Warning to a Christian who continues to sin!

Today's blog will be taken from Hebrews 10: 26-39:

If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgement and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated an an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, "It is mine to avenge; I will repay", and again, "The Lord will judge his people". It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering. Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions.

So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For in just a very little while,

"He who is coming will come and will not delay.
But my righteous one will live by faith.
And if he shrinks back,
I will not be pleased with him".

But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.

Encouragement goes a long way!

There is nothing worse than feeling alone and depressed because of a mistake you have made. You feel as though you have disappointed God for the upteenth time. You turn away from Him because of the guilt that has filled your heart and replaced Him.
I am here to tell you that God is in your heart the day you accept Him into it. He will never leave you or forsake you. You may have turned away from Him, but He hasn't turned from you. You are very precious to Him in so many ways. He wants you to turn back around and follow Him and leave your feelings of doubt, self-loathing, and regret behind and start anew with Him.
I know what encouragement is like. It feels good to have someone tell you that you are doing great at something no matter what it is. I am here to encourage you brothers and sisters that you are worth something not only to God, but to me. Everyone of you has a purpose here on this Earth. Give God your entire life. Don't hold on to any of it. He can truly do great wonders with what you have to give Him.
I am going to end this post with the following verse from 1 Thessalonians 5:14,15:

"And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else."

Out of My Comfort Zone

Since I have moved to East Tennessee to pursue my Master of Science in Nursing degree, I have found this place very tranquil. I find myself able to think clearer and process my thoughts quicker. There is something about the mountains that is so relaxing. God has brought me to this place, and I believe for a reason. I know no one but my classmates and some of the LMU staff. He brought me here because of the fact that I can think clearer and process thoughts clearer. He wants me to find Him! What I mean by that is that I am out in His creation learning the fullness of God and how to be obedient to Him. I don't have the distractions of work, knowing everyone, and the city life. I am truly out of my comfort zone, but for a very good reason. True I am here for school and to graduate, but I come to realize there is more to it than that. God will pull you out of your comfort zone for his purpose when you don't want to leave. In those situations you have to obey Him and have faith that there is a greater purpose for you He wants you to discover. It is hard to listen to the still small voice of God when you are amongst what you know and what makes you comfortable. Missionaries in other countries or in dangerous parts of the U.S. are out of their comfort zone. God will always take care of you no matter where you are out of your comfort zone. He won't give you more than you can handle. I will close with another verse from Paul, the ring leader of 'out of comfort zone living':

Paul says to the Philippians in Philippians 1:12-14
"Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. Because of my chains, most of the brother in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly."

What it takes to return to God!

Like any prodigal son, I have come to realize that I cannot live without God. He is so loving, merciful, and full of grace, but yet He is still a jealous God. You cannot put other idols no matter what they are in place of God. I realized by placing a great distance between my everlasting and ever loving Father and myself made me feel empty inside. I know the last part sounds cliche, but it is a simple and undeniable truth many Christians take for granted. God is not a being that you want to take for granted. He knows everything that goes on in your life and has been through all of it while He walked this Earth and then persecuted and hung on a tree for our sins. I lost sight of the very nature of God. I wanted to live my life my way. I didn't want Him to have control of it even in the least bit. You have to allow Him to have control or otherwise you will be spiraling down a long and broken down staircase, and you will end up ruining your life and even others around you. Take it from me and just kneel down in front of your bed, sit down in a closet somewhere, or prostrated on the floor of your house and pray to your Heavenly Father and admit your sin and ask for forgiveness. He will forgive you! If you have never accepted Christ as your Savior, I would love to tell you how you can. He is the best friend that will never leave you. He will comfort you in your time of sorrow and pain. He will surround you with His love on a daily basis. He wants you to come to Him and accept His sacrifice. He LOVES you and with a unconditional love! I read this verse in my quiet time this morning and absolutely love it:

Paul says to the Ephesians: "I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge-that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." Eph 16-19