December 2016 – A Girl’s Blog

Feliz Navidad or Merry Christmas!!!

Merry Christmas from the youth of House of Prayer!

In Matthew 1:23
“The virgin is going to have a baby. She will give birth to a son. And he will be called Immanuel.” And Isaiah 7:14 “The name Immanuel means “God with us.”

Hello everyone I hope you are having a wonderful christmas. I hope you are all enjoy time with all your family and friends. This christmas has been a amazing one, I had the time to spend it with my love ones and my brothers and sisters from church. I know some of you; don’t have your family members with you for different reasons; however always remember that God is always with you. This day don’t forget to give thanks to the Lord for his mercy and grace and the privilege he gave to us the gentiles to have salvation through the sacrifice his son gave.

I have many things to be grateful about first and foremost the salvation he gave and his never ending love. His constant search for us is the most wonderful and romantic gesture anyone can have. It’s a love that is not selfish; it’s actually a love that redeems our lives forever. How can you give thanks to this amazing God for everything that he does. Give thanks in your actions and worship and praise; we need to learn to praise him with everything that we got.

Some of you, may have lost a loved one this year; However I hope that God brings you peace to your life in this day. It’s not easy to lose a loved one but remember that the Almoighty is with you always; as he was with the Israelites when they were at the dessert looking for the promised land. Always remember that a Christ or Messiah was born two thousand and 16 years ago and that he was the most precious gift that could be given to us. Because he brought peace and comfort and word to our lives.

Isaiah 9:6

“A child will be born to us. A son will be given to us. He will rule over us. And he will be called Wonderful Adviser and Mighty God. He will also be called Father Who Lives Forever and Prince Who Brings Peace.”

I hope you have a Merry Christmas and that God guides your life as it’s his will.

P.s. comment at the bottom what are you most grateful for this year or all?

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Review

Hello everyone it has been about two months since I told you that I was reading this book called Jesus>Religion by Jefferson Bethke; Well yesterday was the day I was done reading it. I was going post the review last night; however a friend came by to watch the cowboys game and I wasn’t able to. So let me go ahead and write it tonight I hope you guys like it and give it a try.

Jesus> Religion I think it’s a pretty self-explanatory title or it just might confuse you. For me it confused me.. I have heard about the video that Mr.Bethke made but, I never seen it. I was pretty skeptical and I went into this book skeptical and with precautions; why you may ask. Well first of all I have to be careful of the books I read because, any wacko nowadays thinks that he can write what he thinks its considered his mighty opinion. Guys some might not like this review but being raw and honest here. A lot might say what aren’t you suppose to be a christian.? Well I am a christian and just because , I’m a christian it does not mean I’m going to read stuff that don’t go with what I believe in. For example; it’s like if you opened your house to a person that doesn’t share your same values or beliefs; you guys are gonna clash over anything.

Anyways let’s go back to the review the first few chapters I was in for a treat; I was constantly in shocked, furious, guilty, ashamed, sad and free. Wait you are probably thinking I’m on something right. But now this book broke a lot of stereotypes that are on christian nowadays myself included. There is a part in the book where Jefferson was talking to this guy about Jesus and the guy responded with this;

” I could never follow Jesus; I still want to drink beer.” and Jefferson’s thought was ” I still drink beer and don’t hate gays.” I’m not gonna lie this line took me back a step. I come from an old way pentecostal church and I have been taught that drinking is a sin and I still believe it. So reading this in the first pages of the book had me with a dumbfounded expression on my face probably; and I kept thinking ; what is this dude talking about? Are you freaking serious.? At that moment I was actually criticizing him not actually caring what the rest of the book might say or if the Lord might speak to my life through this book and my want to read the book it diminished. I was doing what Jefferson was talking about in the book that christians nowadays care about the superficial how you look to others instead of how really your life is with Jesus from the inside out.

By this time this guy had me hook with the way he was actually giving example to every single question coming in my mind just in his book. He cleared stereotypes that I had but never really addressed. Him saying that we use the Lord as a whim or as a personal credit card or santa when we want something for our own wants, but we never consider what we can actually give him instead. It’s something I have done various times and it shames me; because this wonderful Almighty God decided to give his only son as sacrifice for my life and the sins I have committed or might commit even though I wasn’t in the world yet.

John 3:16

” For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son; that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Now this book really touched my heart I remember crying two night ago reading it, because the Lord decided to actually make me see inside myself if I was really without sin. It touched my heart when he address his addiction with porn and lust, because it’s something that most of us go through and a lot of christian youth nowadays go through but don’t know how to reach out. I just love that he actually wrote was he was thinking and feeling in those moments when he felt the suffocation and the pressure to commit the sin and the afterward result.

pg.134

“I was lying there, swimming in my own shame and guilt, when this still, small voice whispered into the depth of my soul:

I Love you, I Desire You, I Delight in You, I saw you were going to do that before I went to the cross, and I still went.

This page made me bawl my eyes out because it’s like in the moment I was going through every single thing he went through; I just can’t explain it. His writing and rawness made me notice the truth in what he was writing. It made me realize that I have been a hypocrite; I have been living like the religious leaders of the time the Christ walked on earth instead of living how Jesus lived by loving and forgiving myself from every sin and iniquity that had built-in my heart over the years. God wants us to be the real us, he wants me to stop worrying what anyone will think if I go out to eat with my friend alone; or that if anyone found out that I was hurt when I was younger by a family member it is a wound that hasn’t close itself since it happened.

I can definitely say that this book has made me search inside my heart and really look at my self in the mirror. Am I living what I preach or write about in this blog.? I throughly hope that you give this book a try and leave your thoughts in the comments.

P.S. God bless all of you.

Salvation and The Lamb

Have you guys seen the scene where ASLAN(The lion, the witch and the wardrobe) is tied down to the sacrificial table and he is slain; I’m certain that almost everyone has seen it. Well that’s almost the same way that the Lord died, he was a lamb when he got crucified for our sins and future sins. The God almighty had mercy upon us to give us salvation. Even though we struggle daily some more than others we should give thanks to the Lord for the salvation that his sacrifice gave to us.

Mark 10:45

For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

I just love how in this chapter and verse of Mark, it tells you that he voluntarily gave his life as “Ramson”. What does ramson mean to you.? Well the dictionary definition is “a consideration paid or demanded for the release of someone or something from captivity.” We were captive in the clutches of sin; sacrifice was a demended requirement since the beginning of time. Lets take a look back; remember when Seth and Cain did their offering to God; well actually offering can mean a sacrifice if it is a animal offering like seth’s. It continues on following Abraham and Isaac etc…

Génesis 22:2

“Then God said, “Take your son, your only son. He is the one you love. Take Isaac. Go to Moriah. Give him to me there as a burnt offering. Sacrifice him on one of the mountains I will tell you about.”

‭‭ Now imagine Christ giving his life for millions of people that don’t want to know about him or people that have accepted him and have left his path because of what the world might think of them or the trial is too hard. Do you know how hard it was for him to give that sacrifice; some might say we never asked for that but can you imagine living in the days of Noah and Sodom and Gomorrah actually scratch that; because we are living in those days.

Now christians nowadays are just eating, drinking and taking every want they have. But have you thought how hard and painful it was for him and even though he was the Son of God he was human; his body was human; he went through a process too. He did not automatically knew everything and wasn’t granted everything because he was God in a human body.

Matthew 1:21

” She is going to have a son. You must give him the name Jesus. That is because he will save his people from their sins.”

It’s the time to give thanks to the Lord for his mercy and for the salvation that his sacrifice gave to our lives. Those it mean that if he comes we will automatically go with him. No; it means that his sacrifice gave us a fresh start when we come into his path we just have to continue to walk and search more of God. I can’t tell you what requirements you need for salvation but I can say to you that if you leave the world behind and accept Jesus Christ as your savior and serve him with your whole heart not looking back toward what was in the world you may be doing what he has asked of you. I hope this can help us reflect on his sacrifice and the salvation that was given to us because of it.

P.s. God bless every single one of you and I hope his grace and mercy is upon you and your families.

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