{fire in my bones}

With the new year upon us, this is my new year's resolution:

That I become weary with holding in the name of my God; that I would feel an all-consuming fire within my bones at the thought of not being able to proclaim the truth that God has revealed to me; that I would be passionate about seeing the work of Christ here, in my life and in my home and in my city and in my state and in my country and in my world; that my heart would be burdened by the things that burdens the heart of my Lord; that I would meditate on His Word, day and night; that my life would be a place in which God's glory is displayed, for His glory alone.

As a student at a Christian university, I've had the opportunity to read large portions of the Bible, take classes where I learn (in-depth) what it means, learn from prominent scholars in the field, and worship with other students at Chapel.

I've been blessed, to say the least.

But my heart longs for so much more.

One of the major prophets of the Old Testament, Jeremiah, was ridiculed by his people for His trust in God. Yet He remained steadfast. He understood that God had given him a job to do: to warn the people of Israel that if their hearts remained hardened against YHWH, that they would be handed over to their enemies, that they would enter exile.

This is his response:

    If I say, “I will not mention him,
        or speak any more in his name,”
    there is in my heart as it were a burning fire
        shut up in my bones,
    and I am weary with holding it in,
        and I cannot.

(Jeremiah 20:9 ESV)

Have you ever had something so powerful, so empowering to tell that you would tell anyone who would listen? Something that you would gladly hand over your life for, so that the secret didn't die with you?

This was Jeremiah.

His resolve came with waiting upon the Lord, trusting in who He was and who He is - filled with His spirit to go forth and do the things that God had called him to.

This has become my prayer. To have such a fire within my bones, a fervent desire to see the Kingdom of God come to earth, to see His glory displayed here, that I literally become weary from holding it in..so that I cannot.

xo, Aysha

{by our love, we will be known}

Happy Monday my friends!

As it is Make-A-Difference Monday, I thought I'd start off with a story.

This morning I walked into my local coffee shop, a place where I frequently spend my time during the summer months. As I sat down at a corner table, a man who I've been sitting across from the past few days, engaged me in conversation. When I arrived, I had no intention of speaking to anyone because I had assignments to complete, things to do..I had a plan: to lay my things out on the table, plug in my headphones and tune everything, and everyone, out.

Enter, divine intervention.

After sitting down, this man (let's call him Bob), asked me how I was doing. I answered back, not expecting the conversation to last more than a few minutes. Little did I know that it would lead to over an hour of discussion and him sharing his heart.

Bob is a man after God's own heart and his words spoke life to me.

Where did I "make a difference" you may ask? Other than hopefully allowing him to see into the world of my faith, I didn't. Bob made a difference in my life.

He caused me to evaluate how I respond to people, how I interact and engage with them. Ultimately, he planted a seed, beckoning me to examine how I love people.

Towards the end of the conversation, Bob told a story of woman he knows, who personally changed how he loves others. He described her as a woman who truly lives out the love of Christ in situations that the world would say are least deserving of love. It was in that moment that I realized why I woke up, drove to the coffee shop and chose that table.

God's voice was clear.

My love for those around me, in actions and in words, is nowhere near the standard that Christ calls me to. I am slow to listen, quick to speak and quick to get angry. I pass judgment unknowingly and treat people out of that judgment rather than from a place of love. I am impatient and at times hold grudges. I act self-righteously and my pride swells to attain glory that it's not due.

When all of these thoughts came rushing to me, I suddenly realized how human I really am.

I've regarded myself as a Christian; one who serves the Living God and has offered the throne of my heart to the King of Kings..but how can I say that, with honesty, when my life has somehow found its way onto the path paved with good intentions rather than the straight and narrow path?

This Scripture couldn't explain it any better:

He replied, "Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.  (Mark 7:6 ESV)

It hit me like a ton of bricks! What a hypocrite I've been! My heart so easily strays from God, while my lips speak His name.

My takeaway from this experience? My life, but more importantly my heart, needs to operate out of love, rather than pride. When I learn to love, or rather be love, only then can Christ rightly be glorified through me. We each need to be an example of Christ to a lost and hurting world, but when honest and pure love is replaced by so many half-truths and false feelings, we're left with a bigger wound and hearts that have turned away.

Most of us are familiar with John 13:34-35:

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.

And Paul writes this in Ephesians 4:1-3:

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Every person, every life that I encounter should be done in a manner that breathes humility, gentleness and patience. How can I expect to truly love someone if I'm not willing to bear with, understand and accept them?

Harsh words need to be cast aside. Forgiveness needs to be extended.  Ears need to be opened. Tongues need to be silenced. Anger and judgment need to be replaced with patience and humility.

Where does it start? A pure heart.

Love one another earnestly from a pure heart. (1 Peter 1:22 ESV)

Wrong intentions and personal gain will never give life to the righteous life that God has called us to. Love is born of God, and because of that, we must come to know Him and understand His heart so that our actions and words reflect His own.

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. (1 John 4:7 ESV)

My heart rejoices at that thought. Each day that passes, and through interactions like the one I experienced this morning, I am coming to know God and understand His heart more and more.

Friends, let us love.

It is by our love that we will be known.

Blessings,

{i will wait upon You, Lord}

Isaiah 40:31 -- But they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

Property of Aysha Gerald

This morning, I woke up and turned on the Christian radio station, K-Love. I got online and stumbled upon their Encouraging Word of the Day: this verse from Isaiah. Soon, a song by Lincoln Brewster, "Everlasting God" came on, speaking of this same truth from Scripture.

As I was thinking about the title of this post, the words I will wait upon You, Lord, came to mind.

Last night I had a breakdown of sorts. My life has been lived with God at the forefront of my mind, but He wasn't receiving the attention that He rightly deserved. I remembered to honor Him when it was convenient for me, but much of the time I tried walking my own path. I understood what God expected of me, but I thought that I had the power to direct my own steps.

Let me tell you, it's exhausting. It is almost as if I could feel the strength that I did have, slipping away. Because of this, my relationship with God faltered. I stopped praying. I stopped reading my Bible. I became a Christian without Christ, without allowing God to truly work in me and through me. I was much too busy to take a break, re-evaluate my life.

And then last night came. There were tears and pleas for forgiveness. There was such a broken, raw and honest interaction with God.

I've heard it said that sometimes He breaks us down to our lowest so that He can build us back up. That has never been more true in my life.

Psalm 62:5 -- For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from Him.

I want to be in a place where I can say: It is well with my soul. A place where I understand that every burden and worry has been lifted from me, as Christ says, "Here, let me carry that for you." A place where I can sit in the presence of God and feel more alive than ever, simply by listening to Him, rather than speaking at Him. A place where I hear the voice of God whispering, "Seek Me for the strength that you desire. It is only in Me that you will find rest. Rest in Me and I will give you strength."

Strength is found in waiting.

I will wait upon You, Lord.

Blessings,

This post can be found at:

Oh, to Love as Christ

The past few weeks, during my mentoring sessions, I've realized just how incapable I am of loving people the way that Christ loved.

I'm judgmental, analytical, critical, superficial with my relationships...the list could go on. And as these things were running through my head, I thought: I wonder what it would look like, if for one day, I could love, and I mean really love the people around me; friends and family, the strangers that I walk by on the street, the clerk that checks out my items at the grocery store.

My love for people is anything but the love that Christ had for the world; a love that would drive Him to give His life for the very people that were taking it away. A love that would forgive the people who least deserved it.

At many times, human love is one-sided. We expect people to love us, but we aren't so great at loving them back. We're interested in what we can get out of the relationship, rather than being concerned with how well we are loving them.

Galatians 5:22,23 -- the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

All of these things are tangible. They're words that could describe my character. They are things that I could possess. Yet, my heart is so far from them. Note that the first in the list is love. When we learn to love, our lives become rooted in joy and peace. We experience patience in areas that impatience once ran rampant. We choose good over evil. We remain faithful until the end. We are gentle with our words. And our self-control speaks of a character that is disciplined.

Christ was the perfect example of what love is and what it should be.

As we go through our day today, let us pray that God would reveal what that love should look like in our lives. When we come across people who don't deserve to receive our love, let us remember that God chose to love us when we least deserved it. Let us forgive and be forgiven so that love can permeate our relationships to the core. Let our responses be rooted so deeply in the love of Christ that people see Him through us.

It's not an easy feat to love as Christ did, but oh, how beautiful a day it will be when we come to know a fraction of that love.

This is my prayer for you.

Ephesians 3:14-21

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of His glory He may grant you to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 

Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Be encouraged. Be blessed.

A.

This Fragile Breath

Genesis 2:7 — The LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

This idea of being but a fragile breath has been on my mind for the past couple days. Only when we are confronted with life-altering situations, do we realize that we are but a vapor on this earth.

This verse from Genesis, I feel, not only speaks to the creation of mankind, but also to remind us of our humanity. We came from the ground and to the ground one day we will return. It’s important to remember that God has blessed us with life, but that everything on this earth is changing, morphing and unstable. It is only when we realize our frail humanity and choose to put that life back in the hands which formed it, that we can find rest and peace in our souls.

Acts 17:24-28 — The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things; and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His children.’ (Italics added)

We were created by God and for God. He has given us the breath of life, in order that we may glorify His name with our very breath. He has appointed our times to be born and to die, and has mapped out where each of us will live. Every aspect of our lives have been intertwined with the very plan of God. It is my prayer that you would not forget that. We were formed and fashioned by the Master Potter’s hands. He molded and sculpted each of us, and in that, He ingrained a specific life for each of us.

It is very difficult to come to terms with our own mortality and humanity, but you can rest assured that not a single moment of your life is outside of the knowledge of the Lord.

John 10:28 — I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.

Although we are dust and a fragile breath in the winds of this world, there is no wind strong enough to cast us out of our loving Father’s hands.

Blessings,

A.

I am the Thorn in Your Crown

So many times in our lives, we try pointing the blame at someone else. We refuse to accept responsibility for the actions that we engage in, and we think of every possible lie to keep ourselves from being found out. We do everything from slandering the name and reputation of someone, to bearing false witness. All in the name of making ourselves look better. We sin both consciously and subconsciously. We sin without thinking about the consequences. We are promiscuous. We seek revenge. Our hearts are filled with rage, malice and hatred. This world has become about “I” and what “I” can do to advance myself.

Because of this, we put God into a corner, with only one solution to save the creation that He so dearly loves; redemption. At the Fall, we became chained and burdened by this world, subject to the effects of sin, but God had already devised a plan. He would become human, as are we, and ultimately sacrifice Himself, on our behalf, so that the separation that existed could be closed and mended. The blood of an animal was shed to hide the nakedness of Adam and Eve, and in the end, the blood of Christ, our God, was needed to atone for the sin that we had committed, do commit and will commit.

When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, punishment, judgment and wrath was poured out. Earth and all of God’s perfect creation was put under a curse; something that we brought upon ourselves.

Genesis 3:16-19:

To the woman he said,
“I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing;
with pain you will give birth to children.
Your desire will be for your husband,
and he will rule over you.” 

To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat of it,’
“Cursed is the ground because of you;
through painful toil you will eat of it
all the days of your life.

It will produce thorns and thistles for you,
and you will eat the plants of the field.

By the sweat of your brow
you will eat your food
until you return to the ground,
since from it you were taken;
for dust you are
and to dust you will return.”

Read this part again, carefully.

Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.

Placed on the head of our Savior, was a crown. A crown of thorns.

Matthew 27:28,29 — They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand and knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said.

In the act of atoning for our sins, Christ wore the very curse that God had commanded upon humanity. And for what? To release us of the curse. So many of us live our lives as if we were still bound by sin, subject to punishment and waiting for our day of judgment.

Hear these words: The punishment and judgment reserved for you and I, a punishment that we rightly deserve, was placed on Christ at the cross.

We are free. By the blood of Christ, because of the sacrifice that He made, you and I stand right before God.

And now, it is time that we start behaving according to the standards that God has set before us. Get rid of the lies, the anger, the malice. Do away with foul and abusive language. Love, and I mean really love everyone that you encounter; those who love you in return, and those who persecute you. Honor the temple that God has given you; be pure in body, mind and spirit. Take on the burdens of those who can’t carry their own. Pray, and never stop praying. Seek God in all that you do, for the glory of His name.

It’s never been said that following Christ would be easy, but the promise has been made that it is worth it. Because God is so worthy. He wore the thorns for us, out of a love that our hearts can’t even begin to imagine.

Bring your life to the foot of the cross and surrender all that you were, for the person that God says you are.

THE CHILD OF A LOVING FATHER.

THE SERVANT OF A HUMBLE KING.

THE HEIR OF A RIGHTEOUS LORD.

THE FRIEND OF A FORGIVING SAVIOR.

Isaiah 43:1 — Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.

 Blessings,

A.

Lord, What Is Your Will For My Life?

So you want a revelation for your life?

I think we have all asked this question.

We want to know where we are going to be in 5 decades, 5 years, 5 months, or even 5 days. We live in the idea of the unknown future. We want to know what occupation we will end up having, if or when we will marry, who we will marry, if or when we have children, how many children; the list could go on forever.

We concern ourselves with things that we have no control over. And that thought may scare us, or worry us even more. We want to be in control of things. We want to know that things are taken care of, but we focus more on how we, ourselves, are going to do that, instead of giving it to God.

One of the most used Bible verses is:

Jeremiah 29:11 -- For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

We are told, by God, that He knows our future. What is unknown to us, is known to God. And when Jesus came to earth, He reminded His disciples, and we who follow Him today, not to worry.

Matthew 6:25 -- Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?

Matthew 6:27 -- Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

Matthew 6:34 -- Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

You've heard all of this before, right? You know you're not supposed to worry about things, especially the future, but doing so is easier said than done.

We all worry. But think for a moment. Where does that fear and worry come from? Isn't it a lack of faith? As a follower of Christ, I know that God has taken care of everything, and that I am held up in His right hand. I have faith in Him. I know that He will provide, and that His will shall be done, but I can't disregard the fact that I'm a mere human.

I'm not powerful enough to stop thoughts of fear and worry. I'm not strong enough to push past the thoughts of my humanity. But what gives me comfort, is knowing that God is there. He is powerful enough. He is strong enough. I pray that He will calm my fears, give me peace of mind, and erase my worry.

Like is says in Matthew, by worrying, which one of us can add even an hour to our lives? Worrying is a wasted effort. It takes us away from praising God. It distracts us from worshiping the King who knows all.

And a devastatingly negative affect of our worry, is that we aren't able to clearly see the path that God has laid before us. We will see a life clouded by sorrows, indecision, apathy and worldliness, when we should see a life that honors God, preaches the Good News, prays, asks and seeks continuously.

Matthew 7:7 -- Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

When we step back and say, "God, I know you're bigger than every breath that I take, so I'm giving you complete control of my life," then we are able to see the full picture, the panoramic view of our lives.

Yes, we will have days of doubt. We will question. We will pray and God will seem far away. But if we look at the bigger picture, and realize that life is more than the shoes we wear, the cars we drive, the money that we make, the friends that we have, then we will be able to focus on what happens after this life.

As said by music artist, Casting Crowns:

I am a flower quickly fading; here today and gone tomorrow. A wave tossed in the ocean. A vapor in the wind. Still you hear me when I'm calling; Lord, you catch me when I'm falling. And you've told me who I am; I am yours.

While in this human life, I'm focusing on the here and now, because one minute we're here, and the next we are gone. So I ask myself, who can I reach for Jesus today? Who can I help this minute? Who needs to feel the mercy and grace of God now?

If I'm focusing on my future, I'm reveling in the fact that one day I will stand face to face with my Savior; the one who chose the nails for me.

God has a plan for your life.

Trust in Him, and He will show you the way. Pray that He will give you a revelation :)

John 14:1 -- Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God ; trust also in me.

Psalm 31:14 -- But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, "You are my God."

Proverbs 3:5-6 -- Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

Blessings,

A.

Is the Media Affecting You?

This morning, a few things happened.

I was flipping through the channels on TV, and came across a show called 'Antichrist' on the History Channel. Usually, I'm not one to watch things on that channel or TV in general, but something was gripping me to watch it. I know from experience that those things go against the Word of God, and the devil uses sources (like the media), to get into our minds.

While watching, I was looking through my Twitter feed, and this came up on Max Lucado's page:  

"Happy are those who don't listen to the wicked" (Ps.1:1) monitor your media intake today. Watch programs that help you live God."

I didn't know if this was a sign that I shouldn't be watching the show, but still I continued.

About 20 minutes later, I logged onto Facebook, and noticed that K-Love (the Christian radio station) had posted something: 

"Happy are those who don't listen to the wicked" (Ps.1:1) monitor your media intake today."

Now, I'm not sure if K-Love got their information from Max Lucado's Twitter page, but I got a weird feeling. Not only had I seen the verse once (when I was already wondering if I should be watching the show), but then again. It's almost as if God were reminding to beware the lure of the media.

Then I started thinking about the verse from Psalms. It's the first verse from the book of Psalms, and it's clear-cut. It tells us that those who do not listen to the wicked, will be happy.

Now going back to the television show concerning the Antichrist. A lot of the things being said were true, because they took passages directly from Scripture, but a lot of the things were left open-ended or didn't quite piece together. After I was finished watching it, I thought to myself: This is exactly how the devil is getting through to people.

The media is so incredibly warped. From the news that we watch in the mornings, to the scary movies that we watch at night; we are becoming disillusioned. Even down to the cartoons that children are watching, violence, blasphemy, slander, hate and ungodly things are being strung through the messages.

The Bible says that many false prophets will come, that there will be information that is grounded in the Word, but will eventually contradict itself. So the show, 'Antichrist' may have had Bible verses in it, which appealed to me, but I felt like there was a message in it that God didn't want me to hear.

If we want to be able to stand against the devil, and be used for the good that God intends, then shouldn't we be more careful with the things that we watch? Or the things that we listen to?

1 Peter 5:8-9 -- Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.

James 4:7 -- Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Ephesians 6:10-12 -- Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

My warning to you? Beware the lure of the devil. There are many things that we do in our everyday lives that we don't realize is going against the Word of God, simply because they have become normal to us. We turn on the radio and listen to secular music, we turn on the TV and watch violent or degrading material, we read a book that changes our thoughts, etc. All of these are ways for the devil to try and trap us.

We must resist His temptations. That's not to say that we shouldn't use the media for good though. Christian radio stations such as K-Love are making a difference in the lives of people everywhere. Christian news channels and morning shows are allowing people to get in touch with God when they start their days. Christian books help keep us grounded in our faith, and the Bible is the best book out there.

Turn the media into a resource that can be used to glorify God. And together, with the help of our Christian brothers and sisters everywhere, we can strengthen our faith in the Lord, for He is good.

Blessings,

A.

Humanity Got the Best of Me

This past weekend, I've went through a lot. My emotions have been completely drained. I cried more in 5 hours than I have in years. My heart felt as if it had been thrown out and trampled on. I felt lost and alone.

It's not a good place to be.

The worst part is that I completely neglected God.

It's almost like I could hear Him saying, "Fall on me. I'm here for you." But I pushed away, and tried to deal with things on my own.

The reason for all of this distress? Another human being. I let someone else take hold of my emotions and use them against me. This person knows that they get under my skin, because they know me better than anyone else on earth. I don't think it's fair that someone should be allowed to hurt you like that, but it's life. It's going to happen.

People are always going to use us, misuse us, mistreat us, deceive us, manipulate us, break us, and hurt us. At times, we let those things try and define who we are. But God has called us to be something else. Something greater. He has called us to Him. He has called us His own.

He wants us to come to Him in our times of need. He wants us to fall before Him, broken.

This is my favorite Bible verse. I've used it before, and every time it applies, I will continue to use it. It proves Christ's love for me, and lets me know that He is always going to be with me:

Matthew 11:28-30 -- Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

This man, who gave up His life for me, wants me to know that He is greater than anything I will ever endure on earth.

Yes, my heart will be broken. Yes, I will feel rejected and neglected by other people. But NEVER will I have to fear being forsaken by my Savior.

I have a friend who shared a Bible verse with me this morning, and it really helped me out, so I thought that I would share it with you guys.

Psalm 42:5-6 -- Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar.

This past weekend has taken its toll on me, but it has awakened me to a simple fact: People will fail. Friendships will fail. Human promises will fail. But God, He will never fail.

I now know that I can't survive through this life without God. Trying to push Him away was the worst possible thing that I could have done, and because of it, I had to suffer through emotions that have been foreign to me since God has been at the forefront of my life. God isn't going to make us run to Him; He wants us to, but we are never forced to. So because I chose to rely on myself, I was subject to experience humanity and its burdens.

My advice to you? ALWAYS fall of God. Don't ever trust yourself enough to think that you can get through this life alone.

Put your hope in God, for He is God.

Blessings,

A.

The Lost Get Found

There is a singer, by the name of Britt Nicole. She's a Christian artist, and one of her songs is called, "The Lost Get Found." I'm in love with it right now. It talks about not being afraid to tell people about Christ, because that is how the lost people get found. It's about being brave to speak the name of Jesus in a world where He is disappearing.

My question to you is, are you afraid to talk about God?

Are you afraid to proclaim the name of Jesus?

Luke 9:26 -- If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.

I know that I wouldn't want to stand before God one day and know that His son, the Lamb of God, is ashamed of me before Him, because I was too ashamed of Him on earth.

That's a mouthful right?

What I'm trying to get at, is that we need to be proud to speak the name of Jesus.

Romans 1:16 -- I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.

Keep this verse in your heart. Memorize it. Believe it. Live it.

So many people need Christ in their life, but if everyone is too afraid to share His name, then how are the lost going to be found? Aren't we denying Christ if we don't share Him? Aren't we disobeying? Jesus says that people need to know the Truth, and that as His disciples, we will face trials in this, but that our reward will be great.

As Britt Nicole puts it:

Don't let your lights go down.

Don't let your fire burn out.

Cause somewhere, somebody needs a reason to believe.

Why don't you rise up now?

Don't be afraid to stand out.

That's how the lost get found.

Why do we go with the flow?

Why take the easier road?

Why are we playing it safe?

Love came to show us the way.

Love is a chance we should take.

I'm moving out of the gray.

There are people out there that need someone. They need you.

You are the light of the world. (Matthew 5:14)

You are the salt of the earth. (Matthew 5:13)

Don't be afraid to stand out and be different in a world of like mindedness. Be different, and make people wonder.

After all..that's how the lost get found.

Blessings,

A.