Undying Love

Today's scripture

Ephesians 6:24

Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.

Devotional

This verse really opened my eyes to a truth about interacting with people in love. Although the verse is directed at loving Christ with an undying love, it also applies to our relations with others. What does it mean to love one another unconditionally or with an undying love?  It means that my love for others is not based on how they treat me.  I never could grasp that concept before; being able to love someone without having “conditions” attached to that love. For example, if people did not treat me properly, I would not be able to express my love towards them, because I was angry or feeling rejected or perhaps disappointed. My love was based on how they treated me. But because deep inside, I knew I truly loved them, I was able to learn how to express my love, even while I was still angry and upset with them, that is unconditional love. My love for others is an undying love, regaurdless of how I am treated by them. There is a great devotional on forgiveness at Prayer for Youth, please take time today to read it as well.

Blessings and Curses

 All of us have our share of suffering and Christians are not exempted from them. We don’t welcome it but we seldom have much control. Father Henri Nouwen says:
        “It is an on going temptation to think of our lives as living under a curse. The loss of a friend, an illness, an accident, a natural disaster, a war, or any failure can make us quickly think that we are no good and are being punished. This temptation to think of our lives as full of curses is even greater when all the media present us day after day with stories about human misery.
        Jesus came to bless us, not to curse us. But we must choose to receive that blessing and hand it on to others. Blessings and curses are always placed in front of us. We are to choose. God says, ‘Choose the blessings!’” (Bread for the Journey, Sept 8)
       
        “To bless means to say good things. We have to bless one another constantly. Parents need to bless their children, children their parents, husbands their wives, wives their husbands, friends their friends. In our society, so full of curses, we must fill each place we enter with our blessings. We forget so quickly that we are God’s beloved children and allow the many curses of our world to darken our hearts. Therefore, we have to be reminded of our belovedness and remind others of theirs. Whether the blessing is given in words or with gestures, in a solemn or an informal way, our lives need to be blessed lives.” (Bread for the Journey, Sept 7)

We bless ourselves:

·         when we give thanks with a grateful heart.

·         when we listen to the quiet, inner voice that says good things about ourselves.

·         when we affirm ourselves and know that we have given the best of ourselves in whatever we have worked on.

·         when we shut out the loud, busy outer voice that says we are being punished.

We bless others:

·         when we speak good things about them and to them.

·         when we show by our gestures that their presence is a joy to us.

·         when we reveal to them their gifts, their goodness and their talents.

1. Our reactions immediately after an unpleasant event happens
        When we lose our job, when we have an abusive boss, when a car accident happens, when we are robbed, when we are seriously ill, when we have cancer, the immediate question “Why?” emerges. “Why me?” “Why now?” “Why here?” “What have I done wrong?” “Why am I being punished?” It is so difficult to live without an answer to this “Why?” But, if we are too focused and obsessed with finding the answers to these questions of the causes of these events, we are more likely to end up being angry and bitter. Bitterness will turn us away from God and thus we curse ourselves.
        In order to help me see my suffering and pain in a new light, I have to change my focus. Now that the unpleasant event has happened, what should my response be? By concentrating on my response, I am more likely to end up turning to God, trusting Him and blessing myself. How is this done? Mother Teresa advised, “Just accept whatever He gives and give whatever He takes with a big smile.” (The Wisdom of Mother Teresa, 42) Who can do that? I can’t do it. It is impossible for me to accept with a smile this suffering and adversity. Whenever I say anything is impossible, I have inadvertently put a curse on myself! I have shut out all possibilities. But I may be able to accept it with a smile, if I truly believeThis requires a change in mindset and heart-set because if I am precious to God, then it stands to reason that He cares for me and knows my suffering and hardships and that He has permitted, allowed, sent or given them to me. Furthermore, I will surely be able to smile if I turn to God and wholeheartedly believe that with God’s help all things are possible as, “This is impossible with human beings, but for God everything is possible” (Matthew 19:26 TEV). When I embrace this truth, I bless myself. Therefore, I must trust that God has allowed the suffering to be a means of discipline through which faith, love, patience and grace may be cultivated in my life. God will not allow my suffering and pain to be wasted and to be of no value to me. God will see me through my suffering and will carry me through it all but I have to keep reminding myself that, ”I have the strength to face all conditions by the power that Christ gives me.” (Philippians 4:13 TEV) And “God has given us a spirit of power and of love and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:7 TEV). This belief, this constant repetition will help me to face my suffering and hardships in a new perspective. What I need to do is to turn to God, do my best under the circumstances and trust Him to turn it round for my good. God promises to take “all things” including suffering, abuses, evil things, and turn them round for good as “in all things God works for good with those who love Him”(Romans 8:28 TEV).

        But what is for our good? This is for the individual to pray and with God’s help to discover. He needs to constantly search for himself answers to the questions: “What is the seed of equivalent good in my suffering?” “What is the seed of equivalent benefit in my adversity?” Some good traits which we may develop can be more patience, more consideration, less arrogance and less resentment.
       
         Remember, all God requires of us is to come to Him in prayer and trust Him completely. Trust Him to turn our lives around. He will not fail us because we can trust God “who always keeps His promise.” (1 Peter 4:19 TEV) We do our part and give of our best and He will do His part. When we turn to God, God will work WITH us to turn the suffering and pain round for our good. The circumstances, the pain, the suffering, the hardship or the adversity may still be there and may not change much BUT our response and internal attitude towards them will certainly change. Yes, we can take God at His Word that He will help us, comfort us, strengthen us and support us through our pain and suffering. Then, suffering can become a turning point from which we take our greatest leap forward in our faith in God. When we trust God, God gives us the hope and courage to look suffering in the face and to go through it confidently with a renewed spirit and heart. Our suffering will, hopefully, turn us round to come in closer touch with the presence of God in our lives. The great secret in life is that suffering can become a source of new hope and new life. We will then learn to accept it with a smile. This is indeed a blessing.

2. Our memory of events long after they happened
        How we recount these unpleasant experiences is also vitally important. When we constantly recount them: that “God loves me” (John 15:9 TEV) and that “I am precious to Him” (Isaiah 43:4 TEV). How? ·         with blaming God,
·         with blaming others, ·         with cursing our fate,
·         with anger,·         with fear,
·         with regret, ·         with the feeling of being victimised,
        then we put these events under the curse. When we feel we are being punished, the feeling of being cursed comes easily. We will hear an inner voice calling us “bad,” “rotten,” “worthless,” “useless,” “doomed to sickness and death.” We darken our hearts and live our lives with bitterness and resentment. So, we unconsciously curse ourselves.

        But blessing is nothing more than recounting positively these events: · with what God has helped us to endure or overcome,
· with what patience our family and friends have stood by us,· with what we have learnt out of the events, and
· with hope, courage and love.
        Then we put these experiences under the blessing and we consciously bless ourselves.

        Henri Nouwen says, “In Latin, to bless is benedicere. The word ‘benediction’ that is used in many churches means literally: speaking (dictio) well (bene) or saying good things of someone. That speaks to me. I need to hear good things said of me, and I know how much you have the same need. Nowadays, we often say: ‘We have to affirm each other.’ Without affirmations, it is hard to live well. To give someone a blessing is the most significant affirmation we can offer. It is more than a word of praise or appreciation; it is more than pointing out someone’s talents or good deeds; it is more than putting someone in the light. To give a blessing is to affirm, to say ‘yes’ to a person’s Belovedness. And more than that: to give a blessing creates the reality of which it speaks. There is a lot of mutual admiration in this world, just as there is a lot of mutual condemnation. A blessing goes beyond the distinction between admiration or condemnation, between virtues or vices, between good deeds or evil deeds. A blessing touches the original goodness of the other and calls forth his or her Belovedness.” (Life of the Beloved, 56)

         Physical, mental or emotional pain lived under the blessing is experienced in ways radically different from physical, mental or emotional pain lived under the curse. Even a small burden, perceived as a sign of our worthlessness, can lead us to deep depression. But, great and heavy burdens become light and easy when they are lived in the light of the blessing. What seems intolerable becomes a challenge. What seems a reason for despair becomes a source of hope. What seems punishment becomes a gentle pruning from God. What seems rejection becomes a way to a deeper communion with God. And so the great task becomes that of allowing the blessing to touch us in our brokenness. Then our brokenness will gradually come to be seen as an opening towards the full acceptance of ourselves as the Beloved children of God. This explains why true joy can be experienced in the midst of great suffering. It is the joy of being disciplined, purified and pruned. Just as athletes who experience great pain as they run the race can, at the same time, taste the joy of knowing that they are coming closer to their goal, so also can the Beloved experience suffering as a way to deeper communion with God. Here joy and sorrow are no longer each other’s opposites, but have become the two sides of the same desire to grow to the fullness of the Beloved. For this blessed attitude to take root, we have to have deep faith that God loves us unconditionally and that we are the beloved children of God, very precious to Him.

        God sent Jesus to bless us, “God. . . sent Him to bless you” (Acts 3:26 NJB) and Jesus himself has blessed us with every spiritual blessing, “our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all the spiritual blessings” (Ephesians 1:3 NJB). Jesus shows us by His Words and Deeds how to live a blessed life, “Blessed are those who do His commandments” (Revelation 22:14 NKJV). Jesus creates a whole new blessed environment for us to dwell in and, ”how happy are those who hear the word of God and obey it!"(Luke 11:28 TEV) We have to choose to stay in that place with Him and to hand His blessings on to others to make our blessings grow and multiply.
       
         Remember, no one is brought to life through curses, blaming, gossips, accusations and punishment. But every one is brought to life through blessings, encouragement, affirmations, praises, rewards and forgiveness.

Living A Godly Life Today

A life Dedicated to God Today 

Today's scripture

2 peter 1:3

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.

Devotional

Living a godly life is possible because of the knowledge we have of God. This knowledge is acquired, daily, as we read the bible and seek after building a relationship with God.   As we study God’s word, and spend time in prayer, we will obtain the knowledge we need to be victorious today.  Everyday requires new spiritual truths for the new situations and trials we will be faced with. What we learned yesterday, may not be what we need for today. Today, I will not be a quitter, because the bible says that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. This verse is what brings comfort and peace within me today, so I will cling to it. What the Lord has for me tomorrow may be completely different.

The Spirits power through words

1 Corinthians 2:4

My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power

1 Corinthians 2:13

This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.

Devotional

I recently met a stranger at a local park where I was taking a walk. With in a few minutes I discovered that this woman was a Christian. After about 10 minutes of talking, suddenly her words began to come alive in me, by the power of God’s Holy Spirit. This lady was saying things that were in perfect relation to what had been happening in my life over the past two weeks. She said things that only God and I knew about. Her words were so right on, that at one point, I wondered if she was an angel. A friend, who was with me, was listening to the stranger speak to me... Then the stranger began to say things that were identical to what my friend and I had just talked about on our walk earlier that morning. This was without a doubt, a demonstration of the Spirits Power. We hugged the stranger with gigantic grins on our faces, what an awesome God we serve. As Christians, that’s the power we need flowing through our lives to win souls for Christ. Jesus said “my sheep know my voice”. We really need to hear God’s voice as we are interacting with others. Obviously this woman was hearing God’s voice as she was speaking to me and I was hearing God’s voice through her words that were filled with the Spirit.

1 Corinthians 13 A Guideline For Love

Today's scripture

1 Cor 13:4-7

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres.

Devotional

Please take time to read more of this chapter today. This devotion is just a drop in a huge bucket in comparison to what God wants to show us about love. God is love, that’s a gigantic bucket. When I have had a difficult time dealing with people, after things settle down a bit, I am usually directed by God to the subjects of love and forgiveness. These are the keys to maintaining unity and peace with others that we interact with, through out our lives. I use this portion of the thirteenth chapter of Corinthians as a check list for my behavior towards others. Am I truly loving them or do I need to make some changes in my attitude toward them. When I do recognize that I have an attitude that is not loving, I ask God to forgive me and to help me to understand and overcome this wall. By prayer and reading more of the word, on the subject of love and forgiveness, I always overcome these barriers that hinder my love walk. We must seek God and his direction in these times. If we do not, we will not maintain unity with those around us.

Loving God is Required

Today's scriptures

Psalms 18:1

I LOVE you fervently and devotedly, O Lord, my Strength

Devotional

Being a follower of Christ is so much more than just attending church. The bible says to love the Lord with all your heart, mind soul and strength. (Mark12:30) When we are in love with someone, we express to them by our actions and words “I love you” on a daily basis. As we begin to establish our relationship with God, eventually we should reach this place where “I love you” is a daily expression to him in thought, words and actions. Whenever we fall in love with someone we must first spend time with them, getting to know them, it works the same way with the Lord.  Spending time with the Lord means that we talk to him regularly, we read the bible often and we do the things that God likes to do as well as include him in things we like to do. Take time to sincerely tell God, I love you, he deserves to receive our expressions of love, and he also requires it.

The Future of Hope

The Future of Hope  

Today's scripture

Jer 29:11

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Devotional

When we get to know God we then have hope in Him. The reality of his presence, and the constant unveiling of His plans for us, strengthens us to put our trust in the truth of this verse. God has a plan and a purpose for each of us. When we seek Him with all our hearts then his plan begins to be seen, usually it is one step at time. If we were following a friend who is walking before us we would follow one step at a time. This is how we also follow the Lord. With every step of obedience to what he tells us to do in his word,  we continue  walking  forward in  hope and moving into the future of His destiny for our lives.

What does the Bible say about JEALOUSY?

When we use the word “jealous,” we use it in a sense of being envious of someone who has something we do not have. This kind of jealousy is a sin and is not characteristic of a Christian; rather, it shows that we are still being controlled by our own desires (1 Corinthians 3:3). Galatians 5:26 says, “Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.”

The Bible tells us that we are to have the perfect kind of love that God has for us. “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-5). The more we focus on ourselves and our own desires, the less we are able to focus on God. When we harden our hearts to the truth, we cannot turn to Jesus and allow Him to heal us (Matthew 13:15). But when we allow the Holy Spirit to control us, He will produce in us the fruit of our salvation, which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).

Being jealous indicates that we are not satisfied with what God has given us. The Bible tells us to be content with what we have, for God will never fail or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). In order to combat jealousy, we need to become more like Jesus and less like ourselves. We can get to know Him through Bible study, prayer, and fellowship with mature believers. As we learn how to serve others instead of ourselves, our hearts will begin to change. “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:2).

God is Light, in him there is no darkness

Today's scripture (spiritual light and darkness)

1John 1:6-7

If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

Devotional

Today choose to walk in the light. Walking with God is always a matter of choice. Making a choice to follow God’s way or our own way.   Deut. 30:19 I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live. Walk in the light that God has prepared for you to walk in, our own path is full of darkness, leading to death

Jesus is understanding

Today's scripture

Hebrews 4:15-16

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one(Jesus) who has been tempted in every way, just as we are-yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Devotional

If there are areas in your life that you are struggling with, bring them to the throne of God. He doesn't want you to stay away from talking to him because you feel like you are failing in your Christian walk. This verse says that he understands our struggles. Whatever your struggle is today, bring it to God to receive mercy and grace. He is a loving father who wants to cleanse, purify, and help us to become more like Jesus. You may be asking “how do I take my cares to the Lord”?   Simply talk to him through prayer, he is listening. I usually enter the throne of God on my knees with my eyes closed and then talk to him about all my concerns, believing he cares for me and wants to help me.

Jesus Gives Faith

Faith from Jesus

Today's scripture (gifts of faith)

Hebrews 12:2

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith.

Devotional

One of the greatest spiritual keys I have come to understand is that Jesus is the one who changes and transforms my life. I just have to become willing to let God show me the changes I need to make in my life. He does this as I read the bible and stay close to him in prayer, trusting him like a best friend. Jesus is the one who gives faith and perfects it.  I just become willing to let him do this. Sometimes I just tell the Lord, “Increase my faith and help me believe”. The bible also teaches that there is a gift of faith. Ask God to do this work in you. The bible says that without faith it is impossible to please God.  Learning to live by faith, trusting in Jesus, is a very important part of our lives as Christians.

Purposes of A Man's Heart

Proverbs 20: 5

The purposes of a man's heart are deep waters, but a man of understanding draws them out.

Devotional

Have you every realized that your actions have a purpose? Sometimes the purpose of our actions is to cause harm or injury to another in some sort of negative way. Also at times we may even cause harm or injury to ourselves. Some people spend years in therapy and counseling to try and understand why they behave the way they do.  A good way of examining the purpose of your actions is to check out what your motives are before you actually act on a thought.  If your actions have a hidden motive behind them, chances are that action is not pure.

For instance, if you want to call a friend and invite them to a church gathering so that they can be included in it, that is a pure action. However, if the real reason you are calling that friend is because you have not heard from them in a long while, and you are using the excuse of the church event to contact them, that is not a pure action. You have a hidden reason for the phone call. Examining your motives can be a great way to discover areas of our lives that we need to be praying about.

For instance the story about calling a friend could have everything to do with feeling rejected because they have not called you in a long while. If we understand that we are feeling rejected we can run to God in prayer and say Lord help!!!.

Ask God to help you with your understanding of yourself and others today. This is all a part of the Holy Spirits work,  that is, to reveal what  truth is in our lives and also to help us to maintain self control.

Biblical Truth About God & Healing

Today's scripture

Mathew 8: 2-3

  A man with leprosy  came and knelt before him (Jesus) and said, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean." Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" Immediately he was cured of his leprosy.  

Devotional

Gods will is to heal people, why all people do not experience divine healing is a mystery that even the greatest healing evangelist alive today cannot explain. We put our hope in Gods word and the truth of his word; we then leave the results up to him. We never give up seeking Gods divine touch and putting our trust in him. We know that God is real, alive, willing and able to help us. As Jesus said in our scripture “I am willing”, he is the same today as he was then. 

The Son Of God

Today's scripture (spiritual light and darkness)

John 11:27

Yes, Lord," she told him, "I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world."

Devotional

Yes Lord, I believe you are the Christ!  How has this decision effected your life? I had no idea that when I decided to follow Jesus, so many other lives would be touched by the hand of the Lord through me. It is the truth, he is alive!!! If we truly believe he is the Christ; our lives will point to him through our thoughts, our words and our actions. When we truly believe, we will live a life that is filled with loving and serving others. Others around us will be able to tell that we love Jesus, because everything about our lives will emanate the love of Christ.  When Jesus is truly the Lord of your life, your desires will change. Things that touch the heart of God will touch your heart. You will find you have a desire to spend time reading the bible, praying, and fellowshipping with other Christians.  Is Jesus really the Lord of your life today?  Let your actions (life) reflect your love for Jesus; others are watching you, be a demonstration of God’s love in all you do and say.

Gratitude- A thankful heart expressed with words

 1Timothy 1:12 And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry

 

Devotional

Recently, I had the privilege of working with a dear lady, who would say “Thank you Jesus” often. I began to notice that she actually was talking, as if Jesus were listening and right beside her. Such sincerity, gratitude and genuine thankfulness was expressed by her, that I began to realize she had much to be thankful for. It was if she was acknowledging that God was responsible for all the good things, just as the bible says, every good and perfect gift comes down from the father of lights.  Because of what I learned from this lady, I have started to express my thankfulness to God by saying “thank you Jesus” periodically through out my day. I have so many troubling things to focus on, BUT by focusing on the things I am thankful for, I am recalling Gods faithfulness over the past several years that I have been staying close to Him. With every trial there is a victory to be won. “Thank you Jesus” that I am on the winning team and you, my Lord, are working all things for the good!   

Gossip

Proverbs 20:19

A gossip betrays a confidence; so avoid a man who talks too much.

Romans 1:29

They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips.

Devotional

Gossiping: This is slanderous, idle, harmful or casual talk about another.

When I am talking to someone, I am always very careful to not talk about another person’s life. I also am very careful to not share too many things about my own life with too many people, unless I am totally sure that I can trust them to not spread what I share around to others.  I am very cautious with my words. The Holy Spirit will help us in this area if we stay tuned into His promptings when we are interacting with others. If you realize that you have a tendency to gossip then choose to stop it. If you are interacting with people who gossip, choose not to participate.

The plan of God

Eph 2:10

For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Devotional

God has a plan for our lives. That plan includes doing good works. The bible says, in the book of Acts chapter 10 verse 38,  that Jesus went about doing good and healing all...This was the plan for Jesus' life,  and  it is the plan for our life as well.  Jesus healed many people everywhere he went and taught  them how to live a victorious life. When we surrender our lives totally to Christ we begin to step into the plan God has for our lives. We then can discover the good works that God has prepared in advance for us to do.  A friend of mine once said, “God is serious about his business.” Doing good and filling heaven is God’s business.  So being Christ like, we should also be about the Father’s business.

Flying with God

Devotional


Recently I was reflecting on a dream that a friend of mine told me about. In the dream there was a man who was physically fit, and in the military. He was about to enter into flight training that would eventually promote him to a higher ranking as a pilot. His challenge would be to fly the airplane by using the instrumentation and gauges only, with no visual view of his outer surroundings. I consulted a good friend who is a pilot, about this dream. She said that during this type of training, an up close and personal relationship is established between the instructor and student. The ultimate goal is to condition the pilot to be able to handle all types of flying conditions by putting their trust in the instruments at hand. The bible says to walk by faith and not by sight. The plane can be compared to Gods kingdom; in that God has provided us with every instrument that we need to get us through all types of circumstances, even when we can't see where we are going. We must maintain a close and personal relationship with God, so that if we encounter difficulty we will be familiar with his voice, able to hear and trust his direction. Once we learn to use the instruments in the kingdom; such as, seeking God first, loving one another, reading Gods word, worship, prayer, hearing his voice and fellowship, these are just a few, we then can be promoted to being trusted with more powerful weapons. The bigger the plane is the more people you can carry, while you fly higher and further. God wants to entrust you to effect more people. Challenge yourself to fly a bigger plane in God’s kingdom; you can do this by learning how to use your spiritual instruments.

Jesus I Trust In You

Hebrews 11:6

and without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Mathew 6:34

Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Devotion

Can we imagine just for a moment that we have a small door key in our hand. I believe that faith is the key in our walk with God. When we have our house key with us and the door is locked,  we are not worrying about how we will get into the house. The same is true with a car door as long as we have the key to unlock the door, there are no worries. Faith is just a decision that we make to trust God and not worry. It's a small thing in our hands,  but when we hold the key of faith, God can open many doors. We just keep earnestly seeking him and trust without worry that he is working all things for the good. Sometimes I just say out loud, “Jesus I trust you.”

Dating

There is all kinds of advice out there about dating today, but a lot of it is about dating in the world rather than Christian dating. Christians need to have a different attitude toward dating. However, even among Christians there are differences as to whether you should or should not date. The choice is up to your and your parents, but Christian teens should still know God’s perspective on dating.

Non-Christians have a different perspective on dating. You see the magazines, TV shows, and movies that tell you how you’re young, and you should date a lot of people before you get married. You see certain “role models” jumping from one dating relationship to another.

Yet God has more in store for you than just jumping from one relationship to another. He is clear on whom you should date and why you should date. When it comes to Christian dating, you live according to a different standard – God’s. Yet it’s not just about following the rules. There are some solid reasons why God asks us to live a certain way, and dating is no different.

Why Should Christian Teens Date (Or Not Date)?

While most people have differing opinions about dating, it is one area of the Bible where there is not a lot of information. However, Christian teens can get some idea of God’s expectations from certain scripture verses:

Genesis 2:24: “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.” (NIV)

Proverbs 4:23: “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” (NIV)

1 Corinthians 13:4-7: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” (NIV)

These three scriptures give insight into the Christian dating life. We need to realize that God means for us to meet the ONE person that we are meant to marry. According to Genesis, a man will leave home to marry one women to become one flesh. You do not need to date a lot of people – just the right one.

Also, Christian teens need to guard their hearts. The word “love” is thrown around with little thought. Yet, we often live for love. We live for God’s love first and foremost, but we also live for the love of others. While there are many definitions of love, 1Corinthians tells us how God defines love.

It is love that should drive Christian teens to date, but it should not be the shallow version of love. When you date it should be taken seriously. You should know the person you are dating and know their beliefs.

You should check your potential boyfriend against the values listed in 1 Corinthians. Ask yourself if the two of you are patient and kind to one another. Are you envious of one another? Do you boast about one another or to each other? Go through the characteristics to measure your relationship.

Only Date Believers

God is pretty picky on this one, and the Bible makes this issue very clear.

Deuteronomy 7:3: “Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons” (NIV)

2Corinthians 6:14: “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?” (NIV)

The Bible seriously warns us about dating non-Christians. While you may not be looking at marrying anyone at the moment, it should always be in the back of your head. Why get involved emotionally with someone that you should not marry? This does not mean you cannot be friends with that person, but you should not date them.

This also means that you should avoid “missionary dating,” which is dating a non-believer in the hopes that you can convert him or her. Your intentions may be noble, but the relationships rarely work out. Some Christians have even gotten married to non-believers, hoping that they can convert their spouse, but often the relationships end up in disaster.

On the other hand, some Christian teens believe that interracial dating is inappropriate due to the scriptures that tells Christians to avoid being yoked to non-Christians. However, there is actually nothing in the Bible that prohibits dating people of other races. The Bible places more emphasis on Christians dating other Christians. It is culture and society that place an emphasis on race.

So make sure you are only dating those who share your beliefs. Otherwise you may find that your relationship is a struggle rather than a joy.

Be careful of recreational dating, where you date for the sake of dating. God calls us to love one another, but the scripture is clear that He asks us to be careful. While love is a beautiful thing, the breaking off of relationships is hard. There is a reason they call it a “broken heart.” God understands the power in love and the damage a broken heart can do. This is why it is important for Christian teens to really pray, know their hearts, and listen to God when they decide to date.

??????

Am I heading towards Depression again?

Am I doing the right thing?

Do I know what I am doing to my life?.

Am I walking on the correct path?

How far can I go and sustain?

What should I do now?

Am I gonna continue to be this Lost?

Who am I?

whats my purpose in this world?

My Life and God

I am still pretty unhappy and feeling regrets over certain things I did currently and the past, well what else can I do but to move on and make it better in future and hopefully I do not fall into the same mistakes again as I find myself repeating it over and over even though in my heart I know its not suppose to be done, so Lord I pray you give me the strength to have more control over myself and to stop repeating the same old mistakes which obviously will not work and will only bring me nowhere. I'm sorry for every single wrong steps I took during my journey in my life and I pray the Lord will send his angels to be with me and give me full strength and protection from every single threats and temptation set by the devil. All the devil wants is me to fall and continue to mess myself up so that my future will be gone forever then only he will be happy. May the Lord Jesus whom is my Savior and healer and also the one whom Loves me like a father to a son the most protects and heals me from the inside out. 

                                                                                                                                                             Amen