1 Peter 5:7

1 Peter 5:7      

Yolanda P.

"Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you." 

1 Peter 5:7

 We can not deny that everyday we have at least a problem. If we keep the problems, it would be  burdens. 

 As a teenager, we all have problems and burdens. It might be a problem about school, friends, family, etc. But, one thing that we learn after we read about the words of God above; is that God cares about us and He is asking us to just surrender and trust in Him. He will help dan take away our burdens. I do believe that God cares and can fix all problems.   

If you really surrender, He will help and prop you up.     

He is the most faithful best friend we can have. Oh what a friend we have in Jesus! 

So, girls, don't worry, just take all the problems in prayer and tell God about everything. Let God work on. He really cares about our problems. And once more, God's plan is always the best and never fail. Amen

There is no Need to Worry

There is No Need to Worry 

Mildred H.

  “…I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear…but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs.” Matthew 6:25-34 NLT 

 Of all the chapters of the Bible (in which I love all of them) Matthew 6 by far has to be one of my particular favorites. 

 As a person who enjoys reading material that both encourages and inspire me I feel that this chapter sums up every word that my heart has ever yearned to hear. One of the main reasons why I feel so passionately regarding this biblical chapter is due to a sentiment that I feel quite often, which is worry. Unfortunately, I am confident to say that I am not alone in suffering with this unpleasant emotion. To me, what makes that previous statement so grievous is that as Christ Followers we are told not to feel this way, what makes that statement even more so grievous is that as Christ Followers we don’t have to feel this. 

 What is Worrying? 

 According to dictionary.com worrying is to torment oneself with or suffer from disturbing thoughts. You know, those nagging thoughts that stay stuck in your head of what if I don’t pass that test or what if I don’t get that job or what of the dentist has pull all of my teeth out. Etc… the list could go on and on. Those dreadful what if thoughts that can sometimes even keep you awake at night tossing and turning in your bed. 

 In Matthew 6:25-34 Jesus clearly told the disciples not to worry about their life, food, drink or body, nor even what they would wear. The reason why was answered a few sentences later. The reason being is, ladies and gentlemen, worrying cannot add a single moment to your life. Worrying won’t help relieve your worry. Usually, worrying only brings up new and or bigger worries. I know, this is easier said than done, as I stated earlier worrying is something that we all do, myself included. But even though it is common occurrence for the average person it doesn’t make it right or okay. Think about that last time you worried about a situation. Whether it was a test you had to take, a medical appointment, an interview, meeting etc. whatever it was I want you to think about it, now think about how bad you were worried about your situation, finally I want you to think about how the actual moment you were so anxious about played out. Whether the situation turned out better than you expected, worse than you could’ve imagined or about how you figured it would what benefit did all that worrying have on you?  The only thing worrying did was steal precious time away from you. 

 The Cure for Anxiety 

 Christ instructs his children to “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Seeking first God’s Kingdom can be done by praying, reading your bible and aiding another believer.  Along with prayer, praise is extremely powerful. Personally I find myself relieved of worry as soon as a go to help, whether physically with my hands, verbally with words of encouragement and even through saying a prayer for a fellow brother or sister in Christ or emotionally with my presence, giving them comfort. Of course I did not exhaust the list of ways to seek first God kingdom and his righteousness I only named a few. Listen to God and let Him lead you the way he sees fit. 

 So the next time you feel anxiety arise within you pray a prayer to God expressing what you are worried about and why you are worried about it, praise God thanking Him for His goodness and for all he’s done for you, then go to another believer and see if and how you can help them. Remember that you Father in Heaven already knows what need before you even ask. Also I strongly encourage you to read Matthew 6:25-34 for yourself. I think you too will find it to be awe-inspiring. 

John 1:4-5

John 1:4-5

Sarah K.

Here are some thoughts I had while reading John 1:4-5. I hope that these reflections inspire you reflect and be amazed at the wonderful truths God tells us in His Word. 

In God was life. Apart from him, and before him, everything else was death. We were all dying, every moment as “lived” and our souls were truly dead. What is death? Separation from God, without hope. But Christ alone could provide life because he was Go…just reach out to touch him, and you are no longer separated from God…ONLY with Jesus can we really “live.” 

John uses the metaphor of light shining in the darkness. When the whole world was in darkness (was darkness), Jesus was the only light…the kind you run to when you see it, because humanity needs light. Even children prefer light over darkness. But Jesus stood, even though the world was dark, and we rejected him time and again…and HE WAS NOT OVERCOME. HIS LIFE DID NOT END, and he continued to shine for lost, broken, crawling, decomposing, disgusting, dead, and dark humanity.  

With Jesus, we had hope for the first time. With Jesus, we could not only see the Light, walk in the Light, live in the Light, but be light ourselves. 

“In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:4-5. 

Everything Goes Back to the Cross - Part 1, TreAnna B.

            There's a trend I've noticed lately, and I want to share it with you. It may not be as much as an epiphany to you as it was to me, but nevertheless, I think its pretty cool and only shows how great our God truly is.

           

            First I'm going to ask you to think back to the last book you read or the last movie you watched. What was it about? Was it an action packed thriller with a lot of fighting? Was it a romantic comedy with the guy barely holding on to the girl? Was it a thriller? Think about that story line for just a second.

            Ok. Now think about the last story you read in the Bible. Was it the story of David and Golith? The evils of Jeroboam? Was it the betrayal of Judas or the sacrifice of Christ?

            Ok. Now think about those two together. The point I'm trying to make here is that no matter what book you read or movie you watched, chances are the same basic plot line of that book/movie has already happened—in the Bible.

            I'm going to pause here and explain something. I promise its relevant to the point I'm attempting to make. I'm a double major in Biblical Studies and Creative Writing. At times those two majors seem to clash—especially when I look at the work of my contemporaries. Most Young Adult novels today are full of cursing and sexually explicit situations. Few of these books would fit into a Christian mindset. Holding the double major that I do, obviously I want God to be present in my work. Sometimes that's a lot easier said than done.

            I brought this issue to light in a discussion with one of my teachers. In her wisdom she made a good point—the very point I want to amplify here. The Bible is a book of stories. In this Book there is a story for the very height of human civilization and the many lows. If you look in the Bible you can find the bravest men and also the most cowardly. You will find great love and sacrifice. Everything, and I do mean everything, that one can ever say or write about human life has already been outlined in the Bible.

           

            And that brings me back to my point: Everything goes back to the cross. Everything in the course of human history. Every thing God created—even the human anatomy goes back to the cross.

Honoring Your Father, Stariana W.

Honoring Your Father

Stariana W.

            Father’s Day is this Sunday. Now is a good time to take a close look at how we treat our fathers. Do we follow what the Bible says? Do we actually honor him, or do we fake it and convince ourselves it is real?

            What does the Bible say about honoring our fathers?  Exodus 20:12 says “Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.” (KJV) Well, honoring means to respect not only with our actions, but also with our attitude.

Honor. Honor your father. Honoring means to respect him.  Honor by treating him with respect. While most kids now are disrespectful and hateful to their fathers, let us be different. How? We must first start with ourselves. We cannot honor anyone if we have problems with our attitude. The way we respond when he tells us “no” or that we can’t wear something or anything else is also very important. Instead of feeling sad and put upon and putting him on a guilt trip, accept what he says. It is not always easy, but this is an important step to becoming the woman God wants you to be.

Respectful. Are we respectful? Respectful, by definition, means “to esteem.” Being respectful to our dad may not be always easy. Dads and their daughters, especially teenagers, think very differently. We should express appreciation for what he does and for his protection and his providing for you. A lot of dads work in places where they do not really like it and people are not always nice to them. Their daughter’s appreciation can mean a lot to them.

Submitting. What does that mean exactly? It is accepting the authority or will of another person. Accepting his authority is also very hard, but the Bible tells us to submit. Nobody likes being always told what to do. But since we are to submit, we must do just that. We must obey our fathers.

Attitude. When we submit with our actions, do we do it with a willing heart? Attitude is the most important aspect of submitting. Without a good attitude, we really are not submitting. We need to look into our hearts and see if we have a servant’s heart. Without one, we are not really obeying God’s Word.  

Prayer. A father desperately needs his family to pray for him. We need to pray that God will give him courage and that we may always honor him with our actions.

Honoring, respecting, submitting, having a good attitude, and praying are hard to do. But, if we want to become the women God wants us to, then we must do according to his word. By doing this and changing ourselves, we are becoming women of God.

Hebrews 13:17 KJV - Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that [is] unprofitable for you.