Speaking Up

Today was a great day, very productive and I was able to learn quite a bit in the training room. God is so awesome even when it seems like you do not know what to do. He will give you peace when you are restless and he will guide you to everything that you need. I have learned that when you try to take things into your own hands, you find that things do not always work out how you were planning. You can try profusely and do everything that you think is right to achieve something but if it is not meant to be then there is nothing that you can do about it. You can give everything to a person and they might end up not being very appreciative of you or they might not want the same things you want. Opportunities come and go and sometimes we need to embrace them even when people tell us it is not a big deal or they change their mind after saying something. When someone gives you the opportunity, it is not always best to ask questions, sometimes you need to take the floor and run with it because there will be plenty of time to ask questions later. If we it back and let life pass us by and we only strive to live the perfect life, then what have we lived for? We have been commissioned to preach the gospel and we need to do just that and stop making excuses for not doing it. The world is lost and dying and we are just sitting back letting it happen when we hold the key to THE Kingdom.

When Paul preached he was persecuted and people sometimes had a hard time believing him, and other times he was just completely opposed. While visiting Corinth in Acts 18, he was opposed by the people and he fled the synagogue telling them that their blood was on their hands because he had done his job. God had bigger and better plans for the people and for Paul. We see in verses 9-11, "One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: 'Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you because I have many people in this city' So Paul stayed for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God" When we face opposition, God does not want us to turn and cower but instead he wants us to confront the problem and trust him. He will take care of everything and empower us so that we can speak his word with confidence and do the work which he has called us to do. If you are afraid of what your friends will think, then you probably do not have the right friends because if you try to speak to them and they choose not to believe then you can still be friends but if they become irritated with you and push you away, then you know that they truly do not respect you and your lifestyle and probably should not be your friends. You might say well then how can a Christian not respect the lifestyle of another person, are we not told to love our neighbor as ourselves? The answer is that you can love someone and be tolerant of their lifestyle but you do not have to agree with the way they live. You can still be respectful and not agree with the way someone lives, you do not have to constantly nag them about the way they live and tell them it is the wrong way to live. Do not be afraid to speak up and let people know where you stand so that they know your decisions and how you are choosing to live your life, if they do not respect that, then they probably should not be your friend. God is with us no matter what and he will guide and protect us no matter what the circumstances are. Keep relying on him and we will come through for you.

I hope you all had an amazing day and that you are all seeking out God in your life. I am still praying for all of you and I hope that you are praying for me. If you need anything feel free to ask and if you need prayer then feel free to ask as well. Have a great night.

God Bless,

Joseph Robinson