This Thanksgiving was one of the best ever! I got to see my parents, my grandparents, one of my best friends ever, Raynisha, and so many more.
I am so grateful for having such an swesome and amusing family. I do not always see eye to eye on everything they do or say but I love them in such an incredible way. I am who I am because of the family God has given to me.
I am thankful for God's grace and for the love he has for all his children. A love that each and every person has the same access to, through free will. If you have not experienced God's love I dare you to try Him, there is nothing on earth like it, and the peace He brings.
I am thankful for my church family, I am pretty new but I feel so much love there. I love EPIC and everyone who is a part of it. I love the students and I love that there is a place where they can come worship and grow closer to God.
I am thankful for my health, for a roof over my head and for the ability to live for Christ.
And most of all, I am thankful for salvation through Christ. There is no greater love and there is no place I would rather be than in God's presence. I know I am not perfect but each day I draw a little closer and a little deeper in my relationship with God. Thanks for this gift, Lord :-)
I hope everyone else had a great Thanksgiving. Remember Christmas is around the corner and remember the reason for the season. God bless!
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Life Changes
Wow I have not written in such a long time. So much has happened since my last blog in July...here's the scoop...
-I have had the joy and honor of celebrating my 25th birthday. Happy birthday to me!! Getting old huh?
-I have joined People's Church and serve as a youth leader as well as a greeter on Sunday mornings.
-I am moving to a different building for work tomorrow, but from what I hear it may be a bit closer to me. I think this could be good, right?
-I got baptized on September 21, 2008 at People's Church.
-I am learning to be a better person each day and my patience has grown a great deal.
-I am learning what a true friend really is.
Thanks for reading, remember that each day as a Christian is a walk and to continue to walk in faith and allow the Lord to direct your paths.
This week I have a goal to read more of the Word than last week and to try to be in bed by 10 each night. Let's see if it happens :-)
-I have had the joy and honor of celebrating my 25th birthday. Happy birthday to me!! Getting old huh?
-I have joined People's Church and serve as a youth leader as well as a greeter on Sunday mornings.
-I am moving to a different building for work tomorrow, but from what I hear it may be a bit closer to me. I think this could be good, right?
-I got baptized on September 21, 2008 at People's Church.
-I am learning to be a better person each day and my patience has grown a great deal.
-I am learning what a true friend really is.
Thanks for reading, remember that each day as a Christian is a walk and to continue to walk in faith and allow the Lord to direct your paths.
This week I have a goal to read more of the Word than last week and to try to be in bed by 10 each night. Let's see if it happens :-)
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Faith, Part 2
Continuing the blog on faith... Faith is something that is evident when you fully put your trust in something other than what you can do. This is an important thing that God holds each of us responsible for. Faith is a factor in how far you go in believing God for your needs. You can exercise faith by truly trusting God for your needs and leaving your cares with Him. There is nothing we can do without Christ, but in Him all things are possible. Those who belong to God are precious and perfect in His sight.
This week has been trying and that's the way life is. But I know He who is in me is greater than he that is in the world. I know God loves and cares for me and kept me all week. There were some people who did not make it this week. I am fortunate and grateful that God reigns and lives within me and within every believer in Christ. He is awesome and if you don't know Him, get to know Him.
Love you all and God richly bless and keep you...
-Ariel
This week has been trying and that's the way life is. But I know He who is in me is greater than he that is in the world. I know God loves and cares for me and kept me all week. There were some people who did not make it this week. I am fortunate and grateful that God reigns and lives within me and within every believer in Christ. He is awesome and if you don't know Him, get to know Him.
Love you all and God richly bless and keep you...
-Ariel
Monday, July 21, 2008
Faith
Hebrews 11:1 reads: Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. This is a verse that has remained in my head this weekend.
Ricky Dillard has a song with a verse that goes "You might not see it, but just believe it, with faith...you can conquer anything." I love this song it puts such a joy and a goodness in my spirit.
Faith is so important in everyday life, because there are a lot of things that we cannot actually see but that does not mean they cannot be. Just because you cannot physically see God doesn't mean He has forsaken you or that He does not exist. He is alive and He reigns in the lives of every believer. Don't let the devil discourage and make you feel like you are not worthy of God's love.
This is a concept that I struggled with for years: God's mercy. I am a very literal person so if you tell me something and it does not make sense or you can't show me specifically how it came about I may have a hard time believing it. It was hard for me to actually believe the gift of salvation was without cost to me.
Jesus paid the price. There was nothing that I could do for God to save me but to accept the gift. It's just like at Christmas, if someone gives you a gift, yeah you can say no I don't accept it but that doesn't mean the gift is gone, that just means you didn't accept it. The gift is still there under the tree for you but you have a hard time because you feel unworthy of it. You might feel, I didn't get this person a gift, so I cannot accept this gift.
Remember that you are entitled to eternal life through Christ's work on the cross. That doesn't mean you deserve it, but you are entitled to it according to God's Word. He does not want one human to be without Him, but people choose to do their own thing every day. Remember that the devil doesn't want you to accept this gift, he wants you to be without it or to prolong accepting it so that he can distract and keep you from all God has for you.
Stay focused, pursue God and His Word, and continue to watch Him work in your life this week! God bless!!
Ricky Dillard has a song with a verse that goes "You might not see it, but just believe it, with faith...you can conquer anything." I love this song it puts such a joy and a goodness in my spirit.
Faith is so important in everyday life, because there are a lot of things that we cannot actually see but that does not mean they cannot be. Just because you cannot physically see God doesn't mean He has forsaken you or that He does not exist. He is alive and He reigns in the lives of every believer. Don't let the devil discourage and make you feel like you are not worthy of God's love.
This is a concept that I struggled with for years: God's mercy. I am a very literal person so if you tell me something and it does not make sense or you can't show me specifically how it came about I may have a hard time believing it. It was hard for me to actually believe the gift of salvation was without cost to me.
Jesus paid the price. There was nothing that I could do for God to save me but to accept the gift. It's just like at Christmas, if someone gives you a gift, yeah you can say no I don't accept it but that doesn't mean the gift is gone, that just means you didn't accept it. The gift is still there under the tree for you but you have a hard time because you feel unworthy of it. You might feel, I didn't get this person a gift, so I cannot accept this gift.
Remember that you are entitled to eternal life through Christ's work on the cross. That doesn't mean you deserve it, but you are entitled to it according to God's Word. He does not want one human to be without Him, but people choose to do their own thing every day. Remember that the devil doesn't want you to accept this gift, he wants you to be without it or to prolong accepting it so that he can distract and keep you from all God has for you.
Stay focused, pursue God and His Word, and continue to watch Him work in your life this week! God bless!!
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
A Daily Process
One thing I should remember today is that my walk with Christ is a daily process. I have to do things everyday to grow closer to Him. I have to do my part so that God can do His. There are times that I do not feel like I am worthy of God's love and that's because I am not! I know that it is not because of anything that I can do. It is not like I could ever earn God's grace, mercy and the gift of salvation.
I love the Lord but I have difficulty at times grasping the concept of His enduring, unending, and gracious love. It is beyond anything that would logically make sense. That is because it's a spiritual thing. It has to be a very personal thing.
I just want to encourage those around me who are living their life to be acceptable in God's sight. I know sometimes it's hard, you want to do what you want to do. But continue to run the race, continue to read the Word, and continue to watch God move in your life!
An important lesson that I am meditating on this week is from the sermon at church on Sunday on faithfulness. We have to be faithful to what God has given us. Faith is a fruit of the Spirit and we as Christ followers have to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit's work in us.
I love the Lord but I have difficulty at times grasping the concept of His enduring, unending, and gracious love. It is beyond anything that would logically make sense. That is because it's a spiritual thing. It has to be a very personal thing.
I just want to encourage those around me who are living their life to be acceptable in God's sight. I know sometimes it's hard, you want to do what you want to do. But continue to run the race, continue to read the Word, and continue to watch God move in your life!
An important lesson that I am meditating on this week is from the sermon at church on Sunday on faithfulness. We have to be faithful to what God has given us. Faith is a fruit of the Spirit and we as Christ followers have to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit's work in us.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
God is still Good...No matter what!
I know that for me personally at times I feel like no one understands me. I feel like life is tough and it's stressful and bills are crazy! But I know also that I have a God who created me for a mighty purpose. He created me in His very own image and that is saying a lot. As God's best creation, I know I cannot allow the circumstances of life to hold me down or make me feel sad for too long. At times I can get into an almost depressed state but that is the devil. We as Christian's have to know how to pray our way out of any trap that the devil may try to lay. Jesus did not die for me to be depressed but to live and to live an abundantly blessed life.
Sometimes I think wow, it would be great if only I had this, or that. God wants me to be happy and peaceful about what I have right now so that He can in turn bless me tremendously and that I will know exactly what to do with it! It is just like a real physical child, you would not give a child the keys to a car to drive when he is only two! That child has to grow, gain some maturity, and learn about driving before he can be trusted to even step foot into that car.
God has many blessings for His children, and He wants us to grow in maturity so that we may possess the keys to our destiny in Him! Choose life today! Praise God!
Sometimes I think wow, it would be great if only I had this, or that. God wants me to be happy and peaceful about what I have right now so that He can in turn bless me tremendously and that I will know exactly what to do with it! It is just like a real physical child, you would not give a child the keys to a car to drive when he is only two! That child has to grow, gain some maturity, and learn about driving before he can be trusted to even step foot into that car.
God has many blessings for His children, and He wants us to grow in maturity so that we may possess the keys to our destiny in Him! Choose life today! Praise God!
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Releasing God's Blessings in your Life
As Christians, one thing important to remember daily is the power of our very own tongues. We have the power to speak life or death. I believe that God wants us to exercise our power in Him so that we may live the lives that Jesus died for us to live.
Not exercising what we have is like living as a homeless person when you have the rights and privileges of a prince or princess. We are God’s children and he has given us the ability to come to Him directly to ask for whatever it is we want, need, or desire in our earthly lives.
People think because the economy is down and the job market is iffy that there is not opportunity out there. I know that God is greater than whatever is going on wherever. He has the power to promote you when you feel like there is nothing available.
I have many examples that I could give in my own personal life. Let me just say that I have a new job and a newer car and GOD IS NOT DONE YET!
Many doors have been closed to me, many said no these things could never happen. I’m here to tell you if God said it is so, then guess what IT IS SO!
Don’t let the devil fool you and get into your minds, know that you can do ALL things in Christ and that he has so much in store for you! God bless!
Not exercising what we have is like living as a homeless person when you have the rights and privileges of a prince or princess. We are God’s children and he has given us the ability to come to Him directly to ask for whatever it is we want, need, or desire in our earthly lives.
People think because the economy is down and the job market is iffy that there is not opportunity out there. I know that God is greater than whatever is going on wherever. He has the power to promote you when you feel like there is nothing available.
I have many examples that I could give in my own personal life. Let me just say that I have a new job and a newer car and GOD IS NOT DONE YET!
Many doors have been closed to me, many said no these things could never happen. I’m here to tell you if God said it is so, then guess what IT IS SO!
Don’t let the devil fool you and get into your minds, know that you can do ALL things in Christ and that he has so much in store for you! God bless!
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