Losing My Life

     Through this most recent season in life, God has been teaching me what it truly means to follow His plans for my life. Over the last year or so,  I have had to make some of the most ''adult" decisions in my life so far. Through that process, I have had to rely heavily on faith and the leading of the Holy Spirit to discern which is the right way to go. It has been a challenge for me, a planner to the core, to put my trust fully in God's plans and leading even when I am unable to see what's ahead and I am glad to say I have come out having learned a few things.      The main takeaway I would like to share is this: the right way is not the easiest way . That probably sounds very obvious if you have spent any time in church, but I never thought about that principle carrying over into walking out God's plans for my life. You see, there have been decisions that I have made over the last year that I was certain were what God was leading me to do. An...

     It's amazing to me how God so often uses moments in our daily lives to teach us something instead of the moments we might expect (in church, through Christian friends, etc.). I'm a big believer that God can use anything and anyone to teach us something (See Numbers 22:28 where God actually used a donkey to speak to Balaam). This last week, something a coworker said to me in casual conversation really struck my heart and has had me thinking since then. She told me that she quit smoking by buying herself cigarettes and keeping them with her and telling herself, "you can have one if you want. But do you really want it?"      I found this passing statement proved a brilliant point about human nature. I don't think anyone would disagree with me when I say that we as humans want what we are told we can't have. Tell a kid he can't have the cookies in the cookie jar and all he's going to want is those cookies. But I believe this concept is particularly...

     For a couple weeks now the Lord has been pressing this message on my heart. He revealed a flaw in my thinking I hadn't noticed. You see, when hard times come it's in my nature to duck and cover. I go into "survival mode" and I get tunnel vision. I only focus on getting through what's in front of me alive. But in doing so, not only do I miss a lot of opportunities, but I give in to the voice of fear in my life.     I know I don't speak only for myself when I say that God wants to us in our "every day lives." Not only at church or on a special mission trip, but in the trenches of the grocery store, the gym, work, etc. It is His will that every soul is saved and He wants us to go out into the world and win those hearts for Him. But when I put myself in survival mode, I block out all the opportunities God lays before me. When I numb myself with the routine of each passing day, week, and month, I miss out on sharing the one thing of eternal importa...

Matthew 7:24-27 “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.” Luke 6:46-49 “So why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say? I will show you what it’s like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching, and then follows it. It is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built. But anyone who hears and doesn’t obey is like a person who builds a house without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against th...

    In a few short hours, 2014 will be over and gone. That means that this is my final post for my year-long devotional "series." As many of you know, I committed to writing a devotion each day of this last year. I am happy to say that I have succeeded in doing so! Instead of writing like I usually do today, I have decided to reflect on what I've learned through this experience.     The biggest challenge of writing was not staying committed to such a daunting task nor was it finding the time every day, but rather, coming up with the topics. It really challenged my faith. I had to rely on Jesus to lay a topic on my heart and have the faith to believe that He would continue to do it again and again. And on top of that, I had to be focused on Him enough to hear the Holy Spirit's whispering. It may not sound like it would be that difficult, but it proved to be really testing of my relationship with Jesus and in the end it exponentially strengthened it. Hebrews 11:1 ...

    As we are ending another year and looking ahead to the next one, it is important to keep things in perspective. Although I've written about this topic many times before, I will repeat myself again to get the point across. Where are you in your commitment to Jesus Christ? You may like to think you are 100% for Jesus, but here's a good acid test: are you telling people about Him?     If you are in a place right now where church is just a kind of hobby and you go as a spectator and aren't spending your time telling new people about Jesus, you aren't as committed as you'd think. When our lives have truly been touched by God, we cannot help but tell everyone. We want the world to know of His goodness in our lives! Also, to tell others about Christ is to fulfill the great commission and the point of our life here on earth.     If you aren't out there actively searching for hearts to win for the King, then you may want to search your own heart to see where...

    Being born again doesn't just admit you into the family of God, but also into the army of the Lord. Being "all in" for Jesus is very comparable to enlisting in the armed forces. We are all joined together as one unit with a common purpose-- to bring the world into the knowledge of Jesus Christ. Once the whole world has heard His name, He will return to earth in His glory and finish off Satan once and for all.     That means that in the mean time we have an enemy who we fight daily. Satan and his followers are actively trying to bring down those who are truly living to make a difference for Jesus in the world. As a member of Christ's army, you have to be willing to lay down your life for His cause. We give everything we want up in order that His will can be accomplished. That may even include giving our lives.     It is my prayer that we all come to a place in our relationship with Jesus where martyrdom is not a thing to be feared. To be willing to f...