Is God Present?

Do you feel God in your life? Ever since I can remember I have been trying to figure out the relationship that man and God share. When I was young, it was learning stories about Adam and God, Abraham and God, David and God, and etc. but as I began to grow I realized that it was much more than a God and His people following Him. I thought that God's relationship was the same with every man or woman, but it's not. It was a special relationship with each person. EACH person had their own special relationship. It's kinda like when your parents punish you for getting B's on your report card, but praise your brother for getting C's. Your parent's realized that you were two different people who needed different environments and circumstances to thrive and the same thing happens with God. He won't treat us all the same. It makes no sense. God allowed Abraham to grow in faith throughout his hundred years, but groomed David from birth to be a king. Everything that occurred in these men's lives led them to become the people that God needed them to be. You may not realize now, but God is grooming you for only a destiny that you can fulfill. So whether or not if you feel God isn't the question, but rather can you see the good God is doing in your life?

The Phoenix

New Posts to come!!

Sorry, that I haven't updated in a while; I forgot my login. New updates will come ASAP.
Thoughts will include:
Music: A New Thought
Prayer: How to grow righteous
PreMarital Sex: Unpure thoughts
Bringing Down a Generation: how your actions affect your kids
and much more!
God bless and stay righteous in the Lord.

The Phoenix

A prayer...

Father, I lay this blog at your feet. I ask that you allow me to convey Your thoughts and Your feelings correctly. Lord, I know that I have imperfections and I hope that this blog will touch those who are reading it and give them something to think about in Your name. I sincerely ask that you allow your word to be conveyed in a shining light. I pray, that you bless those who are reading it and guide them to a place that you wish them to be.-Your Child, the Phoenix

Are you growing as a Christian?

It's apart of my daily rituals to try to grow every day as a Christian. Some days I do well, while others I fail miserably but it's the effort that matters. I often hear of people settling for where they are in their spiritual lives and I feel badly for them. It's not that they are not making an attempt to grow, it's just that they don't know how.

"God loves you just the way you are...but He refuses to leave you there."-Max Lucado Just Like Jesus

That quote constantly pops into my head when I try to get lazy in my spiritual life. it's like a constant reminder that I can get better and that I need to get better. Getting better is what keeps me going everyday. As Christians we really, really need to try and grow everyday. Especially in this day and age with the world getting more and more away from God we know that we are getting closer and closer to judgment. We as the body of Christ HAVE to do what we need to do now so that when the days come when things get bad we will be ready. A lot of us try to live without regrets and that's a good thing, but I also don't want you to wait until those days come and be without a strong spiritual base. I know it's hard and the days are short, but I urge
you to live and live for Him. Please take this time to reevaluate your priorities and try and make Him your first priority. I realize that it's a big step to take, but a good step in the right direction would be to try and attempt each day to grow in Christ.

P.S.: "...He refuses to leave you that way." Don't make Him work.

Cursing.

I know that over the years cursing has been a hot topic in Christian youths. Some think that it's never outright stated in the Bible that it is wrong. Others think that it's a sin that doesn't really matter to God. Well, on both accounts you're wrong. It is mentioned in the Bible and sin is sin. No sin is bigger than any other. Kinda hard to grasp? I know, but it's true.

Collosians 3:8 (NIV)
8But now you MUST rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. (emphasis mine)

This verse is one of my favorites because it's short, clear, and to the point. We must get rid of all impure things and they should not come out of our mouths. I know that quite often I say, we are called to be Christlike and we are. Can you imagine Christ cursing? I hope not. He is the purest being that we ever can imagine and also our God. We need to allow Him to help us do the things that we say are impossible.

I have heard many reasons for people who say they are Christians to curse, and some of them seem pretty legitimate, but none of them will stand up in front of God. It says it in black and white. Now you can argue that cursing is no longer filthy language, but I beg to differ. Sure some words are said on television, but I can guarantee that NO ONE will use that language in the presence of God.

Still not convinced, I'll give you one last scenario that might make you see a different light. It may be sorta cheesy, but try this. Would you put your hand on the Bible and curse? I know in courts they often make you put your hand on the Bible and, "Swear to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth". They use the bible because it's God's most sacred and holiest writings. Now I ask you again, would you curse on the Bible? I think the common answer would be, "No." Whether or not your church believes that God is present in the church, you know that the Bible is the living word of God and if you will not curse on the Bible, then why would you curse at all?

Music....

I have been thinking about this for quite a while and I think that I've been led to a pretty good conclusion. Music is definitely a spiritual activity, whether you want to believe it or not. Think about it, when you listen to the music you feel differently. That can be a good thing or a bad thing. If the music is positive and uplifting then enjoy it, but if it preaches of fornication and selling drugs it might not be the best thing to listen to. Some people can withstand it because their spirits aren't as sensitive as others. I personally have a very sensitive spirit and it absorbs pretty much anything that it comes into contact with. So, for me I choose NOT to listen to this music that doesn't uplift God. There are so many things in this world trying to stop us from living a life that would please Christ, so why add to the struggle by listening to secular music that has nothing to do with glorifying his name? Sure every now and then, they'll throw a track on their album about God, but that's in the mist of sex,drugs, fornication, and other things I care not to wish. My point is, you have to know yourself as a spirit and not as a body. The flesh does nothing for you, but make you look like everybody else. Everything is a spiritual activity so please remember this when you start putting things into your spirit. As Christians we are trying to stay PURE IN SPIRIT and we certainly can not do that when our spirit is being filled with the things of the world.

P.S. Remember that as the body of Christ we are called to be 'Just like Jesus' and not just like the world.

Radical Christian?

I have heard people say a lot of bad things about those so-called 'radical Christians'. Well, I am a radical Christian and I am proud of it. I don't listen and adhere to the standards of man as long as my Father is pleased so am I. The will of man is not my priority.

radical
thoroughgoing or extreme, esp. as regards change from accepted or traditional forms: a radical change in the policy of a company.

See when we say 'radical' we mean going to the extreme to live for Christ. I definitely try not to conform myself to any set standards other than those of my father. Over the years His word has been compromised, by pharisees who look at the motions and not the circumstances. You can't get hung up on every little thing that you think is wrong, you'll get worn out. What I'm saying is don't get caught up in tradition but be open to new things. Have an open mind, don't get me wrong I'm NOT saying to go out and try drugs or anything like that, but understand that not everything that you are not familiar with is wrong. Remember we are His disciples, He is NOT ours. The pharisees harped on every little thing and they were scolded several times by the Almighty Himself but they were too blind and did not see the one true God standing in front of them.

P.S. for some of my reasoning see Matthew Chapter 9.

Witnessing

Philemon 1:6 (NIV) 6 I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.

How often do you witness? Not sure what that means, well I'll inform you. Witnessing is the art of sharing your faith with your fellow humans. We as Christians are supposed to share our faith to those who do not have the privilege of knowing the Lord. See it is apart of our daily struggle to witness. I know, you don't want to offend or turn off some people, right? Yeah, well you're not alone in that regard, because I struggle with it too. Witnessing is one of the hardest tasks that I deal with in my daily life. I truly do want to share my faith and this amazing relationship with everyone all the time, but I also realize that unfortunately not everyone believes in Jesus Christ or that there even is a God. (As much as that pains me to say.) It is hard enough to witness, but when the person is really really turned off about God, how do we do it? I recently found out that if someone dies and we had a chance to witness to them, but didn't that WE are held responsible in God's eyes. How much of a daunting task is that? We have to witness to every single person? Wow. I'm still having a hard time digesting it. I guess the answer to this is...pray. That's right I said it. P-R-A-Y. It's our greatest weapons as Christians and if we don't use it we might as well pack it up. A church I once went to had a creed that they said at the end of church every Sunday, "little prayer little power, no prayer no power." Makes sense, huh? So, I'll leave you with these parting words for now. When things get tough, just pray.

Introduction

I'm Jalisa, welcome to my blog! Thanks for checking it out. This blog will be updated as the Lord leads me. I just want to help some peoole out there who are going through the same daily struggle that I am. I know it's really hard to be a Christian these days and I know it's especially hard to be a Christian teen. That's why this blog is geared towards the younger generation. It's not that I have anything against the older generation it's more that I'm young myself and I only can speak from what I know. It's a hard task to live for Him and I just want to give support to those who need it based on my experiences and the things that I go through. God bless.

P.S. Try to LIVE for Christ. That means on Sunday mornings but also on Monday through Thursday.