The Lies Stopping Us

The Lies Stopping Us

 By Kaitlyn F.

Casting Crowns has a song called the "Love You with the Truth." I love this song, and I really love the first three lines, "For the longest time / I believed the lies / That I'm not a strong enough believer." In the song, it talks about believing the lies that you can't share the truth with your friends. But I feel like the beginning of the song can be related to other parts of our lives.

For the longest time, I believed the ...

lie that I'm not important.

lie that I'm not pretty.

lie that I'm not smart.

lie that I'm don't have a purpose.

lie that no one loves me.

lie that I'm messed up to much for God to forgive me.

lie that God doesn't hear my prayers.

lie that I will never be able to follow my dreams.

lie that I am weak and unable to do anything for myself.

and so on.

Most of us can fall somewhere on that list, and if not on that list we all have some lie that we have in the back of our mind. The thing is, they are LIES, from Satan. The last part of John 8:44 says, "When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies"  Satan is trying to destroy you so that you turn away from God. But he is telling lies, and lies aren't true. If you want to know what is true, then read the bible and believe what it says. If you don't know where to start with trying to find the truth to your lives, may I suggest Google. Google can help pinpoint verses to a specific topic that you enter. It is a marvelous thing, when you use it.

But trust me, those lies that you are holding onto is stopping God from doing amazing things with your life. 

Tips For Making Friends - By Julianna O.

Tips For Making Friends

By Julianna O.

Whether you go to public or private school, or are possibly even homeschooled, there are always opportunities to make friends. You can become friends with everyone really easily just by following these simple steps. These steps are so simple you will make a friend in no time.

            First of all is to smile. Smiling is the key to let everyone know that you are happy. If you are happy you could possibly make a friend in a snap.  When you look upset, or mad, people really don’t want to be your friend. So, be happy, just like the song Happy by Pharrell Williams. Proverbs 17:22 tells us that how we are in our hearts affects the rest of ourselves: "A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones."

            Next, by saying “Hi, my name is…” it will introduce yourself to people and if they want to be friends, they will respond back by saying their names. Now those people who look like they need a friend, go say hi to them, it might make them happy.

            Lastly, don’t judge people by what they look like, what they wear. Get to know their personality and interests. You can get to know someone by asking them things and you can figure out if they are the right type of friend to have for you. Sometimes we get tempted to not talk to people because of fear or what others say, but Psalm 1:1 reminds us, "How blessed is the person, who does not take the advice of the wicked, who does not stand on the path with sinners, and who does not sit in the seat of mockers."

            Those are some tips I have for you and if you want to find out more tips on how to find/make friends, then search up on Youtube “Finding Friends 101” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NA36vALNY9E). That is the link to the video if you don’t feel like searching it up. I hope you enjoyed this article on how to make friends.

It’s Not About Me - By Sarah P.

It’s Not About Me

By Sarah P.

Let me ask you a personal question. Are you self-centered? Think about that for a minute.

If your answer is yes, you’re not alone! I have a huge tendency to be so caught up in my life, my ideas, my thoughts, my dreams, and my feelings that I ignore others. Honestly, that’s pretty typical of teenagers. We can bury ourselves in a cellphone, tablet, or computer screen for hours on end and not care about what anybody else is going through. Although that may be true, it certainly isn’t pleasing to God. Take a look at what the Bible says:

“Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” –Philippians 2:3-11 (NLT)

Can it be said more clearly than that? Don’t be selfish…don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. I may want to be selfish and self-centered, but that’s not what God says I need to be. In fact, that’s not what God is! When Jesus came down to earth, He was being humble. He could have been born an earthly king and taken over the world with everyone praising Him continuously. Instead, He obeyed God, His Father. He chose to be the Son of a virgin teenage girl named Mary. He chose to be the Man who, in His hometown of Nazareth, people called, “just a carpenter’s son,” (Matthew 13:55). Jesus could have puffed up and said, “What!? A carpenter’s son!? I’m the King of everything!” and it would have been true. That’s not what He did. He humbled Himself, walked the hard road of being a human in this sinful world, and died on a cross (which, at that time, was not only painful but also a public disgrace). Is anything more selfless and loving than that?

When you’re tempted to be self-absorbed, remember Jesus’s example of selflessness. I was recently listening to a Christian song that says, “He must increase, I must decrease. All myself I put aside.”* That’s exactly what we need to do. We need to put ourselves aside and focus on loving and obeying God.

*”It’s Not About Me,” from the musical, Joseph: From the Pit to the Palace, by Jimmy Travis and Gail Getzen.

Dazzled by God - by Sarah K.

Dazzled by God

by Sarah K.

“He did not study God; he was dazzled by him.” (Victor Hugo, Les Misérables.)  At school this year, I am required to read the very thick book of “Les Miserables.” This quote stands out, because of the depth in its simplicity.  Are we as Christians content to sit back Sunday morning and “study” God? Are you able to argue convincingly any point of theology, yet are ignorant when it comes to a relationship? Have you memorized so many verses your head is chock full of them, but when it comes to application, you’re clueless? Are you only willing to attentively listen to a sermon, but not get out there and live your life for the Lord?

                                   We’ve all been studiers of God at one point in our walk with Him.

When this happens, we need to be dazzled by God again. What does “dazzle” mean? According to the dictionary, to be dazzled is to 1. To be overpowered by light and 2. To impress deeply; to astonish with delight. What do I mean by again?  Well, when you first accepted Christ into your heart – or He came rushing in when you were least expecting it – you experience an indescribably amazing feeling like nothing else in the world. It’s the feeling of realizing you’re saved: unconditionally, freely, and for all time. It’s the feeling of realizing what Love is for the very first time. You’re absolutely dazzled by God.  Over time, especially when life gets tough, and trials rear their ugly heads, that feeling fades.

                                                                           Remember it!!

Look around. Be dazzled by His gorgeous creation: purple and pink sunsets, the pattering of rain, the sound of wind in the trees, the flight of birds across the sky, golden sunshine on grass, constellations splashed silver against a night sky. Read His Word. Be dazzled by His faithfulness, His unconditional love, His sacrifice, His power, His mightiness, His beauty, His acceptance. Pray to Him. Be dazzled by the incredible and unexpected ways in which He answers, the unlooked for daily blessings, the grace to go on when you think you can’t, the way He’s always, always, always there.

                                                                           Let Him dazzle you.

Stop being a passive observer of God. Beg God to open your eyes and heart so that you are dazzled by who He Is. And when you are, you only fall more in love with the one who so completely and utterly dazzles you.

A Hope Filled School Year - By Kaitlyn F.

A Hope Filled School Year - By Kaitlyn F.

Around this time, many of us start freaking out because school is around the corner. We need to get new school supplies, and we need to start reading our summer reading book. For seniors, you have to start applying to colleges. This is just the beginning of another stressful school year. But while we are running around losing our minds, God stands faithful, unmovable and strong. I believe that it is a good thing to start of the year with hope for the new school year, instead of starting it in fear. Now a promise that God makes is that he will give you everything you need. Philippians 4:19 says, "And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus." Now this is only your needs, not the luxurious items that we so desperately want. But he is good to look over you, with his grace and mercy new everyday, which we all need. Sometimes though we feel like God isn't taking care of our needs. Numbers 23:19 says, "God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and not act? Does he promise and not fulfill." He will take care of your needs. He didn't make a promise that he couldn't keep like humans, and he isn't lying to us. It is difficult sometimes to determine what we need, and what we want.  When we make our luxuries as something that we need, then we feel like God isn't fulfilling either of these verses. Some of the needs are universal like love, and food, and shelter, but we each have other needs that are different, and it is up to ask God to give each of us our needs. Like in my math class, where I wanted an "A", but what I needed was a "B" to humble myself, but to also help me grow as a student. God is faithful, and he will fulfill his promises

God's Love For Us - Rebecca U.

God’s love for us

Rebecca U.

You may not know me,
but I know everything about you.
Psalm 139:1

I know when you sit down and when you rise up.
Psalm 139:2

I am familiar with all your ways.
Psalm 139:3

Even the very hairs on your head are numbered.
Matthew 10:29-31

For you were made in my image.
Genesis 1:27

In me you live and move and have your being.
Acts 17:28

For you are my offspring.
Acts 17:28

I knew you even before you were conceived.
Jeremiah 1:4-5

I chose you when I planned creation.
Ephesians 1:11-12

You were not a mistake,
for all your days are written in my book.
Psalm 139:15-16

I determined the exact time of your birth
and where you would live.
Acts 17:26

You are fearfully and wonderfully made.
Psalm 139:14

I knit you together in your mother's womb.
Psalm 139:13

And brought you forth on the day you were born.
Psalm 71:6

I have been misrepresented
by those who don't know me.
John 8:41-44

I am not distant and angry,
but am the complete expression of love.
1 John 4:16

And it is my desire to lavish my love on you.
1 John 3:1

Simply because you are my child
and I am your Father.
1 John 3:1

I offer you more than your earthly father ever could.
Matthew 7:11

For I am the perfect father.
Matthew 5:48

Every good gift that you receive comes from my hand.
James 1:17

For I am your provider and I meet all your needs.
Matthew 6:31-33

My plan for your future has always been filled with hope.
Jeremiah 29:11

Because I love you with an everlasting love.
Jeremiah 31:3

My thoughts toward you are countless
as the sand on the seashore.
Psalms 139:17-18

And I rejoice over you with singing.
Zephaniah 3:17

I will never stop doing good to you.
Jeremiah 32:40

For you are my treasured possession.
Exodus 19:5

I desire to establish you
with all my heart and all my soul.
Jeremiah 32:41

And I want to show you great and marvelous things.
Jeremiah 33:3

If you seek me with all your heart,
you will find me.
Deuteronomy 4:29

Delight in me and I will give you
the desires of your heart.
Psalm 37:4

For it is I who gave you those desires.
Philippians 2:13

I am able to do more for you
than you could possibly imagine.
Ephesians 3:20

For I am your greatest encourager.
2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

I am also the Father who comforts you
in all your troubles.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4

When you are brokenhearted,
I am close to you.
Psalm 34:18

As a shepherd carries a lamb,
I have carried you close to my heart.
Isaiah 40:11

One day I will wipe away
every tear from your eyes.
Revelation 21:3-4

And I'll take away all the pain
you have suffered on this earth.
Revelation 21:3-4

I am your Father, and I love you
even as I love my son, Jesus.
John 17:23

For in Jesus, my love for you is revealed.
John 17:26

He is the exact representation of my being.
Hebrews 1:3

He came to demonstrate that I am for you,
not against you.
Romans 8:31

And to tell you that I am not counting your sins.
2 Corinthians 5:18-19

Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled.
2 Corinthians 5:18-19

His death was the ultimate expression
of my love for you.
1 John 4:10

I gave up everything I loved
that I might gain your love.
Romans 8:31-32

If you receive the gift of my son Jesus,
you receive me.
1 John 2:23

And nothing will ever separate you
from my love again.
Romans 8:38-39

Come home and I'll throw the biggest party
heaven has ever seen.
Luke 15:7

I have always been Father,
and will always be Father.
Ephesians 3:14-15

My question is…
Will you be my child?
John 1:12-13

I am waiting for you.
Luke 15:11-32

Love, Your Dad
Almighty God

Father's Love Letter used by permission Father Heart Communications
© 1999-2014 www.FathersLoveLetter.com

As you read that, how did it make you feel? I know it really hit me when I read it the first time. God really loves me! He knows every single detail about me! Me, just little me in a huge world. One in 7 billion or so people in the world! He loves me, and He knows every single detail about me. Things that even the people who know me best don’t know. Even more amazing is God loves those who don’t even know about Him! Even the people who don’t believe He exists. God is love. God knew everything about us, everything we would do, even before we were born. Before anyone knew we were going to exist. God knew. And God had a plan for us. God isn’t mad at us when we sin. But He will forgive us, and He sent His Son to die so that we can be forgiven. God loves us that much. More than we can even comprehend. We can try to understand love that great, but we will never completely understand until we are in heaven with our Father God. We say we love our parents, our siblings, our friends, but we don’t love them even a fraction as much as God loves us. God is our comforter. He comforts us in our times of weakness. When we are going through hard times, when we are grieving the loss of a loved one, when nothing in life seems to be going right, He is there to comfort us. Even when we blame Him for our trials, He will still be there. If we are Christians, then when we get to heaven He will wipe away our tears. There will be no more pain. I don’t know about you, but that sounds good to me! No more pain, no more sickness, no more crying, no more death. That sounds absolutely amazing! Jesus death was God showing how much He loved us. So much so that He sent Jesus to die, so that we could be reconciled to God. Nothing will separate us from God’s love if we believe in Him. Nothing! God will always love us, no matter what. All He wants from us is for us to love Him back. He wants us to love and serve Him. He wants us to tell others about His great love for them. His only question? Will you be mine. Have you accepted Jesus as your savior, or do you need to do that? Why wait? God is there waiting for you to come to Him. If you are a Christian, but have strayed from God, why wait to return? Now is the time. He is waiting for you. It doesn’t matter how much sin you have committed, He is still there waiting for you to come back to Him. God loves you, and He will always be there for you to lean on!