It Will Come

The past couple weeks have been a blessing and they have been rough at the same time. Improvements in some areas have led to falling in other areas. A balance seems to be far out of sight but not without hope. It just is going to take more and more work to be well rounded and definitely a lot tougher than I expected. Baseball is going well though the team is not doing great but we are "getting there" unfortunately it's been that way for 3 weeks. I'm optimistic though and definitely am not giving up, I just others would not be content with where we are at. Chelsi is a long story but I'm relying on God to get US through, not just me. There are things that need work, they just need to be actually worked on, not just stated that they will be worked on. I know that it should not take this much work but if you do things right from the beginning, they do not take work later on. This is a problem I believe we have run into and it's good that we noticed it this early but on another level, it might be too late. Only time will tell and I believe God is watching over it but ultimately it's our decision. God is still at work in me and progress is being made but it's still such a slow process because of my decision making and I know I need to get over it. I break the cycle and then I fall back in definitely the definition of insanity on my part. I know that God's work will be brought to completion when I wake myself up and kick it into 4th gear. Time is running out everyday though so I hope that I do it soon! Israel has spent thousands of years fighting and working towards freedom and God promised them that one day he will rebuild them and I have that same confidence in my life. It Will Come!

Micah 7:8-13 talks about the fall of Israel an the rebuilding process and pretty much it is being stated that the enemy better watch out because a day will come when they will fall and Jerusalem will rise again. There is hope for any situation because God holds to his promises and we cannot ever forget that. Trust that God is in control when you give it to him and he will make sure that you are blessed because of it. You might not see it right away but be persistent and It Will Come! He will be coming back and people have said it for many many years but he will be back soon, know that the rapture is possible any day so always be prepared. It Will Come! Focus on the little things in life and the let the big things be taken care of by the outcome of the smaller things. Usually that is all it takes but we get caught up in the big tasks that we forget some of the minor details, it happens all the time in many aspects of life. Jesus called us to do for the "least of these" and I believe that applies in all things. The least of these means taking care of what seems to be futile or a waste of time. Remember that he is watching and will make us account for all that we do here. It is not to scare you but to remind you that all that you do here will be brought up in front of him so he can give you and me a fair judgement.

I hope you are all doing well, please let me know if you need prayer. God is moving and I know that he wants to do some great things in many people.

God Bless,

Joseph Robinson

Persevere

I was thinking today just what the rest of the semester holds and found that it means lots of baseball and assignments. I am ahead of my assignments but there are some things I have to wait to do. I know that it might get tough at some times but I am ready for whatever I have to face because I knew at the beginning of the semester what I was going to be getting into. I find that there are many times in our lives where we come against stuff we knew was going to be in our way but we get worried because we do not know exactly what we will do when the time comes for us to get something done or when we have to overcome an obstacle. This occurs many times when we are tempted in life or when we feel like we are going to have to face that one sin that used to have a tight rein on our life. We have to discover that we can overcome it though and plan out how we are going to handle it when we come against it again. The same mistakes over and over begin to take a toll on how you live life and they will punish you more than that one mistake you made but corrected the next time it came around. We must be prepared when we face unexpected situations as well and God will help us through those times if we are doing what he has asked us to do. Perseverance is a great trait and when you do the will of God, he supplies you with much more than you could ever expect or imagine and I can tell you that it is an awesome feeling.

Take Joseph for example, he was confronted by Potiphar's wife and when he followed what he believed to be true in his heart, he was punished due to the fact that she sold him out because he would not sleep with her. Joseph remained faithful to God and the call that he had place on his life and God rewarded him for it by making him head over all of Egypt. He was prepared for what Satan was going to throw at him and after all he had gone through, he could have forsaken God but he persevered and remained faithful. Additionally, God took care of Joseph's family and the position he had allowed him to remain prosperous for many years. If we stay focused on the prize rather than the distractions around us, we will reap benefits 100 times over. I know that I have struggled with this but I have been trying to make things better and I feel like I am doing so, just have to withstand a few tests that I know will be coming towards me. If I can continue to achieve to the level in which I am capable of, I will not have some of the problems that I am having at the present time. Joseph's troubles seemed to overtake him at first but he battled through and remained victorious with the help of God.

Continue to seek God and his plan for your life, I am praying for you all and hope that you are all doing well. I still would love to have your prayers and if you need anything, please let me know. God is watching over us all and will continue to bless us.

God Bless,

Joseph Robinson

Closing out

I think the reason I am so happy is that the semester is almost over. We have 7 weeks left and only a few weeks until Easter and then we are done for 3 1/2 months. Maybe it is the fact the snow is gone but I think this school thing is beginning to wear on me. I have 2 more years left after this one and I am excited to see where God leads me. I am fortunate to not have to worry about where I will be come next fall (unless something unforeseen happens) and I have a pretty solid position lined up for my summer experience. I am ready though and even when I continue to face tough times, I am going to battle through them. I need to continue to grow in all that God has for me and continue to push Satan out when he tries to get in. I only have room for one spirit and it is one that is holy. God has done amazing things in the past 11 months of my life and I believe he has me right where he wants me. I have hit many turning points but now I am on a straight-a-way pulling away from the rest of the field. I do not want to be part of what everyone else is doing, I want to be a part of what God is doing and I am excited for what he is doing. I read Revelation again in the past 2 weeks and let me tell you, there are amazing things that happen and I cannot wait for him to come back. To know that he will be victorious is one of the most awesome things ever and I cannot wait to be apart of it in the end.

I think for quite some time, I have been disobedient to the Lord. He has called me to be great for his cause but I have failed him. I have chosen to do wrong in the face of adversity and I have been forgiven for that. I need to follow a simple principle out of Proverbs 15:33, "The fear of the Lord teaches a man wisdom, and humility comes before honor." If I fear God and do what is right, I will gain His respect in the end. I still hold to the fact that on judgement day I must stand before him to account for what I have done, not man. If I seek to get ahead in this life, I will surely pay for it for eternity and I am positive I do not want to walk that road. I give him all the glory for what has happened to me in my life and I give him credit for holding me together even when I did not think it would be possible. I have been blessed with a great family and a great girlfriend whom I am very proud of. Even though I do not always get along well with some people, I am still grateful for all of them and would not trade any of them for anything in this world. I love all of them and thank God for them everyday. I know they will continue to support me and help me grow and I hope to continue to invest in them for years to come.

Thank you to all who read, I am truly blessed to have you follow along with me and stick with me even when I do not post much. Please continue to pray for me as I will pray for you. God will continue to do great things as long as we seek him in our lives. Please let me know if you need prayer for anything.

God Bless,

Joseph Robinson

Feeling Better

I did not post the rest of my spring break trip because we spent most of it expecting to play baseball but were unable to do so as a result of the weather. For some unknown reason, I have come back to campus with a different feeling about me and I must say that it feels good. Nothing spectacular happened on the trip in my spiritual life, I just followed the normal routine but for some reason when I stepped off that bus things were just very different. God has brought this peace about me and I am much more upbeat than I normally am and I really love being in this mood. I feel like some things are crashing around me but I am giving it all to God and letting him take care of the outcome. I have done everything I can up to this point and I cannot change people's minds and I cannot influence those who do not know me if they are not willing to give me a chance. God is most important in my life and I will give everything that I am to him because he is the most deserving of all that I am and I know that his joy is sufficient for me. I am overcoming Satan and I will not let him control the situation anymore. He has intervened in relationships with friends and with Chelsi and he is tearing us down every chance he gets. God brings two people together so they can bring him glory and I know that we could do a better job because we have not done all that we can to show God that he is at the front of our relationship. Everything will not always be perfect but I know that there are things in which I can work on to make things better but I cannot become better for someone who thinks it is not possible at this time. I am moving on and letting the past be the past because it has to much stake in the present.

James 3:2 and James 3:13-18 are really what I feel God is speaking to me right now and I hope that those who I have wronged or have hurt will understand those verses because I know that they apply directly to me. We are human and it takes us time to figure things out, they don't just happen but some people think that when the time is right, things just fall into place and it does not happen that way. I just want things to be normal and to not fight or argue with people all the time but I do not know if it is just me standing up for what I believe or arrogance but I will not back down from what I believe God is doing and from who I am because someone says it is wrong or that we do not mix well. It has nothing to do with mixing, it is about being accepting of another person and figuring out what works. I know that God's hand is no everything and I will be okay no matter what but I know that I am truly in love because I am willing to stick this out no matter what comes against us. God is so amazing and I will hold on to him until the day I die because he is that amazing.

I hope you are all doing well and I am praying for all of you who read this.

God Bless,

Joseph Robinson

Why?

I have seen over the last week how much God is needed in every aspect of my life and I am okay with that. I am walking with God pretty well with a few jagged edges here and there but overall I am growing stronger in him each and every day. I know that I can only keep my supply running for a limited time before I need him and I want to continue to have him supply me with all that he can because then I will never run out of energy and I will never lose hope. I am reading through Revelation right now with Chelsi and am excited for what God is going to do in the end so that we will have a perfect place to reign with him. I am working diligently to share with Chelsi everything that God is doing with me but sometimes what God is doing takes time and it gets frustrating for both of us. We tend to clash on several different levels but my love for her and for God will never change. He will see us through any adversity we may face but we have to continue to seek him with all that we are. I'm sick and tired of Satan constantly trying to tear down good opportunities in my life because all he is concerned with is destroying what God has already completed. I know that God is here though and he will supply me with the strength I need to overcome Satan and the lies that he tries to make me believe.

Overall, I would say that things are going pretty well, baseball is in full swing and we are going to be very solid this year. God has blessed me with a great group of guys. I am ready to see how he is going to use all of us over the next few months together. The semester is already half over and time will continue to fly by. I got an assignment back and was not to happy with the result. I feel I did my best with the resources I had available to me, I did not slack on the assignment but I know God will strengthen me through this and I will bounce back. I am so proud of all the people in my life. My friends, my family, Chelsi, and most importantly God. They have accomplished so much and given so much to me that I would not know where I would be without them. I am truly blessed with a great group of people around me at all times. I must continue to be strong in the Lord and let his love and grace be displayed through me.

I am continuing to pray for all of you and I will continue to think about those that read this and trust that God will continue to work in you. Please continue to remember and pray for me..

God Bless,

Joseph Robinson

Where I Am

The last few months have been a struggle for me. Bouncing in and out of consciousness with Christ, breaking down, ready to quit, trying to get back up, it did not matter what I had going for me, I always had to find something negative. I tried to attribute everything to "signs from God" but in most ways, I was just finding a way to attribute my problems to something beyond my control. I did not want to be so unstable but it seemed like the only thing I could do consistently and let me tell you that it buried me. I found myself waist deep in quicksand with no one around to pull me out. Everywhere I turned I would find myself failing and my escape would come with an occasional devotional time and prayer with Chelsi. You can say all the right things and do what pleases people but it only works for so long and then you have to change the routine or actually change your state. It is easy to build walls that you do not want anyone to tear down and most people cannot, but it is hard to stay transparent so that you can be helped by others when you need it most. Those of you that may read this and our not Christians, I know what you go through when you get frustrated by life and nothing seems to go your way. I have sat for countless hours wondering if I did the right thing or what I should do next and sometimes things just do not seem to make sense. Life seems to suck sometime but there is hope and "He's waiting for the right time, for that day he catches your eye, to let you know that he is yours to hold." I spend time wondering what I could do for my friends to save them and realize that most of the time I do nothing, if you read this, please respond if you feel like God is speaking to you.

My testimony is simple and it comes from Psalm 66:16-20 which 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 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 yet rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!" I know that there are times in which I have cherished sin in my heart and God has withheld from me and some of you might feel that way. I know it is hard to believe, but you can eliminate the desires of the world from your heart and yearn for God with all that you are. Sure it might take some time but if you want change, you can find it. God does listen and though it may not always seem like it, he is working and his plan is always being unfolded in your life and those around you as well. I am so much happier now that I have straightened somethings out and recommitted to certain things. God is moving in big ways across this nation and in the lives of many right around you, do not get caught on the outside looking in when it comes to God and what he is doing right now.

Like I mentioned, please respond if you feel that something resounds with you or if you have any questions. I have a heart for all my friends and I would love to hear from you. I will pray for those who read this (whether I know you read it or not). I want to make posting routine even though it is hard, but God is over me and this blog and I trust that if I seek him, he will provide the opportunities for me to post. I hope you all are doing well.

God Bless,

Joseph Robinson

Commitment

As I thought about commitment this past weekend and how it relates to me, I think I sort of gained a new perspective. Sure it is just like a promise but I believe it is more than that. A promise is more of something you tell someone you will do for them, but a commitment is something you do for yourself. That might not really make sense but let us see if I can make sense of it for you. When I think about my commitment to the Lord, I usually just try to keep from being sinful because it is "what I am suppose to do" and I end up "promising" to never do it again. These promises always come up short because I try to do things on my own and am not committed to what I said I would do. If I commit to Christ my life and all that I am, I am saying that it is his and that I am willing to do what it takes to be wholly devoted to him, to follow his commandments and ways. It is not so much a promise to be good but a striving effort. It is to turn away from things that can be detrimental to you so that you can show yourself that you can fulfill what you have said and so that God can be pleased with your actions. I think that I fail to be committed to God most of the time because I have given him my life but I still want to hold on to certain areas. This brings me to the "obligation" of being good so I can be a "good Christian." I do not want to be good for the sake of being a "good Christian", rather I want to be good for the sake of Christ and for the sake of myself as well as those that are involved in my life. I get too caught up in the logistics of things that I forget to come back to the core of what my faith in him is... a friendship and discipleship. He tries to teach me everyday and if I am not committed to learning, then we are both wasting our time. I can spend time with my friends and blow off the only one who will EVER love me unconditionally, but I will never spend time with him to blow off my friends. That is a tough concept to grasp, unless I can prove it to be false. I wish I knew why I made certain decisions in life, but I know that I can move past the stuff I have done and have new life, if I show that the changes I have promised are real.

Tonight I just want to reference the verses in James 2:14-22 about faith and deeds. We can learn so much from that but we need to put it into action just as the passage says!

I hope you all have a great evening and that you are all doing well, you are in my prayers as is this blog in general. Please continue to pray for me, I know God is still doing work in me.

God Bless,

Joseph Robinson