Making Your time - Time for God, By Lauren L.

Making Your time - Time for God

By Lauren L.
 

The lives that we all live are often so overwhelming and busy.
 List of things to do:
1. Homework, revision, exam preparation
2. Visit family members
3. Meet up with friends
4. Tidy room
5. Help out around the house
6. Go to clubs - (Youth club, after schools clubs etc)
7. Get shower/bath and wash my hair
8. Go to the dentist
9. Go to the doctors
10. Help out at church events
11. Go get presents for friends/family members' birthdays
I'm sure you can all relate to the above, or at least a few of the examples, but seriously, do you ever just have those days when you feel so tired and exhausted by everything you have to do and you still haven’t done all the things you wanted to do? Sometimes you might have so much work for school that you can’t do it all and you might just have to choose one school subject to focus and work on, never mind finding time for family, friends or even God! Does this sound familiar?
Yes, it does, because it is! We all live busy lifestyles. But is that an excuse to keep putting off prayer, not going to church or our fellowship groups  or just generally working on our friendship with God? “God understands that I’m busy He wont mind  Ill go to church next week so its ok if I miss this one Sunday,  I’m sure I wont be the only one not there tonight, everyone understands cause they are busy too”.
No! It’s not an excuse! Don’t get me wrong - I understand that it’s so, so, so hard to find time for God because we always have so many other things we need/want to do. But the thing is we don’t always have to make specific time for God - I mean we don’t have to go out of our way to have quiet, chilled time giving God our undivided attention, although that is important to do when we can. When we are busy, it's better to make our time godly time than give God none of our time.
For example, instead of just saying I had too much work to do last night so its not my fault I didn’t have time for God, I could make time in the morning while I'm getting ready or when I'm in the car on the way to school. Pray to God and give him a wee bit off your time! Let Him know that although you have been extremely busy, you will never be too busy for Him! It might not be perfect, but it's better to show God that you are making the effort to find time for Him, than to not show any signs that you even care. Just remember we have a very special, very important and very unique friendship with the Lord our Heavenly Father, and just like all friendships, we need to put the time and effort into them to make them strong.
This is just like anything else - to do well in school, we need to spend time on homework or things we find difficult. How about the gym? If we are dedicated and go there on a weekly basis for an hour or more, we will see better results and feel better than the person who goes once a month for half an hour.
The same applies to us with God... So think! Think, am I making enough time for God to ensure I have the strongest friendship I can have with Him, or am not doing enough to spend time with Him?

God has a plan for you, By Trish M.

God has a plan for you.

By Trish M.

Hello Beautiful Ladies of Faith. I just want to start off by letting you know that God loves you and even though, I don’t know who you are, what your situation is and at which point of your walk with God you are at, I know the Lord has a plan for you and your life.

Okay so this topic came to me when I was singing one of my favourite church songs and the words are “ I know the Lord will make a way for me, yes for me , If I live a holy life, shun the wrong and do the right, I know the Lord will make a way for me” . This really got me thinking about my life and how for 16 years (and a few months!) God has been countlessly looking after me, making sure I’m healthy, protecting me from whatever the devil may throw at me. I also realised that from day 1 , 2^nd of June( My birthday), God had a plan for me and he has one for you too!

I know that in this world full of pain, confusion, sin, suffering, Life ending diseases, wars and all sorts of horrible things, it can be hard to have a peace of mind. I know that we all go through terrible things like death of family members and it physically hurts us to the point that we feel like God doesn’t love us. This cannot be farther from the truth. The Lord, your God, loves us so much. We are all precious to him and each and every one of us is valued a lot.

So when you are feeling like life is living you , remember, God is your strength. I like to almost chant Psalm18:1-3 that says “ I love you , lord, you are my strength. The lord is my rock, my fortress, my Savior. My God is my rock in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me and my place of safety. I called on the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and He saved me from my enemies."

This verse really reaches the core of my message, God is our rock and if you are still not convinced when I say he has a plan for you, you can see in Jeremiah 29:11, it states that “ For I know the plans I have for you, says the lord, they are plans for good, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope”. God has a big plan for you but he just needs you to follow him and let you guide him and at those times of heatbreak just remember Psalms 34 v 18 “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted. He recues those whose spirits are crushed”.

I really hope this article helps at least one person out there who is struggling with something or just simply lost their faith and hope.  

Keep holding on.

Xoxo Trish :)

Loving Him and Loving Others Are Our Greatest Commands, By Chadia M.

Loving Him and Loving Others Are Our Greatest Commands

By Chadia M. 

I am aware that when I’m talking about loving God and loving others, many of us feel like they already do that. However, I’ve been living through times where God calls me to re-examine my love for Him, and especially for others. Ask yourself, what is the first thing/ person you think about when you wake up? Is it yourself? How “you” are going to do in that test, how “you” are going to dress up, where “you” are going to go for shopping with “your” friends,… Or when you find a picture of you and your friends/family, who do you look for first? Isn’t it you? Here I’m not judging anyone. It is normal to act this way, that’s what everyone does, it is in our nature. In everything we want to be first; yes we make sure that the people we” love” are fine and satisfied but even unconsciously, we check on ourselves first. But is this what God prepared for us? Is it conform to his awesome plan for us? I don’t think so. God has always wanted us, from the beginning, to be selfless and to put others before us, at the example of Christ who didn’t spare his life because of his love for us.
Lately, God has been asking me to tell people at my school about Him. I am new at the school and as I am from a French speaking country, my English is not very good. However, I accepted, knowing that He would do the work anyway because it’s not by my might or by my power that anything is done, it is by His Spirit. So I prayed for the mission and I went, selfless, trying to bring to Jesus as many people as I could. But I realized that the zeal I was putting in talking about Jesus is not the zeal that people were using to respond. In fact, people were starting to change their opinion about Christ, but they were not willing to get saved. That’s then that Jesus told what was wrong. I was not loving and praying for them. All that time, I had been praying for myself, for the strength to go to them, but I was not praying to God so that He would change them. I was not loving them as I should have. I was loving myself more than I loved them. That’s how I learned my lesson. From then on, I constantly examine myself, trying to put other people’s interests before mine and you know what, yesterday, one of my atheists friends go saved after such a long time trying to bring her to Christ! Remember, it’s only when we start thinking, loving and loving others that God blesses our work beyond measure. John 12:26 says that the Father will honor those who serve Jesus and this is the truth. (Read John 12:25-26)
I just want to encourage each of you girls, there is more joy in giving to others than in receiving. Christ is all about giving even when we are undeserving. Let your love for the Lord and for others consume you and become less at the same time, as Christ become bigger (John 3:30). Then you will be truly amazed by all God can do through you.
Verses to read:
 James 1:27
“Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.”
1 John 3:11-18
 “This is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another. If we love our Christian brothers and sisters, it proves that we have passed from death to life. But a person who has no love is still dead. Anyone who hates another brother or sister* is really a murderer at heart. And you know that murderers don't have eternal life within them.
  We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters. If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister* in need but shows no compassion—how can God's love be in that person? Dear children, let's not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.”
1 John 2:7
Dear friends, I am not writing a new commandment for you; rather it is an old one you have had from the very beginning. This old commandment—to love one another—is the same message you heard before.

Romans 12:2, By Christina V.

Romans 12:2

By Christina V.

            Romans 12 is one of my favorite chapters of the entire Bible. There are several verses in that chapter that are very thought-provoking such as verse 2. "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God (NKJV)." God does not want us to be a part of this world and the things the world participates in. He wants us to "fix our attention on [Him]" (Romans 12:2 in The Message paraphrase). We always need to put God first.
            This falls in line with the Ten Commandments when it says that God is a jealous. Jealousy is considered a sin and typically looked at in a bad way but when the Bible refers to God as being jealous it is a reminder that He is absolutely important. No other gods are to come before Him. During the time the Ten Commandments were written, people worshipped golden idols along with other gods. It is still practiced today but hardly prevalent in the United States. However, things around us can be considered idols. Our cell phone, boyfriend, iPad, celebrities we like--anything that takes place in your life before God that you spend a bunch of time with. These things aren't necessarily bad but they can be when they "control" your time.
            The Message paraphrase also says in verse 2 that "You'll be changed from the inside out." It is like that familiar old saying: "garbage in, garbage out." The things you do, watch on TV, listen to, people you hang out with--all have an influence on you and how you'll act. If we're cramming ourselves with worldly junk, then we're going to act like we're a part of the world. But if we spend quality time with God and hang out with Christians and be careful about what TV shows we watch and music we list to, an attitude that reflects God will come out. This is what God wants from us. And when we act like a Christian, others around us will see this and our example alone could possibly bring someone to the Lord. Always remember that no matter where you go, others will be watching. Let Matthew 5:16 remind you to "let your light shine before others (TNIV)."

Following the Lord, By Tammie

Following the Lord

By Tammie C.

For a time in my life, I wanted to get whatever I wanted, and believe that I could achieve all things myself, and that's how I thought things should go on around me. But it ended it when one day I was awakened by the rain that falls down in our room, it was a rain not too strong but loud enough to hear. First when I heard what it said to me, I cried - the rain was saying, "You have to be strong because I am coming to save you. Even this rain will fall down again you will never be broken because you are with Me." And the moment that happened I knew that God is with me, thinking of my future, what will happen to me where I am, here and now. First, I can never say that it is just a glimpse of rain, but it changed my whole life now.

I am now a Christian willing to serve God Almighty, for He saves me from the dangerous road I shall take. For me it is the faith that I have to carry this with me, faith that He will never hurt me, until the day comes He will allow me to enter His paradise. I am an ordinary girl not knowing that the things around me are real and full of love to live. By that noise I was awakened to the world He wanted me to have, leading me to a new place where His Will will be done and always surround you and me. Living with God is having a person with you every day with a voice saying "I am here my child, don't be afraid." Have faith and you will seek the paradise where you were made to be!

Mold Me More Like You, By Karen Finn

Mold Me More Like You 

By Karen Finn

Last week, as I was preparing to grill burgers for dinner, I reached for the package of buns which had been placed on top of the refrigerator. Before I even untied the wire twist-tie, my eyes caught a glimpse of something amiss. Ugh. Spots of a fuzzy, greenish-white mold were peppered on the doughy surfaces of two of the six rolls!

What do you think I did: 1.) discarded the two moldy buns and used the others for our meal; or 2.) tossed the entire bag into the garbage? If you chose the second option, you are correct! I was not taking a chance on eating something that had been stored with damaged goods. Yuck!

God’s prophet Haggai uses an illustration which displays how influential these (clean vs. unclean) conditions can be. “If one bear holy flesh in the skirt of his garment, and with his skirt do touch bread, or pottage, or wine, or oil, or any meat, shall it be holy? And the priests answered and said, No. Then said Haggai ,’If one that is unclean by a dead body touch any of these, shall it be unclean?’ And the priests answered and said, ‘It shall be unclean.’ Then answered Haggai, and said, ‘So is this people, and so is this nation before me, saith the LORD; and so is every work of their hands; and that which they offer there is unclean.’”- Haggai 2:12-14

Is it possible for something clean (holy flesh), to rub off on what it comes into contact with (skirt of his garment)? Or, is it more likely that the unclean item –like my moldy bread—contaminates what was once spotless? In this Old Testament reference, Haggai was addressing the Israelite nation concerning the sincerity of their sacrificial offering/worship. Their outward observances of sacred rites appeared holy and well-intended, yet inwardly their hearts and lives were a contradiction. This type of approach could fool others, but certainly not the Lord!

As I meditated upon this passage, I began to see how this example has application concerning various aspects of our lives, especially when it comes to influences. Friendships have the potential to “rub off” on us, as do the activities, instruction and opinions we adhere to. Do we allow this pressure to alter our beliefs and actions? If so, we’ve become as ineffective as a spoiled piece of food.

A commitment to Christ requires sacrifice-we give up our own desires and choose to follow His Will for us. Our heart’s desire is to be holy just like Him; in other words, we want to remain clean and mold-free, useable for service—like a hamburger bun! Every day is a means whereby we reflect on the outside, what has taken place on the outside. If we can prioritize that as our goal each day, we will be allowing the garment of holiness to massage our spirits and affect others in the most beneficial way ever!

Procrastination & Witnessing, By Makaeyla Z.

Procrastination & Witnessing

By Makaeyla Z.

Procrastination is very common among highschoolers. I am terrible about it! Just earlier tonight (Sunday) I looked at my planner and I have probably three tests tomorrow that I haven't studied for, not to mention, I just finished all my homework (it's 11:36 pm). I had three vocab papers, an English paper, and seven geometry papers. Oh, and I have to buy To Kill A Mockingbird by Thursday. I have the craziest schedule this year and I definitely need to work on this. The bible talks about procrastination a lot. 

Proverbs 13:4 "The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richely supplied."(ESV) 

Proverbs 12:24 "The hand of the diligent will rule, while the slothful will be put to forced labor." (ESV)

Slothfullness is one of the "seven deadly sins." You can't procrastinate but say you aren't slothfull, because slothfullness is being lazy and if you weren't lazy you wouldn't procrastinate. As Christians we should be motivated to do anything, and everything as we do it for Christ, whether that's biology homework or reading our Bible. 

One thing you should NEVER wait until the last minute to do is SHARE THE GOSPEL. I know that's hard to do for a lot of people. Hello! I hate confrontation, no matter what the circumstances. But you don't have to start witnessing and sharing the gospel by going straight up to someone and talking about God. The best way to witness to someone is by loving them, and showing them: This is Where I Was, This is Where I Am, and This is Where I Am Going!! Show them your testimony by being strong, and loving no matter what is going on behind the scenes. I know that can be hard, especially in highschool. Trust me, at a football game last Friday a girl told me she hated me because I ate lunch with her boyfriend who happened to be my best friend since seventh grade. I wanted to yell at her and punch her, but I couldn't. I had to put on my best Christian-Lady-Like face and walk away. I still have to love her even though she "hates" me. I pray she sees God in me through that. There are so many ways you can share the Gospel at school without actually having to talk to someone about it. Though, this is just a first step. Eventually you will have to talk. 

You can: Read your Bible at lunch or whenever you have time. Pray before you eat. Respect people who don't respect you. Offer to pray for people (yes i know this is talking but it's not exactly the same) especially hurt football players. Listen to podcasts instead of music, or just listen to Christian music. Remember, "I can do all things through him who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13 ESV)