A Chosen Generation

August 18, 2017 “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.” Hebrews 13:17 I have always looked up to leadership. Thinking that it was so cool that a group of people got to lead another group of people to accomplish something. Some leadership teams were greater than others obviously, but I soon began to realize why. The best leaders are the ones who follow and are lead by Christ in everything they do. In their humility and in their real love for people really leads to greater leadership. Knowing I have one of the best leadership teams I have ever been around above me during my time here is so comforting. Seeing their relationships with God really inspires me and has me willing to submit to them. I know they want what God wants for me. They are not out to make my life harder, but to push me to draw clo

August 17, 2017 “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.” Ephesians 6:1 “Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.” Colossians 3:20 Crazy how everything comes back around. God does not leave things unseen. And I thought I could leave a lot of things unseen. Things that I never thought I would have to talk about and things that I wanted to leave in the past. But when those things involve lying they will never go unseen. Crazy that the two people that have this unconditional love for me would be the ones I hurt the most. Nothing that they did, but my own selfish ambitions and my own pride. I was in a relationship that neither one of them agreed to and as they gave me everything I could ever ask for, I still chose to go behind their backs and do things I was not suppose to. From telling them I was somewhere, but being somewhere else to even lying in my time here to them. Breaking their hearts over and over again, but they still chose

August 16,2017 “Do you not know that if you present yourself to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?”  Romans 6:16 Growing up my main focus has always been on school and sports. As long as I was going to school getting good grades and playing a sport I felt like I was doing good. But I found myself always growing tired of school at a certain time of year or not liking or having the same passion for a sport as I did when I first started. My fire for anything always growing dim in everything I once found joy in doing. Also always being drained by the people I surrounded myself with. I know I am introverted, but this was a different type of draining. I was around people who were not walking with Christ. I wouldn’t say I was the best Christian growing up, but I defiantly believed there was a God and that He loved me. Besides my family, the friends I had and the

August 15,2017 “casting down all arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” 2 Corinthians 10:5 I lack so much. My words my thought and my actions are nothing with out God. Everything I have ever held above Him has failed me. Every turn I have ever taken with out Him has let me fall. I am tired of doing life with out Him. My head has been overflowing with worldly thoughts and not the thoughts and the things that God thinks of me. Not believing who He tells me I am is true. That may seem like just insecurities, but it is ultimately disobedience. Who am I to deny God’s voice? Is it my pride is not wanting what God has for me because I think I have it all together? Or am I just to afraid of letting Him break me and build me into something I am not comfortable with? Probably all of the above. I find myself getting stuck in my old life style even being here. Little things are sne

“though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.” Hebrews 5:8 Life calls for a lot of lessons learned, and most of them are not easy.  I have found that I learn the most when I go through the hardest times. Trying to do things my own way never worked especially when those things involved disobedience. I tried to short cut my way through things and avoided a lot of conversation of how I was feeling and kept everything in. This lead me to break. My mom has always been a big part in my life and always made sure I was okay. She would know from the second I walked into a room that there was something wrong with me. And I would play it off a lot of the time because I thought I could handle my failures and things I know would disappoint her to myself. I still find myself doing this with God. Not wanting to disappoint Him, but not obeying what He puts on my heart. I want Him to be my Shepard and I want Him to guard my heart. I am tired of playing it o

“Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.” Philippians 4:11 I have defiantly experience contentment this week. Being in His will is the most exciting place to be. Praying and praying and praying again for contentment and when I stood up to receive my field assignment, I was at complete peace. God is sending me exactly where He wants me. He has already set the path I just have to live it out with Him by my side. God does not always give us what we want, but He gives us exactly what we need and I am content in that. Psalms 27:13 came to mind it says, “I would have lost heart, unless I had believed That I would see the goodness of the Lord In the land of the living.” I have to keep setting my eyes on things above and keep pushing towards Him even in the hard times. He is equipping and shaping this team and all the teams to do what only He can do. Getting to live out God’s will and knowing that He has called me is an

“As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.” Psalms 17:5 Chasing Him until I see His face! Never will I grow tired when my eyes are fixed on Him. There will always be more to chase after. I can’t wrap my mind on how great and mighty He is. I find contentment knowing that I am in His will. Always being off and on not knowing what I’m doing or if I am even living right. This time away has been hard, but I am finally at the place where I know that God has to be my everything. There is no other way I can turn, but onto Him. He has rooted me and kept me in His peace. I can’t get comfortable now knowing that I am staying here for 6 months of filed time. I have to keep pushing and never letting Him become mundane or normal because this walk is not normal. This walk requires every breath I take to be for Him. My application is to take a prayer wake with Him this weekend. 

“Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5 Everything I have ever found contentment in has been temporary. I find it crazy how long I went never being content in what I had in God because it wasn’t what I wanted. Always expecting more or expecting the next season to hurry up, never resting in where God had me. Jesus will never be temporary. His promises are eternal and I have taken them so lightly over the years. People are going to be in and out of our lives, but God will never take His eyes off of us. He doesn’t forsake us when we mess up or when we forget to spend time with Him. Doesn’t mean that is the relationship we should have with Him, but it shows how much He loves us. No friendships ever last that are only take take take, but that I how I have treated God. His grace is sufficient and yeah I don’t deserve it, but that is the beauty of it. My God

August 8,2017 “Likewise the soldiers asked him saying, ‘And what shall we do?’ So he said to them, ‘Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages.” Luke 3:14 This verse brings me back to “running our own race”. We are not to look onto what others are doing and receiving and wishing we had what they have. God has designed each and every one of us with unique gifts and personalities to do what He has called us to do. Too many times growing up I would constantly want to be a “cool kid” with the right style and the contagious personality. But I found myself being someone I wasn’t. Being filled with a room full of people getting exactly what I had been asking God for, but feeling completely alone. We are God’s soldiers all called for a different reason. We are in a battle here on earth and if we do not allow God have full authority over our lives, we are going to fall. I am done falling on hard ground when I try to do things on my own; I want to f

August 7,2017 “Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.” 1 Timothy 6:6-8 Being content is great gain. Aligning yourself with God’s will and living it out is the best place to be. Thanking God for what you have and even what you do not have. Finding joy in the little things and seeing the light even in dark situations. I have realized that contentment is not the same as comfortability. I have lived a long life of comfort christianity, until coming here. What I saw as “jumps of faith” were more like first steps, but God gave me those first steps to get me here. It is hard for God to move when we are comfortable because we think we are good where we are at. God never stops moving, even when we do. God is so patient with us and lately I have find myself content in just knowing that He is with me. I have brought nothing into thi

August 3,2017 “that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”  Hebrews 6:12 Jesus is our only example to live by. I have spent too much of my life trying to live in others footsteps or who they want me to be. Pleasing people was my number one goal. As long as others were happy, I was happy. A life lived like that is not sacrificial, it might feel like we are doing good for awhile, but it is not what God is calling us to do. Our lives are meant to be glorifying Him, and yeah I was serving and I was there for others, but I was not pointing them to Jesus. If my life does not reflect Christ, nothing I do pleases Him. Yes we are called to love, but we are also called to direct people to Jesus. No it is not us that is saving them, no we are not the ones who get the pat on the back. We are to be tools for God and to be His light in the world. Our world is only getting darker because less and less people are no longer will

August 2,2017 I, John, both your brother and your companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. Revelation 1:9 God has been with me through it all. All my highs and all my lows. All the times I’ve pushed Him away and all the times I have called out to Him. He hears my prayers. Never would I have ever thought that He would actually bring me to Guatemala, but prayer is a powerful thing. Always asking God to do something new, something to make me step out to the comfortability I was living in. Turns out He was actually freeing me from the things I never thought I had been tangled up in. I thought I had my life all together and was coming here to know His word more. I was wrong. I had drifted so far from God, but God never drifted from me. I have learned that my God is a God that I need at all times, not just when I need Him. That kind of shallow relation

August 1, 2017 “strengthen with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and long-suffering with joy;”  Colossians 1:11 My strength comes from God. That seems like an obvious statement, but I have found myself finding my strength, that was not strength, in other things besides God. Finding strength in what others thought about me, or finding it in the things I accomplish. I could do something that I had no desire of doing, but pat myself on the back because I got through it. Seeking in only what I could do and not what I could do with God. That life is not fulfilling. A life chasing after God is a life worth chasing. In this walk I have faced struggles, but the rewards are far greater than anything I could have accomplished on my own. The Lord has taught me patience and that His plans are worth waiting for. And in the long-suffering, He has taught me to find joy in everything I do that brings glory to Him. Verse 10 says, “that you may walk worthy of the

July 31, 2017 “By your patience possess your souls.” Luke 21:19 Waiting on the Lord is probably the hardest thing I struggle with in my walk. Wanting everything now. Wanting to skip all the bad and just get the good and what I want. The past couple of weeks the word want has left a bad taste in my mouth. My wants have become so self seeking and completely my flesh. Dying to self no longer requires my input on what I want, but what God wants. And that is the best life I could live, a life fully submitted to God. Yes, there will be trials and hard times. It could even cause me to be hated or betrayed, but to see God’s face is worth it all. Like the previous verse says, “But not a hair of your head shall be lost” (verse 18). Yes Jesus is promising that there are going to be hard times, but He is also promising that this world cannot hurt us. When we step out to two something for God we are going to be hated at times, but in those times God is promising to protect us. My applica

July 30, 2017  “Now the parables is this: The seed is the word of God Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.” Luke 8:11-15 It is safe to say that I have been i`n each of these positions at least once in my life. Hearing God speak in my life, but letting the enemy convince me other wise is how I spent my first week here. Getting poured into and spending more time with God than I have eve

July 27, 2017 “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.  Ephesians 5:15-17 Bringing glory to God is what we should accomplish each day. Are days are wasted when we spend them on ourselves and our own needs. We are here to seek in God’s will and it may be hard to understand sometimes, but we need to continue striving after what God has for us. I tend to get so caught up here at IGNITE fulfilling my own needs that I feel will bring me closer to God. Thinking that my personal growth can come before me reaching out to others needs. Discovering that it only makes me feel weaker than before. God has already prepared us to do what He is calling us to do, all we need to do is trust in Him. I need to let go of my image and let God show me who I am in Him. In 1 Corinthians 10:31 it says, “Whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God.” I

July 26,2017 For our boasting is this: the testimony of our conscience that we conducted ourselves in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God, and more abundantly toward you. 2 Corinthians 1:12 I am nothing with out God. My testimony is not my own, but His. I only boast in the things that God has done, nothing of my own. In our minds at times we tend to think that we can accomplish so much and get so far on our own. Or even become successful because of a group of people. And yeah success does come out of the things we do, but it is only because of God that those things are possible. The world can knock us down because our minds do not work the way the world wants us to. I know that I am not promised tomorrow, so I am tired of trying to plan out my life. I am tired of the constant, “what do you want to do after IGNITE?” questions. I am taking this walk day by day and walking into His will for my life. It is not always

July 25, 2017   If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. James 1:5 Our wisdom can only come from God. We can’t expect to gain wisdom off a class we take or how many books we read. Of course God works through those things to give us wisdom, but we cannot rely on the world. With wisdom also comes humility. Knowing that we cannot do it on our own and seeking in the Lord and going deeper with Him to know Him more. Wisdom comes when we search for the Lord with our whole hearts. I have begun to realize that it is okay to not always hear God’s voice. Does not mean He is not working, if anything He is working even harder to build me up and to teach me something out of any situation I am in. My application is to talk to one of my roommates about a time where God was not talking as loud as they wish they had heard Him in their lives. 

July 24, 2017 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever. -Psalm 111:10 Fearing the Lord had always seemed like a scary thing for me. I would always think, “I am supposed to be afraid of God if I do something bad?”, but turns out it is the complete opposite. Fearing the Lord is wanted to live for Him to the best of our ability because of what He did for us. We want to draw near because He draws near to us, He is above all else and that is what makes Him who He is. We gain wisdom in knowing how powerful God is, and yeah that can be scary, but He is on our side. We tend to blame bad things on God when they happen to us or in the world. It is confusing at times when we do not understand why something happened or why us or why them, but we have to trust that God is in it and something good will come out of it. Following Him and seeking in everything He has for us is the ultimate sou

July 23, 2017 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. James 3:13-17 Wisdom is not based off how much you know. Wisdom takes place in the heart not the brain. When I think of a wise person I think of an old man who has been through and seen it all. Wisdom is not perfection. Wisdom calls for a lot of mistakes and a lot of lessons learned. In our trials we gain insight on who God is. He takes our messy situations and turns them into undeserving grace to reveal to us how amazing He

July 20, 2017 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called. Then they called the blind man, saying to him, “Be of good cheer. Rise, He is calling you.” Mark 10:47-49 God is always near, even when we can’t see Him. Seeing God work in our lives can sometimes seem impossible, but it turns out we are the ones drifting from Him. I have found myself in that position too many times. Always asking, “God where are you?” or “God do something!” never realizing that he was just patiently waiting for me to fully trust in Him and teaching me His patience in the process. Being too blind to see that God was working in my life that entire time. My God is very patient with me. So patient that He let me run away from IGNITE for an entire year. The world can blind your

July 19, 2017 Now it happened, on a certain day, that He got into a boat with His disciples. And He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side of the lake.” And they launched out. But as they sailed He fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy. And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water. And they ceased, and there was a calm. But He said to them, “Where is your faith?” And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, “Who can this be? For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!” Luke 8:22-25 “Wait God don’t do that.” I tend to say that sentence way too often when God tries to do something with my life. In the past year I have told God that I want to hear Him more and to draw closer to Him, but whenever He would take certain friends out of my life or when my plans would fail

July 18, 2017 “For I am also a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one ‘Go’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel.” -Matthew 8:9-10 When reading this verse, the first word that came to mind was authority. When we put our faith in God we have to trust that whatever comes our way He did it for a purpose. In Hebrews 13 it talks about “obeying those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls” (v.17). Having respect for authority brings glory to God. We must have faith that whoever God places above us we must submit to. Whenever I get stuck in a situation and just want to do my own thing, I have to remember that God brought me here not to just draw closer in my faith in Him, but to be able to trust that He put the ri

July 17,2017  “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is the rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” - Hebrews 11:6 Faith is the only thing that God is asking from me. Walking in faith has always felt like something I could manage. My works are useless without faith. If I do not trust or have faith in God these next 10 months they mean nothing. I want more than just to believe in God and believe that everything in the Bible is true. I want God to be my everything and I can do nothing without Him relationship. Having people tell me who God is and just going along with it never stuck with me because I never felt Him for myself. It is not until I made that complete commitment to laying down my life and truly seeking Him with everything I have. That is what these next 10 months and the rest of my life mean to me. I want to know God like never before and if that causes me to give up a few things to