Thrift Store Faith

 Hi everyone!  

A few weeks ago I heard a sermon about Thrift Store Faith. What is that? 

 A lot of people have purchased second hand faith from their parents. They just call themselves  Christians, going to church just because that's what they have always done. There is no personal commitment. 

 So how do we avoid it? 

 1# Discover it.

  You have to want it. To seek it out. And ask yourself if you really are a Christian or are you just going off what people have told you in the past. Is it real? Once you have decided this you're ready for the next step.

  2# Own it.

  When you buy something second hand, you don't take care of it half as well as if they had bought it second hand or borrowed. They don't clean it or take special care of it. Many people have done that with God, going to church and calling themselves because their parents were Christians and they haven't done anything that terrible. That's a good way to get God to say, "I never knew you." That's the point. To know Him. You have to have your own relationship with God. And you have to own that relationship. Take care of it. Scrub and scrub at the dirty spots and polish it until it reflects His light. 

  3# Live it.

  Now you have live it out. Listen to His words in your Bible and your spirit. Do things just to make Him smile. Obey Him when He gives you a mission, no matter how minuscule or magnificent. He will only give you what you can handle, so don't stress it. If you're going through a really rough spot, guess what? Your almighty Father is recognizing your strength. Count it all joy when you have trials. The testing of your faith produces patience. Let patience have it's perfect work so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. (Paraphrased from James 1:2-4. One of my favorite versus!) This rough spot is to strengthen you in your faith and bring you into Shalom. Nothing lacking, nothing missing, nothing broken. 

  So do you have a real personal relationship with God? 

  Or do you have Thrift store faith? 

  Or no faith?

  If you already truly love our Father, I'm truly am glad. If you don't, I am smiling as I type just thinking about this opportunity for you to meet Him. Can I help you, please? If you'll allow me to introduce you, I am sure your life will change dramatically. And it will be a beautiful thing to behold! Are you ready? Say this out loud to your Father who loves you more than life itself. That's why He died for you. Love.

  

  God,

  I know that I have hurt you in the past when I sinned against you. I want to have a sincere relationship with You from now on. I want to love You and to feel Your incredible love for me. 

  I believe your Son died on the cross to pay for my sins. I believe He rose again to defeat Death. 

  I repent of my sins against You. Please forgive me. Change my heart and let me see things through Your eyes.

  Thank You!

  Amen

  If you just said that sincerely to our Father, then welcome to the family! 

 Here's the next steps: If you don't have a Bible, get one. If you don't have a home church find one. 

 If you left church because you were hurt of offended remember, people hurt you because of their own brokenness. Just because one church hurt you, it does not mean you will only get hurt at the next one. 

 God bless you and guide you!

 Happy Easter everyone!

 Teen for the Lord 


No Rules

Stepping Forward

Saturday is my 18th birthday. I am in my senior year of high school, and I don't know for sure what I want to do! I have lots of interests but I haven't had any "ah-ha" moments about my divine calling in life. 

Guess what!

  I'm not worried!

 I'm not freaking out about what I'm going to do next. But I was last semester. So what happened?

 I took a step forward.

When you are stuck in a rut, you have to take a step forward. 

For me, it was as simple as signing up for dual enrollment classes with our community college. It wasn't a huge step, but I finally felt like I was getting somewhere. I was making progress in a tangible way. 

That's what God taught me over the summer.

Take the next step. 

Don't spend your time worrying about the far, distant future. Tomorrow will worry about itself. Worrying about it will only get you stuck deeper in your rut. 

Take the next step, what ever that may be. 

It may be cooking dinner. Changing a diaper. Potty training. High school. College. 

WHATEVER IT IS!

All you are asked to do is take a step every day and depend on God to keep you in the right path. 

YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE STUCK IN YOUR RUT ANYMORE!

     If you feel stuck... 

Take a running step forward!

God Bless!

Emily

Eleven Things About Me

Eleven questions:

 1.  What has been your greatest blogging challenge?

      Finding time to write and subject matter.

 2.  What's your favorite indulgence just for you?

      An entire day curled up with hot cocoa and an intriguing book.

 3.  Which blog post are you most proud of and why? 

       I really like Woman: The Mighty Warrior . It shows the power that God created us with yet we are made to be delicate and beautiful. 

 4.  Who has inspired you most in your life? 

       I'm not sure. I've always been a bit of a loner. But my mom has always been a support and my youth leader, Karissa, has helped me through a lot of stuff. 

 5.  What's your favorite book?

      At the moment, either the Tutor's Daughter by Julie Klassen or The Berinfell Prophecies (a book series). I highly recommend both.

 6.  Would you rather spend the day at the beach or junking at a flea market?

      At the beach. I've never been.

 7.  What's your favorite flower?

       Yellow roses tipped with pink.

 8.  Assuming it was nice weather, would you rather go for a hike or stay indoors  

      with a good book?

        Depends on my mood although I tend toward being a book worm couch potato.

 9.  What is your biggest priority for 2016?

       Finishing 12th grade.

10.  What 5 things would top your gratitude list?

       Grace. My family. My friends. My church. Salvation. 

11.  Are you more likely to spend on a vacation or home improvements? 

        Vacation.

        

Pretty Thrifty: A Thought on Thoughts

My brother photo bombed Amy and I while eating a block of smoked cheese.

My little "professional photographer" Amy.

Dress (thrift store): $3.00

Leggings: $4.00

Boots (garage sale): $2.00

Necklace (bought on a gift card so not counting!)

Total: $9.00

I recently had a revelation about bad thoughts. It's pretty basic, but it really helps give a physical picture of the growth of sin. First you have to think of bad thoughts as sticky plaque. 

Okay, okay, stay with me!

~smile~

  When we have an evil thought, and we allow it to stick and stick, it will become a cavity in our minds and hearts. Thankfully, we can go to the Dentist and get a filling from the Holy Spirit and the Word; or you can allow it to get deeper, and keep feeding the thoughts and allowing them to stick. When it  starts to really hurt, you'll go get it looked at. Do you know what the Dentist will tell you? ROOT CANAL!!! We all love those! But because we didn't brush our heart with the word everyday, and floss with the Holy Spirit, those sticky thoughts have corrupted our minds and it's going to be painful to uproot it and heal. 

  Weird, huh? But very true. 

 2 Corinthians 10:4-6

" 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, 6 and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled."

  Take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ.

  God bless you all!

  Emily