Romans 8

So in about one week, I'll be ending my first year of college. There were A LOT  of times when I thought I was not going to make it through. But, through Christ alone I did. Through everything I really learned and came to believe many of the scriptures and promises I grew up on. Having always been in church, there were scriptures that I could quote, but had never really experienced. Romans chapter 8 was one of the scriptures, that I learned and experienced this year. Verse 31 says, "If God be for us, who can be against us?". That "who" can also mean "what", or at least for me it does. This year, I felt like there were a million people and things standing in my way. For instance, I had to deal with a few professors who just weren't agreeable. At times I thought it was impossible for me to even pass the class. But since God was on my side and I trusted Him, I walked out with nothing less than a B. Verse 35, says "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?". When I first decided to go away to college, I was a little apprehensive. I was afraid that I would not be able to maintain my salvation on a college campus. But once again, through Christ not only am I still saved, but I am stronger in Christ. This verse also reminded me just how strong Christ' love is for me. Even despite my attitude, my mistakes, my shortcomings, and my flaws; Christ' love was right there. Every second of every hour or every day of every week of every semester. The 28th verse says "And we know that all things work together for the good of them that love God, to them that are called according to His purpose." This year that promise became my life. When it says "all things" it really does mean "ALL things". Even the bad things. Now that I look back on the outcome of many situations, I realize just how true this is. Situations where I thought there was absolutely nothing good or where I expected the worst, God changed it around and produced something for my good. Sometimes I won't see the good, but I know that God worked it out for my good. Finally, verse 37 says "Nay in all things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us." I can't even express how many things God has helped me conquer this year. When I came here in August, I was nowhere near as victorious as I am now. I have, through Christ yet again, conquered roommate issues, separation anxiety, failure, shyness, bitterness, and literally everything that I was facing. I know I didn't do these scriptures justice, so go check them out for yourself! :)

Our Teenage Cross

I am a church girl, through and through. And as a church girl, I have often been applauded and seen my peers applauded for being "Saved, young people". I'm sure you can probably think of a situation when an older loved one or respected church elder, said "Oh what a blessing to see so many young saved souls!". Many people act as if we young Christians are doing something totally miraculous by being saved as teens/ young adults. I am in no way bashing those who appreciate a saved teenager. I appreciate every bit of encouragement or applause I receive. My point is that it is not we the saved young folk who are doing a miraculous thing, yet it is a miraculous thing being done in us.
Often young people are discouraged when they don't receive this pat on the back. Many of my friends have been disenchanted with their church homes because the "Pastor did not preach to the young people" or the older members don't understand how it is to be saved so young. I am in no way condemning anyone for this feeling, especially since I am the queen of this sentiment. I do believe it is important to encourage young people. It is also true that many older people do not understand exactly what we go through as we carry our teenage cross. However that is not an excuse to be discouraged.
There are many joys that come with being saved and many joys specific to being saved at a young age. Here's a list of just a few:

• Every day we wake up we have the comfort of knowing Jesus is with us. Our teenage years may be filled with a lot of changes. Friends will come and go. We may grow apart from our parents and family. The ever changing trends can have you cool one day but will make you a fool the next. We ourselves may change in a way that is alarming. However, amid all these obstacles, Jesus is there. His love is constant and never wavering. He loves us no matter who is in our clique or what sneakers we may be rocking.
• One thing that was especially difficult for me to deal with (and still is) as a teenager is the future. From high school to college to "the real world", the future is always looming ahead. For some this may cause worry and anxiety. However, with Christ we have faith that our future is safe. He promised that He knew the thoughts and plans He had for us and that they were of good and not evil. 
• Every teenager goes through a stage where our emotions just do not make sense. For some, this is simply just a phase that we pass through and has no serious effect on our lives. However, some of us may actually go through depression and other serious things because of our fluctuating emotions. But we can take all our emotions and pains to God. He'll deal with them much better than we can.

This list was much shorter than I expected, sorry. Hope you enjoyed :)

Today, my little 16 year-old cousin tweeted "things always get worse before they get better". I really can't explain how much that touched my heart. Lately, I've been wondering and asking God why things have been going so bad lately. For a while, I kinda lost focus because I was so concentrated on how bad things look right now, that I couldn't even see the good ahead. I lost hope and really was just struggling from day to day. But when my cousin tweeted that, I really sat back for a minute and had to remind myself God is in control. I'm not gonna understand, because I am not in control nor am I capable of being in control. And with that simple tweet, I was reminded to just keep holding on through the good, the bad, the confusing, the troubling, the depressing, the whatever. 

And to any of you who may have been feeling anything similar, please just hold on. "be not weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not" (Galatians 6:9). Remember, God is in control. You may not understand but He does. He sees the past, present, and future and knows exactly what to do. He's been doing this for some millennium now ;)

Lent

::Disclaimer:: This is solely my opinion. None of this is fact nor based on scriptures. Just something to think about. I'm not saying that anybody is wrong, just stating my view on a matter.

So today is Lent. However, this is the first time I have heard of people other than Catholic believers participating in it. Personally, I think that the idea of sacrificing something is great. There's no better way to get closer to something than to deny yourself. So, in essence I do agree with the concept of Lent.
However, I object to the religiousness of Lent. I find it a bit absurd that people will only give up things for a set amount of time on a set date. People FIND  things to give up, like they have to. The purpose of a sacrifice (in my opinion) is to(1) rid yourself and your life of things, people, habits, that are preventing you from being closer with God or to (2) deny yourself of something essential as a symbol of putting the Savior first. To me, Lent is just a religious practice where we do things, just because, not really taking into account the real reason and meaning.
Participating in Lent is fine, but we've gotta take it further than that. Whenever we see something in our lives that's stopping us from going further in Christ, we should eliminate it. Whenever we feel distant from God, we should sacrifice something and deny ourselves as a reminder that He is first and foremost, even before ourselves.
I hope I didn't offend anyone. It's all love guys! Hope you all enjoyed. On another note, do you guys have any suggestions or things you'd like to see on this blog? Please, please, please let me know if so. I missed you guys :)

"Life is hard but God is good"

The title is actually a lyric from DA TRUTH's new album that I've been playing all day. That phrase basically describes my sentiments towards 2011. I did a lot of complaining this year but now looking back I see how even the things I felt were negative...are actually positive. Especially considering the fact that through all I had to face this year, God was right by my side. Now that I can look back, I can also see that every single day of 2011 was truly designed and planned by God. There were times when I wondered what exactly the purpose of the things I was going through was. But now I see that every single thing was definitely in God's plan. And His plan turned out much better than mines. So as 2011 ends, and 2012 begins I can truly say I'm ready for this new year and all God's gonna do and am equally grateful for all God did in 2011. I pray you all have a great year, thanks for the time we spent together in 2011:)

I just discovered this group of poets. they are awwwweeeeeeessssooooommmeeeee....Here's a link to their latest poem, "Ready or Not':
Ready or Not?

One of our many secret weapons

You know how in action movies, at that one critical-life-or-death moment the protagonist pulls out a hidden or forgotten weapon or tool to defeat their opponent? Well, we as Christians also have this and it's called our testimony. In Revelations 12:11 it says that we "overcome by the word of our testimony". This is why we have testimonial services and even why I have this blog. Our testimony helps us, loved ones, and family in Christ. When we share our experiences of how God brought us over and through, we remind ourselves how good God has been to us. We relay that God is able. We encourage our brothers and sisters to fight on. Our testimonies prepare us for the fight ahead. It reminds us of who God is.
Yes, our testimonies  may be embarrassing. They may remind us of a period and our lives we want to forget. But we can't. We have to remember and display all God has done for us, for the world to see. It's all for God's glory.