“11And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.     13 Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy.14 Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.”

This scripture isn’t telling the world to awaken, but telling the Christians to awaken. We go day to day living our lives going about our daily schedule, but we forget what we are called to and fall asleep. Ask yourself when is the last time you went up to someone and prayed for them because they had a broken bone or were sick? Or sat with your fellow peer that sits by themselves every day? Do you remember a time you stood for what you believed in…within the last month? When was the last time you shared Jesus with someone? I even ask myself these questions and don’t like my answers. We all get wrapped up in our everyday lives whether it is cheer, football, school, or even church events, but we must not forget what we are here to do. One thing we must remember is we cannot live as the world, because when we gave our lives to Christ we were automatically not of this world. How do we Christians expect to spread Jesus if we live just the same as the people we are trying to reach? I look back on my high school career and I see how much time I wasted being like the world and not living my life for the one who gave His, Jesus. I was Student Body officer, a’cappella choir, drill team, squad leader of my drill team and presidents council. I had tons of influence and I did not use it for Christ’s name. Don’t be the one who looks back and say “I should have stood up! I should have prayed for her! I should have…” Be a generational leader, be the one that said “I stood up! I prayed for her and she was healed! I led that person to Jesus!” This generation needs to be awakened, but the Christians in this generation need to awaken first. So you have a choice live for Christ or live for the world. Help awaken a sleeping generation.

Ever felt like God wasn’t there for you in your time of need, or that He was just letting a lot of bad things happen to you? Ever felt like He didn’t care about you? There was a time in my life where I felt alone and felt like God was nowhere around me, I felt like He had just left me to face life all on my own. I went through hard times where I felt like I had no friends because all of my friends didn’t really acknowledge me (or so how it felt to me). I also felt like I wasn’t pretty or good enough to have a boyfriend because everyone around me had someone that they liked or was going out with and I had no one.

One day I came across 1 Corinthians 10:13 and it said, “All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; he’ll always be there to help you come through it.” This really showed me that I wasn’t alone and that God was really with me the whole time I felt like I was alone.

God will never leave you, especially in the time that you need him the most. Every time you think that He isn’t there for you He really is. He’s just letting you be pushed to your limit. So I just want to encourage you that whenever you feel alone to go to God and spend time with Him. He will be there and He will help you through all the pain and trials that you go through in life.

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven. He has made everything beautiful in its time.”

Trusting God in each season. Something many believers find difficult to do. While certain seasons bring much beauty, others certainly have its burdens. I spend a lot of time praying for peace in this season beyond my human understanding and that I would find comfort in the perfect plan that God has for my life. But what we don’t realize, is that when we pray for peace that passes all understanding, we give up our right to understand. Peace gives us the ability to trust God, and not question what He is doing.

I would consider this to be my winter season. In order to get to my promise (the spring/summer season), there must be death. Old things will pass away and new life will begin. Without the pruning, the brokenness, the “death,” we will not become all that God has called us to be or do all that He desires us to do. This is all apart of the process.

Embrace the season you are in. Allow God to pull those things out of you that you did not know were there, so you can become all that He has called you to be. No matter what season you are in, whether that be in your spring season where new things are developing, you are excited about the new things God is doing in your life and your faith cannot be shaken or you are in a winter season where things are dying and you doubt more than ever what God is doing in your life – know that God has you right where you need to be. Don’t try to skip to the next season, but let God break you, and build you up so you are ready for what He has next. Every part of the process is vital to the end product. Slow down and take in every part of your season you possibly can. Don’t miss out on the call that God has on your life. Those promises God has spoken to you will come to pass – in its due season.

But the scripture that really hit me the most was verse 8. It says, ” My soul follows close behind You;

Your right hand upholds me.” In another translations it says ” My soul clings to you”. I feel that the season

I’m entering into is pursuing God, pressing into His word, and getting to know Him more in a way that I have not done before.  I want to dig deeper into His word and find the mysteries that He has hidden for us to find. I realized in order to cling to him that you have to let go of all the stuff you might have in your hands to cling to Him. I know that even when things might not go the way I wanted that His ways are higher than mine and I have to put complete and total trust into Him.

Nate Jones

In Luke 1:37 it says “For with God nothing is impossible.”

Now that’s a pretty bold statement for the author to write.  Nothing is impossible. Hmmm. Now there are something’s in life that you may view as impossible.  For instance: is it impossible for a teenage girl –dealing with depression, suicidal thoughts, a broken family, and bad grades– to ever go to college and make something of her life?  Or maybe it seems impossible for a blind man’s eyes to be opened? What about a dead man to be brought back to life? Seems impossible right? Wrong.

You see there will be circumstances and situations that come into your life and it may seem like you may never make it out alive. Maybe all the odds are against you, or maybe you don’t think God could ever love you or use because of something that you have done. I want to tell you that that is not true. We know that NOTHING is impossible for God. That means no situations or circumstance, no dream or calling, is impossible. Satan will try his best to take your hope away and to tell you that you will never make it. When he does that tell him to be quiet, because even when all odds are against you, NOTHING is impossible for God. Refuse to be another statistic. So now is the time for you to choose. Will you defy the odds? Or will you let the odds defy you?

Grace Johnston- Assistant Merchandise Lead

God tells him to cripple their horses and burn their chariots.

It seems insignificant at first, but if you imagine this with a modern twist it would be like telling an army without tanks or humvies to attack an army with those things. And as they attack them to destroy those tanks and humvies.

First off, destroying the tanks and the army hummers is going to be very difficult for an army without those things. But if you think about it for a moment longer you ask yourself, “Why destroy those things when you could just use them for your own army?”

Well, if they hadn’t destroyed those things, and used them, the glory for the victory would have gone to the tools and the soldiers, rather than to God.  God needs people who will do the things he asks especially when it goes against our normal expectancy or reason.

¹ “What sorrow awaits my rebellious children,” says the Lord.  “You make plans that are contrary to mine.   You make alliances not directed by my Spirit, thus piling up your sins. ² For without consulting me, you have gone down to Egypt for help. You have put your trust in Pharaoh’s protection. You have tried to hide in his shade. ³ But by trusting Pharaoh, you will be humiliated, and by depending on him, you will be disgraced. ⁴ For though his power extends to Zoan and his officials have arrived in Hanes,
⁵ all who trust in him will be ashamed.   He will not help you. Instead, he will disgrace you

Most of us who have been in relationship with God for any length of time have been rebuked or corrected by his Holy Spirit at some point.  While I was reading this I couldn’t help but be thankful I wasn’t on the receiving end of this word from the Lord.  Or was I?

I think the two aspects of this portion of scripture that impacted me the most were Isaiah pointing out their journey down to Egypt and about the plans they’ve made on their own.  It is important to remember that in this passage Isaiah is talking about literal events not metaphorical transgressions.  Being ever practical, I was curious how this might be more readily applied to my own life because I am neither visiting Egypt in the present future nor am I one of God’s chosen people on the brink of obliteration due to disobedience.  That reasoning drew me to this, the phrase “going down to Egypt” is used as a type or symbol of being stuck in sin or the place we return to in our own weakness that is not God’s direct plan of forward motion for us.  Egypt is the nasty muck and sin God picked us up out of when we made Jesus the Lord of our heart.  The same is true for the Jewish people during this time. God rescued His people out of the heinous treatment they were subjected to at the hands of Pharaoh and the Egyptians and yet where were they going when they were trying to find help?  I like to think I would have been so much smarter than these people but evidence in my own life proves my theory incorrect.  This is illustrated by the fact that when I find myself in trouble I often find myself planning and returning. I am planning how to generate more income, I am planning how to become a self made success, and much to my chagrin I have even found myself planning lies to dig me out of messes. My first human reaction is to plan.  Each time I plan something in my own will I am operating contrary to the Holy Spirit and finding myself led back into my old sinful habits.  Because these plans are contrary to the Holy Spirit and haven’t been subject to the infinite wisdom of the Lord they are void of promise. When I get in a bind I revert to all the old ways I used to deal with things or to the people who seemingly offer a quick fix.  In doing so, I stiff arm God and descend into the darkness of Egypt. Simply put, if I am not careful I get quickly led back into my old sin.

So while the Jew’s were planning and returning they were piling up their own sins. God said that their own plans and the “protection” from Pharaoh would disgrace them.  Two things I know for certain, I do not want to pile up any more sin and I sure don’t want to be disgraced.  The way to avoid both is by entrusting our future to God.  If we trust our own plans or anyone else we will surely fall short. We will wind up lost and embarrassed.  Be encouraged that God know the days of your life and the destiny He has created for you. Entrust your life to Him and He will keep you free from the snares of Egypt and out of your old yucky sinful life!

Siobhan Miller

Registrar Lead

Now, every day I start to get impatient, I just remember Romans 8:25. It is better to be patient rather than impatient, because in the long run you will have a better reward and probably get something ten times better when you wait for the right timing. So, I just want to encourage everyone to be patient and know that God will give you what you hope for, it’ll just be on his timing and when he thinks that you are ready to have it, not on your timing and when you think you are ready.

Ashley Reid – Assistant Nations Director

As I read these verses of scripture, it always stands out to me one thing: We have died with Christ. The Devil has no hold over us, because we have been set free by our death with Jesus. But even more so, the following verses impacted me greatly in my walk with God. It showed me that this whole Christianity thing is truly about a relationship with Jesus. I used to follow all of these rules and regulations. They seemed like good things to do because it required me to devote myself, deny myself, and discipline myself. But I realized that I took the relationship aspect out my walk with Christ. I was being a religious person following rules so I wouldn’t go to Hell instead of accepting the Grace and Friendship of Christ to inherit the riches of the Kingdom. Glory be to God that he delivered me from my religious mindset and now daily I live in fellowship with Him. I encourage you all to embrace your death with Christ and live in fellowship with Him. You will begin to not do the things you used to. Not because of can’t, but because being with Christ will cause you to have no desire to do the things of this world anymore. Jesus is always one to look at the heart. Your heart will be purified once you truly realize Jesus died for all of my sins, I do not have to strive anymore.

God bless! Have an amazing day!

Brock Price-Core Dad