1 Peter 5:8-9
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. We are living in a PG 13/R rated society. It is especially hard living in this kind of society being a teenager. There are lies and temptation in every corner. Try not to speak garbage into your life. Do not listen to garbage and do not watch unkind things. Like 1 Peter says, keep a sober mind and remember that the devil will try to set you up to fall. Things you say, do and listen too will affect the outcome of choices you make in life. Even if I tried to describe the week my family and I have had, you wouldn’t even believe it. A small gist of it would be, my grandmother tore her meniscus and will have surgery, my grandfather tore his rotator cuff, my mother has her car in the shop, and my father is buried deep into his job. Things finally started to look up when I woke up Tuesday to the news that I would soon be heading to the beach. Best news I had all week to be honest. By saying that, I am not throwing myself a pity party. I know that people have it much worse than I and this is small potatoes compared to the children in orphanages wishing they could have a family. Or the people in Africa that need clean drinking water. I am just stating that life will get you down, things will spiral downward and not end up the way you predicted. Resist the devil and stand firm in your faith. Don’t shy away from the Lord because you are a chosen generation. You are kings and queens. You are called out of the ordinary and into the extraordinary. You aren’t basic or boring. The devil will get you down, but turn to him and say “Not today, Satan.” and keep going!!! You never know who has been or is going through the same situation is you. Xoxoxo, ALI B!!!!!!!!
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WHO IS IN CONTROL?
When you have a new situation pop up in your life, what do you do? Most would say they turn to the Bible. I do. The problem is, I like to have control of my life and the situations that occur to me. I know that in order to be a follower of God, I cannot be in control. He is in control, always. And He also steers me in the right direction. I have read in the Bible many times to lean not on my own understandings, to cast my burdens upon the Lord, and to trust in God. Well, it’s a new week and I have a new confession. Sometimes, in situations, God has to give me a reality check and show me who is in control. Wednesday night I went to church and our youth pastor preached a short message about needing to give situations over to God. And, I felt a tug at my heart. There isn’t one particular thing that I need to hand over to God. It’s my entire life choices and decisions. I don’t feel the need to write some long story to everyone. Let’s be honest, you would probably just want to skip to the bottom, haha. Instead, I will keep it short and simple. It’s easier to read the bible and live by it when your life is just dandy. It is a lot harder to apply the Bible to your life when you have a more complicated life. I have lied to myself, in the way that, I told myself God is in control. I wanted to make things more complicated than they already are. So starting now, I will not fight against God’s plan. I will go with the flow and let God work in many ways that I did not even know were possible. Love to all, ali. Psalm 100:5 For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations. Monday night I went to read the bible and Matthew 22:37 stuck out to me. It says, “Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.” Loving Christ is the most important thing in our lives. It is so easy to love Christ when I think of the price He paid for me. Not many fathers would allow their son to be crucified to save other people. God did. He showed me so much love and I can only pray to return half of that love. I thought about the love that Jesus shows me every day. I also thought about the grace and mercy that He shows me. I pray every night that I will have a heart after Jesus himself. How awesome would it be to love others like Jesus loves me? How awesome would it be to forgive others as quickly and as easy as He forgives me? I strive to live a sincere and authentic lifestyle. I can honestly say, I have no grudges or vendettas against anyone. However, I am not a perfect Christian and never will be. I know that in order for God to forgive me, I have to forgive others. Matthew 6:14-15 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive their sins, your heavenly Father will not forgive your sins. By saying this, I have often asked myself how to forgive someone when they have wronged me? The only answer I come up with every time is love. I find it is so much easier to let go of the past when I come to terms with how much love I actually have for someone. I know you are probably thinking, “how can you love someone when they have done you wrong or mistreated you?” They are your brother or sister in Christ and that should count for something. You cannot hate someone when you are that closely related to someone in Christ. You also can not love God, if you don't love His son or daughter. You must love God, others, and you must also love yourself. Yes, it is okay to love yourself. It is okay to be confident, not cocky, in yourself. It is okay to know your worth and know your value. The greatest astronomer and artist, whom aligned the stars in the sky and hung the moon, created you with a purpose and is constantly leading you in the right direction. I am thankful that God never says, “I am giving up on this one. Ali has sinned one too many times for me to forgive her again.” So, you are beautiful and you are so valued. Love God, others, and yourself. Much love, Ali b. Before I take a test, I have anxiety. While I am taking a test, I have anxiety. After the test, I have anxiety. I worry about how I did, how it will effect my grade, or when I'll get my grade back. Before a big event, I have anxiety. If anything important comes up, I have anxiety and stress. I hate that a care so much. It's like a constant battle between two opposing forces of my brain. One part tells me to worry, the other part tells me it's a no biggie and get over it.
However, I don't stress about the small things. Most stuff, I try to let roll off my back. My mom is a worrier, very bad. She worries so much worse than me. She mostly worries about me and everyone else's kids too. However, my dad is so carefree, he doesn't worry about anything. He is blessed that he doesn't have to deal with it. I know many people who do have to deal with stress and anxiety. I have a friend that's stresses before there is stress to stress about. People, school, life in general, anything stresses her out. Anxiety and depression is a major problem these days. Especially, with teenagers and young adults. Most everyone around this area has watched the popular series, 13 Reasons Why (I didn't, sadly). I believe it was an eye opener for a lot of teens. I'm going to get straight to the point: there are students and adults that walk around every day, battling with anxiety and depression. Some people let worry consume them and they struggle to enjoy their life. You have absolutely no idea what others are struggling with. You don't know their insecurities and deepest feelings. Please be aware. Xx, ali :) “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7 NIV |
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