Hope for Him

Micah 6:8   He has told you, O man, what is good;  and what does the Lord require of you   But to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?  The beginning of Chapter 6 the Lord is asking Judah basically what’s up. In verse 4 the Lord shows that he has brought, redeemed, and sent. This reminds me of Nehemiah 9 when the children of Israel are praising the Lord for all that He has done and brought them out of. When we're stuck in something and look back to our stones of remembrance of what the Lord has done do we keep moving forward or do we continue in the routine of being cynical as the Children of Israel? In verse 8, the Lord is asking us to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with the Lord. This also reminds me of the Pharisees in Matthew 23:23. It states, “ 23  “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. The

Jonah 2: 1-9 In this prayer Jonah is thanking God for delivering him from drowning. Jonah is praising the Lord for his mercies. When we are rescued from the Lord how often do we complain about the whole process before hand instead of first having thanksgiving. This was a trial for Jonah. This trial came after the fact that he was reluctant to the calling the Lord had for him. He wanted to change the way of his life by not going to Nineveh but the Lord was sovereign and did not change His plans. So often I don’t see the end goal so I doubt or complain. God tells me to do something and I refuse. I say no and great things could have happened. If Jonah never would have gone to Nineveh then all of those people would not have gotten saved. So often in disobedience I miss out on the blessing the Lord would have had for me. Because of the evilness of my heart and flesh I want my own way. But I am dead. I have given my life to the Lord and have no rights. My hope is in the Lord and I need

Song of Solomon 7:10 - I am my beloved’s, and his desire is for me.  To be loved and desired is every girls dream. I always grew up wanting to be loved having not been shown much love growing up. This was a thing I dwelled on which took me down the path of insecurities and anxieties which grew to an addiction to porn at a young age. This sin bound me for a long time until I surrendered my life to Christ. At this point I understood that the Lord desired me and if I was the only one on earth he still would have died for me. There can be a presupposition before reading Song of Solomon that its made only for married couples or something of that sort. But it’s in the Bible so I read it when I get to it. Reading through Song of Solomon has given me an even bigger desire for marriage that I know God has promised me. But I also understand to not stir up or awaken love until the appointed time. God’s timing is perfect. God knows that I am not ready for marriage right now being in a mission

2 Timothy 2:2 And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also When we are taught we are to take that knowledge and wisdom poured out from the teacher and impart it to others. We are to store it in our storehouses so that when the time comes we will be able to teach it. We never know when the time our opportunity to teach others will come. Prior to coming home I had no desire to teach in my church. But with certain events taking place that were very vulnerable I have been convicted to ask my church if I can teach the young girls in youth group. I know God wants me to but my flesh does not want to. I know God has brought me through struggles to empathize with others and be encouraging in the same faith that we share. Not everyone is a teacher but I know if God has called me to teach at my church I am to do it. Application: pray for me that I have enough faith and boldness to teach and ask my church. 

Proverbs 9:9 Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning. When we are given instruction or wisdom we are to take it to heart and put it into practice. I need to be asking for more wisdom from the Lord. So often we just want to attain it but are not willing to work for it. We are not just going to automatically gain wisdom but it comes from listening and hearing from wise people. I need to sit at the feet of those who are wise so that I will increase in learning. So often with learning we can procrastinate in doing work and not be diligent. But diligence is so necessary when wanting to gain knowledge. I am convicted by this with learning Lugandan. If I am going to be living in Uganda I am going to need to know the language. So I am going to have to be diligent in studying and practicing with my teammates on tour. I know it will be beneficial to do so so I am going to ask the Lord to give wisdom to our whole te

Luke 2:46 After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions When Jesus was in the temple he would sit among teachers and ask questions. This reminds me of when we all sat around Pastor Steve Venable. We talked and asked questions for hours because of the wisdom he had to share. It was honestly one of my favorite classes here. I have so much respect for him and was so thankful that he was able to take that time and invest in us. When the Bible talks about what Jesus did in the Bible we are to do what he did. He came down as an example and we are to follow that. So often I get side tracked when we are getting taught in class. So many pastors come down and take time out of their lives to invest in our lives. I become lazy and zone off and when they ask we have questions I do not have any. That is one thing that I regret is asking questions to some of the wise pastors that have visited. I have had some quality talks

1 Peter 4:7   The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. Sober-minded means to be serious, sensible, and composed. When I think of sober I think of it in terms of drinking. In my past I was not acting sober-minded, I was living in hypocrisy. Peter is telling us that the coming of the Lord is at hand. We do not want to be caught in sin when He comes to take his church. Being home for ten days can be a time of temptation. For me I could be in one of those situations. I could be offered drinks but I am not going to hang out with those people. When we cloud our minds by alcohol or drugs we are not being composed. Composure is necessary for the sake of our prayers. I am praying now that I will be rooted and not swayed when I go home for my ten days. I do not want to compromise for my faith. I do not want to ruin my testimony. God has already done such a work in my life I do not want go back. I used to feel so guilty whe

2 Samuel 11:11–13. Uriah said to David, “The ark and Israel and Judah dwell in booths, and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are camping in the open field. Shall I then go to my house, to eat and to drink and to lie with my wife? As you live, and as your soul lives, I will not do this thing.” 12  Then David said to Uriah, “Remain here today also, and tomorrow I will send you back.” So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next. 13  And David invited him, and he ate in his presence and drank, so that he made him drunk. And in the evening he went out to lie on his couch with the servants of his lord, but he did not go down to his house.  Would you sit back and enjoy the indulgences of this world when our friends, brothers, and sisters are fighting in a battle? Of course not. And that is what Uriah did not do. He did not listen to David to sleep with his wife but instead remained in Jerusalem and did not go into his house. The thought to sleep with his wife was not

Mark 1:35. And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. Waking up in the morning was a conviction I had since the beginning of training. Back home I would sleep in and not read the word first thing in the morning. I would lash out at people and act in the flesh. But here I have gotten up faithfully at 5:30 every morning. I am not saying this to boast but to encourage others to get up and read the word. We are given so much time to do so. If i had not been faithful and made this a habit I would be extremely fleshly. I have gotten so much out of my daily manna. God has been speaking to me so much and has blessed the times when I get up and give my mornings to Him. I now don't wake up and go on my phone for an hour but instead spend it in the word. I am hoping that this habit sticks with me for the rest of my life. I am going to try to continue it when I get back home and go on the field. If Jesu

1 Corinthians 9:24-27 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. 25  Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26  So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. 27  But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.  Our Christian life is like the illustration of a race. We are to run the race with endurance and with patience looking unto Jesus. Running and exercise requires faithfulness and commitment. When training for a race you would not eat a bunch of junk food because that would be bad for the body. We are to have self control in the Christian life and not hang around bad people or places we will get tempted. When we run to win, our goal should be the riches we will get in heaven. We are to go all out for Christ Jesus. Paul likes to compare the

1 TIMOTHY 4:8 For while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. When you are in a sport of are a runner, you are to train. I look at my dad and when he is training for a marathon he puts his mind to it. He is faithful to run that race to the best of his ability. As Christians, we are to train in godliness. That means to read the word every day and be in prayer. When we are godly, it is of value because we can use it in every situation. When we are in bad situations and act godly we are shown as a light. It shows that we have the Holy Spirit living in us and we will not be moved by the things of this world. Godliness affects where we will spend eternity and that is in heaven. This life here on earth should be a preparation for what is to come. We should be living with an eternal mindset. We should have a heart for others and want to plant seeds in the hearts of those who don'