Count it all JOY!

Whenever a trial comes and hits, it can be easy for our responses to be to worry, freak out, grow anxious, or to over-think. Rather than relying on God, we tend to rely on ourselves to fix the situation/problem. I know that many of the times when I am going through a trial, I tend to worry and do anything possible in order for the outcome to end well and positively. Although I know what the right reaction to a trial should be, its not always my first thought. God obviously knows what He is doing, He plans everything out according to His perfect will! I can find comfort in that and trust in Him that it will be for the good and not for harm. By doubting that or choosing to worry, that shows a lack of trust in the Lord.

As James 1:2-4 says, "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."

We need to find joy in our trials because they are tests that challenge our faith, not meaning worldly, temporal happiness, but rather spiritual, enduring, "complete joy" in the Lord who is sovereign over all things, including trials! The testing of our faith defines the meaning of a trial for the Christian: as Jesus was "tested" in the wilderness, so believers are tested. It denotes a positive test intended to make one's faith "genuine." The result is steadfastness, a life of faithful endurance amid troubles and afflictions. As believers, we are to have an individual faith, asking for wisdom from our God! I have definitely learned that I have nothing to worry about because my God is a God who will not give me a trial that I cannot overcome.

"No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it."
~1 Corinthians 10:13

How comforting is this? God will not let us be tempted beyond our ability, and He will always provide a way of escape! I can trust in the Lord and find my strength in Him. I can stand strong and endure through my trial BECAUSE of Christ.

"I can do all things through him who strengthens me." ~Philippians 4:13

Trials are tough, but the best part of a trial is that God wants to make you more like Christ and reveal what you can learn/where to grow. This is what I've learned by a tremendous amount of encouragement, and I can apply it to my life during difficult times! Instead of all the tempting responses to trials, I RUN to God's word and spend time in concentrated prayer. I lay it all out at His feet and place everything in God's hands where it belongs. Whenever we start to focus on that person or thing, or whatever it may be, we need to immediately stop, confess it to God, and leave it at His feet. Like in James it talks about temptation (so the temptation to not focus on what is "noble and true" aka reality, but instead think to the future or even with actions, when you know God wants different for you right now) and when sin matures it brings about death. So obviously a very bad "we should want to RUN from even the possibility" of even sinning against God. So as soon as our minds even go there, we should repent quickly and give it to God- and leave it with God! I struggle with trials from time to time, but I know that each time I do, its a time where I can improve my response each time and learn where I need to grow more in.

2010!

Hey everyone! It has been so long since I have last written a blog and I thought now would be a good time to do so. The first thing at the top of my mind that I want to say is: God is good all the time, and all the time God is good! This statement is so true, under all circumstances in life! I am so blessed and thankful for the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross and for his blood. Knowing that it was paid IN FULL and that I can spend eternity in heaven with my Lord, praising and worshiping Him forever and ever! Anyways, 2009 was an awesome year and I praise God for everything. I am praying that 2010 will be an even better year and that I will apply and act out the resolutions that God wants me to do this year. Some of my resolutions for 2010 are that I want to give thanks under all circumstances: the good and the bad, that I will continue to post on SOTD and read my bible daily, that I will not worry over all the little things, to read through the bible this year, and to be bold and fearless when evangelizing and sharing the Gospel with others! I am so excited for the new year and I am so stoked to step it up on the areas I struggle in and to do what God wants me to do. I know that God has a plan for my life, and I want to seek that will and strive to please him.

"You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might." ~ Deuteronomy 6:5

Lastly, since the title of my whole blog is: No Longer Conformed, one of my favorite verses is Romans 12:2~ "Do not be conformed to this world,but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."

Pastor Bobby preached an amazing sermon about not being conformed to the patterns of this world and I couldn't agree more. So many people, especially High Schoolers are caught up in bad things. I want to stand out and be different this year... to be transformed by the renewing of my mind. I want to have that self-control and to be able to discern right from wrong. God has given me his word to read and study daily in order to do that. My prayer is that I will not be conformed, but that I will represent Christ in all I do and be that butterfly who does not chill with the caterpillars!

God's Perfect Will

"I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart." ~Psalm 40:8

In life, I need to be okay with whatever the Lord's will is for me. There have been times where I want a certain thing to happen and I plan that it will, but that is not the right mindset. I don't even stop to think what God's plan is for me or what He wants for my life. Or on the other hand, there are things that I want to do, events I want to occur, or places I want to go when I get older. I need to stop, take time to pray about it and to pray consistently, and seek out God's will for my life. As Christians, we can't do it on our own. We need the Lord all the time and every day to give us strength, and we need to fulfill his commands. An example right now for me, is Masters College. I want to go there so bad. Anyways, I know what I have to do and what it takes. I will do anything to go there. BUT, the first thing I need to ask myself is, "is this where God wants me to go?" It may be hard at first, but God's will is always the better one. Our plans are always subject to change and we need to be okay with it (whether good or bad). This is why it is important to give everything up to God and not to try to do it all on our own. This has always been hard for me, but I now know that I have nothing to worry about because everything is in God's hands where it belongs.

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." ~ Jeremiah 29:11

I have a lot of things I want to do in my life, but if it is not what God wants then I have to be willing to give it up. It is something easier said than done, but it is always something to continue to strive for and step it up on.

I got Baptized!

I am now baptized! October 21, 2007 is also a day I will never forget. There were 61 people who got baptized, how amazing... praise the Lord! 34 of them were highschoolers, such as myself. It was SO great! Even though I didn't exactly share my testimony as I should have, I got baptized knowing that I'm a true Christian who has a desire to follow and obey God for the rest of my life. I repented of my sins and put all my faith and in Jesus Christ, and that's what I was there to profess! I remember how nervous, yet excited I was to get baptized. And yes, I did fall going down the ladder to get into the pool for those of you who were wondering. Afterwards, I realized that I was nervous for nothing because in my heart I knew I was ready to do this. Plus, I had my friends comfort and pray with me before which really did help. I was so happy to share this day with all my Christian friends who were also baptized. Congratulations everyone who took the Lord's command and got baptized! Not only was this major event something I wanted to do, but it is what God commands in His word. Getting baptized was great! After getting dunked, I knew it was out with the old, and in with the new.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." ~ 2 Corinthians 5:17

Revival 07!

Wow, Revival 07 was one of the best experiences of my life. I developed deeper friendships, got to know people so much more, and even meet new friends! Going up to Lake Isabella helped me to leave everything back at home, all the temptations and unholy things and focus all on God. I grew an incredible amount and when I went back home, I had that desire to read my Bible everyday, go on godsong and catch up on commenting on all the scriptures of the day, praying constantly like a prayer warrior, and not a prayer wimp, etc. Anyways, we had amazing worship by Ty Sager and encouraging, convicting messages from Pastor Mike! All of which I'm pretty sure taught everyone, and me personally something new and wonderful to apply. Very convicting and long. We had free time as well, such as just chilling with everyone, rock/cliff jumping, water skiing, tubing, wakeboarding and so much more! It was so fun, and the best part of that is that you were with all your christian friends. During Revival, people got saved and became true Christians. There were smiles, there were tears, and there was great happiness and joy. While up there, we were also on awesome teams: Caltrans... You Know! Big Red, Pain Train, and the Ninja Turtles. We had gnarly cheers and cool colors! There were games and challenges against the other teams, it got pretty competitive. It was all such a blast! The breakfast, lunch, and dinner were always so good and everyday we got served wonderful meals. If I didn't go to Revival, I don't know where I would be in my spiritual growth. It was a chance for me to grow more and truly understand Christianity THAT much more! I am just so thankful for Compass and all of its amazing and life changing events.

Mexico Missions Trip 2007

Going to Mexico with a good sized group of people from True North was the best experience ever! Not only was there great fellowship, but I grew so much in my faith. We were outside of Ensanada at an orphanage and it was truly incredible. We spent time with the orphans everyday, and worked hard on buildings, such as dry walling and painting. It was so much fun and all for the glory of God! We also had amazing messages from different Pastors everyday including our very own, Pastor Bobby! They were all great and convicting. We also went outside of the orphanage in a community and did some outreaches, handing out these bracelets we made, each bead meaning something. We spent the Fourth of July up there too and that was nice, drove somewhere and watched fireworks, great burgers, fellowship, and it was a fun experience up in Mexico on the 4th of July. We also had time to also play some good B-ball, play board games, and fellowship, getting to know our brothers and sisters of Christ more. On our last day, we drove out and had a fiesta where we set up tables with a lot of crafts, food, and amazing worship music! It was so awesome. A lot of people came and some even accepted Jesus Christ for the first time! Mexico was amazing and I loved it! I learned a lot and went back home realizing so much. I would go back to Mexico in a heartbeat!