simple little ways. Like writing these blogs. Spending all our time online or on our phones, is like us sitting there soaking up the world. I don't want to soak up the world. I want to soak up God. I'd rather be sitting, reading my bible or doing something for God, and soaking him in. I want to be consumed by him, not the world. I don't if what I say has an affect on anyone. But, what if I asked you to give up TV for a day. Maybe even facebook. What if I asked you to leave your phone in your room for a day. ( that's what I've been doing. Sorry if I haven't texted you back :P) Would you say, "Heck yes! That's easy. I can do it." Is it easy? Is it easy to give up these things that, probably a good bit of us spend a ton of our time on? Is it easy to give anything up? No. But I didn't finish the question. Would you give up TV for a day, and spend that time reading your bible or praying, or just being with God? Would you leave your phone in your room for a whole day, to talk to God instead of your friends?  A huge thing for me, I often run to people before I run to God. Yeah, we all have friends that are always there when we need something. But something I have learned is that I need to go to God before I go to my friends. Now I'm not say never talk to your friends, haha. I'm just saying for me, personally, I struggle with that. Like I said, I don't want to sit and soak up the world. So seriously. I'm not going to tell you what to do. But think about those questions I asked. And if you think it's something you need. Go for it. Do it for a week, not just a day if that's what you feel like you need. If you do do this, let me know how it goes! Let me know if it was hard or easy for you, and how it may have changed you.

I hope everyone has an amazing Friday, and an amazing weekend :) Love you guys.

Consumed.

I know I'm kind of getting away from the regular thing here, but I like to change things up :) Plus, I really want to talk about something today.
PS. Hello!

So, I've been thinking alot lately(shocker!). First and foremost, listen to this song. Don't read on until you've listened to the whole thing, please (: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suIeoR2Wils
I love love love this song. I've been listening to it on repeat for days hahaha.
Anyway! I've been thinking alot lately about how wrapped up we get in things of the world. I mean come on, we're human beings. Obviously it's going to happen. But what i really really really want to say is.
If we get wrapped up in things, it's going to eat us up. It's going to consume our life and our mind and our whole way of doing everything. If we let it. If we keep pushing ourselves in deeper and deeper, the more it's going to eat us up, the more it's going to start to consume us. It's hard to run away from situations. It's hard to not get consumed. It's hard to accept things that don't go the way we've planned. But ya know what? It's going to be worth it. Sure it's going to hurt a little, maybe a lot. But God doesn't make stuff happen just for it to happen. Sometimes we go through certain situations more than once. Not just to torture us. Maybe we missed something God was trying to show us before. Personally, alot alot alot of stuff I have dealt with has brought me so so much closer to God. And sure, I've gone through things more than once. Yeah, it hurts. But you know what. You're not walking into those situations the same way you did the first time. And you should try not to walk out the same either. Like I said, it will consume you. You will find yourself spending so much time worrying and being upset about this. But guys, Something I have realized and I know alot of us know, but sometime forget is. That we need to give all our situations and feelings and crazy emotions to God. Not some of them. All of them. Give it to him. Trust in him. Full heartedly trust in him. And most importantly run to him. Spend time with you. Even if the worst of things is happening in your life, worshipping and going after God is always a refreshing feeling. He is there when you feel no one else is. Don't let troubles and struggles wrap around your mind and your heart and your life. Grab hold of God and start letting him consume you. He'll pull you out of that situation and I can quarentee you will learn something along the way.
This has been on my heart alot lately, and I just really wanted to share.

I hope you all have had a wonderful Friday :) Love you guys.

My Thoughts

Hello there lovely readers of my blog (:

I thought about this blog post for quite sometime. I was going to post it on like... Monday. That’s how long I’ve been thinking about it. So I’m finally posting it and I hope you all like it just a little bit (: Warning: This post might go in a thousand different directions but just try to bare with me. I’ve got lots and lots to share (:

So, it seems like a lot has been going on lately. Not just in my life but in everybody’s. It seems like everyone is just down lately and upset. I’ll be honest with you guys. I had a meltdown a few nights ago. So much stuff was getting to me and eating away at me. And I was just thinking of so many things all at once. And I was feeling upset for my friends who were upset too. And it was just so overwhelming until I sat myself down and I sorted through my thoughts. Only to realize that every little that I was upset about, I was upset about it because it didn’t go the way I wanted. I felt I had lost things I didn’t want to lose. Like I was being ripped away from things and people that were really important to me in my life. At my small group at church, we’ve been talking about media. And how it affects us in good and bad ways. I found it funny that that was the topic for the month. Because that’s actually been something I’ve been thinking a lot about lately. I’m sure when we were all little we heard people say “God’s with you all the time. How would you feel if God was sitting right next to you while you were watching your favorite, or the most popular television show?”  And we were like... yeah yeah I don’t watch anything bad. This is something I have been thinking about so much lately. If you know me really well you know that I think probably way too much. But really, this has been on my mind a lot. Every time I sit down to watch TV, as I’m flicking through the guide… I think about what’s really in these shows. What’s the message they are trying to portray to me through this show and the characters within it. Honestly there are a lot of crappy things on TV these days. I really don’t even watch it all that much anymore unless it’s like Disney Channel or something like that. But hey, if you’re reading this and you are someone who struggles with this. Like maybe you are hooked on a TV show that you know isn’t exactly a good show for you to be watching but you can’t stop watching it. First off, pray. Really, it sounds kind of like a weird thing to do especially about a TV show but really guys, there IS power in prayer. Secondly, start doing something else when that show is on. I’m sure there are a million things you can think of. Read, write, draw, craft, do a jig. Anything that will get your mind off of watching that show. This ones my favorite (: Go read your bible. Crank up the worships tunes. That’s what I’ve been doing instead of watching TV. And it really does get you un-hooked from that certain TV program. And it’s much more fun then sitting in front of the TV. Now, please don’t think I’m saying you’re a bad person if you watch a show that’s consider “bad.” I’m not (: Because we’ve all been there probably at least once. But try these things. Just invest that time into God and doing things that glorify him. It’s worth it.

Okay, what was I saying before that? “Like I was being ripped away from things and people that were really important to me in my life.” Oh okay! Lately I have been realizing more and seeing more of how the devil gives us distractions. That’s a big word. Distractions. Distractions are things that divide our attention. We’re kind of paying attention to this thing…. But we are way more interested in thinking about that thing. That’s what distractions are. Like if you were waiting to cross the street, and you were looking for on coming cars, and a person in a hotdog suit ran by screaming, that’d be a distraction. It gets your attention, but it distracts you from where your attention needs to be. A LOT of the time things and people will distract us from God. I’ve been noticing that a lot in my life. I know it’s so hard sometimes to keep our full attention on him without getting distracted. It’s almost impossible. But it’s one of those things that won’t just happen over night. You’ve got to start blocking out some common distractions. Your cell phone. Your facebook. Those are probably the most distracting things ever in this generation. You’ll go to read your bible then your like… oh wait, I got a text. I better read it. It can probably wait. Go get God. Your friends can wait. Facebook can definitely wait. Those are the things that I know I get distracted by. But really guys, if this is something you are seriously serious about, go for it. Give it try. The simplest things are the hardest sometimes. But again, It’ll be worth it all in the end (:

Well everyone, this was a long post! I hope you all enjoyed it, and that you all have a lovely Friday (: Love you guys.

Romans 5:3-5

“Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, which has been given to us.” Romans 5:3-5

“We also rejoice in our sufferings.” Some of you might look at this verse, or just that short part of it and say..”What!? rejoice in our sufferings? How can we rejoice.. if we’re suffering.” When I got through stuff. When situations and obstacles pop up in my life, yes they may be very hard situations and not very fun situations but I know that they are happening for a reason. I strongly do believe that going through things, suffering, makes us stronger. It helps our faith and trust in God grow oh so much. A few weeks or days ago, or something I posted about 2 Corinthians 7:9-11. In that verse it says “Now I'm glad—not that you were upset, but that you were jarred into turning things around. You let the distress bring you to God, not drive you from him. The result was all gain, no loss.” When things happen in our lives we need to let those things drive us to God, not away from him. We need to run to him, not from him. Especially when we’re hurting and feeling rather broken. Because we’re not going to find joy in the world. Or things of the world. We need to find joy in the Lord. Because although things seem tough, and crazy, and chaotic, and like the world isn’t going to stop throwing bad situations your way, Instead of having a complete and udder melt down, go to God. Read your Bible, Pray, listen to some worship. God is bigger and stronger than the enemy. He can stand up against them. He’s your shield. Let these hard times bring you closer to God. You will find yourself coming out of these times so much greater than when you went in. You’ll be stronger, you’re have more knowledge and understanding of the situation and possibly situations to come, and most importantly. You’re relationship with God will have grown. You’ll be closer to him. You’ll have even a tighter grip on him then you did before. I want to encourage you guys not to give up. I know, I say that a lot. Haha. But I really do. I know that it’s so easy to just be like “I’m done!” When something bad comes your way. But guys, God is with you through everything. We need need need need need to remember that. And he’s not going to throw us into situations and turn his back on us. No, he’s not. Have hope, and faith, and trust in him. He’s not going to disappoint you. Let hard times drive you to him, not from him. He’s there, guys. He is. Even if you don’t feel him right now, he is there. He’s got a tight grip on you and isn’t going to let you go. Go to him. Seek after him with everything you’ve got and he will not disappoint you.

I hope you guys think about this and take this to heart today. Have a super great day today, everyone. Love you guys!

Matthew 5:33-37

"And don't say anything you don't mean. This counsel is embedded deep in our traditions. You only make things worse when you lay down a smoke screen of pious talk, saying, 'I'll pray for you,' and never doing it, or saying, 'God be with you,' and not meaning it. You don't make your words true by embellishing them with religious lace. In making your speech sound more religious, it becomes less true. Just say 'yes' and 'no.' When you manipulate words to get your own way, you go wrong.” Matthew 5:33-37 (MSG)

I am in no position to be pointing fingers with this one, because I know that I have probably said things I didn’t mean before. But I really love this verse and I think it’s something we all need to remember and keep close to our hearts.

So, like I said, I’m not here to criticize you of saying things you didn’t mean before because I am guilty of this too. The part of this verse that sticks out to me the most is where it says, “saying ‘I’ll pray for you’, and never doing it.” I’m not going to lie to you guys, I have done that so many times. It’s one of those things that, I say it and it doesn’t occur to me how much that means to them and then I end up forgetting to pray for them. I have improved on that a lot though. I know that so many times we can just think, ‘Well, God knows there need already so, I don’t have to pray for them.’ Okay. That is true, yes God already knows but you’re prayers can do so much too. There is so much power in prayer. And I think a lot of the time we forget that. But next time you say “I’ll pray for you” just remember this verse.

A lot of the time we can get hurt by words. Words are dangerous things. People often will say stuff, but then do things that contradict what they’ve said. Or people could say stuff to you but then they don’t hold true to their words. I’m sure almost everyone reading could say that that has happened to them before. It’s okay to admit it. I’ll admit it. It’s happened to me quite a lot lately. When people say they will be there for you, then their not, it hurts. I know. But you know what I was thinking? Just last night, actually. The Bible is chalked full of things God has said. Promises he has made to us. You know what? Those are forever promises. He’s not going to just be like.. oh never mind I don’t mean that anymore, sorry. Nope, he won’t. His love is unconditional and he means what he says to us. He defiantly doesn’t lie to us, and he won’t turn his back on us. He’s always there. You’re never alone. Ever.

Just something to think about today.

I hope everyone is having a great day today! Love you guys.

Like A Field of Flowers.

Hello there! So here's the thing, I typed up a whole blog post, then lost it! What a bummer. but I'm just starting fresh with a new one :) Hope you all enjoy.


This might be a cheesy example but think about it.
Say you're walking in a big field full of flowers. You drop your phone amoungst all these flowers. You really really really want your phone. You desire that phone. Like, you NEED it. So you go digging through the flowers. You've gotta dig through the pretty things, the things that appear pretty, and the weeds that bound things down, until you can finally get that thing you desire.
That's kind of like searching for God sometimes isn't it? Alot of things in life are like those pretty things, the things that appear pretty, then the ugly weeds that bound us down. But at the end of all that, theres God. Search for him. Don't let the ugly weeds get in your way. Yeah, they're gonna cut you and scratch you and make you stumble and fall but you can cut through those with the Lord on your side. Don't stop searching for him. Search and you will find. he's right there, always with outstretched arms. He's not as far from your reach as you may think. Go after him, Guys. I'm pretty sure every post ends up like this one but that's because it's something that pulls strongly on my heart. We need to be searching for him constantly and going after him constantly and constantly wanting more and more and more of him. We can't just settle for what we've got now. Pursue him. Pursue a relationship with him. It's worth it you guys. It's. He is better than anything or any person on this whole earth. He is the only person that won't hurt you or damage you. He is only the one who can keep your heart from shattering. He is the only one who can bring you complete and full happiness and joy into your life. He is the only thing that can make you feel full. He is the only thing that can make you free. Run to him, he's right there. Don't feel alone or abandoned. And if you do, pray. Pray that God would show you his pressence and soak in that pressence. God hears you. God sees you. God feels what you feel. He knows what you're going through and he knows better than anyone else how to help you. GO AFTER HIM. Don't hold back. What are you waiting for? Make a move. Jump on this. Go after him. So many of us are so desperate right now. So what are we waiting for? He is waiting for you. Search and you will find. He's right there. Show him your love for him. Cry to him. Scream to him. Don't turn away. Don't run to someone else. Don't run to cutting. Don't run to drinking. Don't run to drugs. Don't run to guys. Don't run to girls. The world has nothing to offer you here. God does. Pursue him. Wholeheartedly go after him. Let him satify you and fill you. What are you waiting for?


Go get God.


really think about this. I know it got crazy at the end. But I'm passionate about this. And I want you to hear me out. Have a great evening. Love you guys.