Asking

I have found in life that we often have things that we want to ask but we are to afraid to ask. This also happens when we pray.  We have things we want to pray, but we don't think that they are important, or even worth God's time. As I was reading my bible this week, I stumbled on these verses. There is a man, crippled form birth, outside the gates of a temple when Peter and John found him. Acts 3:6-10 goes, "Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have to give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. When all the people saw him walking and praising God, they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what happened to him." The crippled man, probably never thought that he could walk one day. He probably didn't even bother to ask, because he thought it was impossible.

God wants to hear your questions. The bible says that God answers all questions either with a yes, no, or wait. There is no problem to small for God to handle. God cared about the beggar who didn't have much, and He cares for you too. Ask God all your questions you have and see how he responds. Sometimes He might surprise you by how He answers. You never know unless you ask.

Christmas

Merry Christmas!!!!
Today is the birth of our savior, and as we go about our festivities, we can forget the meaning of Christmas. So today, I'm not go to have a long speech, or some life changing story, but I am going have a poem. I used the word Jesus and came up with what it means. So as you go through out the day, just remember who it is really for.

Just in case you haven't heard
Earth became his new home
Son of Man was born today
Under the roof of a stable
So later He could die for my sins

Hear are a few good Christmas songs to listen to today.
Just a Girl- Brandon Heath
While You Were Sleeping (Christmas Edition)- Casting Crowns
Jingle Bells- Colton Dixon
The Heart of Christmas- Matthew West
-K-Love is also playing Christmas songs all day today-

Song Break Down-Thrive

This song is from Casting Crowns new album "Thrive". Casting Crowns just released the lyric video to this song Wednesday, so I really have no reference about the song except for the lyrics. This post is going to be my own interpretation of this song.
First of all, the part of the song that stuck out to me was the bridge. Ever since I heard it, I haven't been able to get it out of my head. The lyrics are, "Joy unspeakable / Faith unsinkable / Love unstoppable / Anything is possible." When I think about the bridge I envision people chanting this and every time they get louder and louder. The bridge also reminds me of a verse that goes, "For nothing is impossible with God." (Luke 1:37) Anything we ever have dream of is possible with God. In the post, "Stumbling" I talked about how my math grade was dropping and how I got an F on a test. So for this test, I prayed and I studied as hard as I could. On the day of the test, I prayed before I did each problem. I just wanted an A on my test to raise my grade. And I got my test grade back two days ago , and I got an A. I thought it was impossible for me to every get an A on a Calculus test, but with prayer, God made what I thought was impossible, possible. Anything with God is possible.
I also love the message of the song. We were not made to just survive, but we were made to thrive. We aren't suppose to go through our days, just going with the current. Some one told me this quote that I love and it goes, "Most men die at 27, but we bury them at 72." When we grow up and we fall into a routine, we stop living and we just float through life. As the song says, "Here in this worn and weary land / Where many of dreams have died." When we let go of our dreams, then we have nothing to work towards so we end up floating through life. But with God's love we have something to continually work for. The song continues with, "Like a tree planted by the water / We never will run dry." God will continually poor into you, if you seek him. Psalms 119:105 says, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path" If we don't know God's word then we don't know what path to follow. But if we know God's word, then God will reveal Himself and His plan for us. THen we will have something to work towards.

Here is Casting Crowns lyric video that they just released.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQ71RWJhS_M

This is my last post of the series "Song Break Down." I prayed that you enjoyed it and it help you get deeper into the songs. 

Song Break Down-Does Anybody Hear Her

I fell in love with this song when I first saw the music video. I love the simple truth behind the song, which is the fact that we have to tell the world of the good news in Jesus Christ, so that they will have a chance to accept Jesus. Romans 10:14 says, "How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one whom they have not heard?  And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?" If we as believers go out into the world to preach the gospel, then the world will have a chance to hear. They may not immediately accept what you are telling them but you would have planted a seed that God can then grow into something beautiful if he chooses. Sharing the gospel isn't easy, but if you change they way you act and talk, then God will give you the perfect opportunity to share the gospel. The Great Commission as it says in Matthew 28:19-20 says, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surly I am with you always, to the very end of the age." We are to go into the world and make disciples of God. God also promises that He will never leave us. It may be scary for us sometimes, but God is there with us; we are never alone. 1 Peter  3:15 says, "But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect." When we start acting like Christ, people will get curious of why you are so different, and this is a perfect time to share the gospel. And if they ask questions that you don't know the answer to, then take time to research the answers to their question.if you respect their time and questions, then God's light can really shine through you into the person you are talking to. Just be prepared, as the verse says, to talk to them. We (and this includes me) can't walk around silently judging who can be saved, and who can't be saved. That is up for God to do, we just have to be prepared to talk to anyone He sends our way.

Here is the music video from Casting Crowns that I really enjoy, and I hope you do too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEhRucEVzH8&feature=c4-overview&list=UUyR_nbNgi7Eypqb2rGDjJWQ&safe=active
Here is a live version of the song, and the story behind the song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gj7yUYXFv_M

Song Break Down-Set Me Free

This is another song that I just discovered recently, and I love how powerful it is. Even the music in the background has a powerful feel to it. This song to me is just a release.Just knowing I'm free from my sins is very refreshing to be reminded of day to day. The first verse is powerful, which goes, "It hasn't always been this way / I remember brighter days " This is the point where you can't go any farther on your own, and you need Jesus to make it through the day. Then you have the end of the first verse, which goes, "Set me free of the chains holding me / Is anybody out there hearing me? / Set me free" This is when you feel hopeless and you just want a way out. You can barely stand on your own two feet and you are just looking for a little bit of light in the otherwise black and dark world.
Ephesians 2:1-2, 4-5 says "As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient... But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive in Christ even when we were dead in our transgressions--it is by grace you are saved." This verse talks about how we were dead in our sins, but God made us alive by sending Jesus to die for us. We were locked up in chains that bound us that the devil placed around us, but when we accept a relationship with Jesus, Jesus breaks those chains that were holding us.

There is one line in the song that I like the best, so I drew a picture of that one line. It is a basic black background, with Jesus being the light in the darkness. And you have to admit, it is really hard to miss. And while this post was really short, take time to listen to the song, and think about what chains are still binding you, and ask Jesus to take them off. Remember, it is by God's grace that we are saved.

Song Break Down-Stained Glass Maquerade

I have just recently discovered this song and I fell in love with it the minute I heard it, because I could relate so easily. As soon as I heard the first verse, I couldn't get the song out of my head. The first verse goes, "Is there anyone that fails / Is there anyone that falls / Am I the only one in church today feelin' so small / Cause when I take a look around / Everybody seems so strong / I know they'll soon discover / That I don't belong / So I tuck it all away, like everything's okay / If I make them all believe it, maybe I'll believe it too / So with a painted grin, I play the part again / So everyone will see me the way that I see them" Then I remembered Luke 6:37, which says, "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven." If we, me included, judge everyone else as being perfect, then they will judge you as being perfect. Or if you don't look perfect, then you will be judged as not good enough. It seems that we all try to look like our lives are put together and we don't need help, while on the inside we are breaking into a million pieces.
And this leads into the chorus of the song which says, "Are we happy plastic people / Under shiny plastic steeples / With walls around our weakness / And smiles to hide our pain / But if the invitation's open / To every heart that has been broken / Maybe then we close the curtain / On our stained glass masquerade." When we bury everything inside while on the outside we try to have it together, then who are we truly. When we act like this, we are like the Pharisees that Matthew talks about in the Matthew 23:25-28 which says, "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisees! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside will be clean. Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness."We can clean the outside as much as we want, and we can try to be seen as having it all together, but the inside is a dirty mess. The verse says that we need to clean the inside and then the outside will end up matching. This might mean that for a while your outside will be a complete mess, and you won't fit in, but when you clean the inside, the outside will be that much brighter. I know that when I start to let the world see what a mess I am, I tend to find people going through the same thing. The other day at my school's bible study, we were talking about where we were before Christ, and how that has changed. I then found out that I wasn't the only girl there who felt that every year, students in her class didn't know my name. I found that God put people in your life for a reason, but we can't find those people if we don't open up.
My favorite part of the song is the second part of the second verse, which goes, "But would it set me free / If I dared to let you see / The truth behind the person / That you imagine me to be / Would your arms be open / Or would you walk away / Would the love of Jesus / Be enough to make you stay" I love this for many reasons. Many for the reason that it points. If I truly show you who I am, will you still love me or will you leave. But looking in John 8:10-11 I know that one person would leave me, "Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" No one, Sir," she said. Then neither do I condemn you, " Jesus declared. Go now and leave you life of sin."" This woman was supposed to be stoned to death when the city found out what she has done. But when God said that the one without sin may throw the first stone they all left. The world may try to condemn you when they find out all you have done in your past, but God won't. Jesus was the only one without sin, so he could have stoned her, but he chose not to. God knows everything that has happened in your past, but he sent his son to wash it away from you, and he will not condemn you.

 Here is a video I found on YouTube that goes really well with this song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRUJrjUGGfg&safe=active

Song Break Down-My Own Worst Enemy

I like this song for many reasons. one is for the upbeat tempo, and a strong beat which is good for dancing. But I also really love the message of this song. It is a message that I think we all struggle with everyday. As it says in the song title, "I am my own worst enemy." I love the chorus of this song which goes, "God, help me get away / Break the chains and set me free / From the other side of me / I can’t fight this fight alone / I’ll never make it on my own / Lord Jesus, rescue me / From my own worst enemy." I like how Mark Hall, from Casting Crowns, sums this up. Mark said that the devil has little buttons in the back off your head, that he can push when ever he wants. I can attest to that theory that Mark talks about. There are times where I want to do something, but right before I do it, there is a voice in my head telling me other wise. That is what Mark it talking about in the song. The chains is that vice in your head telling you that you can't. I love this verse in Romans that is 7:18-19 which says, "I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not for good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do -- this I keep doing." We were all born into a sin filled world, and with that sin we can't do the good that we want to do. The devil is in control of us and he doesn't want us to do good. You may want to do the right thing but the devil still has that button the back of your head that he can push when ever he wants. Verses 24-25 then say, "What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God -- through Jesus Christ our Lord." So we are messed up, and we can't make it on our own. That's when Jesus steps in and takes control. He is able to rescue you from yourself if you trust Him.
The bridge in the song goes. "Lord, help me feed the life I’m trying to live / And starve the life I’m trying to leave / Help me believe the old is dead and gone / And I am a new creation" Colossians 3 talks about what the old life and the new life is. Verse 5 says, "Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry." In contrast to that, verse 12 says, "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience" This is a guideline of how to lives our lives. Now we can't do this on our own, but with God's help we can.

This drawing I did represents the end of the song when you finally beat yourself  thanks to God who is always watching you.

This is Mark Hall's testimony that if you haven't heard, then you really need to find time to listen to it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ab8flhvMh58

Song Break Down-Who Am I

The song, "Who Am I'" is a song I recently rediscovered. I loved listening to it growing up, but until I started this series I just didn't listen to it. I was actually watching Casting Crowns videos on my off period when I heard the song again, and it instantly grabbed me again, and I was fascinated by it just like I was fascinated by it when I was a little girl.

One thing I really like about the song is the chorus. The first part of the chorus goes, "I am a flower quickly fading, / Here today and gone tomorrow. / A wave tossed in the ocean. / A vapor in the wind." I was at bible study on Monday at my school, and we went verse this verse that fits perfectly with this song. Ephesians 4:14 says, "Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming." When we first start out in our faith, we are like infants. We soak everything in but we don't know what to believe. We can't tell the difference of what the world wants verses what God wants. We are continuously tossed back and forth in these waves, or you are blown by every wind that heads your way. The deceitful scheming is done by the devil to throw you off track. There is one big thing that is cunning around this time of year, and it is Santa Clause. He isn't harmful on the outside but if we look closer he can be big trouble. Some off my friends grew up with out knowing who Santa was, and their parents had one reason. When the kids grow up and learn that there is no Santa, or Easter Bunny, or Tooth Fairy, that they are fake, then why would they believe that Jesus is real. So they grew up without Santa. What looks good on the outside, may not be as good as it seems.

 The second part of the chorus gives the hope that there is a way out. The second part goes, "Still You hear me when I'm calling. / Lord, You catch me when I'm falling. / And You've told me who I am. / I am Yours, I am Yours." Ephesians 2:13 says "But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ." This verse is saying that through Christ we have been made close to God. That is why the last line of the chorus says, "I am yours." because we are His. He loves us and cares for us and he won't let us fall.

The prechorus is another big part that sticks out to me. "Not because of who I am / But because of what You've done. / Not because of what I've done / But because of who You are." This is talking about how we didn't earn God's love but it is a gift. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith --and this is not from yourselves, it is a gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast." This verse tells again how we didn't work for God's grace but it was giving to us as a gift. It was by Jesus's death on the cross that we are saved, and we are defined by His death.

The last part of the song that I like is how the verses are set up. The verses are just questions that we ask our selves everyday. "Who am I that God would do this for me?" And after each verse, there is the chorus that says, "I am yours," and it shows how God is doing this for us, because he chose us to be His. This layout of the song is powerful. Even though the questions aren't meant to be answered, we asked them everyday, and then Casting Crowns answer them in the chorus. If you every are in a place where you are asking yourself these questions, just know that you are God's.

I found this video on line and I just thought that it was well done. I pray that when you get the time you would watch this video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CT7x3VnrqbA&safe=active