My Strength

As some of you know, I've really been lifting weights and things to get my strength up. Just kidding. The only weight that I've been lifting is a loaded fork.

I just got some insight last night and it pretty much amazed me, so I wanted to share it.

We often hear, especially growing up in the church, that "the joy of the Lord is our strength". What does that mean? I, along with many other people I'm sure, believed that it meant that the Lord would give us joy to strengthen us right? Well last night totally changed my mind about this. Check it out;

The joy of the Lord is our strength.
Our strength is the joy of the Lord.
Our strength is the Lord's joy.

We get strength, when we bring the Lord joy.

We read our Bible. It brings the Lord joy, and it gives us strength.
We pray. It brings the Lord joy, and we get strength.
We spread the gospel. It brings the Lord joy, and we get strength.

BOOM.

I get strength when I bring the Lord joy. You get strength when you bring the Lord joy. So your walk with God is getting tough? Go ahead, bring the Lord some joy. *runs aisles*
Is this just me, or is that not pretty amazing?

Just thought I'd share that tidbit. Be blessed! ;)

All in God's Time

Young people get a lot of pressure. From society. From school. From friends and family. From the government. And even from the church. It surrounds us and is constantly jostling us, hoping to get our attention long enough to change us.-either for better or worse. We get pressure to be in a relationship, to follow after a certain career, to vote a particular way, to be a particular person. Sometimes these pressures have negative influence in our lives and we have to learn to combat them so that we don't succumb to every pressure that comes along.
At this particular point in my life, the pressure gets increased a little bit more. All we hear is, 'What are you going to do?', 'Where are you going to work?', 'Who are you going to be?' and so on. Its strenuous and intense. I'm trying to follow the will of God, but am I? Can I even hear His voice through the crowd of people interrogating me?
And of course, we have to factor in the pressure of the world. Pressure is continually increasing. Gay marriage, humanism, new age beliefs are all on the rise.-and that is barely scratching the surface. There are fights, riots, shootings, and other acts of violence imposed on the people that dare to take a stand. (Why would we stand up when we could be killed or persecuted for it?)
So as young people, one thing that we hear often is that it is time. It is 'time to grow up' or it is 'time to embrace change' or it is 'time to settle down and have a relationship'. We have to be careful what we let ourselves listen to and who we submit ourselves too.
I've thought a lot about this and asked myself some questions, truly wanting to know. Who am I listening to? What are they saying?-Is it something that could help me or does it have the potential to lead my soul down the wrong path? I don't want anything to hinder my relationship with God or inhibit my work for God. I don't want to open the door to a voice that leads me astray and have to live with that for the rest of my life. -And I definitely do not want to get in the way of God's timing. Its too important to me. All His way, all His time. All the time. I mean that.

WOW!!!

You guys, in case you haven't realized it yet...GOD IS SO GOOD!! I feel like screaming it form the rooftops! Man, he is still pouring out his spirit today!...for instance, Stephanie Blacksher was filled with the Holy-Ghost on Sunday!!- And so was Madison. Madison had it all over her, and when she passed out at church and I caught her...yah! she was still speaking in tongues!! Talk about awesome!...but that isn't all!! On Wednesday, miss Guiliana Rocha and miss Cheyenne Stephenson, two kindergartners got drunk in the Holy-Ghost...And they had their own little altar service during the middle of song service. I was praise singing and I saw Guiliana with her hands raised and tears streaming down her cheeks. I felt a burden for her so I went to pray with her and she started talking in tongues. After a while she started to stop praying and I told her that her older brother Jeriah needed her to pray for him because he really wanted the Holy-Ghost...Before long she was talking in tongues again but this time...it lasted for about 1 hour!-a 6 year old!! man, it was amazing!!! =D That is just one more sign...it is truly here. God is coming soon. You people that don't have your heart right with God, I encourage you to do so...like the song says...

People get ready, Jesus is coming!
Soon we'll be goin' home!
People get ready, Jesus is coming!
To take form this world his own!

Man! what a good song... =D
**beep, beep** Now changing the subject...
Now, I have to tell you about my sweet blonde best friend named Brooklyn...
Yah, so at youth service, Mykahla ws asking me if Trent was a Junior. Brooklyn, being the smart girl that she is responded to my 'Yes.' with ' What?! I thought he was in 11th grade!!'....
Wow!!
Brooklyn: I am dumbstruck with your brilliant-ness!! LOL

Yah, it was hysterical! anyways...g2g cuz I am making cookies for my CHRISTmas party tomorrow...=D

Have a lot of exquisite holiday bliss! =D

*that was for Kaylen* =D