Prayer

Prayer

Prayer. It’s something almost everyone has heard of. It’s what we’re “supposed to do” before Thanksgiving dinner or before we go to bed at night. It’s when we bow our heads and close our eyes on Sunday mornings after the sermon. But if we’re being honest, how much do we really know about prayer? Let me just start this blog off by saying, prayer is actually way more than just a quick quoted blessing before supper, or something restricted for only Sunday’s like we sometimes view it. Praying is what we do whenever we want to talk to God! It’s how we can express our thoughts, burdens, and requests to the Father! While it may seem like something we already know all about, I want to give you guys (including myself!) a refresher in this area. In this blog I’m going to be answering the questions: How should I pray? When should I pray? and addressing some lies about prayer. I hope you guys enjoy reading and that you might learn something from it:)

.How Should I Pray?.

When we pray we should talk to Jesus like we would a friend. Tell him about your day, give him your burdens, talk about what’s bothering you. Just like you would a best friend. You might be asking “But doesn’t he already know all of that stuff?” Yes, He does but He still wants us to talk to Him about what’s on our mind. Jesus is the best friend we could ever ask for, so we need to talk to Him and spend time with Him just like we would one of our close friends.

“But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6:7‬ tells us that we shouldn’t pray using empty phrases, we should share what’s on our mind and heart with Jesus.

Another verse I want to share with y’all is: Romans 12:12

“rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;”

In other words, be consistent in your prayers. Pray everyday, several times a day. There is no limit to how many times you can pray. I can’t tell you how many times a day I pray! Even if it’s something short like “Thank you!” If He answered my prayer. Or I might say, “Help me with my test” a prayer doesn’t have to be this whole thought out speech! Just say what you’re feeling, and even when you can’t explain, He still knows.

‭‭.When Should I Pray?.

There is no certain time that we should pray each day. You can pray anytime of day whether it’s early in the morning or late at night. You can pray while you're in the middle of a crowd, or when you are by yourself. Jesus will always be there to talk to us no matter what time of day.

.Lies About Prayer.

I feel like most people think that you have to close your eyes, bow your head, and fold your hands before you can pray. Growing up we always did those things in church. I was never told that you had to close your eyes and bow your head, I just assumed you had to because that’s just what we always did. I was surprised to learn that you actually don’t have to do those things to pray. You might be in a situation where you can’t close your eyes and bow your head, but that doesn’t mean you can’t pray! There are times in the Bible where people were standing, sitting, kneeling, or raising their arms when they prayed. Nowhere in the Bible does it say you have to close your eyes, bow your head, or fold your hands in your lap to talk to Jesus!

.Last Thing(s) I Want To Leave You With.

I hope you guys have enjoyed reading this blog and that you are able to walk away knowing something new😁

Before I end this blog, I want to leave you with some questions to reflect on!

• Do you truly know why you’re praying?

• Have you accepted Jesus as your own savior yet? (We talk more about that in this blog!! https://girlsforjesus.mozello.com/blog/params/post/2340759/stop-thinking-of-death-as-the-end ) You could spend all of your time reading your Bible and praying, but without the Holy Spirit living inside of you, you can never A. Go to Heaven to live with Him for eternity or B. Experience God in the most rewarding way and have a personal relationship with Him.

• Are you being intentional about praying to Jesus Mon-Sat, not just on Sunday?

• In what way will you apply what you’ve learned from this blog to your prayer life?

• Do you have any questions a youth pastor, parent, or we could help you with (We’d love to help you get some answers! Our email is girlsforjesus1@gmail.com)?  -Aly

Our Top Tips For Developing a Quiet Time as Teens

As much as Millennials try to deny it, as teens we get REALLY busy too! Between school, sports, chores, church, hobbies, friends, family, eating 24/7, etc.! It’s honestly hard to find time to spend alone with Jesus. However, hard doesn’t mean impossible though! While we totally empathize and understand how hard this may be, we believe that with God’s help, you and I can get together some time to spend in the Lord's presence! Here are our top tips for developing a thriving quiet time as a teenager!

.Know That It Is Possible.

We’re sure you’ve heard this verse 5,000 times, however, we want you to hear it 5,001 times! Philippians 4:13 KJV says this, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

How come we always look at this verse as a cliche or a little kids’ verse? This should really be the verse that we resight in every difficult situation! Look. I’ve (Mckenzie) been there before too. You strive to spend time with the Lord, but day after day you tell yourself you’re going to start, and suddenly a month went by and the only words you got from God were filtered through your youth pastor. Nothing against church! But as Christians, we can’t thrive on just Sunday school lessons. We need to get with God and have a one on one conversation with Him often! Expectantly the way the world is trying to lead us these days. I’m not saying I’m perfect at having my quiet time often, but I can assure you that even if you feel like no one else struggles the way you do, or you're the exception to not being able to make time for the Lord, I PROMISE! That’s not true! This verse right here tells us that we can do ANYTHING (that is within God’s will) with His help! Once we realize this, it makes it a lot easier to really start getting a quiet time together.

.Don’t Just Think About It! Pray About It.

Before we start with any more tips… We have a tip to help with the tips! Matthew 7:7-8 KJV says “7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: 8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” God is able, wanting, and ready to bless you with a committed quiet time routine! Ask Jesus to help you get the passion, time, energy, and materials together to spend time with Him. Ask Him to help you crave Him and His word! This is something that honestly helps me and I know it can help you. You don’t need to go to the altar, get down beside your bed on your knees, or even close your eyes and bow your head to ask Him. Just simply pray to yourself right now, “Jesus, please help me spend more time with you. Please help me crave your Word.” It’s that simple! There’s nothing special about the way that we worded it. Change up the prayer if you want! Just reach out to Him!

.Figure Out Why.

Whether it’s reading my Bible or trying to figure out a math equation, knowing why I’m doing what I’m doing really helps me do it. And not only do it but do it with effort! It helps me actually want to try my hardest at what I’m doing! Unless, of course, I figure out why I’m doing what I’m doing and the reason is stupid and unnecessary *cough* *history*... Totally joking-ish!! Anyway! We don’t have enough time to dive too deep into the reason we should be spending quiet time with God in this blog. We want to encourage you, friend, to look into it for yourself and try and get a grasp on why this is important. We do however want to give you a good place to start! Here are a few verses to read through!

Psalm 119:105 ESV “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

Romans 10:17 KJV “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

2 Timothy 3:16-17 KJV “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”

James 4:8 KJV “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.”

I just finished reading a blog post about devotional time from ”Whole Hearted” and I want to encourage you to read it after this one! I’ll link it at the end of this blog!

.Get Together Your Plan (but be patient with yourself).

I know for a lot of people, without intentionally making plans to do their quiet time, it just won’t get done. While I’m sure some of you can just fly by the seed of your pants to get anything done, that may not be working for the majority of us. So having a good foundation plan is important for succeeding. Depending on your personality, you might want to grab a bullet journal, open the notes app on your phone, or just grab a pencil and paper, because we have some questions you can answer!

Where?

Our advice is to find a place where you can be alone and don't have many (if any!) distractions around. So will you do it at your desk, in your closet, at the kitchen table, in the living room, on the front porch, on your bed, in your car? Or will you do a mixture depending on the day?

When?

I (McKenzie) have two little brothers, two little sisters, and one older brother who all doesn’t like it whenever I’m not in the same room with them. You could use the excuse “Awe!! That just means they love you!!” but I’m going to go with it’s just because they’re noisy! And trust me! Saying “I’m just doing devotions” won’t work. Because then they’ll still try to make up ten thousand excuses as to why they need you to go help them or do something with them RIGHT NOW! So for me personally, I need to try and make sure I have my devotions done before they even wake up. Luckily for me, they all sleep in until a little after nine, so I don’t have to get up too early! Again! You have to be intentional about making time for Jesus. So will you get up an hour earlier, stay up half an hour later, use up your lunch break, or start on devotions right after homework?

While I’m sure different times in the day have different benefits, everyone I’ve ever heard talk about when the best time to do devotions is always in the morning. Even Jesus would go off to be with God early in the morning.

Mark 1:35

“And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.”

I believe that starting my day with God is most profitable because I have Him and His Word on my mind all day. I want to encourage you to first try to do devotional time in the morning even if you're not sure if that’s a good option for you. If that doesn’t work out, there are definitely different ways you can start your day with Jesus that doesn't require your full attention. That way you could do these things while getting ready for school! Remember, these are all just suggestions and my ideas. We all have our own ways to walk with the Lord!

• Listening to worship music

• Listening to a podcast

• Reading a short blog post

• Meditating on a verse

How?

Last but not least! How will you go about your quiet time? What will you use to guide your devotional time? Will you use anything at all? Will you start or end with prayer? Will you do both? Where in the Bible will you read? Who will you go to if you have any questions? For me personally, I don’t have a set thing I work on during my quiet time. I have a bunch of reading plans, journals, a list of verses I want to memorize, Christian books, and devotionals. So I kinda just use whatever I think I need that day or whatever seems most interesting that day. If that’s how you are, that’s totally fine! Just having an option/options will help a lot whenever you go to sit down and start. This actually leads right up into our next topic!

Be patient with yourself!

Before we go into our next topic, however, let’s first talk about having grace on ourselves if we miss a quiet time. For some people like myself, whenever you plan to do something and you don’t, it makes you feel like a failure or like it’s just not possible. It can get you discouraged and make you not want to try anymore. Something I want to remind you all is that we shouldn’t spend time with God just so we can check it off our “do good list”. It’s to develop a thriving relationship with The Father! Don’t misunderstand me here, but this isn’t something that we’re “required” to do every day. Yes, it’s encouraged, and we should obey, talk, love, and listen to Him daily, that doesn’t always have to be in the form of devotions alone.

We will forget to do our quiet time or just not make time for it as we should. The important thing is that we just start again. Even if we’re starting again for the millionth time! Never stop chasing after a personal relationship with God!

.Get An interesting Devotional/Reading Plan.

It can be hard to find good devotionals that will get you intrigued and really want to read it. A couple things I find that help are: Find a devotional that is based on something you enjoy. For example, I love horses (if you’ve met me you are already well aware😂) and I have found a couple different devotionals that are horse-related. If there is an animal you like they might just have a devotional out there that is related to that animal (I can’t promise they will have a devotional about sloths or something like that but you never know🤷‍♀️). Another thing is, I used to really like watching Duck Dynasty when I was a kid and Sadie Robertson has written a few devotional-type books. I like reading her books because she talks about her family and I just enjoy it because Duck Dynasty used to be my favorite. I hope that makes sense (at least it does in my head😂) and I hope that it helps you guys in finding a devotional that will intrigue you.

My usual reading plan is, I read one chapter in my devotional and then I also read one chapter in my Bible. I find that if I read several chapters in my devotional and Bible, that I stop comprehending what I am reading. That’s why I only read one chapter in each book. You might be different, and be able to read several chapters and still remember what you read (If you can then I am jealous😂).

I think reading one chapter and fully grasping what I read is better than flying through the book and not remembering a single thing.

.Start A Prayer Journal.

Reading your Bible isn’t the only thing we should be doing during our quiet time. It’s just as important to talk to God as it is to hear from Him. I’ve heard so many people talk about how important it is to write down your prayers. So often Jesus answers our prayers and we just don’t realize it because we forgot what we prayed for, to begin with!

My mom was telling me (McKenzie) how whenever I was younger I would pray for another sister or brother. I had totally forgotten that I used to pray for that, and now here I am with another little sister AND brother!

Another reason I find it handy to write down prayers is that it keeps me on track. This may not be the case for you, but whenever I go to pray, the majority of the time my mind drifts off. I either forget that I’m praying or don’t know what to pray for. You could either just write as you pray, write out your prayer, or have a list of things you want to praise God for or pray about!

Some may prefer to use a notebook or plain journal and others may choose to use a journal designed for praying! While there are many prayer journals and DIY prayer journals out there, I personally use Coffee and Bible Time’s method. As much as I’d love to tell you guys all about it, due to the fact that we still have more sections of this blog to finish, I’ll just leave you with links to both of theirs and the DIY versions I use at the end!

.Go Somewhere Alone.

I’ve already talked about how if I don’t get up early to do my devotions, any other time I would do them it would just be interrupting. I do believe that God still loves spending time with us whenever others are around, and if it’s not possible to do them alone all the time, we should still press forward even if that means noisy backgrounds. Still, we don’t have to look too hard to see that He loves whenever we get ALONE with Him! I think it’s easier to really meditate and listen to the Holy Spirit. Jesus was constantly going to spend time with God by Himself. (Matt. 6:6, Matt.14:23, Luke 5:16, Mark 1:35). I believe that these verses weren’t just added to show us what Jesus did, but also encourage us to do the same. We see in scripture (1 John 2:6) that we should strive to be more like Jesus, and something that helped Jesus in His spiritual walk with The Father was by going to be alone with Him!

.Make It Fun And Personal.

Something that motivates me to do my devotions is to use things that are creative and organized! This is honestly something that I do to motivate myself to do anything (school, Girls For Jesus :), chores) so it just makes sense to modify my quiet to be more personal. I love bullet journaling and planning out my quiet time before I get started. Maybe you’re someone who loves the outdoors! Bring your Bible and a journal on a hike with you and do your devotions on the top of a mountain! Are you more of a homebody? Use a podcast to start off your quiet time on your comfy couch and go to God’s word and read the scripture that was mentioned. Let me guess. I bet we have some sports fans out there! Meditate on a verse while running, shooting some hoops, or kicking the ball. For all of our creative peeps, you could worship with some worship music while sketching or Bible journaling. You don’t have to always sit down and read a passage and be done for the day. You don’t just sit down and listen to your best friend talk for 15min. and then go about your day. No, we like to spend one on one time together with our friends doing things we enjoy. While God’s Words should be the focus of our quiet time, it’s ok to bring some hobbies with you to spend time with God. The most important thing is that we’re getting God’s words in our hearts and in our minds!

.Ask Other Friends What They Do.

All of my friends I often hang out with are Christians. While I know that, it’s easy to forget! I know that God gives us good godly friends for a reason! Proverbs 27:17 says “Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.”. I totally believe that we shouldn’t just go by what our peers say whenever it comes to spiritual topics, and we should always go back to The Word to double-check things. With that said, this verse right here shows us what good godly friends do! They help each other spiritually! They help each other learn and grow! They’re there for each other whenever they fall and pick them back up. This verse doesn’t just apply to adults, but teen Christians too! I know for me, most of my friends are all about a year or two apart from me, so it’s kinda hard to get some well-seasoned wisdom whenever you’re all the same age. So in some situations, I may go to a parent, youth pastor, teacher, etc. Still, I think there are so many Christian teens who could learn from each other. One thing is how to do our devotions! This is something that our teen friends can relate to us. We all have school, chores, and hobbies to keep up with, so we can each relate to not always knowing how to find the time to do our devotions. I feel like a lot of teens also just don’t know where to start with developing a quiet time. This is when we can sharpen each other! Ask a few friends to go into detail on how they make time for God and how they spend that time with Him. Maybe they don’t have a routine down either. Then you both could work on it together by encouraging one another and praying for each other!

.Get Accountability.

Everyone gets busy, and it can be difficult to juggle everything in our lives. Between church, school, jobs, family, and more, it can become pressuring to find the time to finish it all. I (Natalee) know this from personal experience. I hate to admit it, but sometimes I’ve put quiet time on the back burner in order to get other things done. This is why it is important to have accountability. For those who don’t know, accountability is something that will help you make sure you complete a task. The most effective tactic that I have found is finding an accountability partner. This is a close friend or family member that will simply ask you, “Did you finish your quiet time today?” By doing this, your accountability partner reminds you to spend time with the Lord, as well as themselves.  Another important tactic that I have found is having the same quiet time day. It may be a good idea to set an alarm on your phone for a specific time each day, or spend time in the Word right when you wake up or before you go to sleep. Did you hear that? That’s right! Quiet time doesn’t always have to take place in the morning. When I first began reading my Bible every day, I wanted to be like those other Christian girls on YouTube. The ones who get up at 5:00 am with their coffee and a blanket to read their Bible. While that can be great and relaxing, quiet time is about spending time with our Savior. To do that fully, you must find something that works best for you. Spending time with God has no boundaries, especially on what time you do it. That is why accountability can be a great tool to keep us focused on our quiet time.

.Change It Up When Needed.

We pray that you have a plan together for how you can start doing your quiet time or at least you have a good foundation of ideas on how you could start! Before we finish off with some questions we first want to let you in on a little secret… Are you ready for it? It’s OK if you have to change up your quiet time! Whether you just started doing your quiet time one way for a week or have been doing it for years now, It’s totally appropriate to change up your quiet time with the season you’re in. Especially at the beginning whenever you’re trying to find out what works best for you, you might have to try something new daily for a little while. Don’t get discouraged if your plan doesn’t fit you like you thought it would or like it did. Just pray about it and start from scratch again. Go through the questions we asked on how you’ll do your quiet time. Keep what worked from your previous plan and ditch what didn’t!

We know that this is something that a lot of teens struggle with (We do too!), but we totally believe that with the help of Jesus Christ we can succeed! We’re praying for you and your walk with the Lord! We pray that you’ll never stop seeking the Lord and you’ll always strive to spend time with The Father!

.Last Thing(s) We Want To Leave You With.

• Proverbs 14:23 ESV ”In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty.” Planning your quiet time won’t get the job done! However, once we start putting in the work of actually doing it, then we will start experiencing the blessings of spending time with God!

• Have you accepted Jesus as your own savior yet? (We talk more about that in this blog!! https://girlsforjesus.mozello.com/blog/params/post/2340759/stop-thinking-of-death-as-the-end ) You could spend all of your time reading your Bible and praying, but without the Holy Spirit living inside of you, you can never a. Go to Heaven to live with Him for eternity or b. Experience God in the most rewarding way and have a personal relationship with Him.

• Why do you want to develop a thriving quiet time? Why is this important to you?

• What actions will you take to start your own personal quiet time?

• Have you prayed and asked God to help you in this area?

• Do you have any questions a youth pastor, parent, or we could help you with (We’d love to help you get some answers! Our email is girlsforjesus1@gmail.com)?

• Here’s that blog post from WholeHearted McKenzie mentioned earlier: https://wholeheartedquiettime.com/2021/09/02/tend-your-garden/

• Here’s Coffee and Bible Time’s prayer journal:

• (original version) https://www.coffeeandbibletime.com/product-page/prayer-journal

(PDF version) https://www.coffeeandbibletime.com/product-page/pdf-prayer-journal

(SPANISH - PDF) https://www.coffeeandbibletime.com/product-page/spanish-pdf-prayer-journal

(FRENCH - PDF) https://www.coffeeandbibletime.com/product-page/french-pdf-prayer-journal

(GERMAN - PDF) https://www.coffeeandbibletime.com/product-page/german-pdf-prayer-journal

• Here’s Coffee and Bible Time’s prayer binder: https://www.coffeeandbibletime.com/product-page/prayer-binder

• Here’s the DIY prayer journal McKenzie uses: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15BoCfZK0Ew&t=1332s

• How can you be “For Jesus” for the rest of the day?

Taste and See...Our Lord is Good!

Taste and see: Our Lord is good!

If you’ve been following along on our Instagram or Facebook account for this month, you probably already know that our theme for August is “Taste and See”. For those who don't know where we got our theme name from, it's from Psalm 34:8. It says "O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him." The God that we serve is a loving, kind, just, and overall a GOOD God. He loves us enough to send His son to die on a cross for us! But a lot of times, if we’re going through a trial, we can easily forget just how good God is, so we hope this blog reminds you how loving and kind He is!

Why is it important to know God is good?

So if you’ve known Christ for a long time, you’re probably starting this blog right now, thinking, “Of course God is good. I know that already.” But why is this important for us as Christians, not to only know, but to remember? Well, you are probably no stranger to trials. No matter who you are, or how long you’ve been a Christian, you are going to face hardships in your life. Everyone is going to have different trials, with different severities. No two hardships are going to be the same. Sometimes, like I (Natalee) said in the previous section, it’s very easy to lose focus on Christ in the midst of our troubles. Not only is it easy to lose focus on Him, but it’s also easy to start blaming Him. A lot of times when people realize that I’m a Christian, their biggest argument is, “Well, if there really is a God, why do good people go through bad things?” Sometimes when we experience hardship, it’s because God wants us to grow closer to Him and realize just how good He really is. And a lot of times when God solves our hardships, we realize just that. Now, like I said in the beginning of this section, why is it important to remember that God is good during these hard times? I know a lot of people that have stopped believing in God because of the things they’ve gone through, or the things they’ve seen others go through. So that is why it’s important to remember that God will help us reach the end of the tunnel in His timing!

What the second part of this verse means

“…Blessed is the man that trusteth in Him.”

What this verse is telling us is when we put our trust in God and Him alone, He will bless us. I can’t promise He will give you a brand new sports car every time you trust Him with something, nor can I promise He will bless you right then and there. He might bless you later in life or He might wait to reward you in Heaven. All I know is what this verse tells us, which is that He will bless you when you put your trust in Him. Luke 6:38 tells us: “give, and it shall be given unto you…”

I don’t know when, where, or how Jesus will bless you but He will at one point or another!!

How do we know God is good?

I know when certain things happen it can be hard to notice how good God really is. And I hope when you're blinded of that goodness, you’ll remember this.

The very fact that you’re alive means God is good! But not only that… the fact that we live in America, can worship freely, can live freely shows God’s goodness! I know we hear about how blessed we are to be free all the time so let me go a little deeper with it. Maybe you have a roof over your head, a warm bed to sleep in every night, food and water, you have a friend in someone so much better than your closest friend on this earth… you have Jesus and His love, mercy and grace! Now I know that some days come when you feel like your life is falling apart and think God doesn’t love or care for you, but He does so much!! It’s evident in our everyday lives, even when your life takes a turn for the worst. Please never think God isn’t good because He is greater than anyone and everyone, and loves and cares for us more than we can fathom!

He’s good even when we don’t see it!

Maybe you’re going through a hard time right now. Maybe you’re just looking at the world around us and seeing all of the horrible things happening. It sucks that because of sin we have to go through pain and sorrow, but we can’t blame any of it on God! When Adam and Eve sinned, pain came into the world as a result. Even though God wasn’t the one who brought sin to our world, because of His mercy He made it possible for us to get away from all of the horrible things in this world. He died a painful death that paid for all of humankind’s sin so that if we choose to accept Jesus into our hearts we could go to a glorious place to be with Him after we die instead of the place we truly all deserve (Hell!). Somewhere that has no pain, no sorrow, no temptations, and so much more! We have a whole blog post on Heaven, Hell, and how you can accept Jesus into your heart so you don’t have to go to Hell if you’re interested (https://girlsforjesus.mozello.com/blog/params/post/2340759/stop-thinking-of-death-as-the-end)!

I have a verse in mind that I would like to share with you all, to just remind all of us that no matter what we see around us, you’ve guessed it, God is STILL good! We have to keep in mind that God knows what He’s doing. Just because our circumstances aren’t good doesn’t mean God isn’t. He cares and loves you so much, and only wants the best for your life.

Romans 8:28 says “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."

When we love and follow God He will use our pain and sorrow for His glory! For example, we’ll use Aly’s Grammy, Mrs. Wanda. In the past two years, she lost two of her sons unexpectedly in dramatic ways, plus went through a handful of other family sorrows (and those are just the things she has decided to share!). Still, she is one of the most faithful person I know! Anytime I’m around her she is constantly sharing how good she knows God is and how much she still loves Him. Though losing her sons still breaks her heart she continues to serve our God. Multiple people accepted Jesus as a resolute of her son’s funerals and she is witnessing to everyone around her by staying faithful to the Lord! She encourages me to keep fighting for a thriving relationship with God because she has shown me that it is obviously worth it, and I know she has blessed and encouraged so many others as well. God is definitely using a horrible situation for His glory and for good!

How can we see God’s goodness in our everyday life?

I don’t have a bunch of life-changing answers on how you can always see God’s goodness, so if that is what you were looking for in this section, my deepest apologies! I do however have a few simple yet practical ideas on how we can point our eyes towards God’s goodness. Here's a list of 4 ways you can see that God is good starting TODAY!

1. Count your blessings! Bethany Beal constantly says “If the only thing you have to be thankful for is your salvation, then you’re doing good!” (paraphrasing of course). Chances are though, you have tons of other things you can be thankful for. Allow me to get the ball rolling for you. God may have given you… A family, friends, a sound doctrine church, a house, a room, an animal, an education, a job, food, water, TOILET PAPER!!

2. I get it. Sometimes we just can’t see God’s goodness just by counting our blessings. Maybe you need to just slow down. Get your fav mug with some cocoa, tea, coffee, Coca Cola , or water even, and go sit outside. Grab your phone or journal and write/type out all of your most favorite memories. Guess what? God gave you all of those fun happy times!

3. Ask God to show you His goodness! He isn’t trying to hide from you. He will! Just be patient and He’ll show you. Matthew 7:7-8 “[7] Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: [8] For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened."

4. Start a gratitude jar! A lady at our church, Miss Diana, started a gratitude jar with a Wednesday night class I was in, and I just loved the idea. For those of you who have never heard of a gratitude jar, what you do is get a jar (or even just a mug or cup) and place it somewhere you’ll remember it. Then whenever God blesses you, take a small piece of paper and write it down. Throw the paper in the jar and whenever you need some encouragement, go back and read what all you wrote down. It takes no time at all!

We hope and pray you were encouraged by this blog! If you have any questions at all, please go to the “Talk to us” section of this website and DM or email us. We’d love to chat or answer any questions!

I Surrender All

I Surrender All

As you all probably know, this month's theme is surrendering to Christ. With saying that, we must surrender EVERYTHING to Him. So in this blog, we are going to show you that! We hope this helps you!

I surrender: My day(s)

Now, I (Natalee) don’t know about you, but I know that my days are usually pretty busy. Especially during the school year, when I have homework and other activities as well. So when we are in the midst of a busy time, how can we still be sure that we are surrendering these busy days to the Lord? I know one way is to start our day off with quiet time. Now, you and I are probably thinking about the same thing. I know that I am definitely not a morning person, but I also want to be able to focus as I’m reading God’s word. So if you complete your quiet time in the morning, you might want to do something to wake you up before. I personally prefer doing my quiet time with God in the evening. I just feel like that is what works best for me.

I might be making it sound like quiet time has to be on a schedule, but the truth is that it really doesn’t! God wants us to worship Him, no matter the time of day, the weather, or the circumstances that we are in. After all, does the Bible say “You are only allowed to pray at church or in your home”? No, it absolutely doesn’t! Even if it’s just one sentence thanking God for what He’s given us, or praying for a friend, we can pray anywhere. God is not on a schedule, and He always has time for us! I hope that knowing this helps you to realize that we can surrender our days to the Lord, even the busiest ones!

I surrender: My thoughts

“A thought is just a thought, right? It doesn’t matter if I THINK about lying to my parents. As long as I don’t do it. It doesn’t matter if I sing that song IN MY HEAD. I’m not going to listen to it anymore, and I’m not even singing it out loud.” I’m not going to sit here and point fingers at everyone who thinks/thought like this. I’ve been there myself! We all have. But just because we all fall short in this area, doesn’t mean we can accept it and go about our day.

YOUR THOUGHTS MATTER! Read that again! Whenever we so much as think about sinning we are only tempting ourselves. We are considering walking away from God and to Satan, even if it’s “just for a little bit”. If we think about awful things we know are wrong (that could be thinking about a song with wrong lyrics, having lustful thoughts, thinking hurtful and rude things towards others, etc…) we are only defiling ourselves.

Mark 7:20-23

[20]And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. [21] For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, [22] Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: [23] All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.

Now that we know thinking wrongly is unacceptable, we want to surrender this area to God, and think the way He calls us. Philippians 4:8 is a great verse to focus on! Paul is very clear on what God wants us to keep on our minds. It says this: "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."

I surrender: My grades and abilities

Part of surrendering to God means you have to give your grades and any of the abilities you may have to Him. When it comes to grades I think the best way to give it to the Lord would be to stop stressing over every assignment. So often, people make school seem like a god, and there is nothing more important than A’sing every test. This is not true! Yes, we should stay on top of our school work and give our all to the Lord (even if that means putting our phones down so we can get some study time in!), but at the end of the day, just place your life in God’s hands. If you obey Him by trying your hardest, He’ll bring you to wherever HE wants you to be! Not where school or statistics wants you to be.  stop stressing over every assignment. So often, people make school seem like a god, and there is nothing more important than A’sing every test. This is not true! Yes, we should stay on top of our school work and give our all to the Lord (even if that means putting our phones down so we can get some study time in!), but at the end of the day, just place your life in God’s hands. If you obey Him by trying your hardest, He’ll bring you to wherever HE wants you to be! Not where school or statistics wants you to be.   

How you can give your abilities to the Lord would be… ok, let me give you an example. Let’s say you play the piano! You could give that ability to the Lord by playing for your church. You could learn a hymn and play it one Sunday. Everybody has different talents and there are many ways to use them for Jesus. Remember, whatever we do we want to do for God’s glory!  But if God doesn’t bless you with a talent that you necessarily wished for, just know that you made you just the way He wanted you to be. He has His reasons and isn’t just trying to keep you from having fun!

I surrender: My music, TV, and games

How you can surrender your music, tv, and games would be to first make sure it is all appropriate, and then use your time with or on those things wisely. What I mean is don’t listen to your music, watch tv, or play games all day long! Don’t let those things consume your whole day.  Don’t let these things take time away you would otherwise spend with God. And like I said earlier just use your time wisely with music, tv, and games.

Here is a list of things you can do for Jesus instead of spending all your time on electronics:

• You could do something like Girls for Jesus, by using your social media for good. Encourage other girls your age as they go throughout their day.

• You could do a Bible study with some friends.

• You could write a letter or email a missionary and encourage them as they are working hard to spread the gospel in other countries.

Other than surrendering how much time we spend with these things, we can also make sure the games we play, the shows and movies we watch, and the music we listen to doesn’t “Bump heads with the Bible”. Believe me! This isn’t as easy as it seems. Especially whenever you’ve been playing, watching, or listening to something for so long. Just remember that God’s ways are better! His intentions aren't to keep us away from having fun, He wants to keep us away from destroying our hearts and minds! You know those eppisonds where kids turn into teenages and they're all like “New year! New ME!” and they go on to dramatically change their rooms, hair, music, things like that? Once we are saved, we are called to do the same (Yes. We know the teenages on the show normally end up changing back, and realize that just because they are getting older they don’t have to be a totally different person… but for the sake of this example just ignore that part!) 2 Corinthians 5:17 Says this: “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” If you’ll let Him have control of these things, you’ll see how much of a difference following God makes on your mental health!

I surrender: My future

What’s your “five-year plan”? No, seriously!! What do you want to do for the next five years? Maybe even write it down. Being the typical Christian girl I am (McKenzie) I’d love to be like… ya know, pretty much married by then! If not that at least in a serious dating relationship. I want to grow up and become a stay-at-home, homeschooling mom to sixteen adopted kids. Big house with all-natural products everywhere. Hopefully, still, be doing Girls For Jesus with my girls. Maybe even sell some kind of MLM essential oils. That’s my “plan”! But something tells me that ain’t gonna happen. Haha!

We all have things that we expect and plan on happening, but at the end of the day, we just have to give our future to the Lord. We have to trust God no matter what comes our way! He has plans to use us for His perfect fantastic work, but we can’t do that if we insist on things being our way, and not just follow God. Proverbs 3:5 says "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding." While my “understandings” will tell me that my plans are the best and that I need to stay on the path that will take me there, I need to be willing to drop everything for whatever God actually has for me! Whether that’s never getting married or going to a four-year college and becoming an airplane pilot. “God’s ways are better than my ways”! There’s nothing wrong with planning and preparing, as long as God’s glory is your end goal!

Sometimes thinking about the future can be really nerve-racking. “What will I major in?! Who will I marry?! How will I live out on my own?!” So many questions we don’t have the answers to. But there is one answer we do have to a common question we tend to ask ourselves! “How will I know it’s God’s will?!” Proverbs 3:6 gives us total peace in what the future might hold! “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” That’s how we can know what to go to college for (if God is even calling you to go to college!)! That’s how you can know who to marry! And yes, that’s even how you can know how to live on your own!

I surrender: My heartache

Breakups. Depression. Anxiety. Suicidal thoughts. Losing friends to additions. Family members being unsaved. Hearing loved ones passed away. Not be able to play soccer this season because you messed up your knee playing on the trampoline… Wait, is that last one just me (McKenzie). *Sad face* Why would Jesus let these things happen to us? He knows how heartbroken we feel.

We have to remind ourselves that God is God and we are not. He loves YOU! He cares for YOU! Don’t forget this just because you go through a hard time. It breaks His heart seeing that yours is broken. He isn’t happy about this either. If you think you want these things to just get better, just imagine how much more Jesus wants things to get better! He made your loved ones in His image! He died for your unsaved friends and family! He loves when you get to go play soccer with your big brother and friends… Ok but really, let me know if you’re having to sit out on a sport too! Haha!

This can be a hard place to surrender. We often feel like we need to be in control, and only we can make things better. Jesus has defeated death! We can’t even defeat a “try not to laugh challenge” on YouTube.  We need to be reasonable! Only God can take our pain away! Only God can fix our problems! We can trust our Heavenly Father with our heartache. He cares more than anyone ever could that your heart hurts.

We’ll be praying for any broken hearts reading this! We’ve all been there before, and know how hard life can be. Lean on God! If you want to talk about anything PLEASE don’t hesitate to contact us! We’re here for you. Here are some hope-filled verses we pray will comfort you.

Psalms 34:18 - The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

Matthew 11:28 - Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Psalm 18:2 - The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.

John 16:33 - These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

Now Let’s Surrender!

We hope that this blog was a blessing to you! If so, don’t forget to share it with someone else you think could use it. Again, please, please, PLEASE contact us if you have any questions (whether that’s from this blog or just something totally different) or just want to talk! Love and prayers!

Surrendering to Jesus

Surrendering to Jesus

This week, for our blog post we will be talking about having a life that is surrendered to Christ. I just recently learned what having a life truly surrendered to Christ means, while we were at camp a few weeks ago. I hope that we can help you learn what it means as well! :)

What does it mean to surrender?

When you Google the definition of surrender, what it says is “cease resistance to an enemy or opponent and submit to their authority.” While I do use Google quite often to find the definition of words, I don’t think this quite covers what it means to surrender spirituality. See, when we surrender our lives to Christ spiritually, we are not surrendering to an opponent or an enemy. We’re giving our lives to our Friend, and heavenly Father, Jesus Christ. Now, I don’t know about you, but when I think of the word surrender, the first thing that comes to mind is a general surrendering in a battle. So when we surrender spiritually, it’s kind of like we’re giving up on our battle with sin. It’s almost like we’re telling God. “Okay, I’m done with sin, You can have my life.”  Surrendering to Christ means making Him our first priority. Now, don’t misunderstand me, I’m not saying that we shouldn’t prioritize other things in our life. (school, jobs, health) What I am saying is that living our lives for the Lord will make us immensely happy, and that’s what He wants for us!

Why is surrendering important?

It’s important to give every aspect of yourself and your life to the Lord, because if you’re stuck in the things of this world you aren’t gonna grow in your relationship with Jesus. Part of growing in your relationship with the Lord, is giving your all to Him. If you’re living in and with the things of this world you can’t grow. Instead, you’ll just be “trapped” where you are. Surrendering to Jesus isn’t some terrible task it may sound like. It is so freeing and rewarding in the end.

When we’re noticeably different from the world, people around us will see Jesus in us! We know how hard it is to tell a friend “No, I can’t watch that.”. And honestly, when you tell your friend that you can’t watch something because of what you believe, they probably want to jump on board and be sold on accepting Jesus as their Savior. But when they see how much joy and contentment you have while you’re going through a hard time, then they’ll get it! When we’re seriously following Jesus, we’re being a good example and witness to others.

Another reason it’s important to surrender is because God calls us to. He tells us to submit ourselves to Him and resist the devil (James 4:7). We shouldn’t just hear what God tells us to do, but also act and actually listen to what He says to do (James 1:22). If we love God we need to obey Him, no matter what it is He’s calling us to do (John 14:15)! Of course, we will continue to fail Him, but we are committed to trying to obey Him!

How do we surrender to Him?

How you can surrender to the Lord is by living your life for Him. Here are some examples of ways you can live for God:     

• Read your Bible

• Go to church

• Pray and spend time with Jesus

• Put Him before less important things like social media

• Use your time on social media and technology for good

These are just a few things I could think of right off the top of my head, and I’m sure I left out some things but I feel like these are the most common things.

Like I was saying, the way you can surrender your life to Christ is by giving every part of yourself and your life to Him. If you’re uncertain how to give “every aspect” of your life to Him, don’t worry, we have a blog coming soon that talks about that.

What Does The Bible Say About Surrendering?

James 4:7 is such a clear verse on surrendering! It says “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” KJV

I want to really focus on that first sentence.

Merriam Webster dictionary defines “submit” as “to yield oneself to the authority or will of another”

We should be yielding everything we do to Jesus. In this verse, God is telling His children to let His perfect will be done in their life. He’s telling you this!

With that being said, we gotta remember that God is good! He’s good all the time! The word “surrender” or “submit” can make us cringe. Especially if you’re not familiar with biblical Christianity. We can only imagine what those of you who aren’t familiar must be thinking. “Why are these crazy religious girls trying to tell other people they should give their life to some God in the clouds?!’’ We truly believe that there is so much more to being a Christian than do’s and don’ts! Once you see Jesus as your best friend you’ll never get anywhere else, it makes the thought of putting your life in “some God in the clouds” hands much more comforting. Why? Because He’s so much more than that!! He has plans to prosper you (Jeremiah 29:11)! Maybe not on this earth, but because we know that He loves and cares (John 3:16 and 1 Peter 5:7) for us, whatever His will is, will be the best for our lives.

While we may understand that God knows what’s best for us (Psalm 147:5) our hearts will still try to resist Him. 1 John 3:20 speaks specifically on trusting that God’s heart is greater than ours!

“For whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything.”

The last thing I want to touch on in this section is the fact that we will mess up! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve told God that I was going to surrender my life to Him, and then almost immediately turn around and run away from Him. Please remember that God has so much grace!

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,” (Ephesians 2:4 KJV) I once had a basketball coach who said, “It’s only embarrassing if you quit!” Just repent and get back to Him!

Here are some other great verses on surrendering I found!

Matthew 16:24

Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

Proverbs 23:26

My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.

Deuteronomy 6:5

And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

What Does A Life Surrendered To God Look Like?

When you think of a life surrendered to God, what do you think of? For me, it’s someone who says no to their flesh, no to the world, and follows Jesus. They follow Him by simply obeying His Word! That’s it! Our hearts are very deceitful and desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9). If we just look around we can see all the evil in the world (Romans 12:2). Jesus is loving (1 John 4:16), kind (Titus 3:5), faithful (1 John 1:9), all-knowing (Psalm 147:5), just (Deuteronomy 32:4), and so much more (Psalm 145:9)! Do you see why we should want to follow Jesus anyway?!

Yesterday at church, our preacher was preaching on freedom. He said something about how if you’re not dependent on God, you’re not truly free. If you would have told me this about a year ago, I wouldn’t have believed that statement as much as I believe it now.

Almost five years ago I started making YouTube videos with my siblings. The older I got, the more I loved making videos, and the more passionate I got about being a YouTuber. I started making YouTube my priority in life without even noticing. I would push my family, friends, and even God aside just to record or edit a video. By the time I got done uploading one, I would look at my list of ideas and go straight back into making another one. Social Media totally consumed my life and I had let it. I was never truly satisfied with my views, likes, subscribers, or followers. It wasn’t until we were quarantined that I started praying and talking to God about how I used my time. I knew I needed to put YouTube aside and make Jesus my focus in life. I didn’t know if it was a permanent decision or just temporarily, but either way, it wasn’t an easy call to make. While I wasn’t ever content, I still really enjoyed almost everything about putting a video together! I had two choices. Follow my heart and continue to ruin my life with depression, anxiety, and worthless views, or repent and turn to a life of freedom from the bondage I had been feeling just to entertain myself. God answered my prayer loud and clear, and after being convicted for a little while, I decided to put my YouTube life on pause. This was one of the biggest steps I think I personally took to surrender every part of myself to Jesus. I have found more joy and contentment than I thought I would have in the beginning! I’ve now been able to experience loving moments with my family and friends without freaking out because “I should be vlogging this!”, start this amazing ministry with the coolest girls ever, and get to know God in such a deep way! YouTube wasn’t the problem, but how I was using it was. I wasn’t surrendering my time to Him. Maybe you have something specific on your mind that you know you need to surrender to God. I pray you take a leap of faith and jump into God’s loving arms! Matthew 16:26 is a great verse to meditate on while you make that decision. It says “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? “

We’d love to pray, keep you guys accountable, or just talk with any of y’all!

DM us on:

Instagram:  _girlsforjesus_

Facebook: Girls For Jesus (Facebook group)

Email us at girlsforjesus1@gmail.com

Who is our God?

Who is our God?

God is the Creator of the universe, of mankind, the animals, and the beautiful landscape. He is almighty and powerful. He is perfect, it’s hard to picture being perfect since all of mankind isn’t perfect but there is absolutely no flaw to God. God is love. He is the way, the truth and the life. He is all-knowing, it’s crazy to think that He knows everything. He is the beginning and the ending, it’s hard to fathom that he was, is, and always will be here but it’s true! These are just a few things I (Aly) could think of, but one of my favorites is that He’s our friend. I love that no matter what we always have a friend in Jesus.

-What is God?

“To admit that there is One who lies beyond us, who exists outside of all our categories, who will not be dismissed with a name, who will not appear before the bar of our reason, nor submit to our curious inquiries: this requires a great deal of humility, more than most of us possess, so we save face by thinking God down to our level, or at least down to where we can manage Him.”- AW Tozer

Instead of “thinking God down to our level”, lest really explore Our God. He is too holy just to be thought of as a human. With that being said, there is nothing or no one like God, so our little human minds can’t fully understand everything about God. Not to mention how ultimately magnificent He is compared to anything or anyone we know of! While you won't be able to fully understand what God is after reading this section, we pray that y’all be able to take away a few things we’ve pointed out!

God is:

A FATHER

Understanding God as our Father is beneficial for our relationship with Him. Whether or not you have a godly father, seeing God as a Father figure helps us understand who He is. Here are some verses that show God as a Father.

Isaiah 9:6

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

1 Corinthians 8:6

But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.

Isaiah 64:8

But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.

A SON

God came to earth in the form of a Man named Jesus. So in a way, God was a Man. Jesus was the Son of God, but still God at the same time. Here are some verses about God as The Son!

John 10:30

I and my Father are one.

(Jesus was talking)

John 14:9

Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?

Matthew 1:23

Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

(That Son was Jesus)

A SPIRIT

God as The Holy Spirit is a little difficult to understand. The Holy Spirit helps believers by  assisting them in prayer, He grantees our salvation once we accept God as our Savior, and gives believers wisdom to help us understand God (He does a lot of other things, but these three specific works of The Holy Spirit stood out to me!)

1 Corinthians 2:10

But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.

John 4:24

God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Acts 5:3-4

[3] But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?[4] Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.

The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit is God. They are not three different God’s, just God working in three different ways. Think of it like this! My (McKenzie’s) mom is a stay-at-home mom, homeschool teacher, and a massage therapist. Whenever I wake up to start school, I need Mom as a teacher. Later in the day whenever I go to soccer practice I need Mom as a stay-at-home mom, so I can get to the field on time. Then before I go to bed I need Mom as a massage therapist, because I pulled something while playing soccer. I don’t think of my mama as three different people whenever she does different things for me. She’s just my mom! That’s how you can think of God!

-Where is He?

God is omnipresent, which means He is everywhere at the same time. To answer the question, God is everywhere (Proverbs 15:3, Jeremiah 23:24, Psalm 139:7-12)! God is the only One who can be omnipresent. While He is omnipresent, the Bible shows us more specifically where each part of Him is at. If you look in Isaiah 66:1, we see that God as The Father lives in Heaven. Then if we look at Mark 16:19, it says that Jesus is sitting at the right hand of God as The Father. Finally, God as The Holy Spirit lives in everyone who accepts Jesus as their Savior (1 Corinthians 6:19).

-What does He do?

“We can not understand God apart from His works, because what God does flows from who He is.”- Got questions

This quote from https://www.gotquestions.org/ is perfectly said! To know God we need to really understand what He does. Let’s look at some verses to try and figure out what God does (btw! All of these verses are KJV!).

God FORGIVES!

1 John 1:9

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Our God is forgiving! If we tell God that we’re sorry for sinning, and actually mean it, then ask for His forgiveness, He will forgive us. No doubt about it!

God SAVES!

Romans 10:13

For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

We have a whole blog post explaining this verse, and how to “call upon the name of the Lord”! It’s called Stop Thinking of Death as the End. We encourage you guys to read it! We believe it’s the most important blog post we’ll ever write. Here! -https://gfj.mozello.com/blog/params/post/2340759/stop-thinking-of-death-as-the-end

God LOVES!

John 3:16

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.

At first, I wanted to try and search for a less common verse to use for God’s love. I realize sometimes the more you hear something, the less meaning it can mean to you. But I decided to just stick with John 3:16 because It speaks so much truth in one sentence! God LOVES us! He loves us so much, He gave His Son to die a tragic death. A death that not only had the most physical pain anyone could ever go through, but also spiritual, emotional, and mental pain we will never have to go through! THIS IS MORE LOVE THAN WE WILL EVER BE ABLE TO GIVE!

God DISCIPLINES!

Revelation 3:19

As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

While God doesn’t want us to be in pain, He would rather us be in pain for a little while rather than suffer long-term consequences in the future. He loves us so much He doesn’t want us to turn away from Him. He knows turning to anyone/anything but Him would lead us to a LOT of trouble. A simple example is this: Say your parents found out you were vaping. I looked up what happens when you vape, and this popped up. “Vaping puts nicotine into the body. Nicotine is highly addictive and can: slow brain development in teens and affect memory, concentration, learning, self-control, attention, and mood. increase the risk of other types of addiction later in life.” If your parents truly loved you then they would discipline you out of love! Not because of anger for whatever reason or because of hate. Yes, unfortunately, there are people in this world who mistreat their kids and discipline them for all the wrong reasons and awful motives, but we have to remember that this is not how God disciplines. Even while God disciplines His children, He is still for them, not against them!

God ANSWERS PRAYERS!

Psalm 91:15

He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honor him.

No this doesn’t mean that if we pray for the new Xbox Series X God will automatically give it to us. It doesn’t even mean God will give us things that seem good! I’m not saying it’s wrong to get the new Xbox! “things that seem good” as in maybe a good grade on a test or money for a friend’s birthday gift. God always answers though! He’ll say one of three things. Yes, no, or not now. He gives us an answer that will best benefit His will for our lives! About a month ago I (McKenzie) posted something on our Instagram and Facebook, talking about a time my family and I were close to a tornado and I was struggling to trust God with the situation. While I knew God could call the storm to stop with His voice, I also knew He could have let it hit our house. Not because He didn’t hear our prayers or wanted us hurt, but because He may have had a different plan. We were all fine, but even if we weren’t God still would have been in control, He still would have been for us, and He still would have been good! So when He says “I will deliver him, and honour him.”, this may not mean what we want it to mean, but we can still trust God with any situation.

God LISTENS!

Psalm 116:1-2

[1] I love the LORD, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications.[2] Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live.

People will trick you into believing that God isn’t listening. Maybe even you trick yourself into thinking that at times! But just because God says “No” or “Not now” doesn’t mean He’s not listening to you. These verses show us loud and clear that whenever we talk to God, He’s right there listening to every word you say!

“I'm not just hopin', I'm not just wishin'

I know I'm prayin' to a God who listens

I know He hears me, I know He's livin'

Yes, I am prayin' to a God who listens”

(This is a great worship song by Christ Tomlin and Thomas Rhett!! It’s called “God Who Listens”.)

God SPEAKS TO US!

John 10:27

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

Just like you would want to talk to your friends, God, our Friend who sticks closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24), wants to talk to us! God has so much He wants to tell us. He LITERALLY wrote a book of everything He wants us to know (HINT: It’s the Bible!)! He’s ready to speak to you if you’re ready to listen.

God WORKS!

Philippians 4:13

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

This verse shows us that God is very much so working for us. If there’s a will, there’s away! If God wants us to do something, we can do it with His help. We just have to put in the work. Sometimes we only use this verse for the “really hard or important things''. Like collage or fighting temptations. While we absolutely should remind ourselves of this verse whenever these situations come up, God is just as able and willing to work for us whenever we try to work out, get homework done, or just be kind to someone who makes kindness look impossible! The list goes on!

These are just some of the many things that God does all the time. And did you notice a pattern within this list? All of these things that we’ve mentioned are done FOR US! There is none higher than God. God is the most important One ever. He is “King of kings and Lord of lords” (Revelation 19:16). Yet He is so interested in YOUR life! He doesn’t HAVE to be! He’s God. He can do whatever He wants, and He chooses to be loving, faithful, and kind to us little humans. Just think about that for a minute.

-What is He like?

The first thing I could think of when I started writing this section was merciful. God is so merciful that He sent His only son to die on a cross for us, even though we’re sinful creatures who did not deserve His forgiveness. The fact that God will just forgive our sins and let us spend eternity in paradise with Him also shows His mercy. The second thing I thought of was faithful. He is faithful to His children. No matter what happens, we can know that He will not leave us. After we sin, He doesn’t just say, “Okay I tried, I give up.” He keeps persisting and trying to make His children more like Him. He is also very forgiving. He’ll forgive us, no matter the sins we commit. These are only a couple of the characteristics of our God. Some others include loving, honest, accepting, and so many more!

What does He have to do with me?

The answer to this question is… everything. He has everything to do with you. He created you! He wants us to give our lives to Him, to find a friend in Him, and overall He wants us to live our lives for Him.

We hope you enjoyed reading our “Who is God?” blog! If you have any questions please feel free to message us on Instagram or Facebook😁

Ruth

Ruth

This week, our blog post is on a well known woman in the Bible. Her name was Ruth. Ruth is one of the finest examples of a Godly woman that we see in the Bible. Sometimes, after tragedy happens, our sinful human flesh causes us to give up on God. This was not what Ruth did at all. After famine struck the land she lived in, and her husband died, she didn’t give up on the Lord. She traveled to Moab, trusting Christ throughout everything.

Before trip to Bethlehem

There was a man named Elimelech. He had a wife named Naomi and two sons named Mahlon and Chilion. They lived in Bethlehem but then

there was a famine in Bethlehem and they moved to Moab. It’s not clear how but Elimelech died in Moab. Mahlon and Chilion married two Moabite women and their names were Orpah and Ruth. They all stayed in Moab for ten years before Mahlon and Chilion died (the Bible doesn’t say how they died). Naomi heard that the Lord had visited his people in Bethlehem and she decided to go back. Naomi told Orpah and Ruth that they should go back to their parents and live with them. Orpah decided that she would go back home but Ruth wanted to go with Naomi.

“And Ruth said, Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the Lord do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.”

Ruth 1:16-17

Journey to Bethlehem

They made their way to Bethlehem and when the people saw her they asked, “Is this Naomi?” And Naomi said to them, “Call me not Naomi, call me Mara; (which means bitter) for the Almighty hath dealt bitterly with me.”

They had come during the time of barley harvest, so Ruth would have to go out into the fields and collect the barley.

Life in Bethlehem

Ruth was “coincidentally” collecting barley in a field that belonged to Boaz, Naomi’s kinsman. Back then a kinsman was a cultural practice in Israel. If a man in the family had died then it was the kinsmen’s responsibility to marry the widow and then take care of the land and family. Keep in mind that at this time Ruth does not know that the field belonged to Boaz. Ruth asked Boaz’s servants if she could collect barley in that field, and when they allowed her she had worked since morning and took little breaks in the house. This tells us that this woman was a hard worker! Boaz had noticed Ruth while she was collecting barley in the field, and asked his servants about her. They told him things like, where she came from, who she came with, and what a hard worker she was. Once Boaz had found all of this out, he told Ruth that she could work beside his maidens (his maidens were working in an area where the barley was better and there was a lot of it, unlike the area she was originally allowed to work in). He also said that she could drink the water that his servants drew. Ruth thanked him and asked why he was being so kind to her. He tells her that he was told of her loyalty towards Naomi and that’s why he had been so generous to her! Not only that, Boaz invited Ruth to eat with his servants at meal time. He obviously really respected this woman and wasn’t bias to the fact that she was a Moabite (Moabites had a bad reputation in Israel). This says a lot about both of them! It shows the kind of person Boaz was, because he didn’t judge her by her past and where she came from, but saw her kind heart and loved and admired her by her recent actions instead. It also shows that Ruth gave this man reasons to trust her, love her, and respect her, despite her past.

Marrying Boaz

Ruth came back to Naomi after she collected barley for that day and Naomi asked Ruth where she went to collect the barley. Ruth tells her that the man whose field she worked in was named Boaz. Saying Naomi was thrilled is probably an understatement!! “And Naomi said unto her daughter in law, Blessed be he of the LORD, who hath not left off his kindness to the living and to the dead.  And Naomi said unto her, The man is near of kin unto us, one of our next kinsmen.” (Ruth 2:20 KJV). Naomi tells her to stop wearing clothes of a mourning widow and present herself as a bachelorette. After Ruth does that, Naomi tells her “get thee down to the floor:” which meant she wanted her to go to the field that Boaz was working in that night, and ask him to be her protector. She wanted her to do that after Boaz had eaten and drank. Once Boaz had his meal “his heart was marry” (Ruth 3:7). Aren’t we all “marry” after we have supper?! Boaz laid down “at the end of the heap of corn”. Verse 3:7 says that Ruth “came softly, and uncovered his feet, and laid her down.”  Why on earth would Ruth uncover Boaz’ feet and then LAY THERE at his feet? Ewwww!! I mean this man had been working and they didn’t have nice Adidas shoes to keep dust and dirt off of their sweaty feet back then. What was Ruth thinkin’? Back in those days it was a custom that if a woman slept at a man’s feet, then she was asking for his protection (so basically asking him to marry her!). Something in the middle of the night wakes Boaz up and he sees Ruth at his feet. At first he didn’t know it was Ruth, so whenever he saw her and asked who she was this was her response: “I am Ruth thine handmaid: spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid; for thou art a near kinsman.”. For him to “Spread therefore thy skirt [cover/blanket/cloak] over '' her meant that, yes, he would marry her!! HE SAID YES!!! From Boaz’ response in verse 3:10 we can really see that Boaz loved Ruth. It says “And he said, Blessed be thou of the LORD, my daughter: for thou hast shewed more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning, inasmuch as thou followest not young men, whether poor or rich.”! That and also all he had done for Ruth to begin with. I really believe that this was more than just a “Oh, I need to marry this man for protection”, but I think God truly blessed their marriage and brought Ruth and Boaz together through love. Love for Naomi and love for each other! Now we find out that there was another man who was closer to Naomi which meant he should have married Ruth. But where there is a will there's a way! God shut that door and Ruth and Boaz did get married! This is just another thing that shows me that Boaz and Ruth were in love. If it was all about Ruth and Naomi’s protection then it wouldn’t matter to God that the other kindsman married Ruth. But God did care, so He made a way!

After marriage

I wonder what weddings were like back in those days. I highly doubt Boaz and Ruth had a DJ announcing “Please welcome, Mr. and Mrs. Boaz!!” to the dance floor, but something similar probably happened… Right? Haha! However they celebrated their marriage after the other kinsman gave Boaz his shoe (this meant that Boaz could marry Ruth instead of the original kinsman), we are told in verses 4:9-10 that they were now married! This story started out with Naomi and Ruth in a terrible situation and in a mourning stage of life, yet still loyal to God. It ended with Naomi, Ruth, AND Boaz celebrating the birth of their son, Obed! This story is believed to have taken place within 10 years. Year one, Ruth was a Moabite widow who could have easily gone back to her family and gods, and then year 10, was a wife to an amazing, wealthy, Godly man, and was a great-grandma (she was years up the line, but still a great-grandma!) to the One and Only Messiah, Jesus Christ Himself! God always has a plan, and can use anyone who is willing to follow Him!

What can we learn from Ruth?

When we take a few minutes to focus on God's word, (just like what you’re doing right now) we always want to take something away from it. After all, the reason that God put the Bible in our lives is so that we could learn from Him. Well the question is, “What can we take away from the story of Ruth?” Well, first of all, Ruth did not leave Naomi. In the passage that was mentioned in an earlier section, Ruth 1:16-17, “...Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried:” Ruth is basically saying that she would die, as long as she could stay by Naomi’s side. Secondly, she trusted God through all of the bad things that happened in her life.

Easter is for Jesus

Easter Is For Jesus!

Have you ever wondered “Why do we celebrate Easter?” Well, I’ll tell you one thing! It’s not just to hide eggs and be terrified by a man in a bunny costume “hopping” towards you (How do people really expect kids to act whenever what appears to be a fluffy man starts chasing after you?!! I’m convinced whoever thought of an Easter bunny costume first was just trying to scare their kids!). It’s because we want to celebrate our Lord, Jesus, for rising from the dead years ago! He died an agonizing death JUST because He loves us! He did it for you and me. We want to learn and be reminded about everything our precious Lord did for us. As you hear about Resurrection day at church this coming Sunday or finish reading this blog post, be careful to not become numb to the story. EVERY year our Pastor talks about the Resurrection, and to be honest, whenever you hear about something over and over again, we sometimes kinda tune whoever is talking out, because we already know what they’re going to say, right?! Well no matter how many times I hear the Easter story, I always get something out of it! Ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you the next time you start becoming numb to something He’s trying to teach you.

His Death

Jesus’ death was one of the most agonizing stories I (Natalee) have ever heard of. Crucifixion is one of the most painful deaths possible. Before Christ was even crucified, He was beaten by several men with a cat of nine tails. (This is a type of whip with nine different ends on it. It can have stones, glass, or more attached to it.) Some even say that He was whipped so badly that, after they were finished, He was unrecognizable as a man. Then, they forced Him to carry His cross to the hill at Calvary. He was hurt so badly, that someone else had to carry it for Him. After that, He was held to the cross by nails that were driven into His hands and feet. Not only did He have to hang there, but people who die through crucifixion usually die through slow suffocation. They have to push up on their feet, in order to breathe, and with the nails in His feet, that was very difficult. After all this time in agony, the first words He said were “Forgive them, Father. For they know not what they do.” He was not angry at the people for this, however, He wanted God to forgive them. After hanging on the cross for six hours, He died.

His Burial

After Jesus had died, Joseph of Arimathaea went to Pilate and begged him to release Jesus’ body to him (Joseph). So that he could put ointments on Jesus and lay him in a tomb that he (Joseph) owned. Pilate agreed, and Joseph and a few other men took Jesus’ body off the cross and carried him to the tomb (which was in the middle of a garden). Joseph put ointments on Jesus and then wrapped Him in linen cloth. Then they rolled a big stone in front of the tomb. The centurion (the centurion was kind of like the government back then) was afraid that the disciples might come after Jesus’ body so they put two guards in front of Jesus’ tomb and they placed a seal over the stone. That way if someone moved the stone they would know because the seal would be broken.

The Resurrection

Though this story may seem sad and dreary right now, it has an extremely happy ending! After three days in the tomb, He rose again. “Fear not. ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as He said.” (Matthew 28:5-6) This is what an angel said to Mary Magdalene, when she arrived at the tomb on the third day. When they went inside the tomb, the linen cloth (written about in the previous section) was neatly folded where His head would have been laying. The Lord stayed on Earth for forty days after the resurrection. He did this for two reasons. The first reason would be that He wanted to show His followers that He was indeed risen from the dead. The second reason is that He wanted to prepare His disciples to preach the word all across the world. After these forty days, He ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of God.

Why He Had To Die And Rise Up Again

I (McKenzie) was listening to a podcast the other day (And whenever I say “the other day” I obviously mean about two months ago). It was the Unashamed podcast (Episode 183) and Jase Robertson said “He became a man because God can’t die.” in his amazing southern accent. God had to… Well… God had to do NOTHING!! God CHOSE to come to earth in the form of a man (Jesus) so HE could save us from Hell. Since Jesus is God and God can do everything, why did He have to die to save us? It may seem like a dramatic way to save us, but it was the only perfect way to do so! Because sin can not be in Heaven (Revelation 21:27) our souls would have had to go to Hell whenever we die because we all have sinned (Romans 3:23). God loves us so much that even though we deserve Hell (no matter what sin you have committed, the consequence is Hell. That’s how serious sin is!!) because we disobeyed the Holy God, God still loved us and wanted us with Him. So He promised a Messiah who would come and save us from Hell. Because Jesus took the punishment for our eternal sins, we don’t have to! Now, we can choose to accept Jesus into our hearts (Our blog “Stop Thinking Of Life As The End” explains how you can accept Him in your heart!) and instead of being defined by sin, we can be defined by Jesus. Only Jesus Himself could love you this much!

Happy Easter Everyone!

We hope that you guys enjoyed our Easter blog! And that if you’ve heard about Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection before that you were reminded of God’s amazing love for us. Maybe this is the first time you’ve heard of this incredible story. Either way, we hope you enjoyed reading.

As Easter is coming up remember that it’s not about the Easter bunny or candy or any of that… Easter is for Jesus!

Where Should We Find Our Identity

This question has one simple answer. As Christians, we should find our identity in Christ. Because of our sinful nature, we find our identity and things of the world. I know that I (Natalee) personally have struggled with this in my life. Since I stopped homeschooling and came to a charter school, Social Media and the people I was around definitely affected who and what I found my identity in. Starting GFJ really helped me to start digging deeper into God’s word, and understanding that my identity lies, not in the world, but in Him. I hope reading this blog post can help you to do the same.

Where Are You Getting Your Identity?

Like Natalee has already mentioned, it’s hard not to find your identity in the world. I (McKenzie) can pretty much guarantee you that everyone around you at some point has found their identity and self-worth in someone or something that they shouldn’t have. This isn’t something we have to say or do, so a lot of times we place our identity somewhere it shouldn’t be without even thinking. That is one of the many reasons we should spend time in the Bible so we can really align our thoughts with God. At one point in my life, I loved filming, editing, and uploading videos to social media! I was “the girl who loved posting to YouTube''! All of my family and most of my friends knew that, so when the computer I used to edit stopped working I had no clue who I even was! All that time I just thought of it as a fun hobby I was passionate about, but whenever I didn’t have the computer to make videos with, I quickly found out it had actually become an ideal in my life and that’s where I had found my identity. Whenever we look to someone or something in the world to give us our identity, our identity will often change. You could put your identity in how amazingly clear your face is, but tomorrow whenever you wake up and find out that the sunscreen you used the day before made you break out, then you’re also probably going to put your identity in each pimple on your face. When we as Christians put our worth and identity in God, the maker of Heaven and Earth we could never be disappointed, but rather humbled that the Most High values us! We often place our identity in our occupation, our education, our hobbies, our abilities, our appearance, our family, and the list could probably go on! So… Where are YOU getting your identity RIGHT NOW? And be honest with yourself! Lying only makes things worse. Maybe take time to really pray and think about it!

How Can You Get Your Identity In Jesus?

You may be asking yourself “How do I get my identity in Jesus?”

2 Corinthians 5:17 says:

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

Once you are saved, you should strive to do what is right and you shouldn’t have that desire to sin like you did before, because like the verse says “old things are passed away”. ( Just so there’s no misunderstanding I’m not saying Christians don’t sin because we do, everyone has a sinful nature, and being a Christian doesn’t change that but we should still want to do what’s right, and when we do sin we should want to make it right.)

After you’ve accepted Jesus into your heart, like the verse says, “All things become new” that includes your identity. So once you’ve become a Christian your identity automatically changes to being in Jesus. If you’re already a Christian there isn’t anything “special” you need to do to get your identity in Jesus, you’ve already got it.

What Is Ephesians One Even Trying To Say?

Ephesians one is a chapter that I (McKenzie) find myself going over in my head time and time again. Jesus is literally painting our worth and identity over us in such a humbling and comforting way! Ephesians was written by Paul (an apostle of Jesus Christ) while he was put in prison by the Romans, and it was a letter to the people of Ephesus (The Ephesians!). While Paul wrote the letter for the Ephesians to apply to their lives, God gave it to us for the same reason (2 Timothy 3:16-17). The verses that we are looking at today (Verses 3-14) are intended, by Paul, to praise God, not ourselves! When I first saw these verses I looked at them in such a prideful way. Almost like “Wow! Look at me! I’M chosen! I’M accepted by the God of the universe!”, and while God is showing us who we are in Him, Paul was writing this to show us who God is( v.1 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ: who hath…”)! Now because I know if I literally write out all of the verses and talk about each one, y’all would probably just skip this section and go to the next. So for that reason here is a KJV bible website you can use if you don’t have a Bible (https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Ephesians-Chapter-1/ ) because we really want to encourage y’all to go to the Word for y’alls self the next time you get a minute! But what our identity in these verses is a lot different than our “identity” according to the world. While the world will tell us that our identity is in our grades, past, belongings, looks, talents, Instagram followers, how popular we are, you fill in the blank, God is saying that we are CHOSEN (v. 2)! Not only that, but He chose US, little humans who have failed him in countless ways, “before the foundation of the world”! You and I (if you are saved) were chosen by God before the earth was even made! So we know that we are chosen, and while seeing this can really already change the way we think of our identity, He doesn’t stop there. We are adopted (v.5), accepted (v.6), redeemed (v.7), forgiven (v.7), sealed with the Holy Spirit (v.13... God is the Holy Spirit!), and He is now our inheritance (v.14)! See what I mean by Jesus painting our identity over us?! He just lays it out there with no holding back. We encourage you guys to really memorize and hide these verses in your heart. Not all at one time, but maybe just start on one verse every week or so. This way, next time your flesh is wanting to give in to what the world says about you, we can turn away from these dishonest thoughts and turn to God for our identity!

The One Who Designed You Gets To Define You!

I feel like there are a lot of people who let the world define who they are. I know how hard it can be to try not to let that sort of thing get to you. I (Aly) love horses. Pretty much everyone who knows me well enough knows that about me. And sometimes people will make little comments here and there about how I like horses. Like for example: One time in Sunday school my youth pastor asked me a question about the lesson and it took me a minute to think and someone in my class said “Oh she’s probably thinking about horses.” And I feel like that’s all people know me as is “horse girl” which obviously isn’t a bad thing at all. Even though horses are a big part of who I am and what I love to do that’s not all I am.

You might feel the same way I do about a certain thing people define you as, but we shouldn’t let other people define who we are. The only person you should let define you is Jesus.

Ephesians 2:10 says:

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

The Lord created man from dust, and he created us in His image. Every little detail about you from the color of your hair to what activities you love, that’s exactly the way Jesus wanted you to be.

The people around you may know things about you because you’ve told them those things but Jesus is all knowing. He knows absolutely everything there is to know about you. He knows how many hairs are on your head but most importantly He knows your heart.

Now, I’d say that the way Jesus looks at you and me and the way He defines us is way more important than what other people may think.

I Am Who You Say I Am!

I (Natalee) hope this blog has helped you to understand where Christians should find our identity. We should not be worrisome about what the world thinks of us, but about what the Lord of the world thinks about us. As Christians, the world is going to constantly ridicule us about our religion and our relationship with Christ. We must not think on these things and only on the things of the Creator.

Should We Get Revenge?

Should we get revenge?

“Should I get revenge on so and so?” This might be a question you’ve been asking, and the simple answer is no. The reason why you shouldn’t is, think of it this way… no matter what sin you’ve committed, God will always forgive you and he never even thinks about getting revenge. So the next time you go to “plan your revenge” just remember the countless sins you’ve committed and how God has/ will never plan on getting revenge

What is revenge?

“To inflict pain or injury in return for an injury received.” is how the KJV Dictionary defines the word “revenge”  ( REVENGE - Definition from the KJV Dictionary ). This could be physical, emotional, or mental pain or injury. So whenever the Bible says that we should “Bless them that curse you [ KJV Dictionary also defineds “curse” as “To utter a wish of evil against one; to imprecate evil upon; to call for mischief or injury to fall upon; to execrate”], and pray for them that despitefully use you.” (Luke 6:28), it means that we shouldn’t “inflict pain or injury in return” to the person who hurt you. If you did go through with the revenge it wouldn’t be blessing the other person and that’s not how you pray for them either. The way I (McKenzie) learn best is by using “stories” or a scenario as an example. So let's try to imagine ourselves back at school. We’re in a line with a few other classmates and you’ve been patiently waiting for a turn to get a sip of water at the water fountain. The person in front of you just got done and you go to take your turn when someone gets in front of you and starts drinking the water. You have two choices! You could yell “Hey, man I was here first!” and give him/her a push out of the way. OR you could keep your cool and just wait for this one more person to get a drink. Which would you do? Our Wednesday night teacher gave us this scenario about a year or two ago. As much as I love her, I was definitely siding with the first example! “I wouldn’t let a kid push me around! That brat needs to re-recognize!”, but if I didn’t want a kid to “push me around” I could calmly say something to him/her. If this kid has done multiple things to you and/or others, we have teachers and people around us working in a school for a reason. So, no, don’t let people bully you, but don’t “take matters in your own hands” and go against God’s word. You may not be hurting this kid by going alone with the first example, but Romans 12:17 says “Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.” (KJV). By doing evil against someone, you are still hurting them.

What does God say about getting revenge?

You might be wondering what the Bible says about getting revenge, and that is what this section is for. The book of Matthew states, “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;” (Matthew 5:44 KJV) That is easier said than done, even for people who have been Christians for majority of their lives. No one is ever going to be a “perfect Christian.” That is why the Lord gave us His word, so that we can learn how to become better Christians. Satan will continuously try to deceive us into longing for revenge on others. Another verse that tells us what God says about getting revenge is Romans 12:18. This verse says,”If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.” Jesus knows that this will be very difficult for our sinful, human nature. This is why He states, “...as much as lieth in you... “ He knows that Satan is going to tempt us to the best of his ability. This is why He died on the cross for our sins. (If you haven’t accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior, please read our blog post, “Stop Thinking of Death as the End!” or email or message us if you have any questions!

Revenge isn’t getting even!

Whenever we get revenge on people, we tend to feel like we are getting even with them. If Sally tells Joey that Kelly has a  crush on him, then Kelly is only obligated to tell Bobby that Sally has a crush on him. Kelly feels like now that she and Sally are “even” they can go back to being friends and now she can forgive her. If you haven’t read our blog “Forgiveness”, then we encourage you to read that after this one. But in that blog post, we talk about how we should forgive people whenever they do wrongs against us. So rather than waiting until we are “healed”, we need to forgive others right then. If you already read the blog then you may be getting excited and thinking “Yeah, well y’all (if you’re a southerner)/ you guys (if you’re a yankee ;) ) said that forgiving isn’t forgetting!  “Bob”/”Bobelina” needs consequences for what he/she did to me!” While they need consequences, are you the one put in place to enforce the consequence? And consequences and revenge are two very different things (as you will learn in the next section!). We think that now that we've hurt the other person back we are on top again. We’re above the person who originally hurt us, or at least “at their level again”. I love that God has given me (McKenzie) so many Godly people to look up to! One person I admire very much is my online Bible teacher, Mr. Kopp. He did a lesson on revenge, and I just had to share some things that he said with y’all!  “When we get back or get even, we think we’re getting ahead, right? We think we’re getting on top or scoring more against that person, then that person scored against us. But when we, so to speak, get even with somebody, we’re not winning. We’re not coming out on top. What’s happening is that we’re actually getting, not even, but lower. When we do such foolish things as try to embarrass somebody worse than he’s embarrassed us. We’re digging a deeper hole of shame for ourselves then the hole of embarrassment or harm then that person tried to put us in. So getting even? What do you think? No. Getting lower? Yes.” I could go on quoting Mr. Kopp, but I know that would be too long so I'll just sum up everything else he said. He goes on to talk about how we get deceived by thinking we are winning. Our sinful flesh feels like we are winning, but in reality we are digging our hole of shame deeper and deeper. Hurting other people doesn’t bring us to the top, but pushes us down lower.

Are consequences the same as revenge?

According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, revenge is defined as, “to avenge (oneself or another) usually by retaliating in kind or degree.” According to Google Dictionary, consequence means, “a result or effect of an action or condition.” Like you might be, when I (Natalee) first started writing this section, I was very confused about the difference between these two words. After doing lots of Biblical and online research about these words, I found that these words do have two completely different meanings. Let’s start with the first word: revenge. In my own words, this means getting back at someone out of spite because they did something to hurt you. To me, revenge is hurting someone because they hurt you. God calls His people to forgive, not get revenge. Now, let’s move on to our second word: consequences. To me, this word means something that happens due to a situation that you are in. If you don’t understand what I’m saying, here is an example. Someone in your class falls asleep everyday during class, and your teacher decides to give him detention. This is a consequence for the student’s choices, rather than the teacher getting revenge on him. This is the same principle when people go to Hell. This is the consequence of our sins. Jesus doesn’t send people to hell because they wronged Him. In fact, He doesn’t want His children to go to Hell. That is why He chose to die on the cross and pay for our sins.

What to do instead of getting revenge?

Instead of planning your revenge against someone, how about instead you pray about it. I don’t mean just say a little prayer I mean actually telling God about how you’re feeling. Tell him how much it’s upsetting you and how you just want to forgive that person and move on. I promise that if you pray and ask for Jesus’ help, he will help you get through it much easier and quicker than if you were to try and get revenge against that person.

We hope this blog has answered all of your questions about revenge, and we hope you enjoyed reading:)

Forgiveness

Forgiveness

“Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.” (Colossians 3:13 KJV) Forgiving is something that God calls to do, but He knows it is difficult for our human flesh to do so. I know that I (Natalee) Have trouble with forgiving, especially when it comes to forgiving my siblings. It can be very difficult to forgive others, especially if they have wronged us very badly, but the Bible says that we should forgive, just as Christ has forgiven us! “But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,  bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.” (Luke 6:27-28 KJV)

What is Forgiveness?

Forgiveness… the words that come to mind when I (Aly) think of this word, are: moving on, understanding and love.  Now let me explain a little bit...

Moving on: Whenever someone does a wrong against you, don’t dwell on it. You should truly forgive them and move on as friends, family etc.

Understanding: Let’s say someone were to run into you at a grocery store (on accident of course) and they were to apologize and you would have to be understanding that the fact that accidents happen and you’ve probably done the same thing before.

Love: If a close friend were to promise that they would do something for you and then they forgot. And down the road they asked for forgiveness, even though it was something you were really looking forward to. You should love them enough to overlook and know that people forget and you would want them to act the same way toward you if you forgot something.

How Do We Forgive?

As I (Natalee) stated in the introduction, forgiving others can be a very difficult thing to do, especially for our sinful human flesh. God calls us to forgive, just like He continuously forgives us for our sins. According to Merriam- Webster Dictionary, to forgive is “to cease to feel resentment against.” Why do we have to forgive? Why can’t we just go on about our lives being angry at someone forever for something that they did? Well, the Bible states, “But if ye do not forgive, neither will your father in heaven forgive your tresspasses.” (Mark 11:26 KJV) In other words, if we are not willing to forgive someone else for one thing that they committed against us, the Lord will not forgive us for the many things we’ve done against Him. This is not saying that God will not save us if we’ve ever held a grudge against anyone. The verse is just saying that by holding these grudges, our relationship with Christ can be damaged. As Christians, we must be an example to non-believers. If they do something wrong against us, and we do not forgive them, we are not showing the light of Jesus as God has called us to do. Another passage states, “ Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:31-32) Another way that we can move the forgiving process forward is by talking to the person who wronged you, and even praying for that person.. James 5:16 KJV states, “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”

Why We Should Forgive

I’m sure that a lot of people struggle with “Why should I forgive this person after everything they’ve done”. I (Aly) know I struggle with it sometimes, but think about it this way… If Jesus could come to earth as a baby and grow up to one day die on the cross for EVERYONE on this earth sins’ I think we can forgive someone for whatever they did. I know that whenever I’m struggling to forgive someone, I think about that and whatever they did seems pretty small compared to what Jesus did. Another reason you should forgive someone is like Romans 3:23 says “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” Everyone on this earth is a sinner and whenever you sin you’re gonna want your friends, family and acquaintances to forgive you just like they want you to forgive them.

‭So whenever you just can’t seem to forgive someone look back on this verse to help you through it:        

“And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭4:32‬ ‭

When should we forgive?

Whenever someone does something to offend you… Forgive them! Whenever someone hurts you mentally or physically… Forgive them! Whenever someone does something wrong to your family, friends, maybe even country… Forgive them then too! Anytime you have “hard feelings” against someone because of something they did, we need to forgive them for whatever it was. How long should we wait until we forgive the other person? Well whenever Jesus was dying on the cross He said, “...Father, forgive them;...” -Luke 23:34 KJV. He forgave the people killing Him,/ while they were killing Him! So don’t wait a week or so before deciding to forgive someone. Forgive them right then! 

How often should we forgive?

It is part of our human nature to do things that upset or hurt people, and need forgiveness. If someone does something to us over and over, continuously expecting forgiveness, should we forgive them? The answer is yes! We should forgive everyone no matter what they’ve done or how many times they've  done it. Now, I know what you’re thinking. “That is a lot easier said than done.” I know it is, and so does God! This is why He forgives us for the wrong things that we do. You might be thinking, “So if someone does me wrong a ton of times, I should still forgive them?” Yes! The Bible states,”Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.” (Matthew 18:21-22) So, we should never stop forgiving someone, no matter what!

Is forgiving the same as forgetting? 

Like Aly and Natalee have already mentioned, It’s easy to get in the mindset that we shouldn’t have to forgive others. Although like we’ve already seen, we should ALWAYS forgive! No matter what! But does the Bible actually mean we have to forget what the person did, and not do anything about it? Of course not! Think of the worst thing someone has ever done to you. Now, do you think you could ever forget that? Chances are, you probably don’t. God expects you to forgive that person, and we hope that you have, but He never says that you have to forget what that person did and act like nothing happened. We’ve already seen that we are expected to give forgiveness and grace, but depending on the situation… things don’t always have to go back to normal. In fact the Bible says that “A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.”- Proverbs 22:3 (KJV) Think of it like this. If I (McKenzie) told Natallee something personally, and then she went and told Aly, then I should still forgive Natallee. BUT I shouldn’t go and tell Natalee anything else I wouldn’t want Aly to know about, or at least not until she has gained my trust back (although in some cases trust may never be gained back). Why? Because if I “pass on”, then basicle the joke is on me! (Btw! This was just an example! Nothing happened between us three! Haha!) People will do you wrong, and we’re not saying you have to remember everything everyone ever did to you. Just keep in mind, forgiving doesn’t have to mean forgetting!

Let’s forgive like Jesus!

Forgiveness is something we hear pretty often, but kinda just push it to the side because we hear it so much. We can sometimes forget the actual meaning and why we are supposed to forgive in the first place. Now that we’ve been reminded what forgiveness is, how we can forgive, why we should forgive, and when we should forgive… Well… We can go and forgive! Maybe forgiving is easy for you and you don’t need to do this activity I'm about to share. On the other hand, some of you may find yourselves doing this often. Take a sheet of paper and write out everyone you haven’t yet forgiven and what they did. Pray that God will help you forgive these people! Go down the list and one by one forgive them. If you are having a hard time doing this, then maybe try writing out things you need to ask or have asked Jesus forgiveness for (It doesn’t matter who you are, you should have a pretty long list!) If God can easily forgive you for all that, then you should forgive each indiviously on the list. It may not be easy for you to forgive, but “You will never regret choosing to do things God’s way.”- Girl Defined Ministries 

Having a Mind Focused on God

Having a Mind Focused on God

“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.” (Isaiah 26:3 KJV) God laid this verse on my (Natalee) heart one night as I was Bible journaling. I was looking for a verse to journal, and I came across this one. It has stuck with me since then, and I wanted to share it with y’all. Whether you are new to our blogs, or you’ve been reading them since the beginning, we’re glad you’re here, and we hope this blog helps you!

What does this verse mean?

As I (Natalee) said in my weekly post last Monday, we all know that the King James Version of the Bible can be difficult to understand, so we’re here to help you understand it better. You do need to be saved in order to become a Christian, but living for Christ is so much more than just being saved. In order to live for Christ, we must have a relationship with Him, and be fully focused on Jesus. Now, we’re not saying that God doesn’t want you to stay focused on other important things, (ex: school, jobs, college, etc.) but the Lord does want us to put Him very first in our lives. This is what this verse is telling us. Let’s take a look at this verse again. “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.” (Isaiah 26:3 KJV) In this verse, the Bible is telling us that the people who keep their minds focused on God, and those who trust in Him will live peacefully. This is NOT saying that those who stay focused on the Lord will never face any trials. Until we get to heaven, each of us will face plenty of hard times, but God will be there beside us through it all! All God wants is for us to trust in, and have a relationship with Him during our life on this Earth. He also knows that it will be very difficult for us to stay focused on Him with the temptations of the world all around us, and that we may even lose focus sometimes. But there is good news! He is never going to give up on us. No matter how many times we stray, or lose focus. No matter how long it takes us to come back to Him. He is going to welcome us with open arms. He will not be upset with you because you strayed away from Him, however, He will still love you the same way. It is never too late to come back to Him!

“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace”

As believers our goal should be to stay focused on God and keep our minds on Him. Now if we did do this 24/7 then yes, we would be in perfect peace 24/7! But because we are humans, we often fail to put our trust in Jesus even if we know we should. So if you're wondering “Why do I not live in perfect peace?” and your questioning whether this verse is true or not, just remember, you have to stay focused on Him and who He is! If we focus on Him and who He is then we will know how much He loves us and how He is taking care of us (Matthew 6:26 talks about how if God takes care of the birds in the air, He will also take care His children, because we are so much more valuable to Him!) even if we don’t think He is.  “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.” (Isaiah 26:3 again) In this verse “peace” means peace of mind. As in you're not worried or anxious! Not as in you don’t come across people who do you wrong, or you are put through a health problem. While we are still on this earth we will also have things come up that we want to worry and be anxious about. But we must remember no matter what happens, God is taking care of you if you are His child! And so because of this truth we don’t have to be scared about anything at all, and we can totally put our trust in God! I wanted to quickly tell you about a time a godly man in the Bible trusted in God completely and was in “perfect peace” because his mind was stayed on God, and he trusted Him. In Genesis chapter 22 God told Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac. Now doesn’t that sound terrible?! If God had told me to sacrifice my son… I have no clue what I would do! But because Abraham trusted in God, he went through with what God told him to do. He got the fire, wood, knife, and even had Isaac bound and laying on the alter. At this point in history it was never recorded that God had brought anyone up from the dead, but because of Abraham's trust in God, according to Hebrews 11:17-19, Abraham knew that if God had him kill his son, He would bring him back from the dead. In Genesis 22:11 God had an angel stop Abrahm from sacrificing Isaac and ended up blessing Abraham for trusting Him and putting Him first! Abraham was in perfect peace when something that seemed bad came up, and trusted in God. You can too! 

How CAN we stay focused on Him? 

If you're anything like me (McKenzie) it’s hard to stay focused on anything or anyone (Unless it’s a cute boy, that is… ). But because God loves us so much and wants us to stay focused on Him, He is more than willing to help us! So… How do we stay focused on God? Well like anything we try to stay focused on, we have to keep Him in front of us. Maybe you like to play baseball! I know, I do! Nomatter where you are on the field, you have to keep the ball in front of you, where you can see it. Just like in baseball, we as believers have to keep Jesus in front of us. A few ways we can do this is by attending church (whether that’s online or in person), talking to Him (You could talk to him outloud or just “in your head”. He will hear you no matter what!), or read the Bible and study it (If you don’t know where to start, try looking up a free Bible study on Pintrest. DM or email us if you need help finding one!). Now a lot of you probably already know that you can do these things to stay focused on God, on Sundays or in your quiet time, but what about at school, work, grocery store… Anywhere else really! Now like Natalee has already mentioned, God cares about other important things we do and knows we have to focus on them as well! So this verse doesn’t mean that we have to meditate and try to memorize a verse while our science teacher is trying to explain something to us. But try to focus on God outside of just Church and quiet time. At the beginning of the day before you go off to do stuff, take a verse from the Bible and write it on a note card (for example Isaiah 26:3!), then slip it in your back pocket or bag. That way throughout the day you could take it out and meditate on it when you get a minute or even just a couple seconds! Maybe you're the kind of person who likes to listen to music! Look up some Christion music and add it to your playlist to worship whenever you're cleaning. Another thing you could do is download or screenshot backgrounds off of Google or Pinterest that has a verse or something similar on it. That way you can be reminded of Jesus and his goodness towards you every time you get on your phone! These are just a few I thought off. There are tons of more ways we can stay focused on Jesus! If this is something you struggle with, pray and ask God to help you with it. He will!

Why was this verse put in the Bible?

God made the Bible so that we can learn and understand more about Him. Several times throughout the Bible, books are written for specific people. (ex: I & II Timothy were written by Paul as letters to Timothy.) The book of Isaiah was written by Isaiah the prophet.  The Word never states who the book of Isaiah was written for, but we can still learn from it!

Though keeping full focus on our Lord may be difficult, that is what He has called us to do. Our God is always forgiving, and all He wants is for us to have a relationship with Him!

What should be our real goal for this New Year?

I know that every time the New Year rolls around everyone always has a list of things they want to work on in the upcoming year (examples: to eat healthier and to exercise more etc). Even though those goals are great, the only real thing that should be worked on this year is to not get caught up in the world and to stay focused on Jesus. Because He is the only one who can get us through this upcoming year and years to come!

We hope that reading this blog has helped you understand why God should be put first in your life or just reminded you of why he should always be first in everything you do:)

The Christmas Story

The Christmas Story

Whether you’ve heard of the Christmas story before or not, we're glad you're here! While we call it a “story”, it really is a true event that happened in history. While we often make it sound like a sweet little fairy tale we hear every year, it really is a breathtaking miracle full of romance, war, adventure, and suspense! Read this blog to learn about the birth of our Savior!

Mary and the Angel

The Christmas story starts with Jesus in the womb. If you look in Luke 2:26, you’ll see that GOD sent one of His angels, named Gabriel, to a city called Nazareth. Gabriel went to a virgin named Mary. Mary was a virgin who was not yet married, but was planning on marrying a man named Joseph. Gabriel came to Mary and said “Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.” (Luke 2:28 KJV) The angel then says to Mary in verse 31 “And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. (32) He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the LORD God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: (33) And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.” 

Jesus’ Birth

Mary and Joseph lived in the city of Nazareth and not soon before Mary was ready to give birth to Jesus, Cesar Augustus ordered that everyone had to go to Bethlehem to be taxed.  So Mary and Joseph packed up their things and started on the long journey to Bethlehem.

 When they got there, because of all the people who came from all over the world to be taxed, all of the inns were full.  The only place left for them to go was a barn behind one of the inns.  They made their way to the barn and “ On that night Mary delivered her first born son, wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid Him in a manger.” -Luke 2:7

 A little ways away there were shepherds watching over there sheep and angels appeared to them and said “For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a savior which is Christ the Lord.” -Luke 2:11

They made their way into the city and when they found Mary, Joseph and the baby, they sang praises to God.

Why He Came

Jesus came as a baby so that years later he could die on the cross for your sins.  Now I know what you might be thinking: Why did Jesus come as a baby and not just come when it was time for Him to die?  I don’t think there is really an exact answer to that question but here is my theory… I think that He came as a baby so he could be born from a virgin to show that he can use even a small town girl in amazing ways.  The other reason I think He came as a baby is so that He could grow up and be a testimony to everyone He was around.  But like I said at the beginning, the main reason Jesus came to earth is so that He could grow up and one day die on the cross and take the penalty for everyone’s sins.

The Wise Men

Unlike many of our nativity scenes show, the wise men were not actually present at the birth of Jesus. Jesus was actually two years old when the wise men finally met Him. Jesus lived in Nazareth at the time, which means the wise men were most likely traveling from somewhere near northern Syria. (The Bible only states that they traveled from afar.) The wise men found Jesus by following a star. We call this star, “The Christmas Star” They followed the star until they found the toddler Jesus with His mother, Mary, and His Earthly father, Joseph. Typical nativity scenes show three wise men at the scene of Jesus’ birth, however, the Bible never states how many wise men there were. There could have been hundreds!

The wise men brought Jesus three gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Each of these gifts symbolized something about Jesus. Gold was a precious gift that only the rich could afford. This symbolized that Jesus was a king on Earth, just as He is a king in heaven. The frankincense symbolizes deity, or that Jesus is God. Despite being away from God on Earth, Jesus is still God because of the Holy Trinity. The final gift was myrrh. This was an incense that was used when a loved one dies. The myrrh symbolized Jesus dying on the cross, and Him rising again.

Christmas is not just a story, but a true event about our wonderful Savior and His birth!

Stop Thinking of Death as the End!

Stop Thinking of Death as the End

A few months ago Aly sent me (McKenzie) an inspiring Tik Tok explaining life in the form of a jump rope. The man in the video used one of the ends as the now (life on earth), and he used the rest of the rope as eternity. Google defends eternity as “infinite or unending time.”. Because nobody has ever been FOREVER (because there is no end). From the time we are conceived, we will always be. Whether on this earth or not! I don’t think we as humans completely understand how long eternity actually is.

Pain vs. Peace

Ok, while we live on Earth we don’t get to choose to live in peace or in pain 24/7. Ask yourself. If you could pick... Which would you choose? I’m assuming you said peace, right?! Well if you would want to live in peace in this small part of your being (the end side of the jump rope), I bet you would definitely want to live in peace for the rest of the jump rope part of your being. What would you do if we said you could? Would you believe us, or would you just click off of this blog post? Well…. That is exactly what we’re gonna say! DON’T CLICK OFF YET!! Please just hear us out! Why did you want to click out?! Is it maybe because something inside of you is telling you that this is your chance. Does that scare you? Why would it scare you? Maybe it frightens you because you know what we are telling you is true you just don’t want to admit it. But I mean maybe it isn’t true! Maybe you were right! That may just be a feeling and nothing more. Hey, but what if it’s not…. If we’re wrong about eternity, then we’ve just spent our whole lives in peace knowing we are in God’s hands. What is there to lose?! But maybe… we were right… then you’ve wasted your eternity. Remember? Eternity is forever! 

Hell

“Hell is probably the most hated truth in the Bible. Many people are afraid to preach on Hell, but Jesus was the greatest Hellfire preacher ever.”- Fritz Chery (from the Bible Reasons) Do you know why Jesus preached on Hell? Because it’s real. Jesus loves you! Read that again! Jesus doesn’t want you to go to Hell. In fact, It’s His will for EVERYONE to go to Heaven! Jesus doesn’t send people to Hell, people send themselves to Hell. Our society makes Hell sound like a big party. Some musicians and artists promote Hell as if it’s a good thing. News flash! It’s not! “...there are a lot of folks deceived by Hell. Folks don’t believe in Hell, preachers don’t preach on Hell, we’ve got to the point where we are calling Jesus Christ a liar. We are saying the Bible is full of error. We’ve got our own ideas, our own falsifies, but I’m here to tell you the God who created the universe says there is a Hell..” -William Blackburn 

So What Is Hell? 

Growing up, Hell just kinda seemed like a place full of fire. Sure, It’s terrifying, but Hell is so much worse than just a bunch of fire! “Hell has no exits.”- Leonard Ravenhill

Once you are in Hell, you can’t get out. It’s never too late to turn to Christ… until it is. God separates himself from evil (Isaiah 59:2). Jesus told this true story about “The Rich Man and Lazarus”. If you have a Bible you can look in Luke chapter 19, verses 19-28 (If you don’t have a Bible then here is a free link! https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/ ).

We really encourage you to go read those passages yourself. It totally changed my (Mckenzie’s) perspective on Hell. For now, we’ll kinda explain what’s going on. There was a wealthy man who died and went to Hell (not because he was wealthy! Because he didn’t accept Jesus as his savior.). Then there was this poor beggar named Lazarus, who died and went to Abraham’s bosom (not because he was poor! But because he did accept Christ as his savior. Although back then, before Jesus died on the cross, you would have accepted him differently than you would have today. That’s another blog for another time ;) ) Before Jesus died on the cross, we couldn’t go to Heaven. Still, Jesus loved us (them) so much, He didn’t want anyone to go to Hell. He made a place called Abraham’s bosom, for souls (people) that accepted Him as their Savior, to go instead of Hell. People in the old testament like Job, Noah, Queen Esther, and so many more people we don’t even know about went to this place. The rich man could see Lazarus in the bosom from Hell. Now, this part is what changed my perspective. (KJV verse 24) “And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.”... Wow... He was in so much agony, he thought that just enough water on the TIP of Lazarus’ finger would satisfy him enough. Let’s keep reading! (KJV verse 27) “Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father (Talking to Abraham, not God. Remember, God separates himself from evil), that thou wouldest send him (Lazarus) to my father’s house: (verse 28) For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.” He wanted his brothers to hear about this terrible place (Moses and the prophets ended up telling them) so they would accept Christ and never find themselves in Hell. If we look in Mark, we know that the man and so many more souls are still feeling the same amount of agony and torture as they did when they first left this earth and went into Hell. (Mark 9:43-44 “... the fire that never shall be quenched: (verse 44) Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.”.

Heaven

(Revelations 21:4 KJV) “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes: and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” This verse gives all believers (people who have accepted Jesus as their savior) SO MUCH HOPE! The fact that the God of the universe is going to “wipe away all tears” is so humbling! Those who have accepted Jesus into their hearts WILL go to Heaven when they leave this earth. So if you have accepted Him then one day you will go to live with God. What a glorious day that will be! “What A Day That Will Be” by Heritage Singers is a great song that reminds us how amazing it will be in Heaven. If you haven’t (or even if you have!) heard this beautiful song, we would love for you to go look it up. Although for now, we want to share with y’all two stanzas that will (prayerfully!) help y’all better understand God’s home. 

“There’ll be no sorrows there 

And no more burdens to bear

No more sickness and no more pain 

No more parting over there

And forever I will be 

With the One who died for me 

What a day, glorious day that will be

What a day that will be 

When my Jesus I shall see 

When I look upon His face 

The One who saved me by His Grace

When He takes me by the hand 

And leads me to the Promised Land 

What a day, glorious day that will be”

So What is Heaven?

Despite Belinda Carlisle’s song, (Yes. We had to look up her name)…Heaven is not a place on earth! In fact, it’s far from it. Although we don’t know everything about Heaven or what will happen there, the Bible does give us some insight into what Heaven is like. Heaven will have a beautiful street made of pure gold (Revelation 21:21), Heaven won’t have a sun for light because God’s glory will be able to light up all of Heaven (Revelations 21:23)(That is how glorious our God is! ), and  WE WILL SEE GOD’S FACE (Rev. 22:4)! How marvelous is that?  If you are someone who likes to look into things a little further, you should go read Revelation chapter 21 and 22 after this (btw! If you do, the KJV, and possibly other versions of the Bible, refers to Heaven as the “new Jerusalem”. ;))!

Jesus Dying on the Cross and Rising Again 

1,986 years ago, in 33 AD, the most important event in history occurred. Jesus died on the cross for our sins. Right now, this might not be making much sense, but you’ll understand it soon. Jesus was a perfect image of God. He never did anything wrong. (You can read more about this in the next section.) At age 33, it was time for Jesus to do what God put Him on this Earth. Jesus was put on trial, where He was found guilty. Next, He was furiously beaten with a cat of nine tails. This is a type of whip that holds a variety of rocks, glass, and other things. Not only was He beaten with these, but He was beaten with these by multiple people, hundreds of times. Next, He was brought among the people to see what would be done with Him next. The people shouted, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” They wanted to cause a sinless man to die one of the most painful deaths possible. The Roman soldiers shoved a crown of thorns on His head to mock Him; for they did not think that He was the king of the Jews. Next, He was forced to carry the cross that He would die on hours later. While He was carrying His cross, many mocked Him, but His followers were deeply saddened. He was beaten as He was walking up the hill to Calvary. Once He got there, He was nailed to the cross alongside two thieves. One of the thieves mocked and scorned Jesus. Much like the soldiers, he did not believe that Jesus was our savior. However the thief on His right hand believed that He was the Messiah. Just before he died, Jesus told him, “...Verily I say unto thee, today thou shalt be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43 KJV) Soon after, a dark sky fell over Calvary. This was the exact moment when Jesus had the sins of the world laid upon Him. Since God separates Himself from sin, (Isaiah 59:2) He could not be looking upon His son at the time that He had the sins of the world on Him. Soon after this, Jesus died. The soldiers stabbed a spear into His side, to make sure that He was dead. Mary, His mother, and many others took Jesus to His grave. This may seem like a sad story, but IT’S NOT OVER YET! Three days after Jesus was buried, some women went to the grave to spread spices over His body, and He wasn’t in the tomb! There was an angel on top of the grave who told the women “He is not here: for He is risen, as He said. Come see the place where the Lord lay.” (Matthew 28:6 KJV) Then, Mary Magdalene saw Jesus! She even saw his nail-scarred hands! He is risen!

How to be Saved, and the Romans Road

Though all of this may seem confusing right now, getting saved is a very easy decision. Accepting Jesus is the best decision you’ll ever make! But maybe, you’re asking, “How do I become saved?” Well, it starts by realizing that you’re a sinner and in need of a savoir. This means that we all have done things that are wrong, and in need of Jesus to save us from Hell.  We’ve all done or said things that hurt others or ourselves. We can’t be with God for this reason, (or in His home in Heaven) because He is perfect and without sin. The Bible says, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23 KJV) This means that everyone has sinned, but Jesus Christ will forgive these sins. No matter who you are, or what you’ve done, He will forgive you. Jesus died a painful, agonizing death on the cross for you and me. He was an innocent man, who God sent down from Heaven to die for OUR sins. “But God commendeth His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8 KJV) You may ask, “How was Jesus sinless if we all sin?” As I said before, God sent Jesus down to Earth. Though He did have many temptations, He never sinned. If He had sinned, He would not have been able to die for us. “Just as a drowning man can’t save a man from drowning, a sinning man can’t save another man from his sin.” The next thing that you need to know is that Jesus had to die on the cross in order to save us from our wrongdoings. There had to be a sacrifice of a sinless man in order to pay for our sins. No one else could have made this sacrifice, because Jesus was the only perfect person to ever walk the Earth. Despite what we may believe, we all have done something wrong in one way or another. That is why Jesus had to come. We have all sinned, even if we don’t realize it. But it is okay because the third and final thing you must know about salvation is that God is 100% willing to forgive every single one of our sins. Not only is He willing to forgive them, but He WANTS too. God wants to live an eternity with His creation. This is how He intended for life to be, before sin entered the world. So like we said before, Jesus wants to forgive our sins. How do we ask Him to do this? Well, it really is that simple! You just have to ASK Him! You must truly believe and ask God to come into your heart, and He will! Romans 10:9-10 KJV says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

More than just Heaven and Hell

Although we wrote a lot on Heaven and Hell today, accepting Christ is so much more than just that! We first off want to thank you so very much for reading our blog post! Whether you were saved by God’s amazing grace before reading this or not, we pray that you took something from this post. If you have a question on what we talked about or need more information on this topic, please feel free to contact us through any of our social media accounts ( @_girlsforjesus_ on Instagram or on our Girls For Jesus Facebook group) or by email (girlsforjesus@gmail.com). Whether the question is on salvation or you are just curious about something, we would be thrilled to get you the answer! No matter who you are, we promise to take your question very seriously, and without judging.

Welcome to Girls for Jesus

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