What to do when you Seek God's Direction.

What to do when you Seek God’s Direction… 

By Maryann Y.

   A golden opportunity lands right in your lap… You go, “Yes, maybe, I don’t know…” and it all down spirals from there. What do you do? Should you go for it? 

   Maybe it’s a tough decision you have you make. You need to apologize to someone, or tell a friend something,  or WHATEVER!  You just don’t know what to do. So; what do you do?! 

• Pray!!! I know, everyone gets that a lot, but it has so much meaning. Communication with your Father is SO important. Make this a necessity, even when you feel you don’t need it, or you don’t want to. 

• Seek Advice!!! Talk to the mentors in your life, your closest friends, your parents, your Sunday school teacher, your pastor, ANYONE who you can trust your confidence in and that can help you. 

• Seek Others!!! This my seem the same as the last one, but there is a difference between asking advice and just sharing your problems and getting support. This is very crucial. 

• Seek Prayer!!! Get a prayer team to pray for you. Some trusted people in your church, your friends, ANYONE who can pray and lift you up to God. 

• Search the Word!!! Yes, I hear you guys out there saying, “But how can that 2 thousand year old book relate to my specific problem and this specific time?” God can surprise you.  Never forget this. Keep it near and use your readers help (if you have one) to look up passages.  

I hope this helps you! If you need prayer, want to add something, or just want to talk, email me at myemailformsy@gmail.com

We are the Light of the World; Shining for God at School

We are the Light of the World; Shining for God at School 

By Sarah P.

As the new school year approaches, many girls around the world are either looking forward to or dreading going back to school. I know you ladies come from many different backgrounds and that some of you are home-schooled, some are private-schooled, and some are public-schooled. Although I’m currently home-schooled, I attended public school for five years and wanted to talk specifically this month about shining for Christ at school. (Home-schooled girls, keep reading! There are ways for you to shine for God at home, too!) 

It’s no secret that a lot of public and private schools are full of secular beliefs, rules, and teachings. Sadly, there are also a lot of kids attending the average middle to high school that aren’t Christian. School can get really complicated with all the social ladders, cliques, bullying, cheating, and violence. When we’re surrounded daily by all the pressures a worldly environment puts on us, we can really wonder how we could ever make things better. 

In Matthew 5:13-16, Jesus tells us, “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” 

First Jesus compares us to salt. In Jesus’ time, salt wasn’t just used for seasoning food. There were no refrigerators, so people used salt as a preservative to keep food from going bad. Meat was salted to keep bacteria out. In the same way, we are called to be the salt of the world: to purify it and keep sin out. 

Then Jesus compares us to a city of light and a lamp. In both of those examples He points out that a light is always visible: you can’t miss it any more than you can miss a city on top of a hill. He talks about how no one in their right mind would light a candle and then stick it under a basket. The whole purpose of a lamp is to give light and help people see where they’re going. If you’ve ever been without electricity for a while, you know how wonderful light is! It’s really hard to get around even your bedroom in the dark. Similarly, we are called to show God’s love like a shining light bulb, burning through the darkness to help others see where they’re going—and where they need to be going. 

School can be a pretty dark place to be, but as Christian girls, we have the opportunity (and responsibility) to shine like candles in a dark place. No matter how dark a room is, you can find your way around by the light of just one candle. If each of us would choose to stand for God unashamedly in our schools, everyone would see the light—our fellow students, our teachers, our principles—and be touched by it. No, standing out doesn’t always earn you the approval of others. You might lose some friends. You might be looked down on by some people. But there are others that you’ll touch in ways you might not ever know. Your peers and teachers will see a difference in you, and it will leave a lasting impression that they won’t be able to forget. 

Shine brightly this school year, dear girls. Know that no matter what dark place you walk through, the light of Christ will always see you safely home. 

6 Facts on who God Is

6 Facts on who God Is

By Millie H.

In all honesty I think anyone reading this article would admit that God is many amazing things. Given that I don't have all the time in the world I am unable to list them all. But here are a few facts about God that stuck out to me this week.  

Fact #1  God is a living person.   God is not a "force" or just some higher power  

Fact #2  There is Only one God.   Isaiah 45:5 clearly states "I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me..." as well as Isaiah 46:9 "I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me". 

Fact #3  God is a spirit.   This statement is in no way a contradiction to the previous statement I made above. Although God is a living person he doesn't have a physical body like we have since God is all spirit this is why we cannot see him nor are we allowed to make images after him.  We are also told in scripture that this is why we must worship Him in spirit. John 24:4 "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth". 

 Fact #4  God is glorious.   The glory of God is so bright we could not bear to look at Him, just like we cannot bear to look at the sun because of its fierce brightness so imagine how God must look and He is much brighter than the sun.  But He (God) said, "You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!" Exodus 33:20. Habakkuk 3:4 states "His brightness was like the light; rays flashed from his hand; and there he veiled his power." and Ezekiel 10:4 says "Then the glory of the LORD went up from the cherub, and stood over the threshold of the house; and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was full of the brightness of the LORD'S glory."  

Fact #5  God is light.  

 God is pure, perfect and without any sin. 1 John 1:5 states "...God is light, and in him is no darkness at all." God always does what is good and right. 

 Fact #6  God is love.    1 Corinthians 13 is the ultimate guide to what love really is. God is a perfect example of all of the characteristics described in one. 

Acting on Faith

Acting on Faith

By Samantha W.

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:18 NIV

Last month I mentioned doubt being the enemy of faith. As such, he has been around since the beginning. Let’s go to Genesis and see how he works.

Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” Genesis 3:1 NIV

Maybe you were mistaken or confused about what you thought God told you.

This first attack didn’t work on Eve, so doubt took a different tack. “You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3:4-5 NIV

Less subtle, this approach attacks the convictions that God has our best interests at heart. Maybe he doesn’t care about us. Maybe his Word doesn’t apply nowadays. After all, the Bible was written so long ago.

Doubt went for the jugular vein next. When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. Genesis 3:6a NIV

She looked with her human eyes, and what she saw contradicted with what she’d believed. The fruit didn’t look bad. She let doubt squash down her faith.

Doubt can also make things look hopeless, but the principle is the same in both cases. For instance, we could be battling sickness and trying to believe what the Bible says about healing. But we don’t feel any better. When we look in the mirror, we don’t look any better. Doubt tells us to face ‘reality.’

Here’s one more tactic doubt tries.

She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Genesis 3:6b NIV

“Well, she’s doing it.” Adam could have argued. He played a dangerous game basing his actions on what someone else did.

We must be careful not to fall in a similar trap. I’ve read where some churches have accepted things, which do not align with the Bible. If we’re not grounded, we could easily follow their example.

Only faith in God can prevent doubt from swaying us. How do you act on faith, though? It’s a simple two-step process.

1. Read the Bible. Soak it up until the words penetrate deep within you.

2. Make a choice. Do you or do you not believe what God says is true for you?

If you feel doubt creeping in with one of his tactics, go straight to the Bible and read some more. Truth will banish doubt. Then reinstate your faith—not on what you see or feel—but on what you choose to believe.

The Famous Saying: Busted!

The Famous Saying: Busted!

By Rachel V.

How many of you have heard the famous saying: Which came first, the chicken or the egg? I know I have, and lately I’ve been thinking about it. Most people think it’s just one of those things that someone came up with just to be funny. At least I thought that. But really, which came first?

Once you start thinking about it you can’t come up with an answer. You think, the chicken came from the egg…but then the chicken laid the egg. Which came first? But if you know your bible, and if you think logically, the answer is very simple.

You can find the answer in Genesis chapter 1.
Genesis 1:21 says:

And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

Guessed it yet? It’s very simple. God made the chicken, and he told it to bring forth abundantly after its kind. So therefore…the chicken came first!!!!!

Everything can be followed back to the Bible. Even this little saying (which I really think Evolutionists came up with). So anyways, the next time someone jokingly asks you which came first, the chicken or the egg? You can simply say…the chicken! If they ask you what’s your proof? Tell them…the BIBLE!!!