Trouble

All I can say today is wow! God is amazing. If you sat through the chapel service I did this morning, you would know exactly what I am talking about. I cannot explain it to you, when the sermon is posted online, I will let you know where to find it. God does the inexplainable and uses people to tell their story to completely baffle those who still do not quite understand his power. In the midst of the storm, he brings the sunshine and he will never fail to show you what you need.

I know this is a short post but I just in awe of what I have experienced today. Look up the lyrics to "So in Awe" by Jeff Deyo, they are such a great message. Romans 5:1-4 is a real encouragement too. Keep seeking him and his word for you life.

God Bless,

Joseph Robinson

Hoping for the best

Have you ever been to the point when you just did not know what to expect anymore? You could run hundreds of scenarios through your mind but there is only a few of them that make any sense. I feel like that right now. You can speculate all you want but you have to pray for continued peace and continue to be optimistic about what God can do in and through your situation. You can never give up on God and you can never give up on people involved in what you are working through. Only the peace of God and his love will bring you thorough to the other side. Sometimes it is just having a friend you can open up to or it is finding a place in which you can allow God to speak to you, whatever it is, find it. You will see the benefits of seeking God and actually LISTENING to what he has for you rather than just talking the whole time. You can only do so much but if you give something your all and you do not give up until every ounce of you is gone, you can only look back and say that you poured your heart into it completely. Losing something or someone you love, in any way, is tough whether it be through death, losing contact, divorce, break up... God wants you to know that these things though they may seem permanent, are only temporary. If you have the peace of God you will know what I am talking about and experience God in his fullness.

I learned tonight about submission and the discipline of silence and solitude. I have been struggling in many areas and I have not been as good of a boyfriend to Chelsi as I could have been. I will not go into detail out of respect for her but in general, I need to step it up. God is at work and he will justify me as long as I am doing what he is speaking through me and is doing in me. Like I said the other night, if you think you cannot afford to follow Christ, think if you can afford not to follow Christ. When I met Chelsi, my heart was not in the right place but just as in the movie Fireproof, it has taken somewhat of a falling out in order for me to realize just what it is that needs to change. Once again, in respect to her, I will not go into details. I have been praying and just asking God to reveal whatever it is that he needs to reveal in order for me to have peace over our relationship and our trials. God will give us something to stand up on and he will be there to lead us through this. I will say that I am so proud of Chelsi for who she is and what she has accomplished because she is truly an amazing woman and her parents are blessed to have a daughter like her.

I hope you are all doing well and if you have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to contact me.

God Bless,

Joseph Robinson

Struggle

Today was another rough day. Each passing day brings new insight and I think that I am growing in ways that I would never have imagined. The stress is building but I am at peace and am continuing to pray that God will lead and guide me in everything that I do. I am trying to stay within my means and be peaceful but it can be hard sometimes. I never thought I would go through this rough of a time in such a short period of time but I have to just continue to seek God and his plan for my life and make decisions as I normally would. I can and never will be able to do it on my own, especially when it comes to other people in my life. Only God can transform the minds of others or myself when it comes to being at peace and I pray that he will reveal all that he needs to reveal in regards to certain situations over the next few days. I must say that I have faith in him even if I am unsure that it will all work out and I know that ultimately I will get through this because he is bigger than any problem I can face and I know that things will work out for the best. I am trying to grow out of my infant stage in Christ and feel like I am slowly growing up more and more each day but it is tedious work and sometimes the damage caused early on in a child's life, leads to bigger problems down the road.

Two verses that I really needed to hear tonight came from my girlfriend Chelsi, Philippians 4:6-7 states, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." As I begin to pray fervently over the next few days, this verse will be in the back of my mind as I seek God for his peace and guidance and that my heart and mind will be refreshed through his word and through listening to him. There is so much I could write about but my heart is heavy and I know that God will ease my burden as I search for him in prayer. He is my rock and salvation and he will lead me through anything that I face for all my days. I can never leave him because without him, I am nothing and I will follow him forever.

God Bless,

Joseph Robinson

How?

Well, I know "yesterday's" post which was last Friday was little overdue but since I did not have internet all weekend, it was the best I could do. I was sitting on my bed tonight just looking out at the skyline and I was thinking about students who come to NCU and do not abide by the rules whether they are on campus or off campus. We go to a private university, no one forces us to come here and yet some do not follow the rules they "said" they would abide by. If one does not like what they have to follow, there are plenty of public universities that are less strict in policy and they will probably be more than happy to accept you. I cannot say that I am perfect when it comes to this but I tend to at least try to stay out of trouble and keep the rules to the best of my ability but what bugs me is when people do stuff and they just do not care about what they are doing. It is all a matter of opinion I guess but I think that people should just make a decision to be doing what you need to do and to follow what you have determined you are going after. If it feels like you are in a corner when you make decisions, you are the one who put yourself in it and you need to pull yourself out in any way that you can.

I feel that Paul describes this pretty well in Philippians 3:17-21. Paul was a very smart man and in writing to the churches, he left us many things that are useful to us today. We sit in our boxes and imagine that everything is fine and that everything we do will not be a big deal but in reality, we make decisions that hurt us everyday. Some decisions are truly mistakes and sometimes you just have to ask forgiveness and hope that those you hurt will forgive you. We are fallible and people need to accept that but we need to do our best to overcome our own shortcomings. God will bless us if we seek him and his name will be greatly praised. I am really going through a struggle right now and your prayers are greatly appreciated. I cannot go into details because it is a very delicate matter but I know God is at work and am hoping for the best. I know I have very little control over the situation but I hope that it works out for the best and I hope that I continue to see the benefits of walking with Christ during this very troubled time.

God Bless,

Joseph Robinson