A Chosen Generation

September 22,2017 “But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers.” 1 Peter 4:7 God answers all prayers with either a no, yes or not yet. Prayer to me this past year has simply just been a conversation. Whether it be talking to Him while driving to work/school or before I go to sleep. Being here and praying before meals, before classes, before going on outreaches and before bed with my whole class became mundane for me at one point. I felt as if I was going through the motions of prayer and just doing it because I had to. I wasn’t taking it seriously and I was lacking in my faith for God to move. When we went to Xela and Pana for our week mission trip I truly prayed with faith and saw those prayers being answered. It was amazing seeing God move. Ever since, I chose to be strong in my faith when I pray because I know He hears me and I know He can do things I could never do. Prayer is essential. Before coming I would go days with o

September 21,2017 “Uriah said to David, ‘The ark and Israel and Judah dwell in booths, and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are camping in the open field. Shall I then go to my house, to eat and to  drink and to lie with my wife? As you live, and as your soul lives, I will not do this thing.’ Then David said to Uriah, ‘Remain here today also, and tomorrow I will send you back.’ So Uriah remind in Jerusalem that day and the next. And David invited him, and he ate in his presence and drank, so that he made him drunk. And in the evening he went out to lie on his couch with the servants of his lord, but he did not go down to his house.” 2 Samuel 11:11-13 We all have plans. We all have our ways to which we run to when we want our way. Not in a million years did I think I would be living in Guatemala, away from my family and learning Spanish. Doing things I never saw myself doing and stretching farther than I ever thought I could. Three months ago if it were up to me I

September 20,2017 “Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.” Mark 1:35 I am not a morning person what so ever. I love to sleep and getting up before the sun does is not my idea of morning time. Never having steady devotional life and never picking up my bible more than twice a week. Being here I have found that my devotional time is my favorite time of day. So much so that I wanted more time in the mornings. Waking up earlier and earlier during training because I wanted more and more of Jesus. Takes disciple to fight against flesh. So many times I have hit that snooze button and woke up a hour late regretting it. God blesses the time we spend with Him no matter what time of day it is. “In the morning when I rise, give me Jesus” has been my prayer and Jesus has shown up every morning when I am obedient to getting up. My alarm is captioned “Spend time with your best friend” and that i

September 19,2017 “Do you know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.” 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 I am tired of chasing and running after temporary things. Things that might make me satisfied,but leave me empty at the end of the day. My flesh is weak and wants things now instead of waiting on the Lord to give them to me. My heart wants to grow closer with the Lord, but my flesh wants me to sleep in and not spend that extra time alone with Him. It is a constant battle and at times my flesh seems to get the best of me. All I can do it continue to fight a

September 18,2017 “For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.” 1 Timothy 4:8 My knowledge of the Bible has defiantly increased since being here, but that knowledge I have obtained means nothing if I am not walking it out. From being in class to my own personal devotional time I have truly met God on a deeper level. But nothing beats feeling His presence when His word is played into action. Taking prayer more serious than I ever have and seeing those prayers being answered in my everyday walk with Him. I hold on to His promises and knowing that He has my life in His hands. Not knowing what tomorrow looks like, I must have the discipline in knowing that whatever happens is for a reason. I don’t need to have all the answers and I don’t need to ask questions, but only live out each day to bring God glory. Not boasting in anything I have done, but revealing God as rea

September 15,2017 “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and eating forward to those things which are ahead.” Philippians 3:13 God knows every mistake I have made and every mistake I am going to make. He isn’t condemning and He is not angry, but loving and forgiving. Of course it hurts Him to see me in the midst of sin, but He always helps me find my way out. I can’t dwell on my past or look far into my future, I have to live in the moment I am in now because this day will soon come to pass. Mistakes are going to happen and consequences will come, but I have to just learn and move on. Giving up all rights has been a challenge because I have always wanted control over my life. Control is an illusion. I have realized that I have never had control over my life nor would I ever. But knowing that God has control and He won’t let me fall is far greater than any place I could have taken myself. I must

September 14,2017 “if by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.” Philippians 3:11-12 “Are you sure you should give God all your heart?” “Do you really want to lay down all your desires?” “Is living in Guatemala really worth it?” These are three questions the enemy hits me with on a weekly basis. The answer to all of them is yes. These past 3 months have been more than worth it, they have been life changing. I don’t know where I would be in life right now if God didn’t bring me here. God didn’t call me to be a missionary because I had my life perfect, in fact my life was far from it. God called me here to heal my broken heart and build me back up with out the distractions from the world. I have met God more here in a week than I have in my entire life. It was no mistake coming here and God hasn’t made a mi

September 13,2017 “that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death” Philippians 3:10 “Jesus died for me so I can live for Him” has been something I have always heard growing up. Not really understanding all the pain and suffering that He did for me on the cross. Of course the movie helped me get a picture of it and broke me, but it still really didn’t hit me until I realized all that He has brought me through. We live in such a dark world and I always would ask myself “why did He die for us, we are so unworthy” and that is exactly why He did what He did. Grace upon grace is what God has given us. Making the ultimate sacrifice because we are worth it in His eyes. His love for us is unexplainable and His mercies are new everyday. He holds my past, present and future in His hands and knows my beginning and end. My God is my best friend. My sins put Him on that cross, but He died knowing He would be

September 12,2017 “and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith” Philippians 3:9 I have gone almost my whole 20 years of existence thinking I had this great relationship with God and was found in Him. Wasn’t until coming here that I realized that my ways weren’t matched up with His. I was caught in my own ways and told myself that I was good with God. Following Him in public, but my private life was different. I wore a mask and depended on myself. This only lead to more destruction like lying and deceiving those around me. Crazy how a small sin can turn into more and more. This lead to more depression and more hurt last December. It wasn’t until I came here and rededicated my life in a way I never have before. Sacrificing all I had and all I wanted. Sounds like more hurt and more depression, but it was the most freeing experience I have ever encounter

September 11,2017 “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy— meditate one these things.” Philippians 4:8 It is so crazy how many times my mind can be set on the negatives that come through out my day. The good things can easily be wiped through my memory if I feel the negative overpowers it. That is a mindset I would get caught up in a lot before coming here. Nothing was good enough if there was something that went wrong. What I have come to realize is that things will never be perfect. And if my mind is set on things above I will have less of an issue and heartache on things that don’t really matter at the end of the day. Laying my burdens, worries and doubts down at the His feet has been the most freeing experience. I no longer want to hold on to temporary things

August 30,2017 “Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:26-28 “Not to be served, but to serve” needs to be my mind set if I want to reflect Christ. These verses remind me of John 13 where Jesus washes the disciples feet. Knowing that Peter would deny Him and that Judas would betray Him, He still chose to love them and serve them. That is what I pray to be like. So many times when people offend me or hurt me my first reaction is to tell myself to never help them with anything again. This often happens with my sister and I when we get into arguments. It is sad how much my heart shrinks for people when they do me wrong. That is not what we are called to do. I want to have the same love for the people that hurt me and the people w

August 28,2017 “If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.” John 12:26 This verse has always seemed like common knowledge for me, but I am now truly understanding what it means. I have never met with God like I have here. I would feel His presence every so often and my fire would reignite for awhile, but it was a lukewarm relationship. I have always been told that I have a servants heart because I was willing to go beyond what was asked from me. I never liked to be center of attention and I still don’t so not being credited for a job done wasn’t a big deal for me. What I have found out is that God was never the main focus. I didn’t do things for God, but to just get things done. I tried doing things in my own strength because I felt the obligation that it was my duty to do so. I wanted to please people and that was my main priority. As long as everyone else enjoyed something I did t

August  25,2017 “For in fact the body is not to one member but many. If the foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,’ is it therefore not of the body?” 1 Corinthians 12:14-15 Random fact: people watching is one of my favorite things to do. I love seeing how people react to things and seeing them interact with people. It amazes me how God designed each and every one of us so differently. Each of us with our own quirks, voices, faces, likes/dislikes making all of us one of a kind. In that I have realized that we are each designed to accomplish something different in our lives. I am not going to have the same gifts as people on my team, but I am still going to be used by God. What a shame it would be if everyone on my team was stuck with my veggie tale sounding singing voice. Thankfully that is not the case. We are all members in the body of Christ and the beauty in that is that we each bring something to the table. Our lives are meant to reflect Chr

August 24,2017 “When then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves.” Romans 15:1 Jesus did not come down to please Himself. His strength didn’t come from the feedback He received or how many people He healed. His strength came from God. We are weak, but in Him we are strong. In the book, Knowledge of the Holy , by A.W. Tozer it says that, “God gives, but does not give away.” That hit me because I thought of how many times I’ve gotten puffed up by the strength He has given me in areas and then got pushed back down and humbled. I can’t do anything with out Him so instead of using the strength that He gives me and use it for my own desires, I need to use that strength to build up those around me. Jesus did not come down to show us how strong He is, but to become weak with us and to show us God’s love. It has been amazing doing life with people with the same heart chasing after Him, but in verse 5 and 6 it says to be, “like minde

August 23,2017 “For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.” Galatians 5:13 For freedom we are set free. I when I sing that song I tend just to sing it to sing it. The word freedom has almost become a norm. Growing up in the states freedom was used as an excuse to do and say whatever you wanted. Our free will in God has always amazed me because God really doesn’t make us do anything. He is so patient with me and has always caught me when I have fallen. He is not controlling or condemning, but pure and kind. And that is what makes me want Him even more. The fact that He doesn’t need me, but wants me keeps me on my toes in knowing that He is calling me. This freedom we have in Him shouldn’t be a freedom for our own selfish needs, but for the needs of others. I have the freedom in living in a country where I can express and live out my walk and in that I can be used to share and s

August 22,2017 “To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.” 1 Corinthians 9:22 What a beautiful thing it is to know that God loves us so much that He was willing to come down and become one of us. Hurting with us, struggling with us, just so He could win us over. Anything I go through He can relate to because He has been through it also. His heart breaks for us and I pray that He breaks my heart for what breaks His. I pray that I can submit to others so I can hurt with them and rejoice with them when God comes through. I want to become to woman God has called me to be and be sent out to where God wants to send me. I want to adapt to new things and uncomfortable things that God is calling me to. I want to be used by God to win souls and not by my strength, but His to be a light in this world. He is calling us all to a greater life with Him and all we have to do is say YES! There is free

August 21,2017 “submitting to one another in the fear of God.” Ephesians 5:21 Growing up I didn’t have friends that were following Jesus. It was hard to have a relationship with Him when it just became a Sunday thing to do. I had opposite morals than a lot of my friends, especially when we got into high school. I didn’t have anyone to keep me accountable in the things I did so it was easy to get away with a lot. My parents were my only form of guidance and people to go to, but as a teenager, sad to say I didn’t want to tell them everything. My junior year everything changed when I started going to youth group on my own. I found friends that loved God and knew Him on a deeper level. That lead me to want draw closer to Him, and it did. I had friends that finally asked deeper questions and friends that had a fear of the Lord. Since I had friends in and out of my life growing up, I prayed that these ones would stay in my life. And they did. This group of friends is thankfully