Be a Leader not a Follower

I was looking at Psalms 37:1-2 and it reads, "Don not fret because of those who do wrong;" verse 2 "for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away." Growing up I was raised in the church, but watching things on TV and seeing the popular crowd at school I grew up wanting to be in that world. I remember my mom always telling me to be a leader not a follower. It wasn't until recently in University that I understood what that meant and how that can be transcribed through the Bible. Often times we see in the Bible that someone will be exposed to that world simplyto have a story of grace and mercy through faith in the end. I remember thinking often times during my sophmore year of college that if I wan't hanging out with my friends on the weekend I was missing out on something so good. However one thing I've noticed is when you give in to your temptations you begin to do the same thing repeatedly aiming for the satisfation you obtained the first time. It seems more like insanity than fun now that I see it from the outside looking in. I feel like when people don't understand redemtion, His grace, mercy and favor or lose faith due to patience they start to see the things they are doing as their only option of happiness, however, temporary it may be they feel its nothing else they can do. When you truly look past yourself and allow God to change your life from the inside out you'll be surprised at the eternal happiness you can have. I've been told  in life that when you are to speaking to someone it's not what you say, but rather how you say it so in reality there is nothing you can do about things in your life, but God; He can calm the seas and move mountains. So in the end you can't allow yourself to be apart of that crowd that you feel is so cool. We can look in the Bible where God has allowed people to have their heart's desire over Him and they are left without His favor. It ultimately makes me wonder why we would like cool or clod darkness rather than a shinning light with the all consuming fire of God's great energy.

Soak Up the Mess

I was watching the Lorax on Netflix and more times than I can count Dr. Seuss shows me something I can apply to my adult life just as I did as a child. I was able to see that in movie even though all of the plant life had been taken away and destroyed, there was one seed left and planted that caused a major change in the lives of the characters. Isn't that a lot like life in many ways, the Bible says in Romans 8:28 that "All things work together for the good of those that love the Lord and are called according to his purpose." It doesn't just say that the things you are going to excel at are going to work for your good, but all things meaning the storms you go through will also work for your good. That movies ultimately also showed me that you can turn your mess into a message which is the same thing as planting a seed and watching it grow and spread. Allow yourself to plant seeds of faith in your life and watch how it will spread and to those around you. Luke 17:6 says it best when " He replied, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you." To sum things up we all make mistakes and we all fall short of the glory, but that's the reason we have a savior named Jesus that can redeem us from all that keeps us from measuring up. Soak up the mess, soak it in and allow God to change your mess into a message.

Being a Christian (The Power of a Misfit)

Looking at John 8:36 which says "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." got me thinking about this journey I take in faith. A walk people in the world see as torture or no fun. However this is honestly one of the best decisions you can make as a young adult or teenager. There are so many people in full adulthood finding themselves still longing for something to fill the void that they think is on Earth. The only being capable to fully complete you and make you whole is someone who walked on this Earth, died for our sins and debts to paid and took the keys of death from hell so that we would not know it's sting. This indeed is not an easy walk nor is it always pure bliss. There will be times where you feel the weight of the world on your shoulders, but fret not my friend because you have to remember that God is always on your side. In order to have a true testimony you must be tested and when you've been hurt God can turn you from a victim to a victor.

Yours truly,
Songbird876

When the Time Comes

I had something else prepared today, however I got some news about a friend who's mom passed away. When your friends become your family so do their parents almost like a slight adoption at times. That was indeed on of my adopted moms and to hear that I wouldn't be able to see her or laugh with her or share great moment with her anymore is heartbreaking. I then realized the news of her diagnosis the weeks before of her having cancer and days after saying it had already spread throughout her body. I learned something that even though I'm sad there is nothing for me to worry about because she was a woman of God. What people often time want for their family and friends is total healing on Earth every time something happens to their family and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. Where the interpretation get mislead is when situations happen like this and your family members pass away during their illness most people feel like God didn't heal them, but it couldn't be further from the truth. God will heal you whether it be on this Earth or in heaven. The Bible reads in Romans 8:28 that "And we know all things work together for the good of them that love the Lord and are called according to his purpose." Our lives have great purpose and so does our death it has purpose and ends a chapter in our earthly book so we can have infinite pages with the Lord through the Lambs Book of Life. Each one of has our "final hour upon the stage" but the ultimate thing is knowing where you stand with God through his son Jesus Christ because the only way you get to the father is the son.

Yours Truly,
Songbird 876

Being Pure for God

Being in school and going to college you are exposed to a lot whether it be parties, alcohol or sex. Some of your closest friends will be into these things but when you are walking close to God and trying to live pure you can't participate in somethings to keep yourself from doing something that might cause you to fight your temptations. It is already a difficult task to do on a daily basis and to walk into your temptations and try to stand your ground is never an easy task. This world tries to sell itself like it will it will last forever, but it is slowly fading away. So when you feel like you're standing alone remember that when you stand alone you stand out and eventually when you look around you truly aren't as alone as you thought. This fight for eternal happiness and completion is much greater than the temporary satisfaction and it all starts with you.

Yours truly,
Songbird876

<a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/"><img alt="Creative Commons License" style="border-width:0" src="http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-sa/4.0/88x31.png" /></a><br /><span xmlns:dct="http://purl.org/dc/terms/" property="dct:title">Thoughts of a Songbird</span> by <a xmlns:cc="http://creativecommons.org/ns#" href="http://songbird876.blogspot.com/" property="cc:attributionName" rel="cc:attributionURL">Ashley McHayle</a> is licensed under a <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License</a>.