Oops...

Mistakes.
 Mistakes are something we all make. Frankly, life is full of them. One things that all mistakes have in common is a consequence. Some consequences can be huge, but others may be small, however, that consequence will still impact you as a person and it's important to remember that. However, the purpose of this message isn't to make you feel even worse about the mistakes you have made; honestly you've probably already heard all the "I told you so's" and "Don't do that agains". The thing is, we are all sinners, and there is never an excuse to sin, but we do do it and often it's hard not to, no one is perfect (well except for Chris Hemsworth, he's pretty near perfect! Haha)

The thing is, if you're feeling super sad about a mistake, just know that there is hope. 1 John 1:9 says "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."

Many people think that after they've done something wrong, they can't ever go back to God because He won't want them, and the sad thing is, other Christians often encourage that view. We are called not to judge, yet I feel sometimes Christians judge more than non-Christians. Now this is not always the case! Often it is also a case of misunderstanding- a Christian may be acting out in love by offering someone food or something, and that person may misunderstand the act of kindness and feel the Christian is mocking them, saying they can't cook. Now that was a silly example, but I hope it clarifies what I mean :) 

The thing is, no matter WHAT you've done, God WILL forgive you and He DOES want you in His family. He is the most loving Father ever, and I think often we forget that. Mark 3:28-29 says "Truly I tell you, people can be forgive all their sins and every slander they utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin." (Ok granted, there is one unforgivable sin but that would take a whole other blog post to talk about!)

So if you've done something and are feeling far away from God, take a pause right now and pray. If you ask God for forgiveness, He will forgive you and He will go closer to you again. You just have to let Him! 

Now about the consequences... Mistakes do have consequences and often they are really horrible and you land up feeling down and hurt. But here's the thing; as cliché as it sounds, time really does heal. Also, if you have made a mistake, the responsibility is yours to fix it. You don't have to do it alone though- ask someone from church, or someone you trust, or anybody you're close to to help you. Better yet, why don't you ask God to help you? Isaiah 41:10 says "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." God wants to help you and you are never alone when you have Him in your life.  

Mistakes are part of life, and they often hurt, but don't let that stop you from moving forward and making a change. Mistakes often carry lessons that are important for your growth as a person, as well as spiritually. Remember not to live in the past, if you've made a mistake, instead of worrying about it all the time, sort it out and move on. Maybe you can stop others from making the same mistake!

L.M Montgomery wrote: "Well, we all make mistakes, dear, so just out it behind you. We should regret our mistakes and learn from them, but never carry them forward into the future with us." 

I really hope this has been encouraging! The issue of mistakes has really been on my heart today and I feel that if you're reading this and you're dealing with a mistake, God is saying it's time you took it to Him. Stop worrying and move on, life isn't easy but it definitely is worth it to be able to spend eternity with our Father one day! 

Let this verse encourage you this week: "though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with His hand." <3

God bless!!! Have an awesome week :D

New Year, New Start

I didn't actually want to post about the whole "It's a new year so it's time for a new me" cliché that is so popular at this time of year. It's not that this is bad or anything, it's just written about quite often and I wanted to post about it in a unique way.
However, when God lays something on your heart, it's impossible to shrug it off.

I have just been watching some Youtube videos from ChaseGodTV (really incredible by the way!) and felt so empowered to write about starting new. We've all made some mistakes in 2014. Trust, I've made a lot. Personally, 2014 was difficult and tiresome, and taught me some lessons I actually probably never was supposed to learn. I've also found that 2014 is by far the busiest year I've had, not just because I've been doing things, but it just seemed that time went by so quickly that there wasn't time to do everything I normally do (or that may be due to procrastination...)
Now I have no idea how 2014 has been for you. Did you make mistakes? Do you regret anything you did or the person you have become? Or did you have an incredible, exciting year?
Well, whatever your answer, you have changed this year, and whether it be for the better or the worst, there is always room for improvement. That may sound a bit harsh, I mean why do I need to improve? I'm already so amazing.
NEWS FLASH: We are all sinners and we all continually sin, which means there has to be room for, in a sense, bettering ourselves by NOT sinning. This means it is time for change. Every day is a new day to make a change. For example, maybe you have a habit of saying some very colourful words when your alarm clock tells you it's time to leave that amazing dream you were having about Chris Hemsworth feeding you grapes while being fanned with big palm leaves by George Clooney and Luke Hemmings. Here's the first change you can make: Don't use those words. Choose to rather appreciate that alarm clock because, without it, you would be late and probably fired from work or have to face the embarrassment of walking into class late.

Matthew 9:17 says:
"Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”
With God, a full 360 degree turnaround is required. I once heard a quote that went something like this:
"If your life hasn't completely changed, you haven't really met God."
That also may sound harsh, but it has some sound advice. When we meet with God and give our lives to Him, we should desire to want to be like Him, to obey Him and to share Him with every single person we meet. This can only happen when we decide to make a change and throw off that old wineskin completely. You can't continue to live in the world and make one or two small changes, like deciding that now you're saved, you will pray before dinner; that will hinder you from completely becoming the person God desires you to be. It will ultimately cause you to burst- a person is incapable of finding a balance between God and the world because they teach two COMPLETELY different things. 
1 John 2:15-17 says: 
 "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world."
The verse says it clearly. If the world and pleasing the world is your priority, you don't truly love God because when you actually love something, you should want to give your all to it. 

James 4:4 goes on to say: "You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God."
The Bible often likens our relationship with Christ to a marriage, saying we are the "bride of Christ" (Rev 21:2 , John 3:29 , Isaiah 54:5 and many more), and adultery is basically cheating on your married partner. Therefore, by loving the world, we are ultimately CHEATING on God. Now here's the thing; God loved you enough to send His Son to die in your place so that you don't need to burn in hell, and you still want to turn your back on Him?

This may seem heavy, but I just want to stress how important change is in our Christian walk. Change is growth, and the stronger we grow, the more of God we see. Nobody is perfect, and I get that. We all make mistakes. Life isn't easy. But here's the thing: change IS possible and if we equip ourselves with the armor of God and ask for His guidance, changes will become easier and easier to make. Let 2015 be a year of newness; a year of becoming the person you were called to be. Stop letting people define who you are and write your own definition. Don't worry about everything that is going wrong in your life but focus on what is going right. Try and be the rainbow in other peoples' clouds, and, most importantly, make God your priority in everything.

Now, before you think about how difficult it will be to stop living in sin and participating in worldly ways, remember this verse: 
John16:33: "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

If Jesus did it, so should we.