Memory of a goldfish [6/4/13]

Hi everybody! :) 

There has been a question in my mind for a few weeks now... And I really can't figure out the answer to this question! 

Is it summer yet? 

The weather has been up and down and all around and it seems as though I can no longer pinpoint what season it is. How confusing! But you know what's cool? Although our walk with God seems to be hectic at times, and there are periods of time when God feels more absent than others, he is always constant and he is always there. No matter what! 

In the past week and a bit that I haven't posted anything, a lot has happened and God has, as usual, been working and revealing new and old things to me! I no longer label my faith as a roller coaster ride, because thankfully, my faith has become more constant. The only roller coaster ride in my faith is how struggles come and go! But I try to welcome these struggles as I am able to participate in the sufferings of Christ and will be overjoyed when his glory is revealed! (1 Peter 4:13) The past couple of weeks have been a test of welcoming new struggles as they have been marked with different struggles where I was tempted let go of my trust in God and tried to deal with the problem myself. 

I love, love, love it when I am able to see what God has been doing my life. I love it when he reveals his plans to me and shows me what he has been teaching me and how he has been doing it! 

Today, I was spending some much needed time reading the word of God when I was lead to read Exodus 14-17. This specific part of Exodus is where the Israelites cross the Red Sea, and rejoice, then seem to forget what God has done for them when they complain for food and water. In Exodus 14:31 it says, "And when the Israelites saw the great power the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant." 

If I were them, I would be exactly the same! What other man or god could split the Red Sea in half and allow us to pass through with safety!? What else is capable of doing this impossible task? From my knowledge, the answer is nobody. There is no one else capable of such amazing works! None but our God! 

As I continued to read Exodus, I read Exodus 17:7 where it says, "And he called the place Massah and Meribah because the Israelites quarrelled and because they tested the Lord saying, "Is the Lord among us or not?" The meaning of Massah is testing and the meaning of Meribah is quarrelling and in my opinion, is that not slightly embarrassing for the Israelites that their lack of trust in God was so significant that they actually named the place after their doubt? 

From fear to testing - what a distinct contrast between Exodus 14 and Exodus 17! When I read this, I actually started chuckling a little bit. How inconsistent and foolish humans are. We say we fear the Lord one moment, and the next moment we test him? You would think that once you walked through a parted sea, you would always fear God and trust in him and his provision. But nope! We always end up doubting him and sometimes forgetting the amazing things he has done for us! 

As I read Exodus, God was gently telling me that I am no different from the Israelites. I as well have seen God do amazing things in my life, only to forget the next week and go back to my foolish ways of doubt. And I think this is the case for many people! If this is you, then you are not alone! We are often called to trust in God, in his provision and trust that his plan will be unraveled in his time, but we still end up worrying about whatever situation is causing us to struggle and we try to put things in our own control. 

So brothers and sisters, I want to encourage each and every one of you to remind yourselves of who our God is - how powerful, wonderful and caring he is. We should also encourage one another in these times (and all other times)! As I have had several different struggles entering my life recently, I was blessed to have brothers and sisters that continued to remind me to just trust in the Lord - be constant in prayer and thanksgiving to the Lord for what he does in my life. Praise the Lord!

May we trust in the Lord always! :) 

- kjoosaurus out!

Faithful to the End [01/22/13]

Hello everybody!

Wow, I can't believe it's almost the end of January and this is only my first post of 2013! The past two months have been incredibly busy but God has definitely been working in my life and in the lives of others around me. He has revealed so much to me and I wanted to share a bit of what has been revealed to me with all of you~

What are some things people of this world highly value? Money? Love? Objects? Food? Those answers are definitely all correct! Personally, I believe one of the things we value the most is comfort. In general, people want to live comfortably. They want to have a stable job that provides them with a stable income which provides them with gadgets, plenty of food, a comfortable home and room for even more spending. In fact, the goals many people set for themselves are often made to lead to a comfortable life! Get into the good school so that I can get that good job that has good pay.

People also seek comfort in other aspects of their lives such as the emotional part of their life. We don't want to live a life where we are constantly stressed out. We don't want to live a life where we are being persecuted, ridiculed and hated. We want to be loved, adored and admired. But is this what being a Christian is about? Is this what we should be seeking and pursuing?

In 2 Corinthians 11 and 12, Paul talks about the sufferings he has gone through. He mentions how he was constantly abused, how he was often hungry and often in danger. He then says at one point, when Satan had put a thorn in his flesh, he pleaded three times with God to take it away from him, but God said, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." (Chap. 12:9) In this verse, Paul is talking about how God is glorified through our own weaknesses and sufferings. He is able to reveal himself to others through our own struggles. Reading this verse made me wonder... When I'm struggling and when I'm weak, will I be glorifying God?

I want to share about a couple of martyrs I learned about recently. Their names are Perpetua and Felicity and their story takes place in Carthage. These two girls became Christians in a time when it was dangerous to become a Christian as Christians were being persecuted. It was more common to see the lower class (slaves) becoming Christians, but it was extremely rare to see anybody who was noble to become a Christian. Perpetua was one of those rare cases. Perpetua had everything she needed to live comfortably. Her father provided her with everything she needed, she was married and pregnant! But through Felicity, her slave, Perpetua became a Christian.

The story of Perpetua and Felicity is complex, but what happens in the end is that the two of them were killed in front of thousands of people. They were killed because they were Christians, but right until the end, they were faithful to God and glorified him even through their sufferings. They gave absolutely everything up to him and they were completely faithful to him from the beginning to the end.

When I learned about their story, I began to question my own faith. Am I faithful enough to God that I would give up everything I have just to glorify him? Do I have so much joy in glorifying him that I would go through a great deal of pain and suffering just for him to be glorified? The answers to those questions were no, but to be a faithful servant to God is what I desire. I want to live a life that glorifies him. I want to persist through my sufferings with joy just by knowing how my weakness is glorifying God! Instead of complaining to God about my struggles, I want to rejoice!

Wouldn't it be great to be as faithful as Paul, Perpetua and Felicity? I'll be praying that every one of us becomes as faithful as they are!

Thanks for reading~~

- kjoosaurus out! 

Cry for Attention [5/25/12]

Hello there!

Today, I had a friend ask me how I was doing spiritually... Although I did not have the time to express my joy, I can say now, I am extremely joyful that he asked me this! Just with that one question, a whole conversation about God came up! Isn't that wonderful? I'm getting excited right now as I realize how simple it is to bring God into our lives. So, I hope we will all ask each other how our spiritual lives are! 

Now, today, I'm going to quickly share about something I learned in Matthew. I was reading Matthew chapter 6, and I noticed a very obvious recurring theme. This chapter was teaching about giving to the needy, prayer, fasting and money. Here, I'll show you some of the verses I read. 

Matthew 6:1-2

Watch out! 

Don't do your good deeds publicly,

 to be admired by others, 

for you will lose the reward 

from your Father in heaven.

When you give to someone in need, don't do

as the hypocrites do-blowing 

trumpets in the synagogues and streets

to call attention to their acts of charity!

I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get. 

Then I read:

Matthew 6:5-6

When you pray, 

don't be like the hypocrites

who love to pray publicly on street corners and in

the synagogues where everyone can see them. 

I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get.

But when you pray, go away by yourself, 

shut the door behind you, and pray

to your Father in private.

Then your Father, who sees everything,

will reward you. 

And the final example:

Matthew 6:16

And when you fast, don't make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, 

for they try to look miserable and dishevelled 

so people will admire them for their fasting. 

I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get. 

So, I'm not sure if you've noticed, but in every single passage, there is one common theme. We must not boast to others. We must not do the things we do for the fame of it! This is something I am definitely guilty of. I've always struggled with seeking the attention of others, and I would do things to get people to notice me. I wanted people to like me, and to look up to me. But, because of this, I was just falling more and more. 

As humans, we often seem to seek the attention from others. We crave it. We want to know people care about us and look up to us, so we try to put ourselves out there for them to see. But is this the reward we should be seeking? Are we going to be satisfied when we get some attention from people? The answer is no. Nothing of this world will ever completely satisfy us. The best and most fulfilling reward comes from God! 

So, let's do good deeds to honour our father, and not to be admired by others! The rewards from our father are the best rewards! They are the only rewards we should be seeking. It will be tough, but together, we can all overcome this need for worldly rewards! Hooray~ :) 

Sorry, it was a bit shorter tonight... But, we will meet again tomorrow! Hehe. 

Good night everybody!

- kjoosaurus out!

Living Sacrifice [5/4/12]

If God asked you this question: "Will you sacrifice all you have for me?" How would you react?

If God asked you to give up your career for Him, if God asked you to give up all of your worldly possessions for Him, if God asked you to give up everything for Him. Would you do it without hesitation?

You know, one day, God might ask us this exact question. He might ask you to give up the job you worked so hard to get. He might ask you to let go of every single penny you have. We hold on so tightly to these worldly things, but what good is it doing for us? Why am I holding on to the things the world is giving me, when God is promising so much more?

Romans 12:1
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.

A true and proper worship? God wants me to offer Him everything I have, and this will please Him. Everything I now hold in my hands, I should give to God. My whole life should be offered to Him. It's hard, isn't it? As soon as we were brought into this world, we were sinners. Our desires were of the flesh, and we craved and desired the things of this world. Oh, how unrighteous we are!

As we look at the people around us, what do you think they are all looking for? These goals we set for ourselves, what is the final purpose? The final purpose is happiness and fulfillment. People want to believe they have done something with their lives; they believe they will be happy. They think they will be happy once they have all of the money in the world. But, they're always wanting more. Humans are always craving more and more and more to fill the emptiness inside. We try to fill this emptiness with worldly things. Money, clothes, sex, food, idols, music, movies, etc. But, there is only one thing to fill this emptiness. It's our Lord and Savior!

Thinking about how He is the only one who can save us, and the only one who can fill this emptiness inside... It makes it a bit easier for me to sacrifice everything I am to Him. We don't need anything from this world, because He is providing for us. All we need is Him, so why do we allow ourselves to be distracted by the things of this world?

Romans 12:2
Do not conform 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.


If we give up everything to Him, He will change us. He will fill us with His desires, and He will turn us into His image! The closer we get to Him, the more righteous we become! What He hates, we will hate. What He loves, we will love. He is going to mold us until we are no longer an image of the world, but an image of Him. All we have to do is let Him!

If God ever asks us to give up all we have for Him, I hope we will be eager to do it! The things of this world are worth nothing compared to what God has in store for us. :)

Thank you for reading this post! Here is the song I listened today: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNjKLz380j8

- kjoosaurus out!

Standing Strong [5/3/12]

Hello~

You know, everyday, I'm amazed at how much God has a hand in every aspect of my life. He is all over the place! He is a part of every conversation I have, a part of every action I take, and a part of every move I make. It is beautiful to see Him everywhere I go. Lately, I've been much more open about my faith. I've had many friends ask me about my faith, and I was very cautious at first... I didn't want them to judge me or think differently about me, so I would often sugar coat things.

I used to tell people, "Yeah, I'm a Christian, but I'm not one of those hard-core Christians." Well, guess what? I have now become what I used to define as a "hard-core" Christian. Yes, some of my relationships with non-believers have changed... People begin to treat me differently and think of me differently, but this is expected.


Matthew 10:22
"All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved."

We should expect for people to treat us differently, and even to hate us. I've seen this happen quite a bit to my sisters and brothers in Christ and even myself, but it is not something that should be stopping us from announcing our faith to the world! We should continue to preach the gospel. Having the world hate us should not stop us from loving Christ to the best of our ability. 


There are also many times when people will question us about our faith... They will ask us WHY.

1 Peter 3:15
^"15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect"

The other day, I met up with a friend I haven't talked to in a very, very long time. I think it's been about three years? Anyways, he actually asked me this exact question. He asked me, "Kristen, why are you a Christian?" 

There were many thoughts that entered my head at this moment... I had several options. I could kind of ignore it, and say "Why not?" Or, I could keep myself from being judged and say some very vague and foolish question... But God doesn't want me to hide any part of my faith. He wants us to tell people exactly why we believe! This doesn't mean he wants us to start an argument with every non-believer, and force them to believe in God! He wants us to be honest with them. I told my friend about what Jesus Christ had done for me... How my sins were forgiven... How God is waiting for me in Heaven so we may be together for all of eternity. 

I wasn't trying to convince my friend of anything, I was just telling him exactly what I believed. I think, if we're honest with people, there will always be people that hate us for what we believe, but there will also be the people who become intrigued by the way we live our lives, and our actions. People become interested, and they begin to ask more and more questions. I know this is one way that people come to know Christ. I personally want to open all doors for people to get to know Christ, so if God chooses to use me in this way to bring others to Him, then I will continue to stand strong in my faith! I will not hesitate when people ask me why I believe in Him. 

It's a scary thought... Thinking of how people will hate you for what you believe in. But, it's something I'm willing to sacrifice to have at least a few people get to know Him. I pray that he will give me strength... I pray that He will take away all of our fears of being judged and hated. 


Thank you for reading this post :) Here's the song I listened to today! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ohvhmGSfxI&ob=av2e

-kjoosaurus out!

Stripping Away Our Pride [4/30/12]

Hello hello!

I hope everybody is doing well; I am writing this blog early today because I have a busy day ahead of me!  There are a lot of things that must be done before I go home, and I wanted to make sure I wasn't too tired to write this. Actually, I should probably make it a habit to write this blog earlier in the day... :)

Anyways! Today, God provided me with the topic of pride. He has truly been changing me, and very slowly taking away my pride. Pride is something I have struggled with for many, many years. I honestly don't have any idea where my pride came from, but it was, and still is, a very big challenge in my life. Since I was younger, I was extremely prideful. I always wanted to be the one people looked at, I wanted people to continuously compliment me, and I wanted people to look up to me. I relied on nobody but myself, because I believed I myself could do everything best. I only ever relied on my own knowledge, and my own wisdom. I would try to give people my own advice because I wanted people to rely on me and look up to me, and tell me how wise I was.

Whenever anybody ever criticized me, I would snap back. My parents often tried to talk to me about my pride, my greed and my selfish actions, but it never ever worked. My friends would talk with me about these problems, but when they brought them up, I became extremely angry. I would explode and talk about how they were full of faults too. I told them they were in no place to judge me and try to change me! I always did my own thing, and I did not let anybody put me down.

This pride is still a part of my life... I know I am not a truly humble servant of God yet. Even now, when people try to help me, I find myself tuning out. I find that I stop listening to them, and I don't remember the words they say to me. I don't ever want to be told that I am wrong, but little by little, God has been reminding me of how many faults I have, and how it is only Him that can change me and mold me. Over the past few months, he has taught me so much about how pride can hinder our relationship with Him.

Psalms 25:9

He leads the humble in doing right, teaching them his way.

What God has been teaching me about pride is that He cannot use me if I hold on to my pride. If I hold on to my pride, I will begin to glorify myself, and do things in MY own way, not HIS. God's way is the only way, and I must become humble for Him to teach me His way. I pray, and pray, and pray that He would bring me down to the lowest of the lows, and humble me. I pray that He would strip away all of my pride, and use me to do His will! God has been humbling me through people, the Bible, and events that occur in my life. I pray that He would change my heart and my mind so that I may rely on Him only; not myself or anybody else. 

I praise God because I know he has been changing my way into his way. I pray that you will all seek His face and His will, and ask Him to humble you! 

Thank you for reading my blog! The next time I blog, it will be from Vancouver! How exciting :) 

-kjoosaurus out!

Doubting Thomas [4/29/12]

John 20:24

One of the twelve disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), was not with 

the others when Jesus came. They told him, "We have seen the Lord!"
But he replied, "I won't believe it unless I see the
nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place
my hand into the wound in his side."
Eight days later, the disciples were together again, and this time
Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as
before, Jesus was standing among them.
"Peace be with you," he said. Then he said
to Thomas, "Put your finger here, and look at my hands.
Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don't be faithless any longer.

Believe!"

"My Lord and my God!" Thomas exclaimed.
Then Jesus told him, "You believe because you have seen me.
Blessed are those who believe without seeing me."

This past weekend was full of interesting events. God continuously revealed things to me, and he told me something I hadn't even realized. On Friday, a friend of mine made a brief reference to Thomas in the bible. She was calling somebody "Doubting Thomas," and I didn't understand her reference. I had never heard of "Doubting Thomas" before, and I didn't think much of it at the time. So, I brushed it off, and I continued on with my life. The day after, Thomas was mentioned two more times. Then again, Thomas was referred to on the next day! It was on the fourth time that Thomas was mentioned that I realized something... God was telling me to search up the bible verse on "Doubting Thomas!"

As I was reading the verse on Thomas, I immediately understood the message God was conveying to me. I hadn't realized (or maybe I just didn't take note of it) that there were many doubts that continued to creep into my head while I was praising God, or praying to Him. At times, I realized I would doubt how mighty He was, or the things He had done. I didn't take note of these doubts right away, until I realized they were very persistent, and they only came when I was getting closer to God. When this was revealed to me, I was scared. I didn't want to doubt God; I wasn't trying to. I probably wouldn't have taken note of this if God had not revealed it to me! 

God doesn't want me to doubt Him in any way, and I'm sure it saddens Him when I do. He brought this to my attention, so that I may cast all of my doubts away. They have still been crawling into my mind at times when I grow closer to Him, but God is working in me as I pray to Him every time this happens. I realized there are times when we don't even notice we are struggling; we don't see what we are struggling with, but God revealed my struggles to me so that I would pray to Him and ask Him for His guidance! I pray that I may have 100% faith in Him without having to have "proof." I pray that I do not need to be doubting like Thomas was; I pray that I would be able to believe without seeing! He is a wonderful God who continuously works inside of us! He is always molding us, and changing us! What a beautiful, and mighty God! 

Thank you very much for reading my blog! One of these days, when I'm not too tired, I will write two blogs so that I can catch up for the Friday that I missed! May God bless your day!

- kjoosaurus out!

Holy Spirit [4/28/12]

Hello!

So, I have a lot to talk about today. I'm going to do this blog in two separate posts. This first one is going to talk about a prayer that was answered, and how the Holy Spirit guided me through a very new experience. These past couple of days, I have been traveling in Toronto/Mississauga/Oakville. The reason for me being in that area was because I was attending a Vision Camp that my friend was speaking at; the experience was amazing and God spoke to me in amazing ways, but I would like to save that story for another day! The story I would like to share with you happened on the greyhound on the way to the Vision Camp. It was an event that I have never been able to experience before, and it was truly through God's grace that it could happen!

I was heading to Toronto with a friend of mine, and when we got on the bus, there wasn't enough space for the two of us to sit together. Because of this, I ended up sitting beside a young-looking girl. As I sat down beside her, I began to pray. I asked God to give me an opportunity to start a conversation with her. I also requested that I would be able to give her something to think about; I prayed that he would use the Holy Spirit to guide me, and use my mouth to utter wise words. For the first hour of the bus ride, I didn't say a single word to her. I forgot about my prayer, when all of a sudden she began fiddling with the air conditioning. She asked me if I was feeling cold, and from there, a conversation started.

The first hour of conversation is a blur to me. It went by extremely fast, and I got to know so much about her in such a short amount of time! We talked about our lives, what we were doing, what we were interested in, etc. Then, she asked me what I was going to Toronto for. I told her I was going to a church event, and from there, we began to speak about Christianity. I discovered that she is Catholic, and I began to ask her about her faith. I was genuinely curious, because I don't know much about that religion. I always knew it was similar to Christianity, but I wasn't sure how it was different. One difference we found was that Catholics believe there is another way to Heaven other than Jesus. This girl believed she would be able to get into Heaven if she were able to do many good deeds. When I heard this, I asked her if she believed she was a sinner. She said no, and then proceeded to ask me if I believed I was a sinner.

I told her: Yes, I believe I am a sinner. I believe there is no way I could ever possibly follow all of the ten commandments. I told her about a couple of them, and how impossible they are to follow! Then, I proceeded to tell her that although I am a sinner, it is because I have accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour that I am able to accepted by God, and taken to Heaven to be with Him.

The reaction I got to this was unexpected. She stared at me, and told me she had never heard of this before. She sat there, and thought and thought and thought. She told me it was very interesting, and she really seemed to be in shock about this. As the conversation moved on, we continued to talk about more and more. She told me she had not talked about religion in a long time, and I would like to think she had more to think about. I pray that the Holy Spirit is working in her at this very moment!

Luke 12:12, "for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say."

The Holy Spirit took control of my body; I was used to tell this girl about the grace of God! The words that came out of my mouth were not my own, but the words of the Spirit. I feel so blessed to be able to be used in this way! I pray that the Holy Spirit will work the same way in each and every one of you. Trust in God, and let the Holy Spirit take control! God provides us with so many opportunities; we must grasp these opportunities, and let him work through us! 

Thank you for reading this post! Instead of posting another one tonight, I will post two tomorrow because I'm exhausted right now! I have so much more to share with you all, and I have a feeling that I will be having a lot to say in the next couple of days, so keep on reading! :) 

-kjoosaurus out!

Loving the World [4/26/12]

Hello!

Lately, I've been wondering a lot about how attached I am to this world, and how much effort I put into worldly things. I've been asking myself questions like "Would I want to win the lottery?" or "Why do I claim to love materialistic things?" I know it sounds like a silly question to be asking, but I continue to ask myself these questions because I have come to realize how easily I fall for materialistic and worldly things. They are so distracting, and they are EVERYWHERE. They are tempting, and they are tricky. I used to often find myself being taken away from God because of the worldly things that surrounded me. 

I've been distracted by clothes, television, media, money, music, and so much more. I tell people "I love my iPod." Or, "I love this shirt." I could go on, and on, and on about how much I love these worldly things, but this must sound so sad to God! When I see other people with expensive and fancy things, I find myself wanting them. I catch myself thinking about how much I want these items. I want the latest gadget, and I want the newest style of clothes. Yes, these things seem cool, and they can be of use, but why do I obsess over them? How could I ever claim to "love" these things?

1 John 3:15
"Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you."

I'm sure I'm not the only one who has caught myself loving things from this world. I'm sure we have all caught ourselves obsessing over material things. If you've ever lost a great deal of money, or broken something valuable, I'm sure you've felt sadness and sometimes anger. But, this love we have for material things shouldn't be there. It distracts us from loving our God, and it prevents us from loving him to the fullest we could! Why do we love these things that are worth nothing...? They are temporary things. When we are finally with our Father, they will mean absolutely nothing to us! So, why do they mean so much now? 

Let's fill ourselves with love for God; let there be no room for us to love worldly things. This is extremely hard, but day by day, the amount of love we have for God will grow. We must pray that he fills us with his love! We will be with Him for all of eternity!

Thank you for reading my blog tonight! 

-kjoosaurus out!

Faith & Action [4/25/12]

Greetings!

I hope everybody is doing well; I'm super excited because I finally moved out of residence! It will hopefully be my last year in residence, unless I decide I can't handle living off-campus. I guess I will have to learn to cook too! I can't wait to see what the next year holds in store for me!

So, today, I wanted to talk about something I only recently discovered. This may be old news for many of you, but I still wanted to share it. I am constantly surprised at how many things I am learning about Christianity. I was raised in a Christian family, so I felt like I knew so much, yet I now realize I knew so little. Only recently, I realized a crucial piece of information that I did not take note of. This piece of information changed a lot for me, and it has given me a lot to think about.

For years, and years, and years, I thought I was a Christian. I thought I was saved because I had said the sinner's prayer. I said it one night, and immediately afterwards, I went back to my usual life. Afterwards, I rarely thought about God, and I lived every single day without his will in mind. My actions were selfish actions, and my thoughts were selfish thoughts. I truly believed in God, but I didn't have any sort of relationship with him. I did not seek to do his will, and I honestly didn't care. It wasn't until I began to make friends who encouraged me to build a relationship with Him that I began to learn more about the difference between faith and good actions.

James 2:17

So you see, faith by itself isn't enough. 

Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.

This verse really struck me. As I was discussing this verse with a friend, I began to realize how many people there are who believe in God, and even believe they have been saved. They say they have faith. They say they are saved, but are they really? There are many who believe in God. There are many who acknowledge his existence, but this does not mean we are saved! If we begin to seek God's will, we begin to do actions that are in His name. But, if you do not see a change in your daily life, then how can you say you are saved?

Our faith works together with our actions. We cannot have one, and not the other. Another serious issue that has been seen amongst people, is the issue of those who believe they are saved because they are doing actions. There are many who believe that the more good deeds they do, the bigger chance they will have in getting to Heaven. They donate money, they are kind to people, and from a worldly perspective, they are "good." But, doing only actions will not save you! Faith and good deeds go hand-in-hand. They go together! With faith, comes good deeds. God does not accept things we believe to be good deeds; we are doing these deeds for ourselves, and not for anybody else. Just because we think they are good deeds, does not mean God thinks they are.

Please don't fall into this trap... I fell into it. I believed I was saved, because I believed in the existence of God. I believed I was saved because I went to church once a week, but I was so wrong. I was tricked, and I fell for the trick. I pray that none of you will fall for this just as I did. Jesus is the only way!

Thank you for reading my blog tonight, I really enjoy writing this for you all! It gives me time to reflect on my walk with God, and I hope it gives you a chance to reflect as well. :) I didn't listen to a song tonight, because I had a lovely friend sing for me while I wrote this blog, but there will be another song up tomorrow!

- kjoosaurus out!

Peace and Comfort [4/24/12]

Hellooo there!

Exams are finally done! I'm pretty sure I passed all of my exams - yay! I hope everybody has been doing well; I hope all the students who are done exams are now filled with a sense of relief. I know I am! Yet, I still manage to procrastinate... I'm currently procrastinating packing. It's weird how I started packing at 2pm, and I still haven't finished. Oh well! I'll finish packing eventually!

Like I continue to repeat, over and over again, the relationships I've built in Ottawa have been beautiful, precious, and blessed! The majority of my relationships have been based on Christ, and this makes them so much deeper and much more meaningful. I have grown to love so many people; God used so many people to guide me and encourage me! The times spent together have been so memorable, fun and enjoyable! Honestly, I love spending time with all of these people so much; I always enjoy myself when I'm around my friends, and I cherish these moments together.

God has blessed me with such amazing people; He has put them in my life, and He has used every single one of them to guide, mold and encourage me! They have become such an important part of my life, but I am being separated with some for an indefinite amount of time... This means, I will no longer see them every day or every week, and I will no longer be able to have the same amount of face-to-face interaction that we have now. There are others that I will not be seeing for four months; although the time is short, it still makes me really sad... I think one of the hardest parts is knowing that I am really bad at keeping in touch with people through technology. I'm scared that relationships will be different when I come back to Ottawa in September; I'm scared that things will change.

John 14:27
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. 

Not as the world gives do I give to you. 

Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

Although I held these feelings of fear and sadness inside of my heart, I turned to God, and told him of these emotions I was experiencing. Through Him, I found peace and comforting. If we turn to Him when we are experiencing troubles or sorrows, he will never disappoint! He will bring peace to our hearts, and we have no need to be afraid! I'm sure there are times when you struggle, and when you feel as if you are in the worst situation possible, but stop worrying! Stop letting things bring you down! Bring all of your troubles, sorrows, and problems to God. He is waiting for you to turn to Him!

God loves us. He is never ever going to abandon us. I am going to repeat this over, and over, and over again until each and every person on this earth understands and remembers this! Jesus died on the cross for us, our sins have been forgiven. We have been blessed, and we are loved! We have been put on this earth to serve Him! So when you are feeling down, discouraged or afraid, don't be scared to pour your heart out to Him. He is waiting for you. Let Him know your sorrows, and He will take these troubles off of your heart! He will give you peace. He will comfort you!

Our God is an awesome God! He loves us so, so much. Let's praise Him and continue to do His will, and His will only!

Thank you very much for reading my blog! :) Here's the song I listened to today: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qx2-Inc8TkA

- kjoosaurus out!

Prayer [4/23/12]

Good evening!

Last night, I was able to have an amazing experience with God and a close friend of mine. For the first time, I spent a couple of hours in prayer with a friend. It wasn't anything planned, and it was completely brought by God! It was incredible to pray together with a friend for other people. It was so beautiful to be able to praise and thank God alongside a close friend! It was such a wonderful experience, and I began to wonder why I had never done it before.

Prayer has only recently begun to become an important part of my life. Before, it was something I would do if I remembered, and I never tried very hard to remember to pray. My prayers would always be empty, and effortless. I would mumble a quick prayer before I ate my food, and I would mumble a quick prayer before I fell asleep at night. When my grandmother came over, she would wake up every morning at 6, and she would pray for an hour or two. I didn't understand why she took such a long time to pray; I didn't see what she could be praying for. When I prayed, they always used to be for selfish things. They were prayers with my own goals in mind, not the goals of my Father. Therefore, I would pray selfishly and emptily.

As I grow, and learn more, I have begun to realize how beautiful and precious prayer is. Through prayer, we are able to achieve so much!

Matthew 21:22 

"And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith."

Prayer is important because it allows us to become closer with God, and he reveals things to us as we pray because with prayer, we are able to ask Him every and any request we have in our hearts. With prayer, we are able to repent to God. We are able to ask Him for forgiveness, and we are able to spill our struggles and trials to Him. It is beautiful to know that we are able to have such a close relationship with Him, and knowing that, why do choose to not spend time with Him? We could get to know Him so much better if we spent more time with Him, but why are we letting other things distract us so easily? 

Also, God revealed to me how it is possible for my grandmother to pray for hours. He revealed to me that if we have His goals in our mind, we could pray about these goals forever. To pray for those who are not yet saved, to pray for the things he wants, to pray for the things we wish for him to change about us, to pray for our sisters and brothers. We could pray day after day after day. Doing God's will isn't just a temporary thing. There are endless things to pray about, and we must continue to pray until we are finally with Him!!

Prayer is a crucial part of our walk with God. It should become a major part of our everyday life. We should pray alone, but also with our fellow sisters and brothers in Christ! Prayer is so powerful. If you have any prayer requests, please let me know! I would be so happy to pray for you!

Thank you for reading my blog on this lovely night :) May the rest of your night, and your day tomorrow, be filled with the holy spirit! May God's presence be evident in every aspect of your day. May you see Him everywhere you go! 

 

Here is the song I listened to while writing this blog: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vny6oFHw1Sw

-kjoosaurus out!

God's Chisel [4/22/12]

Aloha~

I hope everybody was able to spend time worshiping and praising God today! I hope even more that you would be spending quiet time with him as much as possible. Your day should never be too busy to spend some time with God. I know I get distracted very easily by things that have no meaning, but I'm striving to find time for God in every single day of my life.

Today, I wanted to talk about a video and a personal experience I've had with it. Here's a video that really touched my heart in the beginning of the year: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhfUzodLRvk

This video talks about how God molds us. He carries us through trials and struggles to shape us into the beautiful masterpiece he wants us to be! We go through things that seem so tough, but with God, we always learn through these difficult experiences, and we grow into something beautiful. God really helped me through trials in my life...

My teenage years were filled with self-hate. My body was filled with jealousy from head to toe. I was jealous of other people because they were all better looking than me, they were funnier, they were more artistic, they were smarter, they were more passionate, they were more social. I wanted so badly to be like them. I wanted to be that girl who people looked up to; I wanted to be a person that people thought highly of. But, there was nothing about me that made me stick out a lot. I struggled to appreciate myself, and I became very angry at God; I became very angry in general.

I went through a lot of pain because of how inferior I felt when I was with other people. My friends always seemed to be so much better than me. They would have what I wanted, and they would be who I wished I could be. I became sad when I would see them, and I would often distance myself from people who had qualities I wished I could have. I was angry at God for making me into what I thought was such a useless and talentless person. It was when I came to know Christ, that I began to look towards him when I struggled with these insecurities instead of being angry at him.

As I continued to look towards Him, He taught me so much in such a short time. He taught me how I am HIS creation. This makes me beautiful already! I am now so appreciative of the gifts he has given me. I am able to walk; this makes me able to travel to different places to bring the good news. I am able to communicate; this allows me to speak with others about God. I am able to use my voice; this makes me capable of yelling his name out loud!! These basic gifts he has given me are still beautiful blessings... They are not even the beginning of the gifts he has given me, but I have learned to appreciate the basic things.

God molded me into somebody who would be willing to serve him. He showed me the different gifts he had given me to do his will! Yes, I went through struggles and difficult times. I failed to appreciate the amazing gifts he had given me! I had hated the beautiful body he had provided me to do his will, but I have learned to appreciate it because I am able to do his work!

James 1:2-4 says, "Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, you endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing."

These dark, angry, and jealous times I went through were a way for God to teach me about the blessings he has given me, and what these blessings are meant to be used for! My faith was tested. I let myself become extremely furious at God and I strayed far from God, but God pulled through as always and showed me the light! He was there for me since the beginning, and he used his chisel to make me more like the masterpiece I will become!

I will continue to accept the struggles I am given, because I know God is working in me. He is always molding us, and always working with us!

Thank you for reading my post today! :) Here is the song I listened to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iCoV6rDDjs&feature=fvwrel


-kjoosaurus out!

Lord Above All [4/21/12]

Hey guys!

kjoosaurus is back :) I hope you all enjoyed reading the prayer written out yesterday... I know I thoroughly enjoyed it. It so beautifully expressed how unrighteous I feel in front of my God, while also reminding me of how He loves us so dearly. It takes a lot to be able to admit to being a sinner; the pride of man stands in our way. It is an obstacle we face, and it is an obstacle we must overcome! We are only human. Our God is above us all.

This is something I wanted to talk about today... For many, pride is something that is hard to overcome. We naturally do not want to admit we are wrong, or that we have done wrong. We do not want to openly admit to being a sinner. We want to keep secret those mistakes we have made, or the many faults we possess. This is completely normal as a human. I personally struggled a great deal with it, and it was a huge obstacle in developing my relationship with God.

I find the idea of pride very interesting. People hold themselves up so highly. I think of nations, celebrities, world leaders, etc. They are in a position where people might even worship them. They put themselves in the spotlight, and bask in their fame and power. Although it is bad that they are glorifying themselves, we must be careful as well. There are many times when we are glorifying these famous people as well. We look up to them, and to some extreme cases, we worship them. I know this is weird, but the first example that comes to my mind is Justin Bieber. He has fans out there, that worship him. So many of his fans would do anything for him. They cry when they see him, they know everything about him, they seek him, they crave him, they worship him. This obsession they have with him makes me feel sad. We should be seeking our God, craving our God, worshiping our God.

¹⁹ Arise, LORD, do not let mortals triumph;
   let the nations be judged in your presence.
²⁰ Strike them with terror, LORD;
   let the nations know they are only mortal. 

This verse is crucial to remember. We are only mortal. There is absolutely nothing above our God! There is no celebrity, leader, or nation on this earth above him. He is the almighty, all powerful God. We must never forget this. Yes, there will be times when we may start to get sucked into all the worldly things around us, but we must not fall for it! Stand strong against all temptations and distractions. Remember that there is nothing and nobody above our God!

I am only mortal. But with God, I have eternal life. I live to serve Him, I live to do His will. I thrive to love like Him, to worship Him, and to be with Him. He has given us the greatest gift of all, and we are so much more than fortunate for it! I pray that all nations will bow down before Him, for He is the almighty God!

Thank you so much for reading my blog today! I appreciate it so much that you would all take some time out of your day to read my blog. It means so much to me. :) 

Here's the song I listened to while writing this post: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d61LamkXfwk

-kjoosaurus out! 

Sins Forgiven [4/19/12]

Hello hello!

So lately, I've been having a hard time thinking about what to write about, but at the last minute, God has always provided me with the right words. It might be that I have been thinking too hard about what to write, because when I think I've chosen something to write about, it always changes! It's great to know that God has his own plan for us!

I've finally finished reading the book of Matthew, and it's absolutely incredible. Jesus Christ was betrayed, he was tortured, and he was killed. He knew and predicted what was coming, yet he endured it because of his mighty love for us! When he died on the cross, we were forgiven for all of our sins... It is because of him that we are able to be with God in heaven!

As I was reading about how Jesus died on the cross, I was reminded of a Life Group session from last semester. We were talking about the ten commandments, and what exactly they were. It was an eye-opening experience for me because it made me realize how much of a sinner I am. I always knew I was a sinner, but by going over all ten commandments and explaining them made me realize so much. I realized how impossible it is to be perfect in God's eyes without Jesus...

One commandment that really stuck out to me is shown in Exodus 21:13. All it says is "you shall not murder." For the majority of my life, I found this to be an easy commandment! I always thought "Well, that's easy enough! I wasn't planning on murdering anybody anyways!" But, when I went to life group that night, I learned a whole lot more on this simple commandment. I learned that the equivalent to murdering somebody, is hating somebody. My. Mind. Was. Blown. I never knew this! I spent 18 years full of intense hatred towards certain people, and this whole time, I was sinning!

Hatred is such a strong emotion, and it is everywhere in this world. I was so caught up in hatred, and I didn't even know what I was doing. Now I realize how much of a sinner I am, and I admit it everyday. I am a sinner. I sin in every way, and without Jesus Christ, I am nothing! The book of Matthew is so beautiful; it is filled with so many miracles, and it is full of Christ's love for us. He loves us, and although we are sinners, he paid the price on the cross and all of our sins have been forgiven! How fortunate are we? We have a God who blesses us, and loves us. A love so powerful, precious and beautiful. Let's continue to remember this love he has for us, and what he has done for us!

Thank you very much for reading this post! I hope you realize and admit we are all sinners, but also understand that Jesus has forgiven our sins! Praise him for what he has done for us! :)

Here's the song I listened to while writing this blog: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yr9Wz3F9JPs

-kjoosaurus out!

Purpose [4/18/12]

Hello to all you beautiful people!

Isn't it crazy how quickly time flies? I can so clearly remember my first day in Ottawa... I can remember how my hair became a huge frizz ball because of the difference in the weather from Vancouver, I remember moving into my room and waiting in anticipation of seeing my roommate for the first time, I remember waiting in line to figure out which room I would be in. But, that was eight months ago! Eight whole months have gone by since I moved to Ottawa, and in that time, I've changed so much as a person. I've learned so much, and my eyes have been opened to so many new things.

One thing that has changed in my life, is the purpose of my life. Before I came to know Christ, I don't think I had much of a purpose... My goals were steered towards education, a successful career, and a comfortable lifestyle. This was everything I was striving for; I wanted to be well-off, but then as I came to know Christ, I began to question this. What would happen if I DID become well-off and fulfill all of my "goals"? I would just breathe, work, live, and then what? Once I completed everything I wanted, what would be the purpose? Well, now that I think of it, there would be none. Those were such shallow, worldly, and selfish goals. All I wanted was for ME to live comfortably, or for ME to be happy... But I didn't think beyond that.

When I came to know Christ, I became passionate about so much more. I now want to serve him! I want to get to know him! I want to be with him! Things have drastically changed; my life is full of meaning because of my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Although I have discovered these things, there are still certain aspects I struggle with.

Jeremiah 29:11 says, "For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."

Like I was talking about yesterday, God has plans for us, and we don't know what they are. We know they are for good, but we still don't know what they are. The part I struggle with, is when I can't see God using me. I so badly want to serve him, and have him use me to do his work, but there are times when I feel so USELESS. Even recently, I've been in situations where I just wish God would put the right words in my mouth, I pray that he would fill me with wisdom and knowledge to be able to reach out to other people, but I don't see it happening.

The most recent situation was where a friend of mine was feeling down. I wanted to help so badly, but I just didn't know what to say. I was praying that the Holy Spirit would work through me to reach out to this friend. I wanted to be the person God used to guide them, but this didn't happen. I went home feeling sad, and useless. I kept thinking and thinking. I wondered to myself, "When is God ever going to use me?" I was sitting there, and I was ready. I was ready for him to take control and use me to do his work. But, I wasn't seeing anything.

I kept wondering about this, and wondering why God wasn't using me. The more I thought about it, the more I didn't understand. But then, He revealed something to me. He showed me how although I was wanting to help a friend, my desires were actually selfish. The reason why is because I was seeking attention. I wanted people to compliment me for being such a good friend; I wanted people to consider me somebody with extremely wise words. I wasn't seeking God's glory, but my own. As God revealed this to me, I became so ashamed and embarrassed. I even hesitated to write about this on my blog, but I wanted to be honest. I have often struggled with my pride. Ever since I was young, I would seek compliments and attention from my peers. I would like to think I have become more humble, but I know I'm still struggling with my pride.

Proverbs 11:2 says, "Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom."

I'm praying and praying that the Lord would help me become humble. Being prideful is such an unattractive quality, and the Lord crowns the humble with salvation! I praise the Lord for bringing me to where I am now! In the short time I have gotten to know him, I realize he has taught me so much... He has guided me through everything and he is moulding me right now! As he moulds me, he is unraveling his plan for me. We all have such amazing purposes! We are all of use to God, but we must be patient. Just because we can't see what he's doing, doesn't mean he isn't doing anything! I praise God for giving me such a phenomenal purpose in my life. He has given my life so much meaning!

Thanks for reading my blog!! Here's the song I listened to while writing this post: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdq9Q8wJdjc

-kjoosaurus out!

Wisdom of God [4/17/12]

Hello all!

Hope things are going well for everybody! I'm almost done exams! I only have one more left, and it's in a week. I also found out that I MIGHT have another week in Ottawa. It would be so incredible if I were able to spend more time with all of these amazing people. Even though it's only four months, it's going to be hard without you guys, because I love you all like crazy. The people I've met in Ottawa have become a part of my family :)

One of the biggest challenges I've had in my walk with God has been my communication with him. It's so hard for me to believe in something I can't even see or hear. I want to know what his plan is; I want to know everything that is going on, but God doesn't work this way. He's not just going to tell you his plan in the beginning. It's not like he gives us a detailed list of everything that will happen to us in our lives when we are born. So, we must ask him when we are confused and do not understand. He always answers our prayers! It may not be an instant response, and it might not be the response we wish to hear, but he will always answer our prayers.

James 1:5-6 says, "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind."

There are many times when I have asked God to provide me with the wisdom I need; at times when I struggled, I have asked God to guide me. I ask God what his plan for me is because there are so many times when I don't understand his plan for me... He seems to be working in ways in my life that don't seem to be having any effect, or are having a negative effect, but everything has a purpose. I often catch myself lacking faith; I have little doubts here and there.

Before I came to Ottawa, I had my own plan on how my life would unfold itself. I wanted to get into school in Toronto, and spend all of my time with my extended family. I wanted to attend Ryerson, and live in Toronto. But, God threw away all of my plans, and unraveled a new one. I never ended up getting into Ryerson. I hadn't even tried to get into Carleton because my average grade wasn't high enough, but I still got accepted with a scholarship. I was torn. I hadn't gotten into my first choice, and I didn't really want to go to Carleton because I wasn't sure about what I would do in Ottawa. I didn't know anybody, and I had never visited the city. At this point of my life, I wasn't praying at all. I wasn't reading the bible at all. I didn't think about God at all. But I needed to know why he was pushing me towards Carleton, so I asked him. He then revealed to me why he allowed me to be rejected from Ryerson; if I had gone to Ryerson, I would not have grown in the way I have now. I wouldn't have created beautiful relationships with the people I know now. I might not have been writing this blog!

So, even though what you really want does not always happen, if you trust in God, he will bless you with more than you expected. If you don't understand his plan, then ask him. He will tell you! He will reveal his plan to you! My relationship with Christ continues to grow everyday; I still find myself having doubts, but one day, those doubts will be gone. I continue to ask him when I don't understand, and he reveals things to me. Our God is an awesome God. He is capable of anything. He can move mountains, and with him, we can do anything as well! Let's cast away ALL doubts we may have!

Thank you very very much for reading my blog! Here is the song I listened to while writing this blog: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwsvqVmFV6Y


- kjoosaurus out!

Accepted and Loved [4/15/12]

Oh hey there!

I'm blogging at a very odd time for me... I usually blog after midnight, but for once, I'm blogging in the afternoon :) The reason why I'm doing it now is because I just listened to a clip that reminded me of something so crucial and wonderful. Today, I was reminded of how much God really loves me. I wasn't able to attend church today because my stomach started acting up a lot, but I started listening to little clips. While doing so, I stumbled upon this one: http://illbehonest.com/Come-to-Christ-He-is-Mighty-to-Save-Paul-Washer and as soon as I listened to it, I knew I had to write about it. It's only four minutes, so feel free to listen to it before I start talking about it!

The clip speaks about a daughter who leaves her mom to make a better life. The mother knows the daughter will stray, and live a life she doesn't want. So, once her daughter leaves her, she takes all of her money and goes to the city where her daughter is. She goes to a photo booth and uses most of her money to take photos of herself. She then proceeds to go to all hotels, movie theaters, and dance halls in search of her daughter. Everywhere she goes, she leaves a picture of herself. Once she runs out of money, she leaves the city and goes back home.

One day, the daughter, who became a prostitute, is walking down the stairs in a hotel. She looks into a mirror, and notices how she looks so aged. She then notices something in the corner of her eye. She sees a  picture of her mother, and she is filled with joy! She turns the picture over, and reads this "I do not care what you have done. I do not care what you have become. Please come home."

When I heard this, I began to tear up. The power of his love is so wonderful. He doesn't care what we have done. He doesn't care who we have become. He just wants us to go to him! We are all sinners. None of us are perfect. We have all done things that fill us with regret; we have been foolish and selfish. But, he still loves and wants us! His love is something that we can't understand. I can't describe his love. I can't even imagine the extent of his love.

Romans 5:8 says, "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Isn't this so amazing? I just looked in the thesaurus for synonyms that might help me describe God. We could say God is wonderful, amazing, admirable, astonishing, awesome, brilliant, divine, fabulous, fantastic, magnificent, incredible, marvelous, miraculous, outstanding, phenomenal, remarkable, sensational, stupendous, superb, terrific, tremendous and wondrous. I'm looking at all of these words, and they still aren't enough to describe him. How is it possible that I, being a sinner, am worthy of his love? How could he DIE for me? He loves me. He loves you. He loves us.

Doesn't this make you feel so happy? Because of this, we should praise him all the time. At times, it might seem like God isn't there, or he isn't answering your prayers, but look at what he has done for us! He has loved us in a way we cannot even comprehend. He died on the cross for us, and all of our sins were forgiven! How could we ever stop praising him?

So, let's praise him! Praise him! Praise him!

I'm so grateful that you read my post today. It means so much to me to be able to share about his glory to you all! Here's the song I listened to while writing this post: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxFyX29pZnI


- kjoosaurus out! 

Praise Him Always [4/14/12]

Hi guys!

I had a really hard time thinking of what to write today. I'm not sure why, because I learned so much throughout the whole day, but it was probably because there were so many different lessons I learned today. The conversations I had today were filled with lessons and blessings from Christ; they were all extremely meaningful and valuable. I wish I could write about everything I learned today, but with time, I'm sure those will come up in my blog as well.

What I wanted to focus on today was praising God and always looking towards him.

Psalm 34:1 says, "I will praise the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips."

The reason why I wanted to lift this verse up is because I have come to realize that it can be extremely difficult to praise God at all times. At bible study, a friend of mine spoke about how some Christians are focused on the feelings and emotions. I didn't really understand what he was talking about when he said this, but I think I understand now.

There are Christians who seem to praise God according to their feelings; they will have times when they FEEL like praising God. They will praise God when they are happy and they may stay away from God when they feel sad or rejected. I relate very well with this statement because I am a very emotional person. My actions are largely based on my emotions, and I have struggled a lot in the past with my relationship with God because of my roller coaster ride of emotions. It has been a struggle to continuously love God and praise him all day, everyday.

God has a plan for all of us, but we have no idea what he has in store for us. Because of the mystery behind God's actions, we often praise him when our prayers are answered or when he blesses us. But what about times when he challenges us or "lets" bad things happen to us?

The other day, my younger brother went to the hospital. I was worried. It was extremely out of character for him because he so rarely gets sick. It wasn't that I felt angry with God for letting him get sick... I think I just showed a great lack of faith in him. I didn't trust God at that moment, and I let my human emotions take over and I was filled with so much worry. It wasn't that I felt negatively towards him, but I didn't look towards him, or trust him, in my time of need.

I believe our emotions and challenges should never change the way we look at God. When bad things happen to me, I should always be looking towards God. When good things happen to me, I should always be thanking God and looking towards him. There should never be a time when I'm looking away from him, because no matter what is happening and no matter what I am doing, I should always have him in my mind; he should always be what I am looking towards.

It doesn't matter where I am, who I'm with, or what is going on. I'm going to thrive to praise his name always! I want him to be my everything. I want him to take control of my life and let me live in his name only. Let's praise him always!

Thanks for reading my messy post today :) Here's the song I listened to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOY-eHUsHdM

- kjoosaurus out!

Standing Strong [4/6/12]

Greetings!!

Okay, before I begin, I have a question for you all... How are you doing? I'm sincerely asking you all this question, and if you want to message me a response, or comment below, or whatever you want, please feel free to do this! I was just thinking about it today... I don't ask enough people this basic, but important question. It feels like the generic response to this question is, "I'm fine" or "I'm good" because of how often we half-heartedly get asked this question. I'm going to try to ask more people this question, and really listen to the answer. How can I claim to care about people when there are times where I don't even bother to listen to their troubles, concerns, and blessings?

Anyways, that was something on my mind today, but I also wanted to talk about a verse I stumbled upon today. This verse means a lot to me; it guides me through a specific struggle I have. Matthew 10:22 says, "All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved." The reason why this verse is so important to me, is because of how much I struggle with standing firm in my faith. Everywhere I go, I'm surrounded by people who do not believe. Many of my friends are non-believers, and even though I love them dearly, it can be hard for me at times. I want to speak about God's incredible love to them, but I'm so scared of being rejected. I'm scared they will hate me; I'm scared they will push me out of their lives. But, like this verse says, to be saved, we must stand firm until the end. We can't back down and tell nobody about God. We have to tell the world of his love. We need to travel to foreign nations and spread the word of his amazing grace! If I never take the risk and talk about it with people, how foolish could I be? It seems selfish of me to be keeping the wonders of his love to myself.

He loves us in such an amazing way. I don't think we can even understand how incredible his love is! The love he has for us is so deep. It's nothing like the materialistic love we have for our gadgets and worldly possessions. His love for us is even deeper than the love we have for our family and friends. His love for us is something I can't even describe in words; no matter how hard I try. I'm sitting at my desk right now... Just trying to think of a way to describe his amazing love. But no words are coming to my mind. His love is so amazing, that our worldly words cannot even describe it. Isn't that incredible? Aren't we so fortunate to have such a loving God? Even through times of trouble, I feel at peace because I know He loves me.

That's what has been on my mind on this lovely Friday. I hope you are all doing well, and please don't forget to message me! Don't forget how much God loves you. :)

Here's the song I listened to while writing this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCunuL58odQ&ob=av3n

- kjoosaurus out!