Don't Fall

Sometimes when we stumble it is easier to just fall down and say we do not want to get back up. We figure that if we throw the towel in, we can just start over the next day and everything will go back to normal, not true, we must carry ourselves in our struggle just the same way that we do when things are going okay. We cannot hang our heads over the fact that we decided to be careless or give in, it is about so much more than that, its about overcoming in the face of sin and showing that the power of God in your life is stronger than anything else that could potentially have precedent. just because something is enticing does not mean that it is the best choice for you. Every time you back yourself into a corner, you have to ask God to dig you out before you convince yourself that you are in a situation you can handle. I think that the reason I sin is a result of me thinking that there is nothing wrong with it, I just get caught up in what is going on rather than what is going to happen as a result. I wish there were no sin because it would make things easier but I can make things easier myself by just simply following the rules that have been laid out before me. I know that nothing is being withheld from me when it comes to living life to the fullest because God will provide me with everything I need in order to to have joy and be successful in the areas that he wants me to be. I will stand and not be defeated just because Satan wants to have a stronghold in my life. Jesus was born in line with prophecy so that he could die and save me in accordance with another prophecy. Those who do not know about the prophecy are not able to partake in the fullness of it because they do not understand why it had to take place the way that it did. I am not ready to let it go to waste, I will not roll the stone over the grave of the man who came to save me and then proceed to say that it was nice that he did that for me but I would rather have it my way.

I can sit here and tell myself that it is action, not words that distinguishes us from those around us, that we must align ourselves with the higher calling that is in Christ Jesus. I feel like I could just sit and pound that into my head all day. Jesus needs MORE and MORE of my attention everyday and I wish I would give it to him. I will get eaten alive among the spiritual realm if i do not protect myself with what God has provided for me. When the spiritual battle for your soul is left in the hands of how prepared you are and how much the spirit lives in you, a little bit will not take you very far because you will be weak. We need a double dose of the spirit in the morning and then a continual indwelling every second of every day in order to be prepared for the attacks of Satan. Too long have I sat and said I have done my share for the day and it is in God's hands. It is great to say that you are giving God control and it is nice to pray to God and tell him that you are doing that in the morning but throughout the day you cannot retake control and try to do what is best for you. Galatians 5:24 states, "Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires." As a follower of Christ, I cannot give in to what my sinful nature desires or I do not believe I have crucified my sinful nature in a manner that is distinct enough to set me apart from those who have not crucified their sinful nature. If the church is not different from the world, then the church has nothing to offer the world. I am sure I have said that in one form or another before but it needs to be driven home. There is so much collusion going on among the world and the Christian community that the fine line between the two has become distorted in some ways. Please do not accept mediocrity when it comes to being a Christian and challenge those around you to be strong and fight their flesh in the daily struggle that we face.

A couple of days off and some weird nights but I'm back on track and there are hopefully no more long hiatus' as there have been previously. I still need to keep strong in prayer and I need to keep reading a little more each day because becoming content is definitely going to hurt in the long run. Please keep me in your prayers even if I do not know you are praying for me. I have been praying for people and things in other's lives that they do not know about and I know that I am blessing them by doing so, they do not need to know what I am doing, because its not about image, its about interceding when people need it most and being there for those whom you stand next to in Christ.

God Bless,

Joseph Robinson

Pushing Through

Tonight I thought about just moving on and not posting because it is the easy thing to do but then I realized why I am doing this and a verse popped into my head. Once again I am not doing this for the "look at me" factor but I want to strive to do something constructive for Christ and not give up on it just because I was "too busy" or "it was too late." If I cannot make time for God at any point in my day then there needs to be a shift in priorities. If one cannot find time for him late in the evening because they typically get sidetracked and then feel like they should be sleeping, then they need to devote time earlier in the day or even their first moments of the day to him so that there can be no excuses. The things that we desire most in our life are the things that are easy to point out in our life because they are the things that are at the forefront of our priority list. I have found that I will make room for sin in my life if it is what I truly desire, I will put off the things that distract me from sin or I will set myself up to fail because I know that at the time it is what I am looking to do. Making time for God is tough because we cannot see him and it is not the same as hanging out with a physical friend. It is easier to ditch out on God or stand him up because you know he will always be there later (or so it seems). The things you do with your friends may seem like a one time thing or you might be in a situation where you have to do something but with God you might miss many once in a lifetime opportunities. The time that we spend meditating on God or just spending time in his presence is time that cannot be matched by anything else in the universe, we get to spend time with our creator and our Father who has given everything just for the chance that he could spend time with us. What a great opportunity we have been afforded.

I love it when I am doing something and a scripture pops into my head that I did not expect but it makes me smile and helps me through my day. I was sitting here at the house tonight thinking about avoiding another post because it would be easier to do and I can get another hour of video games in before I go to bed but then I remembered what we have been promised. Galatians 6:9-10 states, "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially those who belong to the family of believers." When I remembered, that I will reap a harvest if I do not give up, I just took joy in the fact that God will reward my faithfulness. I am not talking about receiving stuff from God but I know that I will be happier and that his strength will help me overcome the attacks of the enemy as long as I continue to strive for the change that I want to take place. Sometimes the harvest is something simple but it can mean the world to someone. I want my harvest to be that there is a renewing in my soul and that I can maybe change some lives in the process, it is not just about me or my good name, it is about what he is trying to accomplish through me. It is hard to understand everything that goes on but if you can even begin to see the will of God in your life, you will be much better off than someone who has no clue what is going on. Do not give too much merit to certain situations cause sometimes they are just setting you up for the future and it takes experiences for you to see what you should really be doing, that wisdom is a long time coming unfortunately.

I know this is kind of a late post and those who read probably will not see this until tomorrow but I hope everyone had a good day and if you need prayer just let me know. Continue to pray for me as I am on this long journey and I hope that you will walk it with me.

God Bless,

Joseph Robinson

Molded

You know that the things going through your head are the right ones when you feel good about what you are doing and you are not afraid of the repercussions of your actions. When everything seems to fall into place just as you had envisioned. Things take time to develop but you know when there is a shift in the paradigm of your life. Things you once saw as essential become distant and you no longer want to even attempt to make them a part of your life. There is so much in life that we think we can do alone and that is so far from the truth, it is strength from our creator that carries us everyday. We must set a standard to live in accordance with his word and with his truth in all aspects of our life. We have had some incidents at sporting events this year that I would say do not reflect the values of Christ very well and people say it is just the way of sport and that it is no big deal. In some ways I agree but at the same time you have to be smart about it. Would Jesus talk trash to his opponents and play hard? You bet he would. The difference is that he knows what is appropriate and what is not. Look through the Bible and Jesus trashes Satan time and time again because he knows that in the end he is the victor. When it comes to sport today you can give someone a hard time for not playing well and you can root against them to lose but when it comes to personal attacks, you have to watch the line. Nobody likes the enemy or the jerk who plays on the other team (even if you are just watching) but as Christian athletes and Christian fans it is our responsibility to reflect the values of Christ while not being soft, we have to be tough opponents and create a tough playing environment for opposing players and still maintain our integrity.

Now that I am off my soapbox, let us dive into what God wants to convey to us today. I believe that at any moment in time we can have our whole situation changed and we must adapt to what is going on around us. We cannot settle into a moment of our life because life is dynamic and it will catch us off guard if we are not prepared. We have been placed here to accomplish something great and sometimes we are not always in the best spot to do what we need to and therefore we see some change. This usually occurs at the most inopportune time for us and we see it as a nuisance but in reality it is exactly what we need but we are too busy with the rest of life that we feel we are being overloaded. Other times we feel that we are comfortable with where we are at and change just means more work and getting out of our box that we have become accustomed to. When Jeremiah went down to the potter's house in Chapter 18 of Jeremiah, the Lord was speaking to him exactly this message, God can do anything and adaptation is key to his work. Verses 3-10 state, "So I went down to the potter's house and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. Then the word of the Lord came to me: 'O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does?' declares the Lord. 'Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, and if that nation I wanted repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned. And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted, and if it does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it.' " I have worked with clay and other things that you mold and let me tell you that sometimes it does not always work out the way that you want it to, other times you decide to do something else, and there are even times when it just seems that it is just too stubborn to get it to do what you want. This is exactly how God feels when it comes to our lives. Sometimes things just do not turn out well because we mess them up, other times he decides he has something better for us, and yes, sometimes we are just too stubborn to allow him to work and so he changes things to make it so that we see it through his eyes and he can complete what he started. Typically the end result does not change when it comes to God and his plans, usually it involves changing how we get there and as his clay, we need to learn to accept it and let him work through us, sure the kneading can be painful but when he starts to be gentle and he uses his soft touch and fingers to mold us, it can be the most awful thing ever and it leads to some of the greatest moments of your life. I wish all of this were easier done than said but unfortunately we are human, we just need to work at being loyal and allowing God's work to move us.

I want to apologize to my baseball boys for not being as strong as I should have this past semester. Things are changing and I promise the spring will be a good time. It is going to be hard work and some days we will want to quit but we are going to push through and we will grow together but more importantly we will grow in Christ. As for the rest of you, I hope you are all doing well and I hope that this post was meaningful and challenges you. As always, comments are appreciated and welcomed. Hope to hear from some of you!

God Bless,

Joseph Robinson

Tangled

Tonight I do not even know where to start, I know that my heart has not been in much the last few months. This semester was not bad but I definitely wish I had cared a little more. The only thing I cared about was baseball and that was really only morning workouts for the most part but since then I have not done much. I am a team leader but I have done nothing to impact my team recently and that needs to change. I took a class this semester on leadership and teamwork and I know that there are areas in which my team can improve. We are not terrible and we are not falling apart but we can patch up some areas. In my own life, I have been crumbling. I have not read my bible outside of church or sat down and sincerely prayed in... I do not know how long. I have so many emotions and feelings going through me all the time but usually I have no idea how to convey them and I end up hurting myself or even worse, God. I wish I could come on here and say that I am doing well or say that I have been busy and that is why I do not post but in all honesty I think it is just that I am trying to hide and I am scared of being so broken. My sister tells me all the time that I am the best and every time I hear that, I cannot help but feel terrible because I do not do anything to deserve that comment from her. I feel like I am tangled in so many different situations and there is no way out, everyday, I meet someone or I make decisions with my friends and it seems like nothing is ever right or I just run into complications. I understand, it is life, things are not easy and decisions are a part of it but you would think that eventually I would just stop being an idiot and listen to what my heart is telling me instead of acting based on thinking. I guess that just goes along with maturity and someday I will achieve the level that I desire to be at and then I will continue to grow but I do not know how much longer I can last in the current situation. I can only will myself to be better and actually pray for strength to make it through.

I know I can rely on God and that he will never leave me but I have completely neglected God. I can convey the way he wants me and others to act and I can discuss his word with other people just like anyone else who knows the word, I just cannot push myself to act on ALL of it I guess for the simple lack of trust. I know how it feels to be in his presence and I know that the things of this world are temporary but I guess in someways I still feel like he is holding out on me. I know this is a lie from the pit of hell and I need to get over it and move on but it just seems so much easier to do it my way. I try to surrender myself to him but I have gotten so good at faking it now, I cannot even tell if I am being sincere. I know that there is one time in my life when I left something at the altar and it actually stayed there because I did not come back to pick it up. I need that again and I need to find a place within my heart that allows me to do that again. I am not willing to go down without a fight but I do not want to just fight, I am going to win, Satan cannot bind me forever, he can deceive me and scar me but Jesus said that by his stripes I am healed and one day these wounds will heal. Deuteronomy 30:19-20 states, "Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. NOw I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life. And if you love and obey the Lord, you will live long in the land the Lord swore to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." The most important part of this verse is in the middle when it states, "You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life." Getting to this point is such a tough task but when a Christian does it, they have finally gotten what it means to have turned it all over to Christ. You cannot hold anything back from Christ and profess your love for him. This is not an earthly marriage with earthly possessions and feelings involved, it is a spiritual marriage with your heart, soul, and love on the line, you cannot keep anything from him. I really hope this sets in for me because I need something right now, I have hope and I know I am not a lost cause but I know what it is like to feel like you are and I know many people who have that feeling and if you feel that way, I want you to know that you are not a lost cause and God has something for you, everything you are experiencing and have gone through is just to build you into who you need to be fore Christ.

I am home for a few weeks and I have TONS of time on my hands, I am GOING to post everyday, I am tired of saying I am going to TRY, trying means I do not want to, I am pushing myself to be stronger and to be open over the next few weeks and see where this thing goes. It is time to takeoff again so hold on to your seats because I know God is going to wreck some people over the next few weeks. I hope you are all doing well, as always, comments are appreciated!

God Bless,

Joseph Robinson