Josh Groban - You Raise Me Up (Video)

Just an inspiring video to listen to as you read!!! God Bless You!! =D

More Proof of God's Awesomeness!!! :)

Tonight when I sat down on my you version bible app, my plan was to read through Ephesians in The Message translation. God had a different plan, I had no more than read the first verse of Ephesians 1 when all of a sudden my app malfunctioned sent me straight to Galatians 5 and I could not go anywhere, my iPod wouldn't even let me go out of the app, so I decided to read where it started which is where I put it on here. I know that God was trying to tell me something, and he wanted me to get it crystal clear. It couldn't have been more clear if he was sitting next to me looking at me and actually speaking the words.

Galatians 5:7-26 (MSG)
7-10 You were running superbly! Who cut in on you, deflecting you from the true course of obedience? This detour doesn't come from the One who called you into the race in the first place. And please don't toss this off as insignificant. It only takes a minute amount of yeast, you know, to permeate an entire loaf of bread. Deep down, the Master has given me confidence that you will not defect. But the one who is upsetting you, whoever he is, will bear the divine judgment.
11-12 As for the rumor that I continue to preach the ways of circumcision (as I did in those pre-Damascus Road days), that is absurd. Why would I still be persecuted, then? If I were preaching that old message, no one would be offended if I mentioned the Cross now and then—it would be so watered-down it wouldn't matter one way or the other. Why don't these agitators, obsessive as they are about circumcision, go all the way and castrate themselves!
13-15 It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don't use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that's how freedom grows. For everything we know about God's Word is summed up in a single sentence: Love others as you love yourself. That's an act of true freedom. If you bite and ravage each other, watch out—in no time at all you will be annihilating each other, and where will your precious freedom be then?
16-18 My counsel is this: Live freely, animated and motivated by God's Spirit. Then you won't feed the compulsions of selfishness. For there is a root of sinful self-interest in us that is at odds with a free spirit, just as the free spirit is incompatible with selfishness. These two ways of life are antithetical, so that you cannot live at times one way and at times another way according to how you feel on any given day. Why don't you choose to be led by the Spirit and so escape the erratic compulsions of a law-dominated existence?
19-21 It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on. This isn't the first time I have warned you, you know. If you use your freedom this way, you will not inherit God's kingdom.
22-23 But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.
24 Legalism is helpless in bringing this about; it only gets in the way. Among those who belong to Christ, everything connected with getting our own way and mindlessly responding to what everyone else calls necessities is killed off for good—crucified.
25-26 Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives. That means we will not compare ourselves with each other as if one of us were better and another worse. We have far more interesting things to do with our lives. Each of us is an original.


When I was able to come out of the app, and reboot everything I went back into the app and the verse for the day only summed up what God was saying:

James 4:8-10 (MSG)
Say a quiet yes to God and he'll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it's the only way you'll get on your feet.


God IS real. If there was ever any room for the enemy to make me doubt that, the room is gone. I was not praying for God to speak to me like this. He's never spoken to me so clearly before. I sat down opened the app and he showed up in a mighty way. And I thank him for speaking to me so clearly tonight. He truly is amazing!!! :) I love my God!

May our great and mighty God bless you and yours abundantly today!!!

Love

Could you imagine taking the life of one of your own children, to save trillions of other people? Stay with me for a minute. Is there anyone on earth that you love so much you would be willing to take the life of your own child? Now, I'm 17, but someday when/if (depending on God's plans) I get married, I would like to have kid's, and I can't even begin to imagine doing that. Do you understand that God did that for you? It's a verse that everyone, be it christian or atheist knows.

John 3:16 (ESV)
For God so love the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Jesus was pure. Born of a virgin and lived a sinless life. Yet died on a cross to pay for the sins that we have and will commit. That my friend is true love!!!

Romans 5:8 (ESV)
but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

He died for US!!!!! I've said it before, and I'll say it again my friend! God has an unfailing, never ending, everlasting love!!!!!!! You will not find that love on earth, ONLY THROUGH GOD!!

Romans 8:37-39 (NLT)
No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loves us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow--not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below--in deed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

NOTHING on earth, no angel, no demon, no fear or worry. NOTHING can separate us from His Almighty love friend!!!! Doesn't that just fire you up!?!? If it doesn't than there is a major problem my friend because it should!

1 John 3:1 (ESV)
See what kind of love the father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

Friend you are a child of God. Whether you love him or not He loves you!!! =) Always with an unfailing love!!!!!!! God wants us to love people like he loves people. And no we're not going to be perfect in doing so, but it doesn't mean you shouldn't try.

John 15:9-17 (NLT)
"I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father's commandments and remain in his love. I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn't confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. You didn't choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name. This is my command: Love each other.

Jesus made a command that you shall love one another as he has loved you. Obey him. I pray just about every night that God will remove all of the anger and bitterness from my heart and replace it with forgiveness and a love like his. I pray the same for anyone who reads this, or comes across this verse.

I found a quote that I think goes great with this post:
"God loves you just the way you are, but He refuses to leave you that way. He wants you to be just like Jesus." -Max Lucado

God loves you too much to leave you the way he found you my friend!!!!!!! There is a place in my testimony where I said that I thought I was happy, but towards the end I mention that, though things aren't always easy, I have a joy in my heart that can only be experienced through a relationship with God! Through the LOVE of Jesus Christ. He love me too much to leave me without that joy, and he loves you too much to leave you without that joy as well my friend!!

Some of you may know this verse fairly well and some of you may not, but I would like to leave you with a verse that God has placed on my heart.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (NLT)
Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever!

I pray that you would all think of this verse in your everyday relationships, and apply it to them as well. Know that God loves you no matter what and he has plans for you. Praise God in all situations good and bad. I pray that you will radiate the love of Jesus today and always so that those around you will be (as my pastor would say) splashed with a little bit of Jesus. God loves you my friend!!!!

May our heavenly Father bless you and yours abundantly!!!!!!!