Day 37

Today I finally got around to going back and reading my own posts from Days 1 and 2. I can tell you that I have applied a lot of what I said to my life but I am still struggling with the integrity part to some extent. It is hard to stay strong when nobody is around but it is essential to growth. I feel that my integrity has risen because I have been transparent for the most part on here and have not let my personal struggles get in the way and tear me down by me keeping them in. I just know that my integrity has a long way to go so that I can maintain it and not be ashamed of how I act when no one is watching. I feel that being a man of integrity is not a part of who I am, it is who I am.  Learning to stand strong when you are alone and doing what is pleasing to God should become natural to most of us in the long run because the more we let God take over, the more the Spirit works in us and helps us make decisions that are good and pleasing to God. Do not get discouraged when you are alone because God is there and will guide you every step of the way. Not only when you are being tempted but when a friend or family member dies, when it feels like nobody cares, or when you are just having a hard time. The time is almost here when everything will be okay and God will reign supreme forever.

I was thinking that Revelation had something good in store for me and maybe something I could build on from yesterday and I think I found just what I needed to here as I struggle to stay strong. Chapter 22 starts out with a section titled "The River of Life" and verses 1-6 state, "Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign forever and ever. The angels said to me, 'these words are trustworthy and true. The lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must take place soon.' " This picture indicates how great the river of which we can drink of will be, though we will never thirst, I imagine that we will still drink and eat of the tree of life because why would God make such good things and then just let them sit there, I imagine he likes to eat and drink too. What a glorious day that will be when there will be no pain or curses but just us praising our Creator and King. His glory and splendor will light the place and it will never be night because the dark is symbolic and because it is the absence of light, it contradicts the fact that the trinity is radiant and bears light.

I see these verses essential to me because it is time to prepare for the coming days and ultimately for the return of Christ. Everyday I need to live as if His name is on my forehead. People soon will be able to see exactly what I am all about and what I stand for. It is time for me to own up to the mistakes I have made and really make a full turn around to God. I have shown that I can give him 100%, I just need to learn to do it ALL the time and not just some of the time. I know that it can be a very hard thing to do in this world but it is definitely something I need to strive to do. May my actions reflect the words that come out of my mouth. It is kinda like love, telling someone you love them and showing them that you love them are different in themselves. The act of telling someone is fairly simple but putting that on display takes work and is hard to do all of the time. Just because I mess up, it does not mean that I do not love God, but it does mean that I still have work to do to become exactly who he wants me to be. It shows me that I need to become mentally stronger and be able to challenge myself to keep my promises not only to him but to myself.  It is a scary thought, but the only way to know for sure that I am going to heaven is to make sure my heart is right with God and to continually work for the glory of his Kingdom. There should be no doubt in one's mind everyday as to where they will go should they die today. I am guilty as charged and need to make sure that everyday I am a testament to how God can turn someone around and change the lives of those around them. 

It is said in the passage that the angel said "The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must take place soon." Based on this, we do not know exactly what soon is. Because God is not IN time, his timing for soon could be 3,000 more earth years or it could be 2, nobody knows for sure; but those who want to partake in the wondrous sights mentioned in this passage, must always be ready and never let their guard down. 

I pray that you continue to seek God everyday and the plan he has for your life. Whether you consider yourself part of a religion or not, religion does not matter, your salvation is all that matters in the end and whether you have accepted Christ. If you have not done so and would like to, please ask me about it and I will help you, as well as get you into contact with people that can be of more assistance than me because I live in Kansas.

Hope you all have a great night and I look forward to seeing some of you soon.

Joseph Robinson

Day 36

With each day comes new challenges. Whether it is overcoming temptation, yourself, or a new test to see if things have really changed. I keep stumbling, but I am letting God carry me and I must continue to trust him with my life every day otherwise I will not be able to fulfill his plan for my life and continue to give him everything. When I worked out last night, I just blocked out everything and ran with no music. I was in the dark at the stadium, having a hard time trying to see the lines I was trying to follow, but God was with me. I even laid down for a good 5 minutes and stared at the stars giving him praise and thinking about how glorious he is. I wish I could just go up to the mountains or out into the country where there are no lights and just gaze at the stars and the meaning they bring to God's awesome power and greatness. The stars are a reminder to us of how great God is, he placed them perfectly so that we could see the brightest and the faintest of stars and I think that is a reflection of our walk with him. Sometimes we shine bright when we are "close" to him, and the "further" away we get, the harder it is to see him in us. As long as we hold to him, no matter what comes our way, there is hope and promise for us.

It is said in Joel 3:17-21, " 'Then you will know that I, the Lord your God, dwell in Zion, my holy hill. Jerusalem will be holy; never again will foreigners invade her. In that day the mountains will drip a new wine, and the hills will flow with milk; all the ravines of Judah will run with water. A fountain will flow out of the Lord's house and will water the valley of acacias. But Egypt will be desolate, Edom a desert waste, because of violence done to the people of Judah, in whose land they shed innocent blood.  Judah will be inhabited forever and Jerusalem through all generations. Their bloodguilt, which I have not pardoned, I will pardon.' The Lord dwells in Zion!"

What a great day that will be, when there is milk and an abundance of water. Though we will never be thirsty,  it is nice to know that all of our needs will be met. God is so generous to us and yet it is still hard for us to give back even a little to Him. I know there are times when I have distanced myself from him and for some reason I still do it even though I do not really want to. I let myself become vulnerable and cannot stand on my own. In order for me to be the best that I can in Christ, I have to walk with God for 24 hours a day otherwise there is a good chance that I will fall on my face. I think that this is something that just hit me today. I know that I have to live for Him everyday, but I cannot truly live for Him unless I keep him right by my side.  I still give Him empty prayers from time to time and what I mean by that is that I pray for Him to guide me but I am just doing it out of routine and not because I mean it. Every time I go to the Lord, I need to seek Him and give Him everything I am. When I pray for my friends and family, I cannot do it just because I need to. I need to do it because I want to. It is like the daily devotion. It should be something that I want to do and I truly feel that it is something I want to do instead of it just being a burden. God is not and should not be a burden in anyone's life. For it is said, "Cast all your cares on me, for I care for you" and it is said "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest." We should not think of God as a burden because we cannot get rest from someone who is a burden to us, if we carry the burden, then it is just weight on us.  Be watchful for the day and the hour are unknown and he will return soon to fulfill these promises. Do not get caught in sin when he returns, rather always be praising Him so that when he returns He will be pleased.

I think this verse can be applied to believers and non-believers as well. When He returns, I will be overflowing with praise for Him and I will no longer be in a struggle to enter his Kingdom. I will be protected forever and will praise him forever. Just as Jerusalem will no longer have foreigners invade her, we will no longer have Satan trying to tear us down. On the other hand, Those who do not believe will be desolate forever and will have to answer for all their wrong doing just as Egypt will have to pay for the blood it has shed. We will rain supreme with Him and rule over Judah and Jerusalem forever. Pure forever sounds good, being able to marvel in the glory and greatness of God. I cannot even express how excited I am for this day. Every time I think about what God is going to do or what he has done for me,  or what he is doing in me for that matter, I seem to always get a chill down my spine. I do not know how to explain it, but I am sure it is the Holy Spirit moving within me. I still have not gotten to the point where I can contain the Holy Spirit and have the Spirit pour out in me, but I know that I am learning how to harness that energy and let it dwell in me forever. Blessings have been promised to those who remain faithful and blessings will be given to those who do! I hope that everyone reading this will one day share in this with me. 

Continue to pray for me as I have one more class in which I have to take a midterm in on Tuesday and then I am headed back to Arizona. God is great and is going to move all across this nation VERY soon. Can you feel it? I hope so, because it gives me chills just thinking about it!

Post prayer requests or text them to me at (480)292-1754. I will not post anything about your prayer requests if you have them, and they will be confidential as only I will know that they are, unless you would like other people to pray for me (indicate that in your text). Believe me, I know how hard it is to post stuff for the world to see, and that is why you have my number.  Hope you all have a great and safe Friday night.

Joseph Robinson

Day 35

The Spirit of the Lord is moving across the campus here and I know He is going to begin to move in people's lives.  I know that things are becoming easier as I walk with God more, but my tests are going to get harder because my faith will be shown to those around me. Whether people distance themselves from me, or people make fun of me, I will have to learn to cope with being a son of God. Right now, I could not think of anything else I would rather be because He has shown me so much in the last 5 weeks. Last night in worship I had no idea how to explain what was going on, I was so lost in the God that I was making involuntary movements and just throwing it all out there for his glory. I find that in worship, it is not just singing the words to the song and meaning it, it is making those words your prayer and putting God on a higher level than yourself. Elevating his status and making sure that he is getting everything from you that you can give. I try to worship that way every week, because I never know when I will not have another chance to worship on earth. Now that we know we have been called to worship him and to save others, it is not just enough to know that. Did you know that you and I can be held accountable for those in which we do not try to save?

Ezekiel 3:16-23 states, "At the end of seven days the word of the Lord came to me. 'Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. When I say to a wicked man, "you will surely die," and you do not warn him or speak out to dissuade him from his evil ways in order to save his life, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. But if you do warn the wicked man and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his evil ways, he will die for his sin; but you will have saved yourself. Again, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness and does evil, and I put a stumbling block before him, he will die. Since you did not warn him, he will dies for his sin. The righteous things he did will not be remembered, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. But if you do warn the righteous man not to sin and he does not sin, he will surely live because he took the warning, and you will have saved yourself.' The hand of the Lord was upon me there, and he said to me, 'Get up and go out to the plain, and there I will speak to you.' So I got up and went out to the plain. And the glory of the Lord was standing there, like the glory I had seen by the Kebar River, and I fell facedown. "

So let me get this straight, if I do not look out for those around me, I will not be saved in the end? Not entirely, but I do not think I can live life knowing that someone I could have helped ended up throwing their life away. I am positive however that someone I could have affected has slipped out of my grasp before and I will never get a chance to minister to that person again and already I feel like I have failed them as a friend. I am guilty of this too, but I would think that most of us like to think of ourselves as helpful generous people. If that is the case though, why would we let the world die around us when we could help and inform people of the generous gift that God has given us? See changing lives is not just about what we are supposed to do, it is what we are meant to do. If I do not do my job, I have failed those around me, and I have failed my God. Remember how I said that we need to build others up and help others keep the faith? That is exactly what verses 20 and 21 refer to. Though the blood of these people is not physically on my hands, their eternal death is on my hands. How then can I call my hands clean and pure? It is practically impossible. God will wash them clean, but that just goes to show how much He has to do for us in order to remain pure in our sight. Now, do not get me wrong, this does not mean that it is okay for this blood to be on our account. When we get to heaven and when I get to heaven, I will God is not going to just remind me of the time I did this, or the time I did that, but He is going to remind me of this person that I moved on without and the other person that I let fall into a whole and never even thought to stop and pull out. I am accountable as is everyone for our actions here on earth, but redemption is waiting for us and all that needs to be done is for people to embrace it. God is patient, but He wants us to answer the call immediately because it is what His plan is for us. I cannot wait for tomorrow to do stuff because tomorrow might be too late. Opportunities come and go, which ones will I grab ahold of and which ones will I let slip away? Do not forget that we too were sinners until God came and pulled us from the fire and blessed us with the lives we have, can we truly be Jesus to the world? Not literally, but figuratively we can. All it takes is one leap of faith to be bold and take a chance, that is all He asks of us.

Continue to ask yourself what you can do to get more out of this, or if you are getting all that you can out of it, good for you, I am glad. If you have any questions or suggestions for things that might be helpful to me, please speak up. I am interested in learning all that God has for me and if you have a topic or a scripture that you think might help me grow, by all means recommend it, I will more than likely research it and possibly write about it if i feel that God is calling me in that direction. Hope you all have a great night, and God Bless.

Joseph Robinson

Day 34

Well, I am just about a weekend away from being home. I have a few big tests in the next 4 days of school and I have an assignment, but I am ready to take on what comes at me. Things are getting pretty crazy here and I do not know if it just because I have changed or whether the people around me have changed. I do not really know how to explain it, but it just does not seem the same as it was when I first showed up. I guess as I start to find out who people really are, my perception of them changes and that is really all that is happening. God has revealed so much to me about my lifestyle and the way I have been living and I have been trying to make a conscious effort to make a change.  It is definitely not easy, but I feel that I am coming along pretty well. 

A little disclaimer, I am not trying to strike an argument but if you feel that way, I am sorry. These are my views and my views alone, they do not reflect the views of the Assemblies of God or any of their affiliates. Hope you enjoy.

Let me start of by saying that as a Christian and as a citizen, I am tired of being "politically correct." I have been raised and taught that I am free to say what I want based on freedom of speech, however, there are limitations to how far that free speech can go, and that is understandable. But if voicing my opinion because it has religious values or does not represent the normal view of society leads to persecution or me being looked at as a jerk or someone who is in the wrong, then I am sorry,  I do not want any part in "free speech," people are allowed to walk around and curse and it is okay to curse on TV, but if someone brings up that being Gay is not in the bible, then everyone pulls the "separation of church and state" laws. I say that we need to be weird because we should not conform to the thinking of the world or keep our mouths shut because we will not be "accepted" or people will think differently of us. 

As I have previously stated, the issue in the above paragraph needs to be addressed or our country is headed for some really tough times (think of 9/11 and what opposition forces have the capability of doing). Joel 2 1-6 states, "Blow the trumpet of Zion; sound the alarm on my holy hill. Let all who live in the land tremble for the day of the Lord is coming. It is close at hand-- a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness. Like a dawn spreading across the mountains a large and might army comes, such as never was of old nor ever will be in the ages to come. Before them fire devours, behind them a flame blazes. Before them the lad is like the garden of Eden, behind them, a desert waste--- nothing escapes them. They have the appearance of horses; they gallop along like calvary with a noise like that of chariots, they leap over mountaintops, like a crackling fire consuming stubble, like a mighty army drawn up for battle. The end of verse 11 states, "The day of the Lord is great; it is dreadful. Who can endure it?" This is as much of a warning as any one that I have ever seen. Once again, it is time to stop being silent and speak up for the church. Do not let politicians and people who are no- believers dictate what is and is not okay for the church to speak about. This country was founded on Christian principles and we need to stand by those. People are dying out there for this nation, we tend to think that people who speak out against the war and are pro-choice are only able to have that freedom because of soldiers who died for them. What about us as Christians? Do we not have that same right to speak out against abortion and to support what our troops are doing? I see that as Christians we tend to put our tail between our legs and walk away when we are told "No" but we should be pushing issues and showing that we stand up for God and what He believes because He is the One who GAVE us this great nation. We must not lose it for Him.

This applies to me too, it I cannot commission people to do the work of God, but I can drag people onto the front lines with me. It is time not only to make a change in the people in this nation, but it is time to stand up for our faith and not be pushed around anymore. This is not possible in many countries because of religious dominance or ordinances put into place to stop the spreading of Christianity. How long before the Christian church is FORCED underground in America? Would we speak up then? When it is too late? I have just as many rights as the guy who just was elected. I am a CITIZEN too, my voice is allowed to be heard to. My values do matter and so do God's! I am not asking for them to change necessarily, I just want them to accept me for who I am and not for who they want me to be. I believe that the scripture applies to me in the fact that it is a warning that times are changing and it is time to move on with the times and make a stand. There is a quote from one of my favorite movies called "The Kingdom" the background information is not pertinent, but the Director of the FBI in the movies states, "You know, Westmoreland made all of us officers write our own obituaries during Tet, when we thought the Cong were gonna end it all right there.  And once we clued into the fact that life is finite, the thought of losing it didn’t scare us anymore.  The end comes no matter what.  The only thing that matters is how do you wanna go out: on your feet or on your knees?" I know it seems like a stretch, but is this not how we should live as Christians? Why be afraid of people? The only one we should fear is God because in the end He is the One who judges us. Are we going to leave this life wishing we would have spoken up more and not sat around? Or are we going to be able to say we did all we could for the Kingdom of God. 

I want to leave you with a video, please take the time to watch it, it is only 3 minutes long and it kinda goes hand in hand with the scripture. 

Once again, I am not here to strike an argument, these are just my thoughts and they are not the views of the Assemblies of God or any of their affiliates, they are solely my views and what I believe God has put on my heart.

Joseph Robinson

Day 33

Well, I slipped and fell again today and Satan is trying to keep me down but God picked me up and helped me dust myself off. I have come to find that unless I really change the way I speak, I cannot fully keep myself from falling back from time to time. I still have not fully given myself 100%. I am not talking about cursing when I talk about speech, but I mean in how I talk to others tone wise and the types of topics that I talk about. I need to overcome and only follow God's plan and his Word. The only way to fully protect your heart is to make sacrifices when it comes to certain conversations or movies that we watch. It is my decision on which path I want to follow and I can only follow God effectively one way and that is to keep striving to go all out. I can honestly say that I am pretty good at giving lip service to God because I find that it is harder for me to take action. It is not a good thing and I know that I will get past this stage but I need to keep going to the Word and using the Word to help me get through the day.

Ecclesiastes 5:1-7 is titled "Stand in Awe of God" and it states, "Guard your footsteps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know what they do wrong. Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few. As a dream comes when there are many cares, so the speech of a fool when there are many words. When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it. Do not let your mouth lead you into sin. And do not protest to the temple messenger, 'My vow was a mistake.' Why should God be angry at what you say and destroy the work of your hands? Much dreaming and many words are meaningless. Therefore stand in awe of God." Stop, wait a minute... why are we supposed to guard our steps as we approach the house of God? Are we not supposed to approach the throne of grace with confidence? Ah, twisted meaning, so lets straighten this one out. Yes we should approach the throne of grace with confidence but at the same time think before you speak. The only way you can make yourself look like an idiot before God is if you do not speak carefully and with assurance as to fulfill what you say or to really want what you are asking for. God wants us to speak with thought instead of just acting on ourselves because if we only go in desperation then we might just be making things worse by making promises we cannot fulfill or by asking for something that is not ready to be given. It is okay to be fervent but it must be with the right heart. The same can be applied to the concept of marriage today, why are the divorce rates so high? well I am not an expert, but here is my opinion based on this verse and some of the things I have seen in my lifetime. "Do not let your mouth lead you into a sin. And do not protest... my vow was a mistake" Why would someone vow to live life with another in good times and bad, in sickness and in health, whether rich or poor, until death do they part if they had any doubt in their mind that they would be able to follow through? Why would I vow to God to never do that again if I knew that I could let my mind get the best of me? My answer would be that it is human nature and because when it happens, we are not relying on God during those times. I will be honest and say that I forget to put my armor on some days and those are the days I usually get burned. It is also said, "It is better not to vow that to make a vow and not fulfill it" gee if you ask me, God is making us sound like we are politicians when it comes to Christianity and being faithful to him. I have found that in order to fit into this world, you have to be like most everybody else, and I think that being weird or different is better when it comes to most things. 

If I wanted to be part of the normal group of kids, I would go out most every weekend and do some sort of drinking, hook up with a girl in some way (whether a girlfriend or not), and would consume tobacco in one way, shape, or form. In order to live for Christ, I have to appear to be the weird one who chooses to not say anything rather than to say something that I regret. I am having a hard time with this, but it is getting easier. To be the weird one means that I have to go against many decisions and choose to live a lifestyle that is pleasing to my SAVIOR, my CRATOR, and my GOD! I have to focus on giving up temporary worldly things that bring temporary happiness and fix my eyes on Christ. In order to live for Christ I have to be the one who will get beat up or laughed at because of my beliefs. I could only hope to leave this life the way that Cassie Bernall did on April 20th, 1999 when 2 boys walked up to her, pointed a fun in her face, and asked her if she believed in God and without hesitation she said "Yes" they immediately shot and killed her. This was a girl who was willing to let her yes be yes and her no be no, and she made a vow to God that she would do whatever it takes to make a difference for His Kingdom. The last verse of this passage really speaks to me and it says, "Much dreaming and many words are meaningless. Therefore stand in awe of God." Awe is defined as  "A feeling of reverential respect mixed with fear or wonder" From here on out, it is time to start being in awe of what God does, I should not be surprised by what God can do, I should be happy that he does what he says he will do even when I cannot always do what I say I will do. Now the point of this though is that as long as I keep my armor on and keep God by my side, I should be able to fulfill all the promises that I make in him because they come from him and are a part of his plan for my life.

My goal is to have strengthen myself in God so that I do not fall down again in the same way that I did today. I will keep you posted on how I am doing with that and am going to be completely open and honest when it comes to this.  I hope that you all are doing well and I hope to hear from you soon. Have a good night.

Joseph Robinson

Day 32

So I sort of found a flaw in what I wrote yesterday. However I do not really see it as a flaw but more of as a misunderstanding. When the scripture says "the Word was God", it is somewhat hard to understand but in the last verse that I want to address from this section, I find the full understanding of this. Verse 14 states, "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have see his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." It was my understanding that the Word was referring to the Bible, but in this context, it refers to Jesus as being the word and then becoming flesh. This makes sense when you go back and read that, "the Word was God" because the trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) shows that they are all one in the same so not only was Jesus in the beginning, but he was with God, and he was God. Go back and read the passage substituting "The Word" for "Jesus" and see how it all makes sense. You learn something new everyday and when you seek God, he reveals himself to you, all you have to do is seek him.

Do you remember when I used that "Nooma" video as a reference to Jacob in the Old Testament? Well I have been thinking about a song all day and as I was searching for what God had for me, I stumbled upon this section titled "Jacob Wrestles With God." The section is rather short and it states, "That night, Jacob got up an took his two wives, his two maidservants and his eleven sons and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions. So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob's hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. Then the man said, 'let me go, for it is daybreak.' But Jacob replied 'I will not let you go unless you bless me.' The man asked him 'What is your name?' 'Jacob,' he answered.  Then the man said 'Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome.' Jacob said, 'Please tell me your name.' But he replied, 'why do you ask my name?' Then he blessed him there. So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, 'It is because I was God face to face, and yet my life was spared.' The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip. Therefore to this day the Israelites do not eat the tendon attached to the socket of the hp, because the socket of Jacob's hip was touched near the tendon." If you remember what I wrote previously about this verse when I talked about the video, this was basically Jacob's "test" to see if he was ready to become who God had called him to be. See it is okay to wrestle with God as long as it is in the right context. Obviously you do not want to wrestle with God because you are simply upset or you are falling away and want to justify your falling away by putting it on God. But rather wrestle with Him in prayer and when things are tough so that you can understand what is going on. The more that we call out to God, the more he hears us and knows that we are seeking him. If we ignore him, it is hard for him to remember our voice because we have been a stranger to Him. Do not be concerned with frivolous things when it comes to God, but try to understand the big picture. 

I have been applying this very concept to my own life everyday since I started this blog. I know God has a bigger plan for my life and though I do not understand everything that has happened to me up to this point, I need to continue to trust Him and learn from Him. The main thing I need to do is prepare myself for when my test comes and the question is, will I pass or will I fail? The other thing I see here, is do not give up on God because even when the fight got tough for Jacob (he was wrestling with a dislocated hip), he still fought the fight and finished the "race" just a Paul said he did in 2nd Timothy 4:7. Keep the faith and do not ever lose hope. I have such a hard time understanding this simple concept sometimes and it should be one of the first things that comes to my mind when temptation presents itself. I know that God wants to bless me and those around me, but it is up to me to give him the opportunity to just as Jacob did. Unlike we do most of the time, God will come through with his promises to us, they might now come on our timing, but that is why it is necessary to wrestle with the Lord and continue to seek his face. 

The song that I have been thinking of is again by the band Skillet and it is titled "Yours to Hold" and it goes,  

"I see you standing here,

But you're so far away 

Starving for your attention 

You don't even know my name 

You're going through so much 

But I know that I could be the one to hold you 

Chorus: 

Every single day 

I find it hard to say 

I could be yours alone 

You will see someday 

That all along the way 

I was yours to hold 

I was yours to hold 

I see you walking by 

Your hair always hiding your face 

I wonder why you've been hurting 

I wish I had some way to say 

You're going through so much 

Don't you know that I will be the one to hold you 

Bridge: 

I'm stretching but you're just out of reach 

You should know 

I'm ready when you're ready for me 

And I'm waiting for the right time 

For the day I catch your eye 

To let you know 

That I'm yours to hold 

Outro: 

I'm stretching but you're just out of reach 

I'm ready when you're ready for me"

To me it seems as if this song was written from God's point of view. He sees us but we seem so far away because we choose to ignore him sometimes. He starves for our attention but some do not even know his name. If we just would give him the chance, he would hold us and help us through our problems. He sees the pain of the world and wishes there was some way to reach out to people but Christians tend to ignore the needs of others and they go on living hurt and broken. He stretches but sometimes we are just out of reach and he is always ready for us when we decide to turn around and he waits for that day when he catches us so that he can tell us that everything is going to be okay and he is here to comfort us. 

Think about the song and where you fit into it. Also, how about when your test in God comes around, will you pass or fail? Think about it...

Hope you all have a great day and don't hesitate to leave a comment ;)

Joseph Robinson

Day 31

So I decided to continue on the topic of mistering to people and thought of a good section that applies to being a minister as well as what God went through for us. I sat in church today and listened to a missionary talk about a girl who was possessed in Africa and she split her forehead open on the ground because the demons were causing her to beat herself up. The pastor and the missionary prayed for 3 hours and held the girl down but to no avail. Then, the pastor went and grabbed some oil and poured it on the girl as they prayed and immediately the demons left and the girl was saved. Her Hindu brother walked in and saw what was happening and he immediately asked to be saved by Christ and he was later baptized in water. Is it not amazing what the power of the word can do?

John 1:1-13 says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made, without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to every man coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God -- children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision, or a husband's will, but born of God" What a powerful message to open up the book of John. The section does continue but I want to focus on the first 13 verses and I might address the rest of the verses possibly tomorrow. It is hard to fathom, but it says that the Word was in the beginning with God, and He was with God, and the Word was God, so in a sense, the Word has been around forever. We see that the light shines in the darkness, but the darkness does not understand and this is just a reference to how some people can deny God but they see those who are Christians and simply do not "get it." Jesus was in the very world that He watched be created but He was still crucified by those who did not understand how he could be the Son of the Creator. But! He made a way for those who believe because they received him. Now in this verse we see how even though we have earthly parents, that is just a label and we are supposed to respect that authority, however, in the big picture we are simply ONLY "children born of God." We are his sons and daughters for eternity and it is time to accept that role as Christians.

How does this apply to ministry and my life, you ask? It is rather simple, I see it as it is my job to take the role of John. I am supposed to testify concerning the light so that all people may believe. The only way people can see and understand the light is if Christians step out and begin to show how the light moves and how it can be visible to some and hard for others to see because they live in so much darkness. It is time to embrace the world with the love of God and show them the light. Do not let people stand in your way, imagine if Jesus or the disciples let people get in their way every time they tried to accomplish something. They would have never been able to get stuff done. If we have the Word, we are able to do anything in the name of Lord for His glory. Think of the reference to light in this way, imagine an earth that was covered in darkness (the absence of light) and place one tiny little light bulb in any spot of the world, how many people are able to see the light? 1? 10? 20? 500? Now think of the same scenario but with a whole bunch of little lights placed strategically around the world in order to light up the whole earth so that people can see. As Christians we might not be just one light, but I can guarantee that we are not doing enough to light the whole world, myself included. But I am ready to become part of that group of lights and start spreading THE WORD. Are you ready? Can you feel it? Where do you stand among the lights? Are you going to hide where only you feel the warmth of it or are you going to answer the call? The choice is yours.

I am going to welcome you to leave comments, do not be shy. Talk amongst yourselves, you never know which of your friends might be reading this. Give me your thoughts. If you have a prayer request leave it and i will pray for you and will even pray with you if you would like. Do not hold back, jump into what God has for you and challenge yourself. It is all or nothing...

Hope you all enjoyed your Sunday and are looking forward to Thanksgiving.

Joseph Robinson.