Dreaming Intentionally

Dreaming Intentionally 

By Sarah P.

“Reach for the stars.” “Follow your heart.” “Dream big.” All of those phrases express the idea that we’re supposed to “follow our dreams.” What does that mean? The world tells us that it means we can and should pursue whatever we want to do or whoever we want to be. While that may sound magical and exciting, it’s not very practical, is it? What if you want something that isn’t good for you? What if you end up being someone you weren’t meant to be? “Chasing your dreams” could easily be a really bad idea. 

Despite what the world may say, “dreaming big” is not the most important thing in life. We can easily become wrapped up in what we want to do instead of following God’s plan for our lives—a plan that will ultimately leave us more satisfied. God doesn’t want us to stop dreaming! God is a Dreamer Himself; He dreamed up this whole world and everything in it, including you and me! The difference between worldly dreaming and godly dreaming is where you put your focus. Worldly dreaming says, “I want to do what I want to do, what feels best to me, what makes the happiest.” God-focused dreaming says, “What can I do to love God and other people better, serve Him with the talents I’ve been given, and best meet the needs around me?”  

The Bible talks about dreaming in several places. Baruch was a scribe who lived during the time of Jeremiah the prophet. When Jeremiah received a message from the Lord, Baruch would write it down for him on a scroll. During a time of intense persecution where people were trying to kill Jeremiah, Baruch got discouraged. He started complaining about having to be Jeremiah’s scribe and thinking about what he wanted to do to keep himself safe. God sent a message to Baruch to stop him in his tracks: “Are you seeking great things for yourself? Don’t do it!” (Jeremiah 45:5, NLT) God told Baruch to stop seeking his own selfish dreams and instead focus on God’s dreams for him. God promised to protect Baruch because He loved him and wanted what was best for him. 

I don’t think God would say that daydreaming about being a superstar or an astronaut is wrong. But I do believe that God wants us to let Him use our dreams for His glory instead of our own. Instead of building castles in the air and “seeking great things for ourselves,” we need to seek great things for God’s Kingdom. Following God’s plan is hard, but it’s worth it. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.’” God will always satisfy our needs better than any dream can. So why don’t you start dreaming intentionally about the plans God has for you? You might be amazed at what He does through you, one dream at a time.

Hope vs. Fantasy

Hope vs. Fantasy

Kaitlyn F.

Many of us at some point in our lives have fantasied about what our future will be like. What car we will drive, who we will marry, how many kids we will have. But as we grow older, we convert our fantasies into what is actually real. We then end up gaining a pessimistic view on life, from the struggles and conflicts that fill our lives. 

The thing is that even as grow older, we may lose our fantasies but that doesn't mean we lose our hope. I was talking with a friend who is going through a tough time in life, and I emailed her, and I was so filled with hope for the situation. She responded "I don't live in a fantasy." It breaks my heart that as a whole we see hope as a fantasy, something that is our of reach, something that we can't have. God came to Earth to give us hope in the hopeless situations, and we don't have to earn this hope either. God offers it freely. Its not living in a fantasy if you are hopeful in a situation. There are days where it is that hope I have in the Lord that gets me though the day. I am hours away from home, in a new situation, not sure of my future, not knowing anyone coming in, but I still have hope that God has a plan for me here, and that he is there for me, and so far college has been amazing. Sure there are it's ups and downs, but I have learned so much already, and I hope that as I continue this new journey that I can continue to learn and continue to grow. Having hope is not the same as having a fantasy. 

If you are in a hopeless situation right now, below are some Bible verses for you to meditate on, with a specific goal to give you hope that can help get you through what may be going on in your life. 

 Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." 

 Romans 15:13 "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope" 

 Philippians 4:13 "For I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength."  

 Deuteronomy 31:6 "Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”

An Exciting New Year

    An Exciting New Year

Rebecca U.

           Well girls, we have made it through another year! I hope it was a good one for all of you. We are here at the beginning of another year. Our attitude as we approach this new year will make a major difference in what we will accomplish this year. There are two different ways we can look at this year.

With Indifference

          We can approach this year with an attitude of indifference. We can think that it's just another year full of work, another year with the same old things happening, that this year is nothing special. If we are looking at this next year in this way, it will be just another year of work. Another year that we don't accomplish anything really great. Just another boring year in our lives. But it doesn't have to be this way. We can choose to look at this next year another way.

With excitement

          We can approach this year with excitement. We can look forward to a year full of adventures, excitement, and new things. New things can be scary, but they can also be exciting. We can look forward to having another year to accomplish things we've dreamed of doing. We can cross more things off our bucket lists, visit new places, meet new people, and continue to learn and explore new things.

          Sometimes we look at our futures and are scared at what they may bring. But in those moments we can remember that God has our futures in His hands. Here are a couple of verses that I think are great reminders as we begin a new year.

          Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” God knows our future. He has plans for our lives. Even though we may not know what those plans are, we are assured that God knows them. And He will reveal His plans for us in His timing, when we are ready for them.

          Deuteronomy 31:8 “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

God will never leave us alone. He will always be right there carrying us through whatever hard time has come our way. He will also be there in the good times, just walking next to us rejoicing in the good times.

          Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” God has also promised to give us strength. We can do anything and everything God wants us to do, because He gives us strength. We can't do everything on our own; but we can do it with God's help. God won't tell us to do something that we can't do. Even when we think it's too difficult, if He has called us to do it, He will give us the strength and ability to do it.

As this new year begins, I want to encourage you to get excited about it. I know that we aren't always excited for another year. But this year can be different. We can look forward to this new year, because we have hope knowing that God has new and exciting things in store for us. We can look forward to the future with hope and joy, without fear because we have a personal relationship with the God of the universe, who controls everything. We can be excited and thankful for this new year, because God has another year full of new adventures for us.

Does God care? By Natasha Jane

Does God care?

By Natasha Jane 

Does God love us? Does He care for us? It’s not fair that she’s got all the things I want, and I get all the things nobody wants! It’s not fair that he got an A on that Math test without studying while I got a D on the test when I studied all night long! It’s just not fair! Doesn’t God see I need His help now? Why doesn’t He listen?

That sounds familiar for you? Well, fear not. You are not alone in this. In fact, I have often faced a similar situation again and again. Whether it’s something simple like getting a D in your test, or something much more difficult like losing your loved ones. Often you’ve prayed for God to help you, but it seems like His help never comes. It’s as if He doesn’t listen to our prayers! But I thought God listens to our prayers!

And indeed, He does. In 1 John 5:14, it’s written: And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. He does hear us! It’s written in the Bible, He listens to us! See, He doesn’t ignore us after all!

But, and this is a big but, He listens to us under one condition. If what we ask is according to His will, of course He would listen. If what we ask is not according to what He plans out for us, He’ll direct us to where He wants us to go.

Imagine this conversation with God:

You: God, why does she have everything? And I have nothing? It’s not fair!

God: No, I have everything. She has what she needs, you have what you need.

You: Yeah right, what she needs is a pretty blonde hair and blue eyes and guys to surround her with admiration. What do I have?

God: You have Me. I know your problems, and I’ll take care of everything, you just trust Me and follow My lead.

As humans, we have our own choices, whether to follow God or not. You don’t just trust something or someone with your life and everything, do you? But since you’re reading this, I assume your choice is to follow God and trust Him with your life. I made that choice, and boy am I glad I did! Let me tell you something about Him. He loves you, He has plans for you.

If you don’t believe me, just flip your Bible to Jeremiah 29:11. It is written: For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. He holds your future, He cares for you! It may not be in the way you think it should be, but just trust your life in His hands. God knows better. After all, He knows everything.

God’s big project for His children, By Chadia M.

God’s big project for His children

By Chadia M.

I bet everyone knows this verse, Jeremiah 29:11, in which God says: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Isn’t all this wonderful? Imagine this; God only wants the best for you. It was not in His original design that we should go through so much trouble.
If we analyze this Jeremiah 29:11, we see that God’s plan for us is to be rich; prosperous and not poor. I wish everybody could get this just the way it is: There must be no lack in your life. When Jesus died on the cross, one of the beautiful exchanges He made was to take your poverty so that you may have abundant life. When I talk about prosperity, it’s not only about money, it’s about everything: grades, jobs, relationships, health… God wants you to prosper in all the domains of your life. That’s what He has already written for you. Some people always ask why they are poor, or why they are always sick even though they believe in God.
Sometimes it is hard to try to understand, but it goes back to the Fall in Genesis – the Earth is not redeemed yet, and so pain and suffering have not yet been done away with. So, that means poverty, diseases, pain… come from the devil. God does not cause or want anyone to suffer; it was not in His original plan. Yet, that doesn’t mean that we should never get ill or be in trouble. No, sometimes God allows that for a good purpose, sometimes to prove to Satan that we have strong faith. Remember the story of Job? God let Satan try to make Job abandon Him (God) through sufferings but he failed because Job refused to betray God, even though he was about to die (Job 1 & 2). Job overcame not because of his might or power but because of God’s Spirit.
Remember the Word of God says in Matthew 11:30 that God’s yoke is easy and His load is light. And in 1 Corinthians 10:13, Paul says that “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” (NIV) So it’s never hard to recognize when you are put to test; for even there you know you are heading to greater prosperity (whether here or in heaven). At the end of the book of Job, the Bible tells us that God rewarded Job with the twice of what he had before. Isn’t our God just awesome? He is a God of abundance, not a God of poverty.
When you feel limited, just hold onto the promise of this verse. I don’t know whether you remember when I talked about my grades at school being so low. I had faith and I spoke prosperity to my studies, confessing it, adopting a victorious attitude and not a victim’s attitude even though it seemed I was drowning. And do you know what happened? I got more than what I had asked for, and all my classmates still can’t understand what happened to me. Our God is good.
Today my dreams are coming true. I don’t understand the ways God took to achieve them and I can’t even explain them. All I know and all I want to tell you today is that God cares about your dreams. If your dreams are in line with His will, they come from Him. So, let Him fulfill them, because that’s His will. He wants to bless you and He wills to give you more than what you have asked for or thought of (Ephesians 3:20) because He’s a God of abundance! So dare to dream big and be a prisoner of hope (1 Corinthians 13:13). Do not give up even when the devil is trying to destroy you. Remain firm and always remember that God’s plan for you is to bring you prosperity and no disaster can get in His way – He is bigger.

Faith+ Hope+ Love for ever.

Chadia

Clean Air, By Michelle Hopewell

Clean Air

By Michelle Hopewell 

It's pretty easy to get stifled.

Everything around you feels stale, every time you want to pray its like wading through mud and all around is a deafening silence.

Several cheesy, "Are you there God? It's me Margret" moments occur and you start feeling like a waste of God's time.

You sit there and you wonder, Jesus, Holy Spirit, Lord...anyone?

There's nothing more frustration than trying to seek God and coming up with that "Access Denied" sign flashing in neon.

One minute everything around  you is calm and peaceful and the next minute everything has spun out of control and it feels like the flood is about to swallow you whole.

How do you wave "Goodbye" to the old things so you can breathe in Clean Air and say "Hello" to the future?

Three months into 2010 and I felt like I was still trying to figure that out.

 I was reading Psalm 32 as past of my 40 day fast this Easter and verse 6 hit me hard:

"Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you while you may be found; surely when the mighty waters rise, they will not reach him."

The verse hit my hard and I guess I was expecting some kind of miracle. The heaven's to part, the angels to sing, God to say,"and now that feeling you're having shall disappear", but none of that happened.

Instead my chest got tighter, my strength weakened and I felt like saying "Whatever Lord" and shutting my Bible.

What is it Lord? What do you want? What do you need? That was all that kept playing on my mind.

When was He just going to tell me, but its not that easy with God.

All I wanted was to be able to breathe again. To be able to find the Clean Air found in Jesus. You know the type I mean, where everything is that little bit easier, and everything makes sense and is simple.

Job. Now that was an awesome dude. On a regular basis with my walk with God I can only turn to Job and find the rope I need to draw back in to God.

(Job 23:8-9)
 8 "But if I go to the east, he is not there;
       if I go to the west, I do not find him.

 9 When he is at work in the north, I do not see him;
       when he turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of him.

I read these two verses and cried. To be honest I panicked. Did that mean I'd never connect with God again, did that mean I could live my whole life seeking Him and never find Him?

I couldn't imagine not hearing from God. I couldn't imagine not being able to crawl into His presence and remain covered in His Grace in the throne room.

Then I read verse 10

(Job 23:10)
But he knows the way that I take;
       when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.

You say what now God? I don't know where you are...but you know where I am? You are testing me to make me like Gold?

Then another moment occurred, not so much a light bulb moment than a "Duh" moment. I'd been pushing and pushing and fighting and fighting but all I had to do was be still and seek Him and let Him change me so I could breathe in His clean air.

Gracious, when that reaslisation hit, the worship to Him was that much sweeter, the prayers were so much more easy and I could feel God filling me back up. Not to mention I could breathe again.

All I needed was Him, all I need is Him.

Do we need to think about how to breathe? No. From the day we are conceived in our mothers wombs we are designed to naturally breathe.

Then no one has to teach us how to have clean air in our relationship with the Father. Just be still and let Him do His work. We may not know what He is doing but God knows what He is doing. Jeremiah 29:11 says that He always has a plan.

So today...just breathe....

3 Reasons Why You Need Jesus, By Anonymous

3 Reasons Why You Need Jesus

By Anonymous

Jesus loves you and desires to have a relationship with you, and to give you a life full of joy and purpose. Why do you need Him in your life?

1. Because you have a past.

You can’t go back, but He can! The Bible says “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever…”(HEBREWS 13:8). He can walk into those places of sin and failure in your past, wipe the slate clean and give you a new beginning.

2. Because you need a friend.

Jesus knows the worst about you, yet He believes the best. Why? Because He sees you not as you are, but as you will be when He gets through to you. What a friend!

3. Because He holds the future.

Who else are you going to trust? In His hands you are safe and secure- today, tomorrow and for all of eternity. His Word says, “For I know the plans I have for you…plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen.” (JEREMIAH 29:11-13)

One Word, By Hillary-Beth Koenig

One Word:

By Hillary-Beth Koenig

FAITH.
That's the one word for the my school experience at this time.
Why? Because I'm totally lost and I'd be in despair if it weren't for GRACE.
So maybe there's two words, you know? Because every time I search He gives more! I read in the Scripture just today something awesome -

"Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile." That's from Jeremiah 29.

Okay, I included all the captivity stuff because of that last sentence...God said He was the one who carried them into exile! As if we didn't know He was in control ;) He definitely is, whether we remember that at a given moment or not!
By the way Jeremiah 29 is also the same chapter that tells us of God's wonderful plans for us - He said He knows the plans He has for you, to give you hope and a future!

So that was my sitting-on-a-rock moment of the day. What God did in my heart brought PEACE into a very trying moment. So I guess there's three words? Okay, maybe I should just say, all I need is...
JESUS.

That's one Word. :)

Overcoming Depression Sarah K.

Overcoming Depression

By Sarah K.

We’ve all felt sad at some point in our lives. As a teen girl, my emotions go all over the place...and sadness comes around a lot. But depression? That’s a whole different level. Often, we throw around the word, as if it meant the same as being sad, or disappointed. It’s not like that, however. Depression is a deep seated sadness or stress that follows you around like a bad mood. It’s hard, sometimes almost impossible to shake, and can’t be solved by a nice card or a hug. Depression leads people to believe that they’re worthless. That they don’t mean anything. That nothing they do, or say, ultimately matters. That’s when thoughts like, “So why am I even alive?” set in. Scary thoughts.

I’ll be honest: I’ve never officially been ‘diagnosed’ with depression. But I know what it feels like. There were many mornings when I simply didn’t want to get out of bed. Like I literally couldn’t find the will to face another day. I stopped seeing the beauty around me, and started focusing on all the disappointments, the pain, the anger, and all the other hurtful things around – and in – me. My story is not dramatic, or even very inspiring. It begins with the day I realized I needed healing; the day I thought I could end it. Forever and ever. It was either that, or find some way to release the pain. Maybe just a little cut would give me another pain to focus on. Before the pain in my heart ate me up from the inside out. That was the day when I ran into God. Literally. I was going to do it – just one little cut. But suddenly, my hand couldn’t move. I tried, but it was like something was holding me back. I growled in frustration...but I just couldn’t do it. At first, I thought that I was just too afraid to do it...and that would be true, but I also believe that God intervened that day. Because otherwise, I would be lost today. Once you go down that path, it’s a long way back. And it all starts with depression.

My pastor once told us at church that depression is, at its roots, unbelief in God. When we take our eyes off Him, and let all the doubt and guilt creep in, soon enough, all our sins, past and present, coming roaring in to be seen by us. While our sins parade past, we let our gaze slip even further from Him. Soon, all the hurts and disappointments that we have ever suffered, all the mean comments, snide remarks, and times we just didn’t meet the requirements wash over us, drowning us in the assurance that we just aren’t good enough, so why is there any reason to live with joy? That response leads to depression. The only thing to do if you’re depressed is to go straight to God’s Word. No side stops. No excuses. No delays. Go. God has given us His greatest promises and assurances right there in His Word. Almost every verse is brimming with the hope of what He has done, what He is doing, and what He will do...for US. So read. Drink in the absolute promises He guarantees for us. The only way to combat hopelessness is by hoping. My favorite verse was, “Listen, I will tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed – in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet...The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks by to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 51-57)

If you are depressed, don’t let it go, or write it off. Go to the Savior for comfort and strength and help. Go to His Word to find hope and be reminded of His GREAT love. It is also important you go to an adult: don’t let it slide by. Find someone you trust, who loves God, to talk to about what you’re going through. They have years of wisdom to give us! Also, if you’re having thoughts of suicide or cutting, don’t wait . Get help now. Keeping our eyes on Him, let us live in hope, joy, assurance of who we are, and with the wonderful promise, “’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” (Jeremiah 29:11.)

Martin Luther King, By CJ

Martin Luther King

By CJ

Martin Luther King Day is January 21st this year.

Martin Luther King was a Baptist Minister. He lived in a pretty rough time period, that we now call the Civil Rights movement. Martin Luther King was a Christian; just like us, he believed in God. When I hear about Martin Luther King, I don't hear much about him being a Christian. But as I research more, I believe that he is a very good role model for Christians. He strongly believed in the Bible. He said that it was filled with truths. He knew in his heart that one day, all the people who were different and that were treated differently still had the same hope to "make it to the promise land." God used Martin Luther King as a leader; he was a leader and a Christian. God used Martin Luther King and many others to make a difference in the world. Right now, it might feel as if we are useless or purposeless, but God has a plan for you, and for me, and for your friends, and your family.

Jeremiah 29:11 "'For I know the plans I have for you.' Declares the Lord 'Plans to prosper and not harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.''

Research: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King,_Jr.