Song Break Down- Never Gone

"Never Gone" by Colton Dixon is one of my favorite songs. When I first heard the song on K-Love, I was going through a hard time at school with my grades, and the song was a reminder that God was there with me through that time in my life, and that he is still with me to this day. I really liked the use of a metaphor with the kid in the dark, and our faith. The first verses goes, "Lights off, a shot in the dark/We get lost when we’re playing a part/We lay blame like we know what’s best/It’s a shame…" There have been many times in my life where I would want God to step in and "turn on the lights" so that I could see every thing that was going on, and know that every thing was going to be fine, and it is a shame that I don't trust God fully like I say that I do. But God does have a reason for not immediately turning on the lights. If he was going to turn on the lights every time that we needed him, then how would our faith grow. I actually found a great verse on what faith is. In Hebrews 11:1 it says, "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Faith is believing in what we do not see. It is by our faith that we believe in the fact that God is always with us. The chorus of the song goes, "I’m still standing here/No I didn’t disappear/Now the lights are on/See I was never gone/I let go of your hand/To help you understand/With you all along/Oh, I was never gone." The chorus is talking from God's perspective on how he never left us. We can't see Him, but it is by our faith that we know that he is there. It is by our faith, that we know that his son died for us on that cross, and that he rose three days later. It is by our faith that we know that the Holy Spirit was sent to be with us and to help strengthen us.  Now I was reading Hebrews 11, and I found that the whole section talks about faith. As I was reading it I found a theme, and it was the use of the words "by faith." Every time that the author would talk about a new person, he wouldn't talk about their actions as much as he would talk about their faith, and them believing in what they could not see. It talked about Abraham's faith in God when he went to go sacrifice his son. It talked about Noah's faith when he built an ark, even though it didn't look light a flood was going to happen.  It talked about Moses faith when God helped him part the red sea. But my question is, "What about your faith?" We all reach points in our life, when we can't find an explanation for what is going on, or the world seems like it is out to get us. Do you have the faith to believe that God is still there even in the darkness, like the song talks about? Do you have faith that God has a plan for your life, like he had a plan for Abraham's, Noah's, and Moses's life? Do you have that faith? These trials that we face aren't there for nothing. They are there to help us grow in our faith. James 1:2-4 says, "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." The more that your faith is tested, the more that God leaves the lights off, that is what allows us to grow, so that our faith may become steadfast through any situation. With a steadfast faith, we will be able to do the will that God has for us, and we can go knowing that we have everything we need through our faith. So this week, I challenge you to go through the trials in your life, not asking for God to rush in and turn on the lights, but that your faith may grow to know that he is there.  Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you so much for not always stepping in and turning on the lights. I pray that as I grow through the trials of my life that my faith can grow so that I can be steadfast in any situation Thank you for always being there even when I can't feel you. Thank you. Amen.

I Trust in Jesus

Many of us have someone in our lives we trust, whether it is a teacher, a family member, or a closer friend. But what if all those things went away, who would you trust.  The things of this world that we trust will either let us down or one day they would be gone. But there is one thing that you can always trust no matter what happens. Psalm 25:1 says, “In you, Lord my God, I put my trust.” When you give up control of your life then who knows what can happen. God can do great things with ordinary people. Look at David; he was a shepherd boy watching over the sheep.  He trusted in the Lord, and he ended up becoming a king. Who knows what you can become when you place your trust in Jesus. 
And when you place your trust in Jesus, you can feel confident that he is not going to forget you because it is said, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11) We can put our hope in God with our trust because God knows the plans he has for you. While the other people you trust don’t know how your life is going to end, and who you will be, and what you will do, but God does. He already knows all about you, and he knows what you will do in your life. He knows what college you will go to, who you will marry, where you will live, the job you will have, and so much more.
You may not do anything about what your life will be, but all you need to do is ask. Matthew 7:7 says, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” If you ask God, he will answer. It may not always be obvious, and sometimes you have to listen real closely to hear it, but he will answer you. It may not always be the answer you want, but it is the answer that is needed to fulfill God’s plan for you.

Know after all I just said, I know how difficult it is to trust God. We all have so many questions we want to be answered the way we want them answered. We think we already have our lives planned out, but God has something different in mind. It is difficult, and it takes constant reminder whether that is daily, or even hourly that God is in control of everything and you can trust him with every aspect of your life. 

Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for the control you have in my life. I trust you and your plans for I know they are the best for me. Lord, I know I will have times of doubt, but help me work through those doubts to develop a deeper trust. Amen. 

Planning Ahead

I don’t care how much we try to avoid it, but we all have a future.

Some of us think that our future is so far away that we don’t need to worry about it now.  Most of us are just trying to get through school, or college, or whatever we are doing. But we should be thinking about our future and how our actions can shape it.  

I was reading the beginning of Lamentations, and for those of you who haven’t read it in great detail before, it talks about the downfall of Jerusalem with her sin and how everyone had turned away from God.  The one verse in there that stuck out to me was:  

Lamentations 1:9 “Her uncleanness was in her skirts; She did not consider her future. Therefore she has fallen astonishingly; She has no comforter. "See, O LORD, my affliction, For the enemy has magnified himself!”

When the people in Jerusalem were sinning and turning away from God, they weren’t thinking of the destruction that it would have on the city later. Then the future came, and they were in deep with their sins from the past. And even though this happened a long time ago, it still can happen to us. If you are just worried about today, then you might go get drunk, or sleep with your boyfriend before marriage. But in the future those actions can have consequences like having an accident because you are drunk, or having to drop out of school because you have to take care of your child by yourself. I’m not saying that you need to worry constantly about your future, but keeping you future in the back of your mind when you are about to do something, might stop you from doing something you will regret later.

Dear Heavenly Father
Thank you for knowing my future and the plans you have for it. Help me out prepare myself now for what may come in my future.. Help me to make the best of what I have now so that I will be able to test and approve your will for my life. Amen.

Like My Cat

I don't know if you have a cat, but if you ever play with one they are just adorable. I have one cat, Oreo.

Oreo

My favorite game to play with her, is where I hold something above her, just out of reach, and she try to grab it with her paws. Sometimes she get it, but most of the time she can't get it. When she does get it, she doesn't feel satisfied and so she try again. I feel like we sometimes act like cats. We try our best to reach the things that the world offers, and sometimes we get it and we don't feel satisfied, sometimes we can't get it and we feel even worse. 1 John 2:16 says, "For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world." If you try to reach for that new car, or the hottest guy/girl in school, or for the popularity, you may not reach it, or even if you do reach it, you are never satisfied. Afterwards you want more and more and more, trying to feel satisfied, and you never feel satisfied. You are like one of my cat, just pawing at what ever I dangle above your head never feeling satisfied or not even reaching it. 

But, there is something that can be satisfied. 2 Corinthians 12:9 says, "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 about my weaknesses so that Christ's power may rest on me." God is enough for you. It made be hard to believe, but he can satisfy the emptiness in your heart. The void that you are trying to fill with worldly goods, can only be filled by God. His love, grace, and mercy is enough. You may end up having the nice car, or the good looking date, or what ever else you may want, but none of that is going to matter, if God isn't in your heart. Without God, we are just out there searching for something to fill the void to fill our hearts, never to be satisfied with what we find.  There is a simple truth, and it is that God is enough.

Dear Heavenly Father,

I know that you are enough for me. Help me to try not to fill my heart with worldly desires, and items, but help me to fill my heart up with you God. you are all I need, and anything else is a bonus to the incredible life that you have given me. Thanks for your unfailing love, mercy and grace. Amen