Don't be Scaredy-Birds

Don’t Be Scaredy-Birds

By Rachel V.

Psalm 11:1~
"In the LORD put I my trust: how say ye to my soul, Flee ye as a bird to your mountain?"

What is this Psalm saying?

If you look closer to the other verses in the Psalm, you may start to see it.

Verse 2: 
"For, lo, the wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string, that they may privily shoot at the upright in heart"

David is saying to the Lord that evil people are hurting him.

What happens if you shoo at birds? Say some seagulls? What do they do? They fly away. They flee because you scared them.

Or take pigeons for example. They fly away too when you shoo them.

Look at those pigeons again. They fly away, but they always come back. They don’t let a big human scare them from their lunch.

David is saying not to be like those seagulls and flee at everything that scares you or tries to hurt you. Or be like the pigeons, and always come back. Why? Because you have put your trust in the Lord God. You know that with Him, nothing can hurt you if you put your trust Him.

So stand your ground. Keep up the good fight. Advance and don’t be sacred of this world. Don’t be like birds and fly away. Keep going and know God will keep you safe. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. (Romans 8:37)

Totally Untalented: or do you Have any Gifts?

Totally Untalented: or do you Have any Gifts?  

 By Keturah L.

A while back some friends and I were laughing and talking. I can't remember exactly how we got on the subject ( it seems we were throwing out crazy plot twists ), but however it happened I said something like "What if you wrote this story and the main character had no talents whatsoever and..."  One of the guys said, "That isn't right. When God created us he gave us all gifts and talents and places in life. No-one is created with out a purpose."  

Normally I defend what I say, but this time what he said hit me as true. What I had said was VERY unbiblical.  

  

When I write I try to make all my stories at least follow certain biblical principles even if my stories aren't necessarily "Christian" genre.  Needless to say, that story idea was trashed :).  Yet what I had said many would consider true. Just look about you. There are many, many people that appear to have nothing, do nothing, know nothing.  They are "ugly", "untalented" and no fun to be around. Normally their dress style doesn't help, nor half of the weird things they say or do or the way they act.  These people we class as "untalented" ( a word that shouldn't even exist ). 

 Maybe you are one of those "untalented" people. You can't find anything special about yourself, you are good at nothing.  Well, let me tell you now that your idea about yourself is false.   Yes, there are many seemingly untalented people, because like it or not, no one is born perfect. Even those of us who were lucky enough to have someone help us develop our talents would be nothing if it weren't for trying.   And practice.   Lots of it. In order to have talents I have learned you must CHOOSE to DEVELOP them.  But how do you discover YOUR true talents and destiny in life? How can you be YOU and have others like you at the same time?  Sad Fact: First off you need to accept that everyone won't like you. You need to be happy anyways and just be you. Living to please others will only bring many disappointments in your life, because you will ALWAYS displease someone.  (Not saying you should live carelessly or purposely displease others. Just don't make it your priority to be someone else's puppet.)  I believe the very first step to finding true happiness with ourselves is found in this verse, 

Proverbs 3:5-6 
"Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths" 

   In order to believe and really accept that we ARE created for a purpose and DO have talents and gifts we first must accept the One that made us and gave us those gifts in the first place.  Believe in Yeshua ( Jesus ), accept him as your savior and let your old ways be no more than the past - over. Including the thoughts that you have no talents.  For now you are a new creation in Him. 

2 Corinthians 5:17 
"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."  

After that here are some suggestions for discovering your own talents: 

  1.  Believe that you were created for a reason - that you aren't some freak accident.   This is one of the Devil's biggest lies. If he can make you not feel special then you will automatically believe that no one cares for you which then leads you to believing that Yeshua ( Jesus ) did NOT die for YOU.  To believe this is thinking that you are worse than EVERYONE. Which is not true.  

 Romans 3:23 
"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God"  

 
2. Accept that God made you special and that you have a purpose in life.  Self-worth and self-dignity are important as long as we don't let them turn into self-righteousness or self-pride. 

3. What do you most enjoy doing? These are the natural desires given to us by God.  Make a list of what you like doing. Remember these may only be desires. You may have already wasted much time by thinking you were untalented that you never spent much time cultivating your gifts.  Just because you have a gift for something doesn't mean you'll be just awesome at it. God only gave you the desire and the gift. You must make it grow by using it and working with it. Perfect it with practice.   

And talents can be anything from big stuff to little stuff. Singing, acting and other things that make you famous aren't the only talents out there. :) In fact these things can distract us from our real talents by making us think that those are the only talents out there.  True talent isn't becoming popular, but being passionate about what you do because you love it and letting that gift make you a better person.  

 4.  You don't know what you like doing? Or what your natural gifts are? Most likely somebody ( that is a good influence in your life ) will have noticed your talents peeking through. Take advice from others to see what you are good at.   

5. Apply your talents to practical every day things.   And be unique, be you.   Just because your talent may be working with kids doesn't mean you have to become a teacher or social worker or children's missionary. Look at ALL the options and pick the one that best suits your unique personality.  Don't go for the norm or what everyone else does. Don't do things to please others. Do all for the glory of Yahweh.    

1 Corinthians 10:31 
"Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." 



Colossians 3:17    
"And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."

6.  Let your talents and personality intertwine. Be unique. Be respectful. Use dignity.  Just as there isn't a truly untalented person there is not an ugly nor undesirable person.  It's all in how you act and dress and talk and be you.  Embrace what God wants for you, and your attitude ( and yes, even style ) will change to make you a greater person for Yahweh. 

 

  So, what are your talents? Share in the comments. :)

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