Watch

I am just about all settled into my apartment for the year and I think I am ready for the school year to get underway. I struggled most of the summer to live consistently for Christ because as I have stated before, it is tough to be alone if you are not firmly planted in Christ. This summer was definitely a growing experience spiritually for me and I could not be more happy with the way it is ending up. God has placed me right where I need to be for the next nine months and I know that his plans are going to significantly affect who I am and what I do. I wish I could be months and months removed from certain things I have done in the past but it is going to take time to achieve that and if I can stay away from those sinful things then I know it will be rewarding in the end. I want to stay focused on the prize because perseverance makes everything sweeter in the end. I used to say that no one said its supposed to be easy but they promised it would be worth it. I think I would like to change it and say that life is not going to be easy but if you persevere, your reward will be great. We have so much waiting for us on the other side of the cross and we can only take hold of it if we continue to seek it out and embrace what God puts in front of us. The promises of God are only accessible for those who hold up their end of the bargain and grab hold of the promises. We complain that it was not what we expected when we receive certain things but a lot of the time it is because we ruined it along the way and fail to see how we altered the greatness of the promise or the gift. I could say that I have messed up my life pretty well but then I would know that I am letting the evil one win. Satan wants me to feel defeated and think that God's promises are no longer beneficial to me because of the mistakes that I have made. I am here to say that I am better than that and though I have altered some of the promises that God had for me, he still has great things in store and he wants me to continue to head toward them and make the best of it all.

When we have great victory in an area, we tend to hold it in because we do not want people to know our past and where we came from. Victory means that you have overcome the past and that you need to use it to convey the message of the power of Christ. I understand that people need time to get over things and that some topics are hard to discuss but I also know that God uses our former pain to help people who struggle with the same things. By no means am I saying that you have to tell the world what you have been through but when an opportunity arises, do not shy away from letting someone know exactly what you have struggled with. We would like to think that people judge us a lot but in reality they tend to be more accepting of our past than most people would perceive. Psalm 66: 16-20 states, "Come and listen all you who fear God; let me tell you what he has done for me. I cried out to him with my mouth; his praise was on my tongue. If I had cherished my sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; but God has surely listened and heard my voice in prayer. Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld is love from me!" The compassion that our maker has on us is so great. We get the picture of God always being spiteful or angry at the things we have done but as long as we have repented and we are seeking him, he lets go of the past transgressions. I have been down in the gutter and been beat up and I am not afraid to tell people when I feel they need to know where I have been and what I have done. I want people to understand that I am a sinner because if you think I am perfect then you are going to think that I do not know what it is like to be you and if you think I am a hypocrite for being a sinner and telling you how to live, then you are misguided in that you think I need to be perfect when in reality nobody is perfect. I wish I could make amends for all the hurt I have experienced and for all the hurt that I have pushed on others but I am going to make a difference and I am not going to let anyone stop me.

I hope you all had a good day. I am continuing to pray for all of you and I hope that you do the same for me. If you have a request please let me know and if you have any comments then I would love to hear them. Continue to chase after him and let him transform your mind.

God Bless,

Joseph Robinson