Perseverance

  

 

 One winter's day I had to go to Shoprite in the plaza near my house to get a transpass for school. It was freezing outside, with snow piles taller than me every few feet, and patches of ice everywhere. And that was the most dangerous part, the ice. It was slippery, it was tough, and I was never more scared of falling and busting my butt than that day. My brothers, who decided to tag along were joking and playing ahead of me while I inched along, eyes on the ground and fist clenched in my pocket, taking baby steps across what suddenly felt like a Sahara desert of a parking lot.

    Just as I'm telling them I'm going to turn myself around and deal with this mess tomorrow morning, both boys grab my arms. "No Alex, come on." Johnny says, scowling at me. "We have to per sa veer." Carl says. And they start pulling me along, saying "per sa veer" in the most annoying way, laughing all the while I'm freaking out with this ice all around me. Every time I halt trying to make sure I'm not stepping on ice they just drag me along. I don't know how we made it to Shoprite in one piece, but thank God we did. I was pissed at them for the rest of the day even though they just laughed at me, saying at least we got what we'd came for.
 
Looking back on that day now I realize that persevering is as much a part of what it means to be a Christian as anything else. It's part of faith: believing even when you don't see' (Hebrews 11 vs. 1) especially  when that answer you're waiting for is taking it's sweet old time. It's part of obeying: 'not becoming weary in doing good, for at the proper time, we will reap a harvest, if we do not give up' (Galatians 6 vs. 9. ) It comes with blessing too, proving that if you just keep at it you'll  be 'blessed for persevering under trial, because when you have stood the test, you will receive the crown of life that God has promised...' (James 1 vs.12)

It's best to keep this in mind :
"Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ⁴ perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵ And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us"
-Romans 5 vs. 3-5

So no matter what you may go through, remember to 'per se veer' because....

Worry

Worry

 

 

"Can anyone of you by worrying, add a single hour to your life?" -Matthew 6 vs. 27,

                                                      -Sincerely, God

 

Listen to this

While reading this

Worry from AlexJean

"Why am I so sad? Why am I so upset?
I should put my hope in God and keep praising him,
My Savior and my God"
                                                      -Psalm 42 vs. 11 

Faith

Faith without action is dead, but what is faith?

 

 

Faith: "being sure of what we hope for, believing what we cannot see" -Hebrews 11 vs 1

God gives people dreams and ideas, that seem bigger than their abilities and resources

 

What matters though is having that absolute confidence that He can make it happen

Believe in His promises

Try them out and let Him prove their truth in your life , so you can grow in trust

That way your faith will not only grow, it won't be shaken.

Like the preach from Sunday night said, once something has been sown ( a seed planted) by God, even if it takes time, it will bear fruit.

It has roots buried in the soil of God's Word, and gets sunshine and rain, fights through weeds and bird attacks, but blossoms still.

And your faith, is taking that first step.

 

Even if it starts off as small as this:

 

it can become this :

 

 

 

 

F.Y.I

 

Read: Hebrews 10 vs 19-39

 

Re-read vs 23

 

 Remember this: "Let us hold firmly to the hope that we have confessed, because we can trust God to do what he promised.

Seeking God: Being In His Presence

Seeking God: In His Presence Daily
 

"Worship changes the worshiper

into the image of the One worshiped"
Jack Hayford

 

What is worship?

    Though there are tons of definitions of what worship is, I like how BibleStudytool.com defines it: worship "is both an attitude and an act."
The attitude: humbling
The act: can range from the songs we sing, to the ministry we are apart of, the tithes we bring, the people we comfort, the moments we spend in fellowship and our quiet moments with God.
 But the why of worship: is drawing closer to God. Not just for a moment. But regularly, daily.
It's a lifestyle choice
Our attitude, the way we carry ourselves, the clothes we wear, the music we listen to, everything. God is in the details.

When we worship: "we pay deep, sincere, awesome respect, love, and fear to the one who created us."
What we worship, we become.
So, worshipping 'helps us develop a God-like and Christ-like character.'
-The Purpose of our Worship


How we Worship
 He tells us in His Word  "God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." John 4 vs. 24, NASB

One take on doing this comes from Patheos.com

 

Worship In Spirit

                    In action

 

Worshipping in Spirit, should reflect the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).

Does our worship produce love instead of hatred?

Joy instead of sorrow?

Peace instead of anxiety?

Patience instead of impatience? ect

               If yes, then we are worshipping in Spirit

 

Worship In Truth

                 In attitude

 

Does our worship reflect proper Biblical doctrine?

2 Timothy 3:16-17

 Ephesians 4:24-32

Does our worship of God exalt Him above all other things?

(Romans 1:22-25)

 

 If so we are worshipping in truth.

 

Worshiping In the Middle of It

You may not get all that He does or understand why.
You may hate the seemingly never ending trials you keep facing because funnily enough, committing your life to God doesn't mean things suddenly get better.
Verses like Romans 5 vs 3-5: put it in perspective though:

"Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us"

Hard as that is to do (rejoice in suffering), at least we know what comes with the territory of being followers of Christ.

But in continually looking at Him, looking to Him for everything that changes you from the inside out. Makes you a new creation.

This blessing (God gives His worshippers) allows you to accomplish what God had in mind when He made you: to have a growing friendship with Him and become Christ like (hence the name Christian)
-New Extreme Teen Bible. New Century Version.
He Promises pg. 673

And than slowly, it starts becoming less about you, less about the pursuit of happiness, but being content no matter what you go through, because your eyes are fixed above (Psalms 121) and your hope is built on solid ground.

Happy Worshipping :)

Sidebar: Veterans Day

 Veterans Day

 

   Today is November 11, 2014. Veterans Day.  A day of celebration to honor America's veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good. This holiday occurred at the end of WWI.

VA.gov

 

As Christians we're always in some kind of battle, spiritual, mental sometimes even physical.

 But of course we can't win these fights on our own.

We needed a hero. And we got one.

So just a thought to ponder, about our devoted, Hero, lover of the lost and protector of the forgotten.

 

How has Jesus been a hero in your life?

 

 

Getting to Know God: Scripture

  Topic#3:Seeking God In His Word

 

Part II 

Remember that childhood song
 "Read your bible, pray every day and you'll grow, grow, grow"
 This is the simplest reminder of how to build a relationship with God; just like with anyone it starts with
Talking (prayer) and listening (spending time in His word)

And like any good relationship, you have to be committed.
Even when time's get rough

Psalm 43 vs. 5 New Century Version puts it like this
"Why am I so sad? Why am I so upset? I should put my hope in God & keep praising Him. My Savior and My God.

My. Not the God of your parents or the distant bearded figure sitting on a heavenly golden throne. Your own.
A personal, eternal friend for life.

Besides, no one else can have your exact relationship with Him.
No one else will know all the drama, the tears, the anger, the joy and all the in-between.

Reading the Word

Here's some tips for bible reading and prayer time

a mix of my own experiences and other sources

 

 

1. Start with the Basics

It's ok to start small, what matters is that you do

 

1.) Get a bible, physical or digital with a translation you like
2.) Read familiar verses, Psalm 23 is a great start
      Try this list too!
3.) Read the context (usually the whole chapter) of a familiar verse, so you can get a better understanding of it
4.)Try starting in the Psalms, or the beginning of the New Testament.  
5.) Use Google for topics searches. For example:  "What does the Bible say about.."

6.) daily bible verse text messages:
*http://www.bible-sms.com/
be sure you have a data plan with your cell phone provider

 

7.)a daily devotion:
   account set up required for each
(usually just username or email and password)
*  https://www.bible.com/reading-plans
- search by topic, length (3 days to 1 year) and category
* https://www.biblegateway.com/devotionals/
- you can create an account with your email or Facebook

2. It's a Meeting, Not a Habit 
Spend your time reading and praying wisely. If all you can manage are a few minutes, than give it your all.

3. Don't Feel Guilty
 Don't focus on guilt for not "paying your dues" to God. Rather, in whatever time you have, focus on expressing your love and devotion to him.

4. Find a Plan That Fits You
And stick to it. Even if you start slacking after a day or two, just pick back up where you left off.

5. Be Creative, Add Variety
To keep your daily walk with God fresh, vary your approach from time to time
 Read the passage in a new Bible translation.
 Keep a journal of your reflections.
Sample different Bible reading plans or study one Bible book in depth using a commentary.

6. Give Distractions to God
When distractions come, incorporate them into your quiet time. If your mind wanders, give those thoughts to the Lord in prayer. Don't get angry or frustrated. Just come back into the presence of your Heavenly Father. He's waiting for you.

7. Learn to Listen
Prayer is not just talking to God, it's also listening.When you really love someone, you take time to listen.
Take time to still yourself in God's presence. Invite Him in
 Give your worries and concerns to him.
Wait in silence listening to the still small voice of his Spirit.
Think back on the experiences of the last day.
How did you see God's hand at work?
Reflect on what you've read in God's Word.
What is God saying to you?


 

Sourcehttp://www.scriptureunion.org/how-read-bible-and-pray

Getting to Know God: Prayer

Topic # 2: Seeking God in Prayer

Part I 

How many times have you gotten on your knees, folded your hands, closed your eyes and... nothing.
The words don't come or your mind starts wandering to your bank account or your next test or something other than talking to God.

Or you are praying and you put your head down and suddenly you're jerking awake because you fell asleep. Again.

This probably happens more than we'd want to admit and I'm not going to lie this happens to me all the time.

Now I'm not going to tell you how to pray.
Jesus tells us that in Matthew 6 vs 5-14

I'm just going to remind you that you should
1 Thessalonians 5 vs. 17


Don't give up trying to connect with God because He wants to connect with you regardless of what you've done, regardless of what people have said about you or how you feel about yourself.

But before all that, it's best to remember (or get to know) who you're talking to. A God who is

Loving: John 3 vs.16

All knowing: Matthew 6 vs. 8

Sovereign: Psalm 29 vs. 10 

and about a million other things.

But all these are just words after a while aren't they?
Things that you hear again and again and actually start to lose meaning...until it becomes personal



A Relationship with God

In your alone time with God, here's some tips for when you don't know where to start

Praise (through song, through dance, however you want)
-but be genuine about it. Focus. Think of God's impact on your life. Think of the details. The words and/or feelings will follow.
    Or listen to this to help get you started

Repent. Tell God all of it. (It's not like He doesn't know) And ask Him to help you commit to change.

Ask anything for anybody. When Jesus prayed for others He prayed boldly. You can too. Think about the issues others might face and ask God for guidance for them. Pray for friends, family, strangers. Whomever.

Yourself. Bring all that baggage to God. Talk through your day and your plans. Ask Him to take control and for you to be accepting.

No matter how you choose to pray, the Holy Spirit is there to guide you. Know your prayers are important and will always be heard by our Father.

Source
-New Extreme Teen Bible. New Century Version.
He Promises to help you pray pg. 1513
 
Prayer Page



Welcome!

Hello :)


 A minute of your time is all I really need. I created this page so no one is unable to access it.

I figured this would be the next best thing to a website that we, as a youth, can use to grow as one and grow in Christ

You don't need to have a log-in unless you wan to comment

I just hope you enjoy this site as it grows and that some of these resources can be helpful to you if not now than in the future 

Testimony

Topic # 1: Testimony 

Hey everyone

 So in the meeting Sunday we talked about testimony, how it's important to testify especially in the middle of your circumstance (even if it's just to one other person) because it's not always about the victory at the end but your attitude in the middle of it.

 If times are great for you right now than that's awesome and don't forget to thank God! 

but if times are rough than maybe this will help


This is from the Hillsong 40 Days of Revival Devotional from YouVersion.com 

A Heart of PRAISE

PRAISE HIM IN YOUR SECRET PLACE

Acts 16 (Read it here) is an incredible story of the power of praise and worship. Paul and Silas are in prison for doing the work of the Lord. In the midst of their bleak circumstance, their choice to praise not only brought about their freedom, but salvation to the jailer and his family.

God does not need our praise and worship.We worship Him more for our benefit than His. Bringing praise and worship to God reminds us of His power and authority, and positions us in a place of submission and awe. It diminishes the power of sin and darkness over our lives, and brings attention to who God is and not only to what He can do.

Whatever your circumstance - praise! Praise in our 'midnight' hour magnifies God for who He is, and not just what He can do. God dwells in the praises of His people, so we can be sure that as we lift His name in worship, He is here! The style and how you express your praise and worship is not as important as the response of the heart behind it.

Read your bible even on the go, and be devoted 

Here's a link to some songs we came up with that you can listen to to remind you that you're not alone in this   
-a mix of praise and worship, old school and recent stuff 

You can check it out here:  Testimony Playlist 

or watch it right here: 

In case you didn't catch the names 

1. Testimony,  by Anthony Brown  & Group Therapy 
2. Praise You in the Storm,  by Casting Crowns 
3. In the Middle, by Isaac Carree
4. What I believe by Donnie McClurckin 
5. I Smile by  Kirk Franklin 
6. God has not forget  by Tonex 
7. Oceans by  Hillsong 
8. He Turned It by Tye Tribett 
9. Life and Favor by John P. Kee and New Life 
10. Il est capable (He's able) in French by this cool guy and his choir 
11. I will Bless the Lord  by Byron Cage 

One more thing: 

Words to Live By

So... What do you think?  let me know below

   

       (click here in case you can't access the survey)