Sunday, March 17, 2024

Dear younger me: you will never fit in


Dear Younger Me,

You will never fit in. 

But you will be ok.

I know it's hard. Especially when you're young.

Especially when you want nothing more than to just be "normal".

But let me let you in on a secret. 

No one is normal. Because normal doesn't exist.

It's a made-up word with a made-up definition.

Everyone is different.

Everyone.

So please stop trying so hard to be like everyone else.

Please stop trying to change who you were meant to be, because you want to be like the cool kid.

Because the cool kid has problems too.

You'll learn that as you get older.

That the popular ones. The ones who seem to have it all.

Really don't have it all.

They have insecurities too. 

They have problems.

They have issues that are hidden under false bravado. 

And hiding it will give them even bigger problems as they get older.

Trust me on that one.

So, you keep being you.

You keep trying to do the right thing.

You keep being friends with everyone.

You keep being honest.

You keep believing that good prevails.

You keep shining your light.

Not everyone will like you.

But you can't change that.

And don't you dare go changing you because of it. 

Because you have value that will one day be seen.

You have a gift that will someday be needed.

And all those years of not fitting in, will have given you the strength to share your gift with the world.

The most important thing in your life, will become your faith.

It will develop into your cornerstone. 

You will face hardship.

You will walk away.

But you will find your way back.

And you will never leave it again.

Because God is going to meet you right where you are.

Right as you're telling Him you don't need Him.

Right as you're believing He let you down.
 
You will come to see He never let you down. 

Not once.

So, hold on when the storms come.

Cling to your faith. 

Open your Bible.

Believe His Words.

If you listen to nothing else I'm saying, listen to this.

God is faithful. He is absolutely faithful.

I promise you with everything I am.

And one last thing.

And this may be hard to hear.

But you won't fit in when you get older either.

You just won't.

But by then you'll have figured out that God didn't make you to fit in.

He made you to stand out.

And knowing that, is still hard.

Trust me, I know.

But you will be ok.










 





Friday, March 15, 2024

Do you believe Jesus is able?


A simple question. Requiring an honest answer. Two blind men had approached Jesus. They wanted Him to heal them. And so Jesus asked them if they believed He could. He asked them if they thought He was able. And they responded with a simple “yes, Lord.” But in those simple words, was everything Jesus needed to hear. 

Yes, we believe. Yes, we think you are able. Yes, we believe you are Lord.

“According to your faith will it be done to you,” Jesus responds. And their sight was restored. 

According to YOUR faith will it be done to you. According to what YOU believe. According to what YOU have decided in your heart.

Will it be done to you.

They came to Jesus and asked for help. And He asked a simple question. 

“Do you believe that I am able to do this?”

And He asks the same of us today.

With our addictions. With our diseases. With our fractured relationships. And broken hearts.

When we don’t know where we fit in. Or where we belong.

When the weight of so many responsibilities has us overwhelmed and exhausted.

When we’re blind. And cannot see.

Do we believe? Do we think He is able? Do we know that Jesus is Lord?

Oh, Lord that we would have this faith. This simple faith that just believes and doesn’t doubt. The faith of two blind men, who had never seen you but believed. The faith that gave them the boldness to approach you. The faith that gave them the courage to ask. The faith that knew in their hearts, that you were the one. That you ARE the one. Give us that faith, Lord. Where despite everything, we believe. That we go to you with our needs. That we trust you for our help. That it’s you we seek out. That it’s you we ask. Forgive us, Lord, when we’ve placed our faith in this world instead of you. May from this day forward, you never have to ask where we stand. May the words of our mouth, and the meditations of our heart, forever give witness to the faith we have in you. In Jesus’ Name we pray.

Thursday, February 22, 2024

Would Jesus Do It Again?


When Jesus looks at this world and all the chaos, do you think He regrets His choice?

Do you think He wonders if His wounds were worth it?

If all the lashes, all the pain, all the misery...still equaled a world that continued to blaspheme Him, would it be fair for Him to second guess His decision?

When He watches our continued indifference. 

Our lackluster faith.

Our blessings that we take for granted.

Our refusal to stand up for Him.

Our preference of making Church an option. 

Our singing of music that worships the world.  

Our downright allowing the devil to come into our homes.

Do you think He shakes His head?
 
Do you think when we pray our quick prayers, which we fit into whatever corner or crevice in our heart that has room, it brings Him joy?

Do you think He feels honored by it?

When Jesus looks, really looks, at a world that is just as bad as when He came, do you think He wishes He never came at all?

Jesus was ridiculed for us. He was beaten for us. He gave His life for us.

Jesus died to save us from our sins, and yet we still keep sinning. 

When will it be enough for us?

When will it be enough for Him?

Jesus WILL be coming back.

But will He be coming back for me?

And will He be coming back for you?



I Never Knew You

21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

Matthew 7:21-22






Tuesday, January 23, 2024

God keep me from evil



Dear Lord, do not let my heart be drawn to what is evil. Do not let me be someone who just goes along with the crowd. Do not let me value fitting into this world more than I value You. Show me where evil is trying to sneak into my life. Make it obvious to me. If I need to turn away from someone, then grant me the courage to turn. If I need to stand up and say something, give me the boldness to stand. I do not want to be someone who willingly goes against what honors You, Lord. I do not want to be someone who lets evil become a part of who You created me to be. I don’t see it, Lord. I don’t see all the evil. Some of it is hidden. Reveal it to me, Lord. Make it obvious. Give me a disgust for it. Let no part of me want anything to do with it. May You open my eyes, Lord. May you open my mind to what is unholy. Let not my heart be drawn to what is evil, Lord. Let not my heart be drawn to what does not give you glory. In Jesus’ Name I pray.

Monday, January 22, 2024

When you're tired of the fight


Sometimes you get tired of the fight.
You get tired of the constant battle.
You get tired of always feeling like your world is falling apart.

And you want to tap out. 
You want to throw in the towel.
You want to chalk it all up to defeat.

Because you're done.

You are so done.

And satan laughs.

he LAUGHS.

Because he knew just how to get you.
he knew what buttons to push.
he knew exactly what to do to get you to break down.

he knew it was just a matter of time before you started thinking about giving up.

This isn't his first time coming for you.

If you're living in this world and think that satan isn't trying to destroy you,
every minute of every day, you're wrong.

he'll send distractions.
he'll send disappointments.
he'll send despair.

And not just to you.

he'll send it to everyone around you.

Because if he can surround you with desperation, he knows you'll start to feel desperate.

And he knows desperate people do desperate things.

Like turn away from God. 

satan will stop at nothing to get you to give in. 

he will do everything, to keep you focused on your problems, instead of focused on the Cross.

he needs to keep you distracted.

Because if he can keep your eyes off of Jesus, he wins.

If he can keep you from doubting God's Word, he wins.

If he can keep you so consumed with despair, he wins.

he WINS.

And you weren't born for him to win. 

If you are in the middle of a battle right now, you better believe satan is after something you have.

The question is, "are you going to let him have it?"

Everything you need to overcome this fight, God has already provided. 

But you have to choose where you put your faith.

In the one coming to steal, kill and destroy.

Or the One who came to give you peace.

Look to God. Cling to His promises. Trust in His Word.

The world will have you believe there's no hope for what you're going through.

But the Word of God reminds you that He has overcome the world!!!




 





Tuesday, January 16, 2024




Do not hide your face from me, O God.
Though you are not my priority.
Though I rarely seek you unless I need you.
Though I offer a quick prayer and a rare glance.
Do not hide your face.
The world consumes me.
All the running, all the choices, all the opinions.
I am surrounded by chaos. My heart is not steady.
Instead of searching for peace, I search for prosperity.
Instead of seeking wisdom, I seek wealth.
Sleep fails me.
I have filled my mind with worldly things.
I have grown tired.
And weary.
And worn out.
There is no joy left in me.
I have turned from you, Lord.
I promised I would not turn, but I did.
Help me, Lord, to find my way back.
Help me to be who you need me to be.
Forgive me, Lord, that I so easily fill my heart with other things.
Forgive me for not making choices that honor you.
I want to be someone you can rely on.
Please do not hide your face from me, Lord.
Please do not hide your face.

Saturday, January 6, 2024

Are you FULLY committed to God?

Fully committed.

Totally devoted.

100% attached.

God wants our steadfast dedication to a relationship with Him.

He wants our full attention.

He wants our wholehearted faith.

How impractical.

How unthinkable.

How inconceivable.

In this world, with its constant distractions, He must know it’s impossible to be fully committed to anything.

Let alone to be fully committed to Him.

But what if we changed something in this verse?

What if we replaced “the Lord our God” and put “our cell phone” in its place.

Silly, right? But is it?

Try it.

“But your hearts MUST be fully committed to your cell phone.”

You must spend time with your phone. You must consult your phone for everything. You must bring your phone with you everywhere you go. Your phone must be the first thing you think of when you wake up. And the last thing you think of before you go to bed. Your phone must be your most valued possession. You would never leave it behind. You would never abandon it. You would never forget it.

Does that scenario seem inconceivable now?

When it comes to God, we decide how He fits into our lives.

We decide if we can be fully committed to Him.

His request is not an impossible request.

But we decide if it’s an unthinkable one.



Dear younger me: you will never fit in

Dear Younger Me, You will never fit in.  But you will be ok. I know it's hard. Especially when you're young. Especially when you wan...