Courage to Live Fearlessly

Alea here!  This is something I wrote a couple of months ago as encouragement for others on a mission to live fearlessly.  I pray it ministers to you today.

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        We are told to live fearlessly, to be bold for Christ.  We hear it.  We clap, we cheer, we make up our minds to live that way.

Then reality comes.  That time to be fearless comes and goes.  You don't have the courage.  You are a Christian, but you hide it.

I am not naturally a brave person.  Remember this because it is a very important factor in the story I am about to tell.

This past year I went to public school.  Biology was set for the second semester.  I mentally prepared myself for a secular worldview in that class.  Nothing could have totally prepared me for the reality of that classroom.  My teacher was very mean.  He would put us down when no one answered a question correctly, saying that we were failures and we'd never go to college.

Half of the class rolled by this way.  I tolerated the whole "millions of years ago" spiel.  Then we came to the unit on evolution.  I knew that I had to be bold, to speak out like Jonathan Park.

The time came to rewrite our notes (yes, he made us rewrite notes we already took).  This was the opportunity I had been looking for.  God gave me the courage and wisdom to do it.  I talked about how evolution isn't possible and even managed to share the Gospel through it.

The courage most definitely didn't come from me.  I could never have done that on my own.  God gives us the courage to live fearlessly.

But that isn't quite the end of the story.  The next day of class, the teacher pulled me aside.  I walked stiffly out into the hallway, terrified.  I knew what was coming.

God gave me courage once more.  I blatantly said, "I am a Christian."

If you don't think you are brave enough to live fearlessly, ask the Lord for courage.  Romans 8:31 says, "What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?"

Who knows, maybe I impacted his life, or he will remember it in the future.  I may never know.  But if I impacted his life somehow, now or in the future, the entire thing was worth it.

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Today I will be praying that you, dear reader, are given the courage to live fearlessly for Christ!

Using Your Gifts For God!

Gifts.  We have plenty of them.  I’m not talking about presents.  Presents are something that last for a day or two…and then they somehow turn into clutter.  A gift is completely different.  A gift is something that is given freely to you with “no strings attached”.  If you look in the dictionary, it would perfectly state that a gift is “something given voluntarily without payment in return, as to show favor toward someone…”

Why talk about gifts? Because everyone has at least one!  I have never met someone who didn’t have a God-given gift.  This can come in a million forms—a personality trait, ability, or even something you can see, like your family members, home, or pets.  No one can truthfully say that they have no gifts.  Are you breathing?  That’s a gift from God in itself!

In Romans 12:6 it says, “Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them…” (Emphasis added)  Then it goes on to state some different gifts. Ministry …giving …exhorting…and others.  But what should stand out to you is the last part.  “Let us use them”.  How should we use them?

Maybe you are sitting at your computer wondering how you can use your unique gift to serve others.  I can’t give you the answer, because most likely your gifts are different than mine!  However, I will take a minute to list the gifts I have seen in each of the separate authors of this blog, and how they can use theirs for God.

Alea H is a writer.  She is about to publish her first novel!  Her gift, if used wisely, could touch thousands around the world! 

Shelby R is friendly, and a good friend can make all the difference!

Aubrey R has the gift of drawing.  She could share her artwork with others, helping them with their own talents of art and encouraging them not to give up on it.

I (Hosanna K) have always loved writing letters, and try to bless others by sending letters for birthdays to older people who may not get any otherwise.  Also, sending get well letters is a good way to make someone smile!

Psalm ist is a great leader.  She led this very group of girls for a year, encouraging, praying and loving all of us.  She could do that for others who definitely need the encouraging.

Caroline N is gushing with love for everyone around her!  There are zillions of ways for her to make Jesus shine through her love and to love the unloved around her.  And she is quite the motivational speaker.

Karina N is very easy-going and gets along with…everyone!    She is the perfect type of person to listen to someone when they just need to talk!

Maybe your gift is different from any one of ours, but you have one!  And you need to use it!  We are not perfect, and many times, we use our gift selfishly, but through Jesus, we can do all things!  So step out there and use your gifts!  Remember that Jesus gave the perfect Gift on the cross…isn’t the least you can do to use the gifts that HE has given to you for His glory?

Prayer

I found this in a devotional I am reading. It is called "God, 30 ways to know him better" I did NOT write this. You can buy the devotional here.

"If you genuinely desire to know God, then you must pray... a lot.

     Is prayer an integral part of your daily life, or is it a hit-or-miss habit? Do you 'pray without ceasing' or is your prayer life an afterthought? Do you regularly pray in the quiet moments or the early morning, or do you bow your head only when others are watching? If your prayers have become more of a habit than of passion, you're robbing yourself of a deeper relationship with God. And how can you rectify this situation? By praying more frequently and fervently. 

   The quality of your spiritual life will be in direct proportion to the quality of your prayer life: the more you pray, the closer you will feel to God. So today, instead of turning things over in your mind, turn them over to God in prayer. Don't limit your prayers to the dinner table or the bedside table. Pray constantly about things great and small. God is always listening... and the rest is up to you."

One Day Too late

Time has literally flown for me this summer...It's crazy!  A lot has happened this summer and I felt convicted to write this...hope you enjoy!

She sits in her bed sobbing and pouring her heart out to the wall.  "I'm not ready yet!" she cries. "I need more time.  There's so much I need to say and I don't know if he'll make it tomorrow!"  She continues to sob until she finally falls asleep, but even in her dreams she can't escape her pain.  She jolts awake, tears streaming down her face.  She stares at the clock. 2:01 a.m...she combs here fingers through her hair and sighs.  She picks up her phone and texts her friend. "Hey...you up?"  She waits...and waits...3 o'clock passes by and she is still waiting.  The lonely feeling starts to suffocate her.  She feels small...she feels alone...She finally climbs out of bed and sits down at her desk and begins writing a letter.  "Dear Grandpa,  There is so much I need to tell you..."  That morning she goes to the hospital for her volunteer hours and meets her grandparents at a restaurant.  She hands her grandpa the letter. "Don't you dare open it until Wednesday right before your procedure!" she says with a smirk.  She hugs him and waves goodbye.  Tears streamed down her face as she tried to smile and keep her composure.  She told her parents she had written her grandpa a letter and they asked her why.  she answered, "Because tomorrow could be one day too late."

Sometimes it takes a shock like a terminal illness, a car accident, or a sudden death to make us realize our mortality.  Why is this?  Why do we live like we have a lifetime ahead when we may not wake up tomorrow?  Why do we not say the hard, meaningful, or complicated things while we still have time?  Why do we hold it all in?  We can't sit here expecting tomorrow to come.  No one is guaranteed tomorrow.  Ever since I was little, my dad has told me everyday that today could be my last day.  I didn't believe it...I mean I'm 16.  I have my whole life ahead of me.  It took a great shock to wake me up; to make me realize that I'm living on borrowed time.  Don't wait and expect tomorrow will come.  Say what you want to say now!  You may not be here tomorrow.  Your loved ones may not be here tomorrow.  If your father or mother or sibling died today...what would you regret?  If you died today, what would you regret?  Don't wait!  PLEASE don't wait because tomorrow could be one day too late!