Sorry I’m posting this late. I got really excited that I had my last classes today…and forgot to post :)

And we urge you, brothers…help the weak...  1 Thessalonians 5:14

Part II

Are you feeling weak? Tired? Stressed? Overwhelmed? Burdened? I think it would be an injustice to not help you in the best way possible.

And that is to lead you to the Helper.

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”  Matthew 11:28-30

Now notice what Jesus says – he doesn’t say that first he’s going to give us his yoke…but first tells us to come to Him and then take it. He tells us to take his yoke.

If you’re feeling weak – I encourage you to take His yoke.

What is a yoke? It’s the wooden plank that runs across the shoulders of animals as they farm the land. It helps keep them align. If one cow turns, they both do. Jesus is tell you to take His yoke. Take up Jesus’ way of life. Waking up early in the morning – before everyone else and all the distractions come – and praying, talking with GOD (Mark 1:35). Sacrificing of your time, energy and resources for others.

Read the Bible and discover Jesus’ way of life – go to Him – and take His yoke. Stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Him as he leads you, lightly, through life.

I encourage you to do this – to approach the Helper – if you are feeling weak.

And most of all – to give your life to Him. Make Him King. It’s the weak He died for – us - so that we could have life. Believe it and make Him the King of your life.

I did :)

SO MUCH FREEDOM! He loves you :) Take his yoke because His burden is light.

What ways of Jesus’ life do you need to take up? In all honesty, we should take up all of them – but which one are you going to focus on this week?

 
And we urge you, brothers,…help the weak... 1 Thessalonians 5:14

Are you feeling extra weak right now?

Maybe your school finals are weighing on you? Or some bad choices you recently made? Maybe you’ve got some tough decisions to make that feel like they are tearing you apart?

Maybe you’ve been “spiritually weak” lately…kind of drifting away from GOD.

Either way, I’d love to pray for you and talk to you.

If you are feeling extra weak, burnt out, or drained then please leave a quick comment below on how I can pray for you. If you’d like to, stay anonymous: Make your name “Anonymous” and your email “[email protected]”. However, if you’d like for me to be able to talk back and forth with you then please do put in your real email address.

I would love to pray with you! So please don’t be afraid & leave a comment below – even if it’s “the simplest thing”!

In Christ!

Jared

Tomorrow's blog post continues with part II of "help the weak"!
Yesterday's blog post - "Encouragement"

 
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And we urge you, brothers…encourage the timid…” 1 Thessalonians 5:14

People have told me that I’m not worthy of leading a lifegroup or a spiritual blog. I’ve been told my efforts will fail and amount to nothing…die off.

I’ve told myself again and again how I’m going to fail at so many things in life.

Maybe you’re in the same boat I was in. If you are, I encourage you: STAND UP.

Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.          1 Timothy 4:12

Don’t listen to people, listen to GOD.

We have been called not to live hesitant lives full of fear…holding back from doing what we’ve been called to do, but we have received a different calling.

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.    2 Timothy 1:7

We won’t know everything…but that’s okay – we’ve got Him to trust. And He can take care of everything :)

So, approach your calling and vision of life that has been given to you by GOD – approach it with INWARD FIRE and PASSION!

So, I encourage you – if you’ve been fearful or confidence-less…look up to GOD. Look up to Him who created you for a purpose, ask Him what it is and run!

Don’t let fear entangle you from the beautiful calling God has given you. Step up, and run. We aren’t perfect – only in Christ are we perfect – so don’t try to fix everything before you run.

“I’m not ready….I’ve got too much stuff to fix first…” No, He will take care of that in the process. Focus on Him – look into His eyes – and RUN!


In addition, many people – like me – tend to fear talking to GOD sometimes for how we’ve messed up. Look at Him and His Love – yes, be in awe of Him and do have a reverent fear of Him, but at the same time, “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” – Hebrews 4:16

Approach the throne of grace – shown through the giving of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, for the payment of our sin and freedom of our souls – approach the throne with confidence; Believing that in Jesus Christ – you are saved. Stand up in this confidence, and do life in worship!

Love. Belief. Passion. Confidence.  All for HIS Glory :)

I encourage you
If you need someone to talk to personally about something you are going through, please don't be afraid to connect with me through the "contact us" link above. I would love to personally talk with you!
 
Idle Part II
Note: I don't mean to come off in this post as hostile or offensive...I'm a victim of this as well. So, if my passion seems extreme then please don't take offense from me because remember - I have this challenge in life as well!

Our lives are short.

In Psalm 39:4-5 King David felt this urgency too as he wrote,

"LORD, remind me how brief my time on earth will be.
  Remind me that my days are numbered--
  how fleeting my life is.
 You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand.
  My entire lifetime is just a moment to you;
  at best, each of us is but a breath." 

And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle…  1 Thessalonians 5:14

What we need to realize is the amazing reality that each second we live is another second off of our lives. Its statistics – the longer you live, the less time you have left.

Who knows? You may die this year, this month, today. That’s the honest truth…we need to stop living as if we won’t. Because it would be a sad day to wake up and see that we’ve lived a life just playing video games and watching TV. I used to spend so much time doing these things....then I realized just how much I was wasting away the time I have on this earth...

We don’t know when we are going to die. That’s why it is SO IMPORTANT to live each day in a way that matters – and by that I mean honoring GOD. It’s so easy for us to fall into lives of worshiping ourselves…

But with me, step up – stop being idle and apathetic which is often a result of a life being lived for us – and start living your life for the King who sent His Son to die for you – who took the nails in his hands and feet and a spear in his side as the punishment for your sins – in order to give you life. Why? Because He loves you.

We are all going to die some day. It’s inevitable. There are two things to think about in regards to death:  1) Who do I know and 2) What have I done.

1) Do I know Jesus Christ? - your salvation
2)      Have I made a difference in this world? - your legacy    

If we are going to be dying soon, we sure as heck need to know what we are coming to after death. I encourage you to step into GOD’s GRACE today. See your life – your sins – and believe that Jesus Christ died to set us free from those. And confess Him as LORD (from Greek: Kyrios: Owner, Master, Lord) of your life. God’s grace is too beautiful to not surrender. Admit your sins. Believe what He did. Confess HIM as LORD.

Not us as Lord..

And live lives that actually make a difference – in His Name! And…

“Dream as if you’ll live forever, live as if you’ll die today.” – James Dean

What step are you going to take today to step outside of being idle?
How are you going to be active In your faith...in your life?

 
And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle…  1 Thessalonians 5:14

I'm idle way too often...

It’s ringing in me so loudly again. This happens to me about once every two months.

I remember.  The time is short.

We don’t have long before Christ returns. If we did, he would have said, “Honor me with your life and chill out playing video games, watching television, singing Lady Gaga songs and sleeping in bed all day long!”

Now, I’m not attacking any of those things above (just to let you know), but for me personally, I have a time-mechanism that kicks into gear within me ever-so-often that reminds me of what is really most important.

Christ is coming back soon.

This is what Jesus Christ said:

Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch. Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back – whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’  Mark 13:33-37

Yet I find that so many of us are sleeping. We become idle in life. We’re not “Watch!”ing for Christ’s return…in fact some of us, if we’re honest, live and think as if he won’t return for 10,000 years.

But Christ said he is returning soon. Yes, he said that over 2,000 years ago, but check this out: that means it’s even sooner than ever.

Live each day looking up in the sky, expecting Christ’s return. Be on the move! Don’t let yourself become idle…but make the most of every opportunity.

Live life honoring Christ with your time – showing His Love to the world, showing Christ to others through your love and actions.

As Franklin Graham, son of Billy Graham, said, “We still have the opportunity to reach a lost and dying generation with the love of Christ. It’s your generation, it’s now in your hands, it’s now your watch. What are you going to do about it?”

What are you going to do about it?

“Watch!”

Big Note: It all starts with personally seeking Him ourselves…

 
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And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone.  1 Thessalonians 5:14

That’s exactly what I’m going to be doing this week. Each day this week I’ll be posting on one of the above attributes!

This is a great week to invite your friends to read and check out the blog – so go ahead and send them the link! (http://SpiritualFlow.weebly.com). I believe God will use this week to open the eyes of the lost to the love of God in Jesus Christ, as well as benefit the believers! :)

See you tomorrow around lunch time :)!
 
What I’m starting to realize more and more:
It seems really, really hard to work your way to God.

I mean there is just so much we have to do…go to church, not cuss, not to mention just straight up be perfect.

Doesn’t that sound stressful? Especially the being perfect part. It seems impossible to work our way to God….

That’s because it is.

Isaiah 59:2 says, “But your iniquities [sins] have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.”

But Romans 5:20 says, “…But where sin increased, grace increased all the more…”

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” – John 3:16

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” – Ephesians 2:8-9ESV

Trying to work out way to God will not work.

Your salvation is never based on what you do, but who you believe.
Jesus Christ.

 
(I just realized I've still been trying to work my way to God...thank you God for opening my eyes to the Truth again :))


Questions-&-Answers:

·         How has trying to work your way to God turned out badly?

·         Believing that we’re saved by faith alone, how does that make you feel about God?

·         What would you like to tell God right now, in regards to salvation? Go ahead, tell Him :)

 
Did you know that Saint Peter denied Christ? All while Jesus was being beaten…

Then some began to spit at [Jesus]; they blindfolded him, struck him with their fists, and said, “Prophesy!” And the guards took him and beat him. While Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came by. When she saw Peter warming himself, she looked closely at him. “You also were with that Nazarene, Jesus,” she said. But he denied it. “I don't know or understand what you're talking about,” he said, and went out into the entryway. When the servant girl saw him there, she said again to those standing around, “This fellow is one of them.” Again he denied it. After a little while, those standing near said to Peter, “Surely you are one of them, for you are a Galilean.” He began to call down curses on himself, and he swore to them, “I don't know this man you're talking about.”

Immediately the rooster crowed the second time. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows twice you will disown me three times.” And he broke down and wept.  Mark 14:65-72



I see that there are two types of denial: uncomfortable and comfortable.

Uncomfortable denial is what Peter was in. Peter was literally walking, following Jesus through the temple, looking for him and watching him. Yet the uncomfortable pressure got to him and he denied knowing Christ.

Uncomfortable denial: showing you follow Jesus with your actions, but denying him with your mouth.

Comfortable denial is the opposite of uncomfortable denial. Comfortable denial comes up when we are in comfortable, easy-going situations in life. It’s when everything is fine.

Comfortable denial: saying you follow Jesus with your mouth, but denying him with your actions.

Quick question: Who do you lean more toward being? The uncomfortable or comfortable denial-er?

 

Would you like to know something amazing? Christ knew Peter would deny him…yet still, before it all Jesus told him – “I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it...”   Matthew 16:18. Jesus was telling Peter that he was going to be the starter of the whole Christian church.

This is the point: Even though I fail & even though you fail, God is here reaching out to us. He wants to forgive us through Jesus Christ and beautifully use our lives to show His Love to the world. See and do what the Apostle Paul said: “…But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead…” (Philippians 3:13) Make Jesus the LORD of your life and be forgiven! Then push forward for God’s Kingdom!

Questions:

1)      How have you denied Christ in the past? Remember, both words and actions can be forms of denial.

2)      Have you prayed for forgiveness? This needs to be something from your heart, not just mouth.

3)      What are you going to do with your past? Turn your sorrow from that denial into an amazing, forceful passion and zeal for God and His Kingdom! Spreading the Love of Jesus!

We praise You God for your forgiveness!

 
He was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities. By His wounds we are healed. Isaiah 53

This week I watched the Passion of the Christ again with my lifegroup.

Words can’t describe…

So here are two videos that I would love for you to watch:

This first one is the scene from the Passion showing Christ’s crucifixion (keep in mind: right before his resurrection):

This second video is a worship song that God has really used to help me worship Him and I want it to be here for you to worship along with:
Do you see the LOVE?
THE hope?
THE WAY?

For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

…if you confess with your mouth ‘Jesus is LORD’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead you will be saved. Romans 10:9

Questions:
* How did these videos impact you?
* How will these videos and truths impact your week?

I'll be answering the questions in the middle of this week and look forward to our conversation!
 
LifeChurch.tv Easter Service
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Hey everyone! If you are here for Easter, awesome! This Easter, I am going to redirect you to my home church's, LifeChurch.tv, live online Easter service!

Here is the link. Below are the live experience times! This is one powerful message from God, so be sure to invite other friends to watch it with you by clicking on "Invite!"

He is risen...he is risen indeed!


Note: These times are CDT (Central Daylight Time).  I have supplied a CDT clock below.
Current CDT:
Experiences: