Saving the lost.

Good afternoon all,  
       While I was talking to a friend of mine, he suggested that I write a blog entry on lost souls, because sadly there's way too many of them out there in this mess of a world.  Here's the Bible verse that I'll share with you: "And he spake this parable unto them, saying, "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.  I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance."  ~ Luke 15:3-7.  In other words, this verse is trying to say this: "It may seem pretty foolish for the shepherd to leave the 99 sheep to go search for just one.  But the shepherd knew that the 99 would be quite safe in the sheepfold, whereas the lost sheep was in danger.  Because each sheep was of  high value, the shepherd knew it was worthwhile to search diligently for the lost one.  God's love for the individual is so great that he seeks each one out and rejoices when he or she is found.  Jesus associated with sinners because he wanted to bring the lost sheep-people considered beyond hope-the Gospel of God's Kingdom.  Before you were a believer he sought you, and is still seeking those who are yet lost." "We can perhaps understand a God who tenderly searches for sinners and then joyfully forgives them must have extraordinary love! This is the kind of love that prompted Jesus to come to earth to search for the lost people and save them.  This is the kind of extraordinary love that God has for you."
       However, my thoughts on the above verses are simply this, I once was lost, but now I'm found, like the song called "Amazing Grace."  Before I came to the Lord and was saved, I was a huge mess, and full of sin.  Until one day, I finally decided that this way of life has got to stop, because I need to be a good role model for the Lord, my family, my church, Derek, and especially for my nephew, Eliot.  Everyday, I thank God that he's a very loving, forgiving, and understanding, God.  If it wasn't for the Lord, then I'd probably be dead by now, and would have nothing left of this life. Also, if I hadn't changed, when I did, then I'd probably lose everything and then some.  So, thank you, Lord, for giving me this life, and please forgive me if I don't love it enough.  I'm a human, we're not perfect. Nobody's perfect.  We fail him daily, but luckily for us, he forgives us and loves us daily. Does everybody understand where I'm coming from here? I sure hope so.  But anyway, do you see how important repentance is? I sure do.  You need to fully repent of your sins, and change your lives immediately, and please for the love of God, don't go back to the way you used to live, it was awful for me, what about you guys?  You need to let go and let God, because we can't keep living our lives this way, it hurts him very deeply.  He doesn't want to see his sheep suffer anymore, it's ruining what God wants you to be.  He has a much bigger plan for us, but he can't show us what exactly that plan is, until we are open to him, so that he can help to change our lives, to be more like him.  We cannot be selfish and ungrateful, we have to rejoice and praise him in everything that we do, we have to be very thankful for him, because without him, none of us would exist, this world wouldn't even exist without him.
     After all, he was the one who created this world in 6 days.  Imagine what he can do with us in a matter of days, months, years.  You just need to be selfless and at your breaking point, to come to him.  The sooner that you come to him, the better, got it? I certainly hope so.  I got it.  Although, some of the time, I don't understand it, I still do it because it's for the Lord, and to please him.  It's not what you want, it's what he wants.  Less of us, and more of him, kabiche? That's what I thought.  The lord wants revival, so we need to work together as a team to give the Lord what he wants.  Do not disobey him, for you'll be severely punished.  I learned that the hard way.  So, you all better wake up and do something about your lives, or this world will be going to hell in a hand-basket. Got it? You better. Thank you, and God bless!

~Emily  

Have you lost your zeal for God?

Hey Everybody,
     How's everyone doing? Well, I hope.  It has been quite a while since I've updated this blog, life has just been pretty busy and chaotic, I'm sure that you all can relate to that right? Anyway, that's enough babbling for now, here are the verses that I'd like to share with you all:  "Nevertheless, I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.  Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent." ~Revelation 2:4-5.  Here is what these verses are trying to say to us all: "Just as when a man and woman fall in love, so should new believers rejoice at their new found forgiveness.  But when we lose sight of the seriousness of sin, we begin to lose the thrill of our forgiveness.  In the very first steps of your Christian life, you may have had enthusiasm without any knowledge.  Do you now have knowledge without enthusiasm? Both are necessary if we are able to keep love for God intense and untarnished.  Do you love God with the same vigor as when you were a new Christian?" 
                   Now, I asked myself that same question as I mentioned in the above paragraph.  My answer was this, no, I don't.  I can't lie to myself and I can't lie to God, because God already knows this.  It's always better to be honest than to lie.  Have you all asked yourself that same question? I bet that a whole bunch of you, answered yes to that as well.  Come on, none of us are innocent here.  Anyway, that's not my point for this blog entry.  My point for this is the fact that, we can't just lose our zeal for God.  What we need to do is to go back to that place before when you became a new Christian, and rekindle that flame.  I know that it's hard to get back to that place because of the way that this economy is and our financial issues, job issues, family issues, etc.  But you need to learn how to put all of that stuff aside, and rekindle that flame you once had, when you became saved.  There are a couple of ways to go about doing this: (1). Pray; (2). Read the Bible; (3). Get back to church.  Now, your all probably thinking, "ew, I don't want to do that, that's for wimps who can't deal with their own lives, why would I go and do those things? It's for wusses, well guess what, I'm not going to show them that I need God back in my life, I can take care of myself and do this on my own."
            Well, guess what? I've got news for you, God is not for wusses, he helps those who can help themselves.  When Jesus was here on earth, he was no wimp, he was one of the strongest men I know.  Yeah, he was this thin, little guy, but trust me, he didn't just sit there and let people walk all over him.  He stood up for what was right, he was the one who died on that cross for our sins.  It was a very slow, and painful death, I wouldn't want to do what he did.  I don't do well with pain, but he did, he still does daily.  You may not see him, but he is there, he's waiting to hear from you. Now, go and do it.  You all need to pick up your crosses daily and follow him.  It is because of Jesus, that I am alive today and happy.  Yeah, not all days are perfect, but who cares, you just let it go.  Stuff happens. Get over it.  Stop pitying yourselves and do something about it.  That's what I did, if I can do it, then you can do it.  God uses the weak to lead the strong, understand? I bet you do.  
             For example, some people may view me as pretty weak, well guess what? I am, but I don't even care because like I said, God uses the weak to lead the strong.  That's what I'm trying to do, I'm trying to lead the strong, and I hope and pray that it's working, if not, then I'll keep working at it, it will take a lot of time, but in the end, it's worth it, just trust me.  I am going to share with you all another part of verse 5, and try to explain what that one means also.  "For Jesus to "remove thy candlestick out of his place" would mean that the church would cease to be an effective church.  Just as the seven-branched candlestick in the Temple gave light for the priests to see, the churches were to give light to their surrounding communites.  But Jesus warned them that their lights could very easily go out.  In fact, Jesus himself would extinguish any light that did not fulfill its purpose.  The church had to repent of all its sins."  In my own words, I guess what this verse is trying to say to us is the fact that, if you keep on sinning, then the church won't be able to revive.  You must be able to repent of your sins, wholeheartedly, and live out your life the way that Jesus wants you to live it.  It's being able to serve him, and not let anything stand in your way, when it comes to that part of your life.  Also, once you repent of your sins, you can't just repent and keep sinning, you need to be fully ready to commit your entire life to God, and be prepared for whatever it is that he sends your way.  You can't be all like "oh that's not what my plans are for my future, I don't want to do that."  Well, guess what? God doesn't care, if he asks you to do something he expects you to do it.  When the Lord calls, you have to answer.  You can't just not do it.  Got it? I sure hope so.  
                 Honestly, I'm still not really sure what he wants me to do with my life, but I look forward to finding that one out.  All I can do, is keep praying about it, and listen very carefully for his call to do whatever it is that he needs me to do, no matter how difficult it may seem.  Even if it is really difficult, he will help you do it, just ask him and he will definitely help you out, but you've got to be 100% ready for whatever it is that he sends your way.  To conclude this blog entry, I just want to say thank you, and God bless! God loves you all, Amen and Amen! 

Sermon Number 2

What Ever Happened to the Sabbath Day?

Exodus 20: 8-11:

            “Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it Holy. Six days shall thou labor, and do all thy work: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shall not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and he rested on the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed in it.”  What can we do to keep the Sabbath Day, Holy?  Well, the answer is simple, we can go to church every Sunday morning and pray, and then God will take care of the rest.  Unfortunately, a lot of us work for businesses that no longer understand what the Sabbath day is. So, it’s up to us as Christians, to bring the meaning of God, and the Sabbath day back to the workplace, because the sooner we do that, the better off we’ll all be. Know what I mean? Our lives will be a lot easier if we just speak up about God, and the Sabbath day and how incredibly important to us it really is. God doesn’t want us to have to work on the Sabbath day, instead, he wants us to do Godly things on this specific day, and since it’s always up to him, he wants us to do more of those things all throughout the week and also on the Sabbath day (the day of rest). This is because all of this means so much to him. What are you waiting for? Go out and do it, start right now. You’ll be amazed at what happens next, trust him, and go do it. That’s what I did, if I can do it, then so can you. Don’t be afraid.  Can I get an amen? Amen!

            In addition to the above verses, I have to say that I couldn’t agree more with what they’re saying.  The above verses are really speaking to me lately because I have been stuck working an awful lot of Sundays recently, and I absolutely hate it.  I’d so much rather be in church, worshiping  and praising God, rather  than being stuck at work, and having to deal with disgruntled customers and associates and whatnot.  It’s not that I dislike them, it’s just the fact that they don’t know what the true meaning of the Sabbath day is, because unfortunately, a whole lot of them don’t know and understand God, like we, as Christians do, and it’s just really sad to me, because they don’t exactly know how to live their lives in a happy, healthy, positive way, like we do.  They haven’t truly lived until they really know and understand what life with God is all about, like we all do.

        In agreement to the above paragraph,   John 9:14-16 says this: “And it was the Sabbath day when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes. Then again the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. He had said unto them, he put clay upon mine eyes, and I washed, and do see.  Therefore said some of the Pharisees, this man is not of God, because he kept not the Sabbath day. Others said, how can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them.”  In other words, it is telling us this: “The Jewish Sabbath, Saturday, was the weekly holy day of rest.  The Pharisees had made a long list of certain do’s and don’ts regarding the Sabbath.  Kneading the clay and healing the man were considered work and therefore were forbidden.  Jesus may have made the clay in order to emphasize his teaching about the Sabbath-which it is right to care for other’s needs even if it involves working on a day of rest.   In my own words, I think that what this is trying to tell us is that although , it is the Sabbath day (day of rest), you should still help others with their own needs, even if it means that you have to give up your Sunday, for someone or something more important than your own needs on that certain day.  Also, Mark 2:8-11 says this: “And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, why reason ye these things in your hearts?  Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise! Take up thy bed and walk?  But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins (he saith to the sick of the palsy), I say unto thee, Arise, arise and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.  And immediately he arose, and took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, we never saw it on this fashion.”  In other words, it is telling us this: “Before saying to the palsied man, “Arise,” Jesus said, “thy sins are forgiven thee.”  To the Jewish leaders this was blasphemy-claiming to do something only God could do. According to the Law, the punishment for this sin was death.  The religious leaders understood correctly that Jesus was claiming divine prerogatives, but their judgment was wrong.  Jesus was not blaspheming; his claim was true.  Jesus is God, and he proved his point by healing the man with palsy.  This is the first time in Mark that Jesus calls himself the “Son of man,” a title emphasizing that Jesus is fully human. The title, Son of God, emphasizes that he is fully God.  As God’s Son, Jesus has the authority to forgive sin.  As a man, he can identify with our deepest needs and sufferings and he is the only one who can help us overcome our sins.” Agreed? I think so!

God's Guidance

  So, I was just reading Exodus 3:2-4, and it strongly spoke to me. Here's what these verses say: "And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.  And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, here am I."  In other words these certain verses are explaining to us this: "God spoke to Moses from an unexpected source: a burning bush. When Moses saw it, he went to investigate. God often uses unexpected sources when working in our lives too, whether people, thoughts, or experiences. Be willing to investigate, and be open to God's surprises. Moses saw a burning bush and spoke with God. Many people in the Bible experienced God in visible (not necessarily human) form. Abraham saw the smoking furnace and a burning lamp; Jacob wrestled with a man. When the slaves were freed from Egypt, God led them by pillars of cloud and fire. God made such appearances to encourage his new nation, to guide them, and to prove the reliability of his verbal message." ~Exodus 3: 2-4.
        This will be a different type of blog entry compared to my previous ones. So, anyway, the reason why I chose this Bible verse was because recently, I have received a word from the Lord about my job situation, since I'm no longer happy with where I work currently. He was pulling me in three different directions at this point in time. The 3 directions are this: 1.) Floral Design. 2.) Photography, and 3.) Fashion design. This word was given to me by God through my boyfriend, Derek, Derek mentioned to me that I should think about going into the flower business, and that's when I thought about it and said to Derek, that I would absolutely love getting into floral design because I love taking pictures of beautiful flowers as you all can probably tell from my pictures that I've posted in past blog entries and also on my facebook page.  So, when Derek suggested the floral design to me, I went ahead and prayed about it. After I prayed about it, I think that the Lord was guiding me more towards the floral business, than the other 2 things that I listed above, I'm still praying about it, but I strongly agree with the Lord in going into the floral business. So, I went ahead and did a little research on the floral business, and I came across a website that informs you about the flower business, and it all looks very promising, until I came across a paragraph that said something like between the year, 2010 and 2020, the flower business will go into a -9 decrease in business, so I was a little leery about it, but then I read on and I figured that I would give it a shot anyway.  I haven't applied to any flower places yet, but I think that I will within the next few days. Like I said above, I am still really praying about it so that I can be 100% sure that that's where he wants me to work at in the near future.
        So, I'm going out on a limb here and asking you all that read my blog entries, where you think that I should work at, and would be happiest at. I'm very open  to any and all opinions on a near future job change. Please feel free to comment on my blog entry here, or on my facebook page, or you can send me an e-mail about it. Emily_pica@yahoo.com. Either way, I need to get out of my current job situation and fast because I am absolutely miserable there. Thank you all, and God Bless! 


~Emily

How does it feel when you have a thorn in your side?

Good afternoon everyone,
   How is everyone doing today? I hope well. So anyway, I was reading 2 Corinthians 12:7-8 a couple of nights ago during my devotion time, and this bible verse specifically popped out at me and I figured that I should write a blog entry about it. Here's the Bible verse: "And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me." ~2 Corinthians 12:7-8. So, in other words, this Bible verse is telling us this: "We don't know what Paul's "thorn in the flesh" was, because he doesn't tell us. Some have suggested that it was malaria, epilepsy, or a disease of the eyes. Whatever it was, it was a chronic and debilitating problem, which at times kept him from working. This thorn was a hindrance to his ministry, and he prayed for its removal; but God refused. Paul was a very self-sufficient person, so this thorn must have been difficult for him.
   Three times Paul prayed for healing and did not receive it. He received, however, things far greater, because he received greater grace from God, a stronger character, humility, and an ability to empathize with others. In addition, it benefited those around him, as they saw God at work in his life. According to his sovereign plan, God doesn't heal some believers of their physical ailments. We don't know why some are spared and others aren't. God chooses according to his divine purposes. Our task is to pray, to believe, and to trust. Paul is living proof that holy living and courageous faith do not ensure instant physical healing. When we pray for healing, we must trust our bodies to God's care. We must recognize that nothing separates us from his love and that our spiritual condition is always more important than our physical condition. Now, your probably wondering why I chose to write about this Bible verse. Well, the answer is the fact that I can relate to what this verse is saying because in the past, I've had a few "thorns in my side" so to speak. For example, My car was driving me nuts, so God told me to donate it, and that's exactly what I'm doing. Another example is my job situation, now that's a bit more difficult to figure out. I've been praying a lot lately about possibly a new direction for a career in my life, I'm praying that I end up finding a good, steady, full-time job, that has good money, good hours, good benefits, local, and something that I will enjoy doing, because at my current job, I no longer enjoy doing it. I want to do something better, but like I said before, I don't know where to go or what to do from here. So, I'm also praying for the Lord to redirect my thoughts and my path in life. Mainly on the job situation at hand. Everything else in my life is going pretty well, I hope that things in my life start to move along a little quicker. I feel like God might be preparing me for something more in my life, it's just a matter of time, and driving and whatnot.
     In addition to the above paragraph, I feel as if I'm getting closer and closer to this new thing about to happen in my life. I don't exactly know what it is yet, but I'm sure that I'll figure out what exactly it is soon. However, I am noticing that my Church is slowly growing as well, that is definitely an amazing thing, we just need more people to come, so that it can grow faster. For months, even years, we've been praying for a revival to happen in that church. Our Pastor, told us that it takes about 3-5 years to grow, well, Christ the King Church has been in effect for about 3 years now, and surprise, it's actually happening! So, amen to that! You see, persistent prayer works, we just need to keep on keeping on,and it'll happen as sooner and as faster than we think. On a different subject, I've been praying for a couple of months now, for a certain someone to get a promotion at work, because he honestly deserves it. He's an incredibly hard worker, faithful, reliable,and sincere. So, nobody deserves it more than he does. So, I'm praying and hoping that all of this will come into play as soon as possible, because he also needs this, as much as I need a brand new career and path in life as well, know what I mean? I sure hope so. My prayer list keeps growing and growing as the days go on. So much so, that I don't even know where to start when it comes to praying at night before I go to sleep, and praying during the day before I go to work. 

    I'm also praying for each of my parents to get better jobs as well, because they also need and deserve it, just as much as the rest of us do. But with this economy and the way that it's going right now, it doesn't look too promising. It is becoming more and more difficult to find good jobs or even a full-time job for that matter. So, something's gotta give and soon. It's all up to the Lord, not me. All I can really do is keep on praying and hoping that something really good will happen to not just me, to all of us. So, Lord, we need you, please help us in all of these incredibly difficult issues in our lives that we cannot do on our own. We desperately need you, Lord, please help us, help us to know that your always with us, and that you won't let us down, and that where there's no other way for us, you'll make a way. We need to know, Lord, that you have a bigger and better plan for us, we need to know that your bringing revival in this ugly land, and finally, we need to know that nothing is impossible with you on our side. Thank you, Lord, we love you, Amen! To conclude this blog entry I just want to say, thank you, Lord, for helping me to write out this blog entry, and I hope that it reaches out to more people in this world, so that more people can come to you, and follow you, and only you, Lord. Thank you, Lord, I love you, Amen!   

What Would Jesus Do?

   The other night while I was reading my devotional, these Bible verses had popped into my head, these were the exact opposite of what my devotional reading was supposed to be that night, but that's okay, because God always works in mysterious ways.  He sometimes redirects what you actually want to say, it is called "divine intervention." But once again, that's okay, because I really don't mind, I appreciate when that happens to me.  It's like, "wow, so that's what you want me to say." Anyway, here are the Bible verses that have popped into my head the other night: "For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; Even so the Son quickeneth whom he will. For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgement unto the Son. that all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Father which hath sent him. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; and hath given him authority to execute judgement also, because he is the Son of man. Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgement is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me." ~John 5: 21-30. 
       I  can imagine that your all asking yourselves, "what the heck does all this mean? I'm so confused." I've been there and done that, so I know how you all feel. In a minute, I'm going to explain to you all what these verses mean; "Because of his unity with God, Jesus lives as God wanted him to live. because of our identification with Jesus, we must honor him and live as he wants us to live. The question  "what would Jesus do?" may help us make the right choices.  "Everlasting life-living forever with God-begins when you accept Jesus Christ as Savior. At that moment, new life begins in you. It is a completed transaction. You still face physical death, but when Christ returns again, your body will be resurrected to live forever. In saying that the dead would hear his voice, Jesus was talking about the spiritually dead who hear, understand, and accept him. Those who accept God's Word will have eternal life. He was also talking about the physically dead. He raised several dead people while he was on earth, and at his Second Coming all the "dead in Christ" will rise to meet him. God is the source and Creator of life, for there is no life apart from God, here or hereafter. The life in us is a gift from him. Because Jesus is eternally existent with God, the Creator, he too is "the life" through whom we may live eternally. The old testament mentioned three signs of the coming Messiah. All power and dominion are give to him as the Son of man. The lame and sick are healed. The dead are raised to life. Those who have rebelled against Christ will be resurrected too, but to hear God's judgement against them and to be sentenced to eternity apart from him. There are those who wish to live well on earth, ignore God, and see death as final rest. Jesus does not allow unbelieving people to see death as the end of it all. There is a judgement to face." 
        I hope that me explaining what the above verses meant, helped you guys understand a little bit more what I am trying to tell you about judgement day. None of us know when the final judgement is going to happen, but I can tell you that it is soon, probably a lot sooner than we all think. So, we need to be prepared, he will come like a thief in the night, so be alert, and start changing your ways immediately! I know that I'd rather spend eternal life with the Lord, than with Satan and all his demons in eternal damnation, what would you all rather do? Go to hell where you'll all suffer eternally, or go to Heaven where there is no longer any suffering and pain. If you think that right now is terrible, it gets a lot worse when your in Hell.  It's hot, full of fire, and snakes are eating away at you. In heaven, it gets a whole lot better, your with Jesus and your praising him, and your always happy, there's nothing eating away at you. I can just imagine that heaven is like a big party, how cool is that?!? It will be amazing beyond belief! So, what are you all waiting for, heaven or hell? The choice is yours, because I've already made mine. Honestly, I can't even describe to you how amazing heaven is, I'm speechless. In time, Jesus will show us what heaven is really like. I don't know about you guys, but I'm always wondering what heaven is like, I try to picture what it's like, but I just can't. It's just beyond words, and completely unbelievable. When you get to heaven, you'll be thinking to yourself, "wow, what an ugly world we used to live in, look at this place, it's amazing! Why did we wait so long to come to Jesus in the first place, because I really had no idea how amazing this place is!" Know what I mean? I bet that some of you do, and some of you don't.  I think that I might have a basic idea of what it will be like up there, but I could also be very wrong. We really don't know what it's like until we get there. Like my dad always says, "we'll cross that bridge when we get to it?" I agree with him, because he's absolutely right! 
         We should be living our lives to the fullest down here on earth, because that's the way that Jesus wants us to live, because before you know it, it'll be taken away just as quickly. The lord gives, but he can also take away, so don't be greedy and be as joyful and as happy as possible. If someone or something that takes away all of this joy that you have, get rid of it, or them. We have to forgive our enemies, but just because we forgive our enemies doesn't mean that we have to keep them in our lives. The Lord knows and we know that we deserve much better than this. We are fearfully and wonderfully made, and of great value to the Lord and our Savior. He uses us to show others, that this life down here is only temporary, and that we don't need to live like we are currently living. It hurts him to see what we're going through and how we treat others, we need to start treating others like they are our family and love them unconditionally, just as as God loves us. So, we need to change the way that we treat ourselves and others, because it hurts not only you, but others around you as well.  We are supposed to be God's light, and we need to shine it upon others, not shut the light out. Do you understand where I'm coming from? I sure hope so, because I know that the Lord does.
          I've had more than my fair share of hurts, as I'm sure that you all have as well. You need to stop it, it won't get you anywhere, it'll just make things much worse. I'm sick and tired of seeing so many of us hurt, it's horrible, it just sucks. It needs to stop immediately! It's up to us to stop it, so stop, and pray. The Lord is always there and listening to you, just talk to him, let it all out on him, he will take care of it, because he loves us that much. He was the one who took all of our punishments upon himself on that cross, the debt has been paid, it is finished, Amen!?! I say Amen, and may God bless us all! To conclude this blog entry today, I just want to share with you all, what my thoughts were on the above Bible verses, I hope it helped and I hope that it touched some, if not all of your lives today, just as my life has been touched by the Lord, and by all of the people who are currently in my life. You all mean a great deal to me, I hope that you all feel the same about me, if not, then hey it's okay, I'm just here to honor the Lord, and show love to those who matter the most to me. Happy Mother's Day, to all of those who are out there! God bless!

~Emily

Anger

Hey all, 

         I know that it's been quite a while since I last updated my blog. I've just been busy and going through a lot of tough times. But anyway, here's the bible verse for tonight's blog: "Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: neither give place to the devil." ~Ephesians 4:26-27.  In other words, these verses are telling us this: "The Bible doesn't tell us that we shouldn't feel angry, but it points out that it is important to handle our anger properly. If vented thoughtlessly, anger can easily hurt others and destroy our relationships with those that are around us. If bottled up inside, it can cause us to become bitter and destroy us completely from within. Paul tells us to deal with our anger immediately in a way that builds relationships rather than destroying them. Are you angry with someone right now? What can you do to resolve your differences? Don't let the day end before you begin to work on mending your relationship." The reason why I chose these bible verses is because it's been on my mind for quite a few weeks now.  In these few weeks, there has been a lot happening to make me angry. For example, a disgruntled boss whose miserable and wants to make you miserable to. It's as if this specific person never has anything good to say about you, it's always something negative. Once you screw up, they're all over your case, and it just makes me really quite angry, know what I mean? I'm a human, I'm not perfect, I make mistakes, just like the rest of us do. It's like lady, give me a break, I'm doing the best that I can with what I can. There's a lot of times where I wish that I could say something back, but I don't. I hold my tongue. I usually wait until I get home to vent about it. I feel like I've been so quiet for so long and I need to start speaking my mind, but the truth is, I'm not exactly sure how to go about doing that. 

     I know that I shouldn't get so angry so easily, but I do. Sometimes, I just can't help it.  I am sick and tired of being a push over and not being able to stand up for what's right and for myself.  The more I think about this, the more aggravated I get. In the Bible, God tells us to be slow to anger, and quick to react. I'm guilty of not being able to do that. I can only take so much, then I burst. A lot of the time, I don't think before I speak, and I end up hurting people around me, and ruining a relationship, that can take in this case, a year to gain, but for others, it takes several years to make a relationship happen and to be on good terms with that person or persons that are in this particular relationship. I am also guilty of holding everything in, and then letting it all out on this one person or persons after a huge amount of time that goes by.  Sometimes, I hate being so introverted, but other times, I don't hate being introverted so much. In addition, also in the Bible, it says something about God cherishing those souls that are quiet, so it's kind of a difficult situation that I'm in.  I'm sorry for talking all about myself here, but this is just the way I've been feeling lately. I should really be writing more about God and his creations, but I am a part of his many creations, so I guess that it's okay, to talk about myself just this once. I figure that I should write about it in here, rather than exploding on someone randomly because I've been holding all of this in for way too long. Understand what I mean here? I'm sure that you all do, and have been in similar situations like mine. 

              I guess that I just feel like if I don't say or write anything, it'll burst out of me like a monster, so it has to stop right here, right now.  Honestly guys, I just wish that this disgruntled boss of mine would appreciate all of the good things that I do for them at this particular job in general. I have been at this current job for 2 and a half almost 3 years now, and it's starting to get really old, really fast. I'm probably one of the best associates that they have ever had working for this particular company. I feel like I need a new beginning, a new challenge in my life, but I'm not exactly sure what that will be, but God does. All I can really do is pray about it and ask God for his help with this sticky situation. God will answer me, and show me, it will probably just take a lot of time. It's all in God's time, not on my time.  I trust him fully and I know that he will take care of me, and I know that he has a bigger plan for me, than I do for myself. In time, it will all be revealed to me. But until then, I'll have to pray, listen, and wait. A wise woman once said to me that we need to be patient and to listen to what God will be saying to us, whether it's good, bad, indifferent, or something better.  I would like to close this blog entry with a quick prayer, can you all please pray these words with me? " Dear God, I know that I'm a sinner, and not perfect, I am guilty of not trusting you fully with all of my heart, I am only human, we all make mistakes, and are not perfect, please Lord, help us to be more like you with our minds, bodies, and souls. Help us to be better followers for you, better listeners to you, and for always being able to trust you with our whole hearts, because none of us can do this on our own, because apart from you, we are nothing. Thank you, Lord, I love you, Amen!"

~Emily P.