Praising God in the Storm

What storm are you in right now? It can be something big or small, anything that is hurting you and tearing you down. Maybe something that is turning you away from God. Whatever you are dealing with, whether it is stress from school and/or work, or something as serious as a loss in the family, you are not the only one battling rough times.

We are always in a storm, coming out of one, or about to go in one.

So what do we do?

We hold onto God even tighter than before, and trust Him with all our strength.

God promises to never give us something more than we can handle. Although something might seem extremely hard, and you feel like you have no other option than to give in, God says:

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. – 1 Corinthians 10:13

Also, God promises to be right there with us in times of trouble:

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. – Isaiah 43:2

With Him, we can do anything and surpass any hardship. For we can do anything through Christ who gives us strength.

  

For those of you like me still battling adjusting to college, hang in there, trust in God, and remember to praise Him in the storm.

"I'll praise You in this storm, and I will lift my hands. For You are who You are, no matter where I am."

Praise You in the Storm – Casting Crowns

“Be still, and know that I am God”

There are so many different tasks to get done in one day, and most of the time, the day runs out before you are able to get everything done that you wanted to. You feel like in order to praise and serve God, you need to be doing something all the time. You need to be reaching out and staying busy to truly live out God’s will.

I have pretty much felt this way for the majority of my life. However, I have recently learned that you don’t always have to be pouring yourself out to others and doing good works in the community in order to serve God. Instead, you can praise God just by sitting, being still, and basking in God’s presence. And He wants you to do this, every day.

Psalm 46:10: Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!

Psalm 62:5: For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him.

Job 6:24: Teach me, and I will be silent; make me understand how I have gone astray.

1 Peter 3:4: But let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.

With that being said, it is also important to remember that God is in control of your life and that your time is not yours, it is His. Ask God everyday: Lord, what do you want me to do to glorify your name today? Maybe instead of studying, He wants you to take the thirty minutes before your next class to read and reflect on His Word. Maybe put the homework down for a bit and call up a sibling or a friend. Instead of watching your favorite TV show before bed, just sit still, pray, and talk to God. What is God calling you to do today? If it is to just sit still for a bit, great! Do it, for His glory.

Heavenly Father, we are so thankful that we are able to praise and glorify you just by being still and enjoying your presence. Quiet our minds, Oh Lord, so we can listen to you speak to us through the Holy Spirit. You are so great and so powerful, we love you. Amen. 

Lead Me to the Cross – Hillsong United

Savior I come, quiet my soul.

Work and Motives

Do this, do that. Be here at this time. Work, study, workout, talk to friends and family, eat, sleep and oh yeah, most importantly, remember to fit in some quiet God time and Bible reading.

God, I am trying so hard for you, to be my very best for you. I need to be a good person, to talk to as many people as I can about Jesus. I need to always do what is right so I can gain your love and salvation.

Wait, take a step back. You are trying to earn God’s love and salvation? That is ridiculous! Outrageous!

We don’t have to work for our salvation, it is a gift from God.

“God’s grace has saved you because of your faith in Christ. Your salvation doesn’t come from anything you do. It is God’s gift. It is not based on anything you have done. No one can brag about earning it. We are God’s creation. He created us to belong to Christ Jesus. Now we can do good works. Long ago God prepared these works for us to do.” – Ephesians 2:8-10

The fact of the matter is, nothing we do, good or bad, can make God love us any more or any less. And when we are going through our daily duties for the reason of gaining His love, we’re just exulting our own actions over Jesus’ death and resurrection. I know, I have been there, and it’s tough. It’s easy to get caught up in working so hard because you feel like you need to please yourself, others, and even God. Sometimes, I just feel like I have too much work to do. But sometimes God puts more on our plate than we can handle, for the sole reason that we need to rely only on and in Him, and not our own abilities. All we need to do is give God our hearts.

Ask yourself this: Why do you work so hard? Are you working for earthly treasures, or for those of heaven? Do you feel like you are trying to win God’s love, or are you working solely to glorify God in everything you do?

Are your motives towards work in line?

God created us to work, He prepared works for us to do to praise Him. Our job is to do this work with joy and love, knowing that we are doing His will through it. But when it comes to salvation, God has already done the work for us. He sent Jesus to die for us on the cross. He died for you as if you were the only person on earth, and He did that for each and every person that has ever walked on the face of the earth.

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

Heavenly Father, Thank you for your sacrifice and saving grace. We will work not to win our own salvation, but to serve you and you alone. We are not here to please anyone but you Lord. Help us to do your will here on earth and to spread the news of your strength and love. We praise you, we trust you, and we love you, forever and ever. Amen.

Why Am I Here?

First week of classes, here it goes. I am jumping right in, actual college is beginning. Welcome Week activities are done, no more get to know icebreakers or forced friendships. Time to start building relationships with people that are like me, that share the same values and interests. Time to start cracking down and studying like a college student. Finally time to get into a routine.

Why am I not ecstatic, jumping off the walls excited?

This is what I have been waiting for. Ever since the end of senior year. College is finally beginning, it is finally here.

And yet, I feel like I don’t belong, like this isn’t my home.

Why do I keep questioning, why do I keep asking – Why am I here again?

I have realized I am asking myself this question because the answer is different than it has been in the past.

Past Sarah:

Why are you going to college, Sarah?

- To get a good education and a business degree.

- To become one step closer to landing my dream job.

- To be independent and learn how to live in the “real world.”

- To make my family proud.

- To have fun and make lasting friendships and memories – College is supposed to be the best four years of your life you know.

My answer to this question is no longer any of the above. I now have one sole reason – to serve and show God – but I am still figuring out the details to what this actually means.

Ever since I got here, I have been questioning where I fit in, what I can do to be a light to others, and finally, why I am here. Maybe you feel the same way.

The only way to find comfort in these questions is to go to God, through Scripture and prayer. I am going to briefly outline both of these methods for all three components, hoping that this outline serves as a catalyst to your own further conversations with our Lord.

Where do I fit in?

I have realized that it is silly to worry about what friends you will have or what groups you will be in. God will lead you to these. His goal is not to get you what you want, but it is to get you what you need. God will give you the sense of belonging and home that you need.

The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. – Deuteronomy 31:8

But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. – John 16:13

The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him. – Psalm 37:23

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” – Isaiah 30:21

Prayer: Heavenly Father, help me to follow you and to trust you. To trust that you will make something beautiful out of me. To know that with my full trust in you, I will follow the divine plan you have laid out for me.

What can I do to be a light to others?

You don’t have to like everyone, you just have to love everyone.

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. – 1 John 4:7

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. – John 13:35

Be different, don’t follow the crowd. If you know something is wrong, don’t do it.

Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you give testimony in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, help me to love everyone just like you do. Give me the strength to stand up for my faith and do what is right in all circumstances. I want to show you in everything I do and say.

Why am I here?

If it wasn’t part of God’s plan, then you wouldn’t be where you are standing right now.

The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps. – Proverbs 16:9

For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. – Ephesians 2:10

Prayer: Heavenly Father, help me to completely surrender to your plan and to focus on serving you where you have placed me right now. You are the driver of my life, you are in control. 

So I shouldn’t be worried about the fact that I am not overly excited for college, that I am questioning what God wants me doing here. I need to focus on serving Him right this very moment, and TRUST.

And finally, here is a final verse and song that serve as good reminders on what God wants us to work for and what He created us to do on this earth.

“Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you.” – John 6:27

“What We’re Here For” – The Afters

When we feel useless, You still use us.

Listen, pray, enjoy. Live your life for HIM. 

God forgets the past

“He put away the person you used to be”

~ Colossians 2:11

Do you ever look back on your past mistakes and sin and think “What in the world was I thinking?”

I look back on my old self, a stagnant Christian just going through the motions. I was not alive in my faith. I thought I had a solid relationship with God, but it was nowhere near the way I know Him now.

Sometimes I just get plain out frustrated about my past mistakes and how I used to be. It makes me feel pretty icky thinking about how much better I could have been, how I could have given God way more time and effort.

But this verse from Colossians 2:11 relieves me from all this frustration and anger about my past self: He put away the person you used to be.

It’s like God is giving us a clean slate. He allows us to start fresh. God forgets the past and most importantly, he forgives us. In fact, you will never forgive anyone more than God has already forgiven you. So if God is able to forgive us, shouldn’t we be able to forgive ourselves?

God already knows when we are going to screw up. But guess what?

Jesus died on the cross to save us from our past, present and future sin.

But just because Jesus has already put our sin on his shoulders, doesn’t mean we should continue to sin because it is off of our hands. Rather, we should try to avoid sin at all costs!

What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning, so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? – Romans 6:1-2

Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. – 1 Peter 2:11

Because of God’s unending love and mercy, I feel alive and renewed. I am no longer held down from my sins of the past, but I am set free. 

Self-Reflection:

What is one sin of your past that you often dwell on?

I encourage you to give your thoughts and feelings to God, and to know that you are forgiven:

I am the one who wipes out your lawless acts. I do it because of who I am. I will not remember your sins anymore. - Isaiah 43:25

Special Prayer:

I would also like to offer this song as a prayer to all of us, but especially to those freshman college students like myself. College is a time to find yourself and become the person you really want to be. Students, remember that God forgets your past, and if you choose, you can be born again in Christ. Don’t lose your faith and relationship with God, instead make it stronger. Make these next four years of your life a song of praise and worship to God.

Heavenly Father, I pray that you start a fire for you in all of us, a motivation and passion to flee from sin and temptation and run to you. Oh Lord, help us to desire you always and to show you in everything that we do. In your Son’s name, Amen.

Start a Fire – Unspoken

I am weak, but He is strong

God has taught me a lesson about this essential message this week. I was stressed out and nervous about college. I was working out too hard because I thought it would help me feel stronger and relieve stress. I thought I was relying on God to help me out of the slump, but it turns out, I wasn’t.

I was putting all the stress and nerves on myself, instead of giving it over to God. God specifically showed me that I was not relying on Him enough by making me physically weak. I had trouble walking, and running was definitely out of the question for a few days. One night, I physically and emotionally collapsed. It felt like all the weight of the world had come down on my shoulders, and I couldn’t get up.

I soon realized I needed to full heartedly give everything to God, and pronto. I realized that I am so weak. I want to feel strong, but I am not. I am weak. But guess what? He is strong. This verse from 1 Corinthians 1:25 explains just how strong God is:

“The weakness of God is stronger than human strength.”

Just think about that verse. Not that God has any weakness at all, but if He did, His weakness would be stronger than anyone’s strength on Earth. Wow.

Another passage that I find interesting when it comes to our weaknesses and God’s almighty strength is from 2 Corinthians 12:8-10:

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong” 

Having weaknesses gives us the opportunity to lean on and trust in God even more. When I felt physically and emotionally weak, God taught me that He is being glorified through my weakness. Because at that moment, I finally relied on God and Him alone.

I think we all need to realize that being weak is NOT a bad thing. In fact, “when I am weak, then I am strong” because we are able to fully lean on God for everything.

Even though we don’t want to admit it, we are weak. It is tough realizing all of your weaknesses. But we need to believe and confess that we need help. We need God in our lives to guide us and to strengthen us. He is our One Strength, always.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, help us to realize this essential message that we are weak, but you are strong. Our weak points give us the opportunity to glorify you. We thank you and praise you for being our One Strength, we will hold this close to our hearts every day. Amen.

Psalm 37:4-7

⁴ Take delight in the Lord,
    and he will give you the desires of your heart.

⁵ Commit your way to the Lord;
    trust in him and he will do this:
⁶ He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,
    your vindication like the noonday sun.

⁷ Be still before the Lord
    and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
    when they carry out their wicked schemes.

This passage calls us to delight in the Lord. What is delighting in the Lord? To me, delighting in the Lord means making Him my everything, making Him number one in my life. It means to live your life for Him. When we delight in God in this way, we find our hearts to be changed.

This transformation, this changing of the heart, occurs when our selfish desires are thrown out the window and replaced with God’s desires. Our heart is rid of sinful wishes, and rather, filled with God. It is a pretty crazy transformation. For me, going from just “liking” God to “delighting” in God took more than a few days, it took months. I still have trouble delighting in God all the time. We are sinners and we still let our sinful and selfish desires get in the way of what God truly wants for us.

This passage also reminds me of this message: Each of us has been called to serve God in a unique way. The desires of your heart are not to be ignored. God will use your passions to turn your life into a masterpiece of serving Him.

In order to be shaped by God in this way, our delight must be first in the Lord. That should be our priority. “Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

You must delight in the LORD first before you can have the desires God wants you to have. Once you delight in the Lord, you’re making him your desire. So what the Lord desires for you, you will also desire.

If you delight in God and you feel a strong tugging at your heart, it is probably the Holy Spirit leading you. It is God’s desire being pressed on your heart. Pay attention to this tugging, this calling. By listening, you are one step closer to the next phase of your life that God has chosen and planned for you.

Second, we must trust in Him. “Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this.”

And this is more than just a simple trust. We are called to COMMIT our way to the Lord. This means making Him the only one you follow. Not following other people’s or even your plan for your life, but to commit to God’s plan and His plan alone.

If we do this…”He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun.”

We shouldn’t be scared of giving our life to God, giving him the steering wheel for our life and letting Him take control. God reminds us that He will make His light shine through us while we live on earth, and that we will be rewarded in heaven.

God is the artist and we are the paint brushes. He will use us to create a perfect masterpiece. Through Him, you will create a perfect picture that God had planned from the very beginning.

Third, we must wait patiently for Him to act in our lives. “Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him.”

God has put a lot of things on my heart as ways I can serve Him in my life.

I want to work at a Christian summer camp and help little kids grow closer to God.

I want to leave everything behind and literally give an entire year just too solely serve God.

I want to work in nonprofit.

I want to do all of these “exotic” things to serve God. Even this summer, I began to get really anxious about starting school because I wanted to start serving God at college. But I need to wait patiently and focus on how I can serve God right now in my life, right this very moment. I need to wait patiently, and God will tell me when the moment is right to take up one of these opportunities.

This verse also reminds me to take time in my day to be still and listen to God, to escape from all the hustle and bustle in life and be in the presence of God. To be still.

The last part of verse 7 also has an essential message – “do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.”

It reminds us that people around us may be succeeding in various ways and we might get jealous. But God reminds us that all these worldly successes are not what He wants us to be focused on. God has planned many great successes for each of us to accomplish in our life.

Prayer:

Lord, you are our one strength, our number one. We want to live our lives for you. Help us to delight in you and commit to your plan for our lives. Remind us to be still every day, so we can be overwhelmed by your glorious presence. We love you, and we will forever serve you alone. Amen.