Building Blocks To Love Challenge: Patience

In the next 9 weeks or so, if you partake in this challenge, you're going to build a wall. I know what you're thinking: "A wall? No thanks, I'll rather go watch cricket". But then you'll see how awful the Proteas are doing and you'll want to go back to building a wall (ok to be honest, I don't watch, nor do I understand cricket, so I don't actually know how the Proteas are playing. I just don't think their last game went well because I heard my gran sighing and shouting "Ag no man!" at the TV screen quite a lot). 

Now I guess I should get back to the point: building a wall. We're going to partake in a challenge: the Building Blocks to Love (BBL) challenge. This wall you'll be building, if you choose to join me, is a wall of love. 

Love is an important part of the Bible and God strongly urges us to love. He also continuously tells us how much He loves us and He has shown it to us in various ways- just take John 3:16 for example: For God so LOVED the world that He gave us His only Son. In fact, Mark 22:36-40 tells us that the greatest commandment is to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind" and then after that, it's to "love your neighbor as yourself". 

As you can see, love is quite important to God, and so it should be to us too. But now here's the problem: it is SO difficult to love most of the time. For example, when you're about to be late for work/school, and a taxi suddenly stops in the road in front of you, I don't think love is the first emotion that you feel. If it were me, I would probably think of some very foul words, get super angry and then make some very 'nice' hand signals. I don't think my first reaction would be to love the taxi driver and smile and wave and sing or whatever loving people do. 

It is hard to love a lot of the time, and that's why sometimes we need 'training' in it. We need to start building the blocks of love in our life; and I'm encouraging you to do this through the fruits of the Spirit. 

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 says, "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no records of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." 

To me, this ties in perfectly with fruits of the Spirit, which are: 

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control." Galatians 5:22-23

So through the next 9 weeks or so, I will post a blog on one fruit of the Spirit and then your challenge (and mine too!) will be to put that fruit into practice. 

Ahhh I'm excited already!! I hope you are too! :D (The teenage girl in me is trying so hard not to scream and cry and do all the things you'd normally see at a Justin Bieber concert)

I think that this challenge will be life changing if you follow it correctly and commit to it. I'm ready for my life to be changed, are you?

So let's start:

"Love is Patient".

Fruit 1: Patience. 

Ok, I'm officially probably THEE worst person to talk about this. I'm very impatient. However, this is also perfect because now I have the opportunity to put patience into practice B-) 

Patience is defined as "the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset" (Google). 

The word "patience" in Hebrew is "qavah", which means "to wait for, to hope, or to expect."

The more I read about patience, the more difficult it seems. However, it is not impossible. I mean look at Moses for example. He was probably the most patient guy in history. For those who are unfamiliar with the story, Moses basically led the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt. But these Israelites just kept complaining and complaining and complaining. Honestly, if I were Moses, I would have taken early retirement! 

Patience is vital when showing love. If you are getting impatient with people or situations, often that leads to sin. For example, let's say you need to open an account or something at the bank, but the teller you're dealing with is being super annoying and slow. So now you start thinking horrible things because you're getting impatient, maybe you start becoming quite rough and maybe you even say one or two hurtful comments. Is that portraying Jesus? No. Impatience is dangerous. 

Jesus was super patient. I mean imagine being the Son of God and knowing how AMAZING and awesome heaven is, but having to wait 30 odd years on earth first before being able to go back? Think about it: Have you ever been sooo excited about something that time drags until that thing happens? With me, for example, I was super excited for my birthday in February, which was on a Thursday. Never in my life had I had a Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday drag so much- it was awful. Now imagine if I had to wait 30 years! 

I'm sure you've had many situations where you've been excited for something. So I'm pretty sure Jesus was excited to get back to heaven, but now He had to do His earthly duties (which I'm beyond grateful He did!) first. Never once do we read about Jesus complaining and sulking in a corner, instead He worked His butt off and made the most out of every opportunity. 

(There are tons of examples of Jesus being patient throughout the Bible, but I'm trying not to make this way too long to read)

Ephesians 5:1 tells us to be "imitators of God", and so if Jesus showed patience, should we not too?

I mean think how many people it could bring to Christ! Going back to the earlier example, imagine instead of being impatient with that teller, you accepted the delay without getting upset; you realised there was not much you could do about it and chose to just be friendly and Jesus-filled instead. Maybe that could have been an opportunity for you to share Jesus with the teller, or at least make her/his day better (Seriously, think about how many bitter people they deal with in a day!)

So how can we be patient? 

Well firstly, we have to pray for God to help us be patient and to open opportunities for us to practice patience; after all, how do you get good at something if you don't train? 

If you're starting to feel impatient in a situation, take a deep breath and send up a silent prayer. Impatience isn't going to help the situation at all, instead it will leave you feeling more stressed and uncomfortable.

Another thing you could do is be accountable to someone. Tell your best friend or spouse or pastor, or anyone you want, that you're trying to be patient and they can help and encourage you. Trust, it helps a lot! 

Also, why don't you put a little reminder for patience somewhere? Maybe write a "P" on your hand, or if put a little Bible verse about patience on a note and keep it on your desk or on your fridge or in your office or in your car or wherever you feel it will be most helpful. These are just ideas, but they help a lot. I, for example, often draw a small cross on my hand at school to remind me to be like Jesus.  Remember the story of Jacob in Genesis 29:20-28 where he worked a total of 14 years to get the girl he loved, even after her family tricked him. Maybe that would be a good Scripture to remind you on patience because at least you don't have to wait 14 years for the thing you want!

Patience should become a habit, then it'll get easier and easier to show. Remember that by showing Godly patience, you could honestly change somebody's. It's the same with impatience: by being impatience and maybe doing something regretful, that could have a horrible effect on somebody's life. 

Therefore I urge you, put patience into practice! This week the challenge is to be patient, whether at school, at work, at home, with your family, or whatever the situation. Let's start building block one and let's build it strong. 

I'm ready. 

Are you ? 

P.S. If you'd like to share about how you're doing on your patience challenge, that would be awesome! Why don't you post a comment on this blog, or on my Facebook wall, or even message me personally! :D 

Hebrews 12:1 "Therefore since we also are surrounded with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily besets us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us" (NKJV)

Love

 joy 

peace 

patience 

goodness 

gentleness 

self control

Faithfulness 

Kindness 

Don't Settle

So I'm sitting in a plane right now and there's turbulence; to say I'm freaking out would be putting it mildly. However, I tend to get very deep when I think I'm about to die, and I landed up thinking about relationships (ah trust Michaela to think of boys when she may only have minutes left to live!)

A word of warning, I'm going to be VERY honest in this blog, so don't judge :/ (just remember I only just recently turned 18! Haha!)

I've always said I'm going to wait until marriage to have sex and that I'm going to stay pure for my husband. I think this is due to ignorance, but I honestly thought it would be so easy and I'm a Christian, so I obviously wouldn't be tempted to do anything naughty with boys.

But then hormones, experimental friends and over keen boys came along. Then I suddenly realised that I had actually signed myself up to quite a big challenge. 

I've also always been quite the romantic, and I always imagined that if a guy liked me liked me, that he would bring me flowers, write me romantic letters, post cute photos of me on social media and say adorable things like "I don't know why God would bless such an ordinary guy like me with such an amazing girl like her <3" (obviously he would be underestimating himself, though, because my guy wouldn't just be ordinary!). However, reality hit me hard last year and I realized most guys actually aren't like that. It's not that they're bad guys or anything, it's just that guys' brains work differently to girls' I suppose. I won't lie, this did bum me out a bit though. 

And then one day I was having a conversation with a really good friend of mine because we had discovered that we were a part of a handful of virgins left in our schools. Then we spoke and posed the question why we should even wait if the chances are high that our future husbands are probably not virgins, if society standards are anything to go by. I mean here we are, trying SO hard not to fall into temptation, and then there our husbands are getting frisky with some irritating girl (sorry if that girl is super nice and all, but hey, if you're dating my future husband, you better expect some hard feelings from me ;) ) 

I prayed about this a lot. I mean did God really mean we had to stay virgins until marriage? Maybe He meant that we just shouldn't sleep around with a million different guys. Plus, you know, the world has changed from Bible days and maybe nowadays it's ok if we don't wait. Also, in Bible days, girls were getting married at 12 or 14, so they didn't have to deal with that sexual urge for very long anyway. So how come now we have to wait so long? And what if I only meet my husband when I'm like 40?! Uh, how the heck am I supposed to stay a virgin for so long?!

These thoughts were protruding my mind and I was so confused. I realised how hard Christianity can be, and yoh, I had some very tough arguments with God about how unfair He is and how He expects too much.

But then it hit me: God is good. 

He answered every single one of my queries and sent people to remind me that waiting IS possible and that I don't have to settle for less.

The whole point of my blog today isn't just about waiting for marriage, if you've already had sex, or you decided not to wait, that is SO chilled! No judgment from me at all! One of my main messages today is that I want to encourage you to NOT SETTLE FOR LESS. 

Ok, so, did God really say we must stay virgins? Well the thing is, He warns out throughout His Word about not living like the world does, but like He does. He also encourages us to not to gratify the desires of the flesh. Galatians 5:16-17 says "So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want."

 Also, lust is a sin. Whoooah I sin quite a lot there... Can't help but think some very lusty thoughts when I see some of those 6 packs at the beach!:P 

"For lust is a shameful sin, a crime that should be punished. It is a fire that burns all the way to hell. It would wipe out everything I own." Job 31:11

But the thing is, we need to pray for God to help us with that. Somebody said something quite profound to me once: every time you're looking lustily at some guy or girl, you are busy checking out somebody else's wife or husband. Would you like it if every single guy or girl who walked past check out your spouse like that? I wouldn't. He's mine. Mine, mine miiiiiiiiine :/ (haha ok I say that in the least possessive and creepy way possible!)

If you're sleeping around with ten people a night or whatever, those are people you have to tell your future spouse about, and isn't that in a sense already committing adultery? If you're destined for one person, why would you want to share that intimacy of sex with so many other people? Then what will make it special with your wife/husband? "But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart." Matthew 5:28 

(Again, I'm not writing to make you feel bad if you do have sex or whatever!)

Also, I believe God wants us to wait for our spouse for health reasons as well, especially in today's society with things like Aids and all the STDs we have just chilling around. Every person you sleep with is a more of a chance to pick something gross up. In Life Orientation at school, they've shown us pictures... Trust me, you DO NOT want your private areas to look like that!:/ 

Then secondly, is it ok in modern time not to wait because the Bible days were so long ago? No! God says numerous times in His Word that Him and His Word are NEVER changing, He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow! (Malachi 3:6, James 1:17 and so on). He created everything and obviously He'd know what's best for the world and people He created. Plus if sex is suddenly ok out of marriage, does that mean it's ok to suddenly murder people whenever you feel like it? No! God's Words and laws are never changing, they are rocks like Him, and do not crumble. There are no terms and conditions. 

Now here's my most general and probably most applicable and important message today: DO NOT SETTLE FOR LESS.

YOU are amazing! You deserve nothing less that amazing. If you are God's child, He's put a special Mark on you and it's going to take an incredible, faaaaaaar above average, amazing, wonderful, beyond what you can ever expect or imagine, man or woman to win your heart. God is this mighty loving Father, and He isn't going to allow somebody ordinary to have the heart of His son/daughter. So yes, maybe you're single now, but amazing, incredible, wonderful things take time. 

Imagine a beautiful, luxurious castle being built. It doesn't just take an hour to build. Sometimes, it takes years and years. It's the same thing with your spouse, sometimes they just need a few years to be "built" into the amazing person you deserve. And also, it's the same with you. We have to be humble and remember we aren't perfect. God is still at work within us and don't you want to honour  your spouse by being the best person you can be? 

I've recently met some inspirational couples that have shown me that amazing guys do exist out there! A good friend of mine from school as this incredible boyfriend who she's been together with for about 9 months, but dating officially for 6 or so. He still will not let her pay for a single meal. The other day, he came all the way to our school to drop off stuff he printed for her,  and then wrote her the sweetest note to tell her to be happy and to remember he loved her. He shows up to her house with flowers and biltong, he respects her like I've never seen a guy respect a woman before. He will honestly drop anything to help her. I've recently spent time with the two of them, and  I believe God did that on purpose to remind me that there ARE guys like that out there who exist. 

And for the guys, there are girls like that as well! You must just see how my friend treats him. Honestly, I believe every single guy deserves an amazing girl like her (or if you're tanned, have a 6 pack, are really Christian, can drive and earn big bucks, then you deserve an amazing girl like me in your life! ;) haha jokes!)

This is just one couple, but there are so many more: like my grandparents, my youth pastor and his wife, and so many other people who I could name who just have the most incredible relationships. 

Also, I've been privileged to come back into contact with or meet some awesome guys recently who have shown me that there are still true Christian, gentleman out there. My hope has been restored!

So please, I urge you, do not settle for less. If you are single and lonely, don't just go for the next guy or girl who comes around just because you want some loving' in your oven or whatever they say, rather wait and use your singleness to grow closer in God.

I watched a YouTube video from ChaseGodTv, and he said that your singleness is such an important ministry time. When you're married, your priority ministry is your spouse and family, but when you're single, your priority is the WORLD! There are no limits at all. In fact, Paul said it is better to be single (GET VERSE).

Ok I'm not encouraging you to give up dating all together, I Personally don't see a problem with it as long as it isn't causing you to sin or getting in the way of your relationship with God, and as long as it is Christ-centered, but just remember that being single isn't a bad thing at all. Rather look at the positives! 

So please, I urge you again, do not settle for less than what you deserve. Even if you've slept with 100000 people, or have messed up your life, or if you feel down about yourself, remember God loves you and He will forgive you no matter what, and as His child, you deserve nothing less than the best. 

"Don't be so desperate for a relationship that your spiritual life runs dry. Seek Jesus and let Him lead you. He will provide when you are ready, not lonely." @adamcappa

No, don't say it!

I had this English teacher last year, Mrs. Warrington. So my good friend, Megan, and I were walking to class when Mrs. Warrington happened to walk past us.  She stopped and asked how we were and all that usual small talk, when Megan says, "I really miss your lessons ma'am!". Obviously I needed to show appreciation as well, as per normal human behavior, so I said the first thing that came to mind: "Oh yes and I really miss your creepiness!"

Words.

Words are powerful and I don't think we comprehend how powerful they really are. You know that saying 'Sticks and Stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me'? I think that is such a lie! Words hurt. A LOT. Often words hurt more than just a simple punch to the face, because the pain lasts longer. Look at cyber bullying for example- those words on social media hurt the bullied person for a long time. 

I know that personally, words often stick with me, even if they weren't meant to hurt me. That's how else words are powerful- often we use them without considering the repercussions. I mean I didn't intend to offend my teacher by saying she was creepy, I just hadn't chosen my words correctly, but saying something like that can hurt (my teacher luckily laughed though!) 

Proverbs 18:21 says it beautifully, " Death and life are in the power of the tongue.." 

How many people have committed suicide because of verbal bullying? How many people have become depressed because of what people have said to them? Have you ever not done something because you're scared of what people will say?

Words can bring death, if not physically, then definitely emotionally. Please understand that it may seem "cool" to badmouth someone, but it really hurts. Matthew 7:12 urges us to do to others what we would want them do to us. So if you don't like it when people say nasty things to you, why do you do it to others? 

I've noticed women do this a lot, and I will admit it, I am a part of this gang of gossipers. If my friends make a remark about a certain teacher wearing very high pants that make it look as if that teacher has quite a bad constant wedgie, I suddenly want to remark and laugh too. Yoh, but afterwards I feel SO bad. I mean if you want to wear high wedgie pants, that is your basic human right! :D (#PositiveWords)

On the other hand, words can bring life. Now I love this! It is so true. You know that feeling when you're in some race and you feel like you're about to die; the sweat is pouring out of every nook and cranny and your lungs feel like they're about to explode, but then suddenly, you hear that "Come on *name*, you CAN do it!" Now you've got that boost to finish. 

Words are powerful, but they can be powerfully beautiful. Imagine that if every single time you thought to say something bad about someone, you said something good instead. You know, next time you see a taxi try to pull in front  of you, instead of trying to use some very colorful words to describe him, maybe say something good instead, like: "Oh yay, now at least his passengers will get there sooner." Yes, it may sound lame, but it will make you feel much calmer. 

Ephesians 4:29 says, "Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear."

The way we talk should portray grace, and thus God as He is full of grace. Our words should build up others and motivate them, not demotivated them. Constantly throughout His Word, God tells us to love, and part of this love can be shown through what you say. If you tell someone they're fat and smelly, is that being loving? Err I don't think so... If someone said that to me, I'd probably slap them in the face!:/ (Or I'd try but then my clumsiness would kick in and I'd land up slapping  myself...)

Although words should build up, remember the verse also says "as fits the occasion". If you're In a situation like Paul was and you're on trial for God, trying to build up the judge won't help you much. I don't think the judge would appreciate you saying things like, "Ah well done! You made a verdict! I'm so proud, that's awesome! Congrats, man." We have to be strategic with our words. Although we should not downgrade others, we should also speak boldly . Just look at some of the things Jesus said! He was super bold, but never mean.

One last verse I thought was quite good is Matthew 12:37, "For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."

To be honest that scares me a bit. It just shows how careful we have to be. Verse 36 warns us that we will have to "give account for every careless word" we speak. Just because it's funny to say something now doesn't mean that it's suddenly going to disappear. We will have to answer for every single word we speak one day. 

Imagine on Judgement Day, God holds two papers out to you: one with all the good, Godly things you've said, and one with all the nasty, sinful things you said. Wouldn't you want the Godly list to be longer than the nasty one? But often that isn't the case. Let's be honest, being nasty is often so much easier than being nice. This is why saying nice things takes a courageous person to do. Complimenting people, encouraging others, being nice to those who aren't nice to you, all of these take a serious amount of courage that not just anyone posseses. However, with God's help, anything is possible (Luke 1:37). As the saying goes, God doesn't call the equipped, He equips the called. 

Therefore I challenge you this week with what I mentioned earlier: every single time you want to say something mean, say something nice instead. It won't be easy, you're going to have to be brave, but trust me, you'll be so much happier for it! Let's start changing this world, one step at a time <3 

P.S. Just some final wisdom: If you ever see a teacher who taught you previously in life, rather just say she/he was a good teacher or something like that, rather be safe than sorry! ;) 

Don't be a "Load Shedding" Christian

Imagine you're sitting there on the couch, just minding your own business and watching your favourite TV series when BAM- the power goes out.

For us here in South Africa, this is something we've all grown accustomed to in these last few weeks. Yup, that's right, it's load shedding. 

So here's the thing: Eskom is having some trouble with their power plants and hence the lights go out and we're left in darkness. 

This could sound like some bad horror movie, or, it could actually sound like Christianity.

You're probably thinking, 'What on earth is this [amazing, wonderful, awesome, inspirational, incredible ;) ] girl going on about?!'

Well think about it: how often in life is it easy to be a Christian when life is going well for us? 'Oh yes, I've got money, food, no work problems and I'm having an awesome week- God is so incredible! He's blessing me so much!'

Ahhh but then things take a turn: 'I can't afford all my bills this month, my food consists  of tuna and 2 Minute Noodles, and everyone is turning against me at work- Where is God? Does He even exist? Why's He doing this to me?'

It's moments like this when your 'light' as a Christian goes out, and this is not what God calls us to! Acts 13:47 says, "For so the Lord has commanded us, saying 'I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth."

God calls us to be a light to the world, to shine so that others can see Him, after all, 1 John 1:5 says "...God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all." 

If Ephesians 5:1 says, "...be imitators of God..", then does that not mean we should strive to become like God and do what He does? We should be following God, and that means 'copying' Him by being light and not darkness. 

It's the times when we have to 'fix our machinery' that we tend to give into the darkness. This isn't a joking matter. Look at how Eskom's load shedding (due to their malfunctioning power plants) is affecting people all over the country; when your light goes out, it isn't only you that is left in darkness. What about all those people in the future who you were going to touch with your light? Or what about all the people who are relying on your light right now? 

This isn't to scare you, but it is a reality: as Christians, we have people's lives relying on us. It is not an easy journey. Christianity is NOT for 'sussies'. 

We just look at Paul for example. He was an amazing man! He kept spreading the Good News, even after being beaten, jailed and stoned. 

In fact, Acts 20:19 says "I served the Lord with great humility and with tears..."

Paul served with TEARS. Usually when people cry, it's not because they're enjoying something or feeling incredibly happy. Paul went through some tough times and I think his heart sometimes broke for the people who wouldn't accept Christ. 

One thing about Paul though, is he never let them stop him. 

Acts 16:37, "But Paul said to the officers, 'They beat us publicly without a trial, even though we are Roman citizens, and threw us into prison. And now do they want to get rid of us quietly? No! Let them come themselves and escort us out."

Freak I love this man! He is so inspirational! As Christians we should not go out without a fight. The situation could be hard, but we are hardcore too! 

I love this too:

In Acts 21:27-40, Paul is arrested and beaten. Verse 35 says that "the violence of the mobs was so great he [Paul] had to be carried by the soldiers."

But did Paul let that stop him! NO! In verse 39, Paul asks the commander of the Roman army if he can speak to these people. How hectic is that! Here's this group of people rioting, trying to kill you, and you want to SPEAK to them?! I don't know about the rest of you, but I  probably would have been half way to China by then!

Better yet, Paul went on to tell his testimony- he used this to preach a solid message. He refused to let his light go out, even when the world around was trying to blow his flame out. 

So there we go. Christianity is not easy. When people around you are indulging in sin that is just so tempting, you have to say no. And frankly, sometimes it sucks. But is it worth it? Heck yeah! 

Jesus Himself warns us that our journey will not be easy. But isn't it true that the hardest journeys are usually the most worthwhile? I mean after you've done Comrades for example, that sense of achievement you  feel must be INCREDIBLE. That hard work paid off. 

And the cool thing with God, is He is always with us and His Word is always there to encourage us. 

John 16:33 says, (and I LOVE this verse), "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." 

Woooow! If Jesus overcame the world and we are meant to be like Him, then we too should be able to overcome the world :D 

Remember, "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden." (Matthew 5:14) 

Don't hide away.

Let your light shine.

Do not let load shedding put your light out. 

"Light always trumps darkness. It always has, and it always will. Therefore... If you believe that your world is darkening...if you believe that the culture of your nation is growing dimmer by the year...don't blame it on the dark! Darkness is only doing what darkness does.

If darkness is winning the battles, my friend, it is because light is not doing its job. You are light. So wake up. Wake up."

Andy Andrews

Gym... and other places to feel God

Ok so there I was: I'd just finished gym and I was super sweaty, super smelly, and looking super gross. There had been this guy I'd been checking out the past few days, but he wasn't there that day. Was I disappointed? Yes. Was I relieved? Yes! I thought if he saw me (or smelt me) that day, he would probably never speak to me. 

So there I am, just walking out the door, listening to my music super loud and walking in that fast-paced-don't-mess-with-me gait that one normally does when walking out of gym, when suddenly, guess who was walking into gym?! 

Out of all the days to choose to acknowledge me, it had to be that one. He looked at me in the eye (yup, I even got butterflies), then smiled and said hello. So what did I do? Obviously my awkwardness came into play: instead of saying hello like a normal person, I grunted. Yup, you read right. My cave woman tendencies chose to show up and I GRUNTED. And not even a cute feminine grunt (well if you can classify a grunt as feminine), it was a loud, throaty, gross man grunt. He even got a "Oh damn she's crazy look" in his eye, so I turned around and ran down the stairs. Ah, trust me to make matters worse.

So obviously I was feeling pretty embarrassed, and to be honest, I wasn't feeling very Christian either. I was all "God why weren't You there? Why didn't You send your Holy Spirit to suddenly make me irresistible so he'd fall in love with me and whisk me away on a white horse to live the rest of our days on a paradise island with our millions of beautiful kids and monkey friends who would bring us bananas as gifts?". 

And then I had a fleeting thought (trust me, I'm not proud of it): I thought well maybe God wasn't with me with me because I wasn't at church, and that's where we feel God right? WRONG! 

Here's where this is going: 

How often in life do we have that mindset that says "I'm only going to feel God at church", or "Oh, I won't read my Bible tonight because you only really feel God at church anyway."

Well, prepare to get your mind blown.

Are you ready? 

Here it comes:

Acts 7:48 says, "However, the Most High does not live in houses made by men."

Such a simple statement, yet so powerful at the same time. God is huge and powerful and amazing, and frankly, four walls are unable to contain Him.

 Acts 7:49 even says "Heaven is My throne, and the earth My footstool." Now you may have thought earth was pretty big, right? Well actually, we are small. We are minuscule, tiny, puny (I'm hoping all these synonyms of small will get the message across about how small we are!)

All right, so we get the picture that God is pretty big right? Well in Psalm 33:13-15, it says, "From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind; from His dwelling place He watches all who live on earth- He who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do." And then Acts 17:27 says, "God did this so that man would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us." 

Now here's this big, powerful, all mighty God, who cannot even be contained in a building, yet He CHOOSES to sit on His throne and watch YOU. He is looking after you and He is near to you, He considers everything that you do. That brings me to my next verse: Acts 7:49 "What kind of house will you build for Me?' Says the Lord".

(I'm feeling like I'm pretty all over the place, but I promise this will make sense)

Basically, if you've been using that excuse that you don't want to read your Bible or pray or something because "God is only felt at church", you better hit that excuse right out of the ball park because it ISN'T TRUE (and we know how God is super keen on truth. In fact He says in John 8:44 that lies are the native language of the devil and that Jesus is the way, the TRUTH and the life in John14:6).

So stop lying to yourself, God is with you every single day and He is watching you, as we read in Psalms. God considers what you are doing, so the way you act is not a secret from Him. In fact, He considers it, He thinks about it and is interested in it.

Now if God is so big and powerful and is busy taking His time, when He could be jolling with the Angels, to watch and care over you, shouldn't we also be making time for Him outside of church that we attend once or twice a week? 

I understand that life is busy, I'm in matric this year and right now I'm struggling to find time to breath, but the thing is, God understands that too. If you only have half an hour a day to spend with Him, that's better than spending no time at all. Christians often complain that they "don't feel God" or that they "aren't growing stronger in their relationship with God", but often, that's because they aren't spending time with Him.

The Bible often compares the church to a bride and groom, or a marriage (Ephesians 5:23, Revelations 19:7-9, 2 Corinthians 11:2, Isaiah 54:5 and so on) . Let's say you have this amazing spouse; if you never talk to your spouse or never take an interest in his/her life, how will you grow closer as a couple? In the same way, how will you grow closer to God or experience Him more if you aren't taking the time to learn more about Him or spend time with Him?

In Acts 7:49, as mentioned above, God poses the question, "What kind of house will you build for Me?" 

Seeing as God "does not live in houses made by human hands" (Acts 7:48), obviously He is everywhere and around us always, so the house we are building for Him is a spiritual one. Are you going to build Him a spacious house with plenty of space to learn  and grow, having rooms filled with encounters with Him, knowledge of Him and His Word, and closeness with Him? A house with a foundation made purely of the Word and His statutes? A foundation literally based on 'the Rock'?

Or are you building another kind of house, a house built on sand? A house made of a weak faith where God's Word isn't the pure foundation? A house that can falter or fall down at any moment? 

Don't be a "stiff-necked people" who "always resist the Holy Spirit" (Act 7:51). Rather embrace the Holy Spirit by spending time with God. I can promise you that it will be life changing. When God works in you, the outcome can't be anything but amazing! 

Don't confine God only to church, that's almost an insult. He is so powerful that He can do anything. Luke 1:37 says, "For nothing is impossible with God." NOTHING :/ Get ready to pass boundaries you never thought possible. With God, not even the sky is the limit!! 

Spend time with God, indulge in His Word and prepare to see things you never thought possible <3 

"Spending time with God puts everything else in perspective."

P.S. Don't forget that He is always with you, even if you're embarrassing yourself in front of cute boys! (Sometimes I wonder if He sits in heaven and has bit of a giggle... I definitely would :P ) 

P.P.S. Psalm 139 is really great to read about God being close to you and not being able to flee from His presence <3 

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.