I got this...

Have you ever had a moment in which you did not know what to do? Someone is counting on you to come through for them and you have no idea where to start? I believe we are placed in situations like these so that we can look to the Spirit for guidance and understand how to lead someone in a time of need. Our lives are defined by what we make of the moments that we are given, its not the moments that are great but it is the people who make the moments great. Old friends, new friends, future friends, enemies, family, it does not matter what you are presented with, these people might need your help at some point in your life and there is a high probability that you will have been placed there for a purpose. We back ourselves into our own corners and have to dig ourselves out and it is hard to help people when you are buried up to your head. Never let an opportunity pass you by because you never know when it might change you. I have struggled and struggled to do the right thing countless times and I fail quite a bit. I do not consider myself a hypocrite because I am honest when it comes to telling people the way I am living. If you say that you are not doing anything wrong and then just trying to go about your business as usual, then you are crossing the line of being one of those, "do as I say, not as I do, synagogue rulers." I have been trying to connect with new people lately and reconnect with old friends and I was a little skeptical about it at first but then I figured that I might be able to help someone who is struggling or maybe they just need someone to talk to. It is sad to be lonely when everyone thinks you have it made. In my opinion, it is worse to not have anyone when people think you have everyone because they feel as though you do not need any help or that you do not need someone to talk to but really you are screaming inside for somebody to listen. Sometimes I wish someone would take the time to listen or ask me how I am really doing but I have come to the realization that most people do not care or they are not considerate enough to take time for me and that is fine because I would rather someone not try, then try because they feel like they should be nice.

Noah felt a little like an outcast when he built the ark and when he needed people the most, they just turned away from him and called him crazy. I definitely know what that feeling is like and it makes you feel useless, like you cannot make a difference. The truth is that people will see that God is doing stuff in you and in due time they will realize the mistake they have made. They will come running to you asking for help but unfortunately there will only be so much you can do at once. Some will stick around and others will leave because they do not have the time to wait or they simply feel like there are more important things than waiting to hear what is going on. Those who hear the gospel message and disregard it are ignorant because they do not understand they are passing up. Of course that is easy for a Christian to say but if someone told you that they could save you for eternity and all you had to do was have a relationship with someone you cannot even see, why would you pass up the opportunity of having an "imaginary freind?" Most of us had imaginary friends who we could talk to whenever we wanted and God is a lot like that except for he is real, he listens, and he responds! It only takes the effort of reading AND obeying his guidelines for life and talking to him everyday. Seems pretty harmless to me if you have 20 open minutes a day to devote to saving yourself and hopefully saving others along the way. Like I said last week, it is not enough to just be in it for yourself, you are in it because he is the Christ (Reggie Dabbs sermon), or you are in it because it is all about you and you are being selfish. Give time to God, work on bringing people into his kingdom, and you will have a foundation of what it is to be a Christian. Amos 5:14-15 states, "Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is. Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts. Perhaps the Lord God Almighty will have mercy on the remnant of Joseph." Overall, do what you need to do, reach out and take ahold of whatever is clean and close by. When they storms come, we need to know where each other are and who can help when things are falling apart (literally).

I hope that all of you have had a good day, God is doing amazing things and he is going to continue to work in the lives everyone and I pray that you continue to seek him and obey whim no matter what is going on, he will always pull you through. Please continue to pray for me. I will pray for all of you as well, even if you did not ask for it... you deserve it because of you are in going through something and I will continue to trust God's provision for you.

God Bless,

Joseph Robinson

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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