The Truth

I don't even feel the need to comment on the dialouge below..The sequential statements I've taken from a passage adequately express my thoughts; and although I am enticed to explain all the things on my heart..these words are just so powerful...All from Jesus..All recorded in John 8. I encourage you to read this, then read the entire chapter, which includes the context I've excluded. John 8 is an account of a real happening, history - when Jesus walked the earth as man. The following is scripture speaking, Christ speaking directly to me..and hopefully you.



"Neither do I condemn you..Go now and leave your life of sin."
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"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life."
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"You are from below, I am from above. You are of this world, I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am, you will indeed die in your sins."
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"When you have lifted up the Son of Man, the you will know that I am."
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To the Jews who had believed him Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you really are my disciples. Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free."
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"I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."
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"If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on my own, but He sent me."
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"You belong to your father the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies."
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"If I am telling the truth, why don't you believe me? He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God."
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"If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing."
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"I tell you the truth, Jesus answered...I am."

Love: The Superior Way

The title in my Bible for 1 Corinthians 13 is "Love: The Superior Way"

Websters offers 28 different definitions. Here is my favorite.
LOVE (verb)
 16. to have a profoundly tender, passionate affection for (another person).

...so beautiful, right?
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Like me, you may cherish love over anything in life. Over money, over success, over image. Over race, religion, lifestyle..there is something I believe we all want and need. 
There's something about giving and receiving love that is so fulfilling. It's like we were programmed to love and be loved. I believe it with all of my heart. I believe that God created us to desire affection, to desire something deeper than surface-level relationships. I love to show people love-friends, family, that "someone special," even strangers..I love to love. and I need to be loved.. luckily my God is the Father of love, the Author and Creator of Love, the Ultimate Giver of Love, the Best Example of Love to Follow. I want to know and give love more and better each day the SUPERIOR WAY..

Love is patient; love is kind.
Love does not envy;
it is not boastful; is not conceited;
does not act improperly; is not selfish;
is not provoked; does not keep a record of wrongs
finds no joy in unrighteousness, but rejoices in the truth;
bears all things, believes all things,
hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never ends.
..Now these three remain:
faith, hope, and love.
But the greatest is love.

[1 Corinthians 13]

1 Peter 4:8
Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.

1 John 3:18
Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth

1 John 4:8
Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

1 John 4:18
There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear..

Colossians 3:14
And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity

Something Worth Fighting For

Sometimes I forget that I am fighting a battle. I forget that the enemy is at war, and I am his opponent, the one out for attack, the one he wants to see fail.


What happens when the opposer isn't ready for battle? Trojan Horse..sneak attack?
How can we win a battle we aren't fighting?  If you were face-to-face with the devil right now, would you say, "ok, you win. i'm too tired to fight?" Absolutely not. p.s that face-to-face with the devil thing..it happens every day..the sneak attack thing..yeah that too. But if we are not fighting, praying, learning scripture, preparing ourselves for battle..I promise we are gonna loose every time.


Satan's desire is to strip everything good from you, to make you believe that what he offers is real and satisfying, to make you feel self-sufficient and happy momentarily, then rip that magic carpet right out from under you and prince Aladin (or princess Jasmine)..and laugh as you're falling - poor you, feeling guilty, embarrassed and lost, knowing you can't survive the fall if you make it to the bottom..I guess in that moment, it's much easier to say, "Lord, Lord I love you, save me."


If I'm a long distance runner who doesn't train, what am I?..slow, out of shape, incapable of winning a race.
If I'm a half-blind book reader who doesn't wear glasses, what am I?..blind!


I obviously can't read the book on my own..I need help! I obviously can't win the race from eating chips and ice-cream and not exercising..I need self-control! ..I'm a Christian who doesn't pray. A follower of Jesus who isn't following because I don't read scripture consistently enough to remind me what to follow. A peace-maker who can't make peace because I feel unsettled. A lover who cannot love because my attitude is too selfish and sour as I ponder all my own problems.




So let's do some clean-up. You and God. Me and God. Because, Christian, I know you'd agree:
We have something worth fighting for...


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Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy, the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, searching for someone to devour. -1 Peter 5:8


Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. -Ephesians 6:11


Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. -Ephesians 6:13-15

Not made for fire

Imagine a huge rock, which represents our foundation-that is, our relationship with Jesus Christ. Rocks come in all different sizes. Some are stronger than others, some are smoother, some are larger. Imagine how the rock becomes when it is near fire for a long time, tarnished and discolored. When the rock is tossed and thrown upon sharp objects it chips and scratches. But when the rock is in a flowing stream of water it becomes soft, smooth; and the longer the rock is in the water, the softer and smoother it becomes. Notice that the atmosphere of a river is peaceful and refreshing, especially compared to the blazing fire or being tossed and beaten.


It's easy to surround ourselves with fire. The fire feels warm, inviting...but we don't stand by the fire expecting to get burned. And then it happens, and we realize that as Christians, the things of the world an only satisfy us to leave us empty again. 


So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen; for what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. - 2 Corinthians 4:18


But the river, representing the constant flow of Christ's love and mercy..the stream is continuous..never stops refining who we are, polishing our rock of a foundation..cleansing us from tarnish of fire and the scrapes imprinted on us by things of the world. 


I know my foundation belongs in the river..I know that I am different than other rocks..I know that I was not made for fire


There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. -Psalm 46:4. ...oooh now that sounds like a nice river to be in.




"He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, 'From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.'" -John 7:38


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Hebrews 11:25 - He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God, rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time.

"Live in the moment, dear"

Have you ever had a morning where one thing after the other just keeps going wrong?..Do you still smile and keep your chin up when your expensive camera breaks or a friend accidentally erases your 8-page statistics project that is due the next day? When you stub your toe or get a flat tire or miss your alarm and show up late to an important meeting, do you still take a deep breath and feel peaceful inside?

After a heart-felt conversation, one of my really good friends told me to "live in the moment, dear!" Ever since, I've used that quote a thousand times...ya see, for me, the moment isn't just that split second that I realize my camera is gone. The moment is made up of my attitude (how I perceive my circumstances and the things I'm experiencing), and my relationships (who is impacting my life at the moment, and who will always be special to me). When I see a beach, any beach, I instantly want run and jump like a little girl because I'm so excited to have life and good experiences..When I see the rain, I just want to go dance in it because everything has it's own beautiful way of reminding me to live in the moment.

When anything happens, anything at all..I am able to say that, "In this moment, the Lord is looking on me with love." We may not always have the best luck. We might not think our circumstances can allow us to be happy...but I think it is more so our desire that makes us "not as happy" as God wants us to be. I believe that false happiness or unhappiness is from our minds.. our minds and our emotions tell us that someone else has it better, or that bad things keep happening and they mess everything up, or that the way we look isn't good enough, or that we'll never have the friends or family that other people have, or we shouldn't have to go through certain thing. I am very very very blessed, not lucky, blessed to have the most amazing family and friends and so many cool passions and opportunities, and to have never really experienced death..but I've experienced hardships, and I've experienced great loss...and I remember thinking in a few situations that my whole world is falling apart, things that to this day still bring up painful memories..but even more than the hard memories, I remember how I still smiled, and I laughed, and I prayed, and I cried, and how the Lord was so faithful to remind me of His wonderful plan so that I could hold onto His joy. And I also remember how many people were touched by my ability to truthfully know comfort and happiness when I was hurting. What a testimony it is when other people realize how honestly happy I am <3

I don't think that God just made me a happy person from birth..I think that I can give an honest smile when bad things happen, or stay calm and enjoy the sun or help other people when I'm dealing with my own troubles..I think that I do those things because I know the Father of happiness. I know a God who makes me melt in his presence...who can bring me to tears for no reason in a split second...who can remind me that my life on earth is temporary and that my real treasure lies in Heaven...I know the God who breathes life into me every morning when I first open my eyes...who gives me peaceful visions, and words of wisdom that I cannot fathom on my own...I know the Father of happiness, and no matter what stage of life I am in, what country I live in, what job, what situation, what hardships or hurts,

i will always be incredibly happy. . .

"but whoever drinks the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life." -John 4:14

Not defined by feelings

Going through life we feel lots of things. Tingles, nervousness, butterflies, hope, all the things in between happy and sad that don't really have words in the english language. Someone told me other day, "I just don't think you need to go to church to get that feeling." ..What feeling does he mean, I wonder? The feeling of security? The feeling of clearing a guilty conscience? A good feeling I suppose..But since when is going to church meant for producing a certain feeling? Yes, I often feel things at church..but it isn't self-sufficiency, or whatever he meant he can feel without going to church. Maybe it's fullness...but I usually feel unsettled at church, because I am convicted by the Holy Spirit or hear a word from God that shakes me up inside...yes, itsamazinggggg, but not always a good feeling. In fact, I feel closest to the Lord when I cry. Cry, hmm I do it all the time..for me it's like a point of humility...a point of, "
Lord, here in your presence I am vulnerable and weak," a lack of self-sufficiency..an obvious need for a God much bigger than myself."

2 Corinthians 2:9a - "But He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you. For my power is made perfect in weakness."

I just don't think he means he can feel weak without going to church..

Yes, Jesus makes us feel things, but satan makes us feel things as well..sometimes we feel things that are harmful to us. Do you remember being 15 when your range of emotions would go from A to Z all in one day?? Do you remember feeling and unfulfilled longing?, an eagerness for something you didn't have?, a passion that was fleeting and left you insecure? We feel something when we see something in a store that we really want. We feel something when we see commercials of needy kids or abused animals. We feel something when we look in the mirror and don't like what we see. We feel something when we get flowers and a cute note from someone special. We feel something when we see our family for the first time after a long trip (although that might be the closest to any supposed church feeling for me). Fun fact: The part of our brain that controls our emotions doesn't fully develop until age 25.

My point is this - feelings are uncertain. You can't always help what you feel.

But certainty is this: Jesus died on the cross for you and me, so that we could experience a life so full, so purposeful, so everlasting. How can you boil that down to a feeling? haha, praise God my eternity isn't based on how I feel at the moment...praise God that He will still speak to me when I don't feel like spending time with Him...praise God that I am able to feel things, but that my feelings don't change my identity in Jesus Christ.

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Lord, thank you that I can feel You..at home, at church, walking down the street, wherever, whenever. And thank you that my spiritually is not defined by feelings. By the way, I'm in love with you <3

-Laura

I felt a calling on my life that I still feel today.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. - Romans 8:28

How reassuring is it to hear this promise? My late journeys at work or home or with friends have lead to many conversations about religion, Christianity, and personal values. I really enjoy being able to explain the difference from Christianity and every other religion in the world. I like being able to discuss "good deeds," which is what most non-religious people first think about in the topic. I tell my friends/acquaintances that Muslims, Buddhist, etc do good things because their religions says you work your way to heaven. Christians serve people, speak kindly, and abstain from premarital sex because our relationship with God makes us want to do those things. Don't misinterpret what I'm saying, I know plenty of people of other religious who are genuinely friendly people and have similar practices. Here's what it boils down to for me: I know that I am not gonna get to judgment day and stand before a scale while Jesus weighs all the good things and bad things I've done over the course of my life...How scary would that be? No, eternity is not a guessing game for me. When the end of my life on earth comes, I will give Jesus a giant bear hug and He'll say, "Welcome home, love!!"

Just to let you know, I don't believe this because I read it somewhere. I don't believe this because at Sunday school my teacher said get saved and you'll go to heaven. I actually used to pray as a kid over and over and over that I would be saved because I was scared that for some reason my prayer didn't go through, or something would happen and Jesus would take back my salvation...

My sophomore year of high school, I felt the Holy Spirit move through me. That's not something I could have read or been taught. When my heart was humble, Jesus decided to give me a glimpse of the many years to come in this unbelievable, thrilling, exciting, joyful journey with Him. I was singing, leading worship in front of 3,000 of my peers..and I fell to my knees, sang my heart out to the Living God, then moved off stage to lay on my face in His presence. I stayed there for 3 hours, even after the conference had finished and everyone had cleared out. I felt a calling on my life, then, that I still feel today. At that time, I learned the meaning of surrender. The Holy Spirit called me into a life of humility, a life where I sacrifice anything that has the potential to hinder my relationship with Him.

And boy has it been an awesome ride! How am I so certain of my faith and my eternity?? God takes the chance to let me know very frequently. <3

I have prayed for someone and the Lord healed her..on the spot!!

I have visions and specific words from God to prophesy (speak truth) to people, and have seen how He uses them to build up His beloved followers.

I have spoken in a language that is foreign to my tongue and lost all control of my movements.

I could speak for ages about the Spiritual encounters I've had, because they still amaze me. But I didn't even know those things were real! How could I not be 100% certain of my faith after all the times my prayers have been answered..after all the times I've spoken my requests to God and He's provided...after all the times I've been approached by a Christian brother or sister and heard words of truth on specific things in my life that I had been praying about, things there's no way someone could just know that I needed to hear.

I'll tell the whole world that life with the Lord is the best life, and I'll tell you that persecution feels good. I'm experiencing it more and more, which means I must be doing something right (praise God for that!).

If you are reading this, please pray for my mission this last month in Australia. God's purpose is greater than anything I can see, and hearts have already been softened. I'm praying for you today.