Help in A Time of Need

Hey y'all, so I thought that I would post an encouraging scripture today. Everton( a follower on this blog) suggested that I do daily scripture post or something that can keep you guys joined in on the blog. 

So here it is, I hope it is motivational and inspiring!

God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. - Psalms 46:1 NLT

Are you going through anything currently? Are you battling with the flesh? Do you feel as though your situation is never going to get better? Is something really bothering you? 

What is Salvation?

So, what is Salvation?

Here's what it consist of Believing+Repentance+Baptism=Salvation. Guess what? Salvation is 100% free. Do you want to know why? Because Jesus paid the price of your sins for you, 2000+ years ago. Before you, your parents, your parents parents or their parents were even thought of. He knew you, he seen you, he though of YOU when he was lashed, tortured, and crucified. He saw the greater outcome of it all, he thought that YOU was worth it all. He showed his grace, love and mercy towards you, to me, to everyone :) ! Whether he was accepted by a person or not, he gave and is still giving opportunities to come to him, he loves YOU and he wants the best for YOU. No matter how bad you think your sins are, no matter the situation you're in, he is waiting for you to come to him so that you can be forgiven, made new, granted a space in the Book of Life, and a given clean slate with him. Amazing right, he makes me smile, and makes me want to be a better example of him. 

Now lets break down Believing, Repentance, and Baptism down separately in depth.

Believing, believing is when you actually take to heart and believe, that Jesus died for your sins in order to receive remission through Repentance. Believing is when you're ready to commit and give your all to the Lord. You are ready to turn your back from the world and their ways, you are ready for change, and you are ready for Jesus to change you in a really awesome way. 

Repentance, repentance is what you do after you believe. When you repent, you are asking for forgiveness and remission of ALL of your sins. You're asking Jesus to help you, to give you an opportunity and chance to actually live. To cleanse your heart and lift that heavy burden off of your shoulders. To really open your eyes and see how reality really is and get to get you out of the fantasy like mentality.

Baptism, baptism is when your are immersed in water in JESUS name. I have to be very specific with that,because, before Jesus died on the cross, the people were baptized in The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit. But, when Christ came to Earth and died, then after everyone was to be baptized in Jesus name. 

Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. - Acts 2:38

(Holy Ghost is the Holy Spirit, if you need the Holy Spirit explained more in depth, comment or e-mail me.)

Grace,Love&Blessings!

Alcohol and Drugs, what's up?

   Hello you guys! So there has been many debates on if alcohol and drugs are okay in the Christian community. Well, I'm going to clarify and try to clear it up today. Let's start with alcohol, there are Christians that are pro alcohol and there are Christians that are on the con side. For the Christians on the pro side they either believe it's okay to have a glass of wine, a glass of beer or whatever, just don't drink until you get drunk and out of your element. For the Christians on the con side they just think that  drinking will tempt them, they may just not want to drink at all for their selves personally, or that they don't think the alcohol has any benefits towards their relationship with Christ. Not every Christian thinks the same way, everyone has different thoughts and reasons as to why they do or do not want to drink alcohol and that's totally fine. Now most bring up that in the bible they drunk wine, which it totally true but, if you're drinking the alcohol without self control and solely for the wrong reasons give it up. Also, it's good to consult with God in prayer about whether you can or can not drink the alcohol. If you feel any kind of conviction or second thoughts don't do it. Also, if you feel as though you are being pressured by a friend, loved one, or girlfriend/boyfriend about drinking alcohol DON'T GIVE IN, especially if you don't drink, you don't want to or you feel conviction about drinking it. If they bash you or pick on you tell them that as for yourself you don't want to be associated with alcohol because, I don't feel right. And that you have been praying about it and that you feel convicted about it, that you don't want to fall into temptation. If they don't understand and they are still bashing and judging you, you need to reevaluate your relationship with that person. As for me since I'm underage, I abstain from alcohol, along with sex, drugs and all of that stuff. I don't think that I will want start drinking alcohol when I become of age, if I still have this blog then I will update you all. So overall, I recommend meditating on Gods word, praying, talking with other Christians, your Christian friends or people in your church about it.

Now, onto part two of the title "Drugs". Drugs are things such as: marijuana, tobacco, over the counter medicine( dependent upon the kind and how much you take), cocaine, crack, mali, acid, pcp, exstacy, and anything in or around that spectrum. Drugs are no question about it a NO, NO. Why? Here's why, drugs, can cause hallucination, make you out of wack, change how you think, react, and can alter you permanently. You can become addicted, attached and start to idolize drugs whether you believe it or not, becoming so dependent upon them that they start to control you and your life. Drugs can lead you into doing things that you wouldn't ever think of doing because, you aren't in control the drug is. So, if you are on drugs right now, pray sincerely to God that he will free you from the enslavement of the drugs. Seek him and talk with a church or a child of God that you can trust and you know that won't judge you but, help you instead.

Preview: Books and Reviews are Coming Soon

   Stay tuned, the first book review will be from Trip Lee: The Good Life! In case anyone wants to know, the camera I used is a Nikon Coolpix L310. I'm still getting use to it.

Grace,Love&Blessings

Struggles While In the Faith

    As Christians, just because we are in the faith, it doesn't mean that we are exempt from trials and impediments. Before, you came to the faith you've had issues, let me re-phrase that WE ALL have dealt with and faced issues. We just happened to come to a certain point in our lives, like a climax where either, God was calling us, everything seemed so overwhelming and/or it just because obvious that it was time to give our lives to Christ. People struggle with, anger issues, lust, envying, porn, masturbation, attitude problems, etc,. You get the point right. Basically, what ever it is you are dealing with, is consuming you emotionally or you want to stop but, you feel as if it just keeps happening. This is where Satan lurks, strength is optional, God is there, and prayer comes in. God will only allow Satan to go so far, Satan has to ask for God's permission to mess with us. So that means God is actually looking out for you and he wants the best for you. So, you are probably wondering, " Why would God allow me to go through this?" Well, here's why, he wants you to become a better person, gain stronger faith and depend on him more. So while, you are struggling while in the faith, God is there whether you think so or not. He wants to see if you will depend on him or someone who is powerless. I guess you could say he is testing you, I guess. But, now do you understand? God truly does want the best for you during your time of struggle, that's why you have cling to his word to talk with him, and pray sincerely and consistently. My church touched on this a little, the sermon was titled " Help for the Journey."

Here are some scriptural references to help you out:

John 14;13-20, II Corinthians 2:18(I think this was the scripture)

Grace, Love&Blessings!

Questions, Comments or Concerns? Comment or shoot me and e-mail, my e-mail is under the "Contact" tab above.

You are "Worth the Wait"

Hey, what's going on? I'm back, I saw this a while ago but, I thought that I would share it with y'all. Don't fall into the pressure or temptation when it comes to sexual interactions, lust or even committing of adultery in your heart. As Matthew 5:28 NLT says, "But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart." This verse applies to the female counterparts also. If you ever come into a situation like this, think about this poem, God and how important it is say leave it alone until marriage. I hope this poem is a blessing to all, Joseph the author of this poem, he did his thing right. Much love!
Proverbs 5:15-21

Music

      I'm sure most of us Christians, at the beginning of our new life with Christ came to this point sooner or later about the music issue(if not don't feel left out). God as he worked in you and cleansed your heart from all of your impurities, he also changed your view point of the world, gave you a new perspective on life, and changed what you may have liked before you came into the faith. If you are music junkie like me, you more than likely thought about your iTunes library, windows media player, CD's or whatever you use to store your music. Like, " Wow, I'm not a part of the world anymore and these songs are full of all the things that God is against. But, I don't know how to make the transition and I feel like I might struggle with this for a while." If you are a person like this, talk to someone in the faith, that you can trust or won't judge you, pray about it, and if you need help with prayer feel free to email me. Now, back to the example, "Let me sort through my old music J.Cole(delete), Dwele(delete), P!NK(delete), Musiq Soulchild(delete), Kirk Franklin(keep), Chris Brown(delete), Rihanna(definitely delete) and the rest of these I'll just delete." I was the type of person who thought that they had some type of relationship with the Lord, when I didn't even know how to receive salvation by repentance, believing, and baptism. I was vaguely a hypocrite, confused and a liar not only to myself but, the people around me and to GOD! A mess right, I know but, now I'm on the right path(thank the LORD). Anyways back to the music scenario " I had all of the secular music and only a couple of gospel artist, what was the point of that? My actions and music definitely showed that I was not in the faith and that I was completely and utterly, lost. Now, there are true believers who believes that the kind of music you listen to doesn't have to be all Christian, as long as it's glorifying the Creator above. But, how do you decipher? If you have to really read, read in between the lines that song is probably a no go. But, if it's blatantly there and you know that it's glorifying God clearly then go ahead, 'with caution'. From my perspective I think it's better when you're new to the faith, to just cut out all of the music you listened to before, so that you won't fall out of the faith or into deep temptation. For a month or two, challenge yourself by listening to music that glorifies Jesus. Listen to the lyrics, meditate on the word, see if it compares to the word, see how it affects your mood and how it contrast with your other music. As, for myself when I did this, I actually enjoyed it much better than the other music, that I considered useless, and trash because, I wasn't benefiting from it. But, don't get me wrong I listen to some Micheal Jackson or some oldies every now and then. So, overall just pray, ask God to help you with your music choices, to give you a change or heart and open mind. But, you also have to be prepared for God to fulfill your prayer and not hesitate. I have a post/tab with a list of Christian artist in different genres because, not everyone enjoys the same type of music.

Happy Praying, Music revising and such things!

Questions, comments, concerns? Just contact me or comment somewhere on the blog.