Ready or not.

It's a new week. 5 more days to give God glory. How are you going to use this week? Well, let me just give you some encouragement :)

We are 1 and a half weeks into school, and I can honestly say that I haven't done squat to honor God. That's an incredibly shameful thing to have to admit, but I can't lie about it. All I've done is complain complain complain. "Waaaaahhh, I don't want to be heeerrrree!" "Oh, poor me. I have to be at school." Oh, cry me a river, Jo. Haha, anyway, here's the point.

Let's stop looking at school like it's some prison. It's not! School is one of the biggest opportunities we could possibly have to spread Christ!!! AHHH!! That makes me slightly excited. Okay, really excited. Anyway. This is a new week. A fresh start. So pray tonight. Stop right now and pray, right where you are. Pray that God will give people soft hearts to listen to whatever He wants to say through you, and that He'll give you the courage to say it. Okay? Pray. Right now. Then keep reading.

So that's my challenge to all of us, me included. This week is our chance to go out and spread God like wildfire. Who knows? We may wake up tomorrow and we won't have any time left to glorify God. He could come back any time. But until He does, START SPREADING HIM! Everywhere you go. Don't be scared, He's with you! Keep fighting the good fight until Christ returns. Go into this week with a renewed spirit, ready to battle through whatever satan throws at you! Put on the armor of God, and get ready. This is our chance. Let's make a difference.

"I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 3:14

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." - Galatians 6:9

"Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men (and women!) of courage; be strong. Do everything in love." - 1 Corinthians 16:13

"Therefore, prepare your minds for action: be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy because I am holy." - 1 Peter 1:13

Let's go guys, cause God's not gonna wait forever. It's now or never.
Are you ready?

blinded.

The doors of the school mark a new milestone in your life. For sophomores, it's the start of the 3 years of high school that lie before them. For juniors, it reminds us that we still have one year after this one to get through. And for seniors, it's the beginning of the end of their childhood. But for all of us, those doors remind us that the laid back days of summer where it's easy to get by with a mediocre relationship with God are over. Behind those doors lies a world that will beg you to go down the wrong road. They will trick you into compromising your relationship with God for popularity in this temporary life. Those doors will ask you if you're ready to make a sacrifice for your eternal well-being rather than the temporary pleasure this life has to offer. Because believe me and any other junior or senior. High school asks you one question: who are you going to follow? There are two paths you can choose when you walk through those doors. There's no gray area. There's no room for fence riders. Either you fully commit yourself to not giving into the temptation that high school will throw in your face, or you give in. Yeah I know. You're not the kind of kid that does that kind of stuff. You're not that student that goes down that road. Well, I have news for you. I've lost a lot of friends to that road that promised they weren't ever going to change. They were going to follow God too. They were going to stand strong. But they didn't. And looking back, it's still hard for me to see those friends I've lost along the way. Being a Christian isn't always a popular choice when you're in high school. It's not convenient. And it's also not something you'll be perfect at. I know I'm sure not. But if you commit yourself to God and ask for strength and stop caring about the worldly ideas about having a relationship with God, it's not such an unreasonable thing to do.

But here's the thing:
It's hard to stop caring. I get that. I've been through it, and I still am. Sometimes I look at the kids around me that can go do things without feeling guilty or get invited to parties that may not even be bad, but they get invited because they're in the crowd. But guess what? In eternity, it's not going to matter how popular you were or how many parties you went to or how many boyfriends you had or if you played every sport in the book. This life is a temporary stop on our way to our destination. We were meant for more than parties and sports and friends. We were meant for this huge plan God has for our lives. But the world tells us that it's okay to make your own plan. "It's your future; make it what you want!" "Follow your heart!" "Live your life the way YOU want it." And when the outside world sees that you live your life differently, chasing after God, they close you out. And when that happens, you take your eyes off of God and look around. Nobody may be running with you. Maybe it's just you and God. And from the outside, looking in at what the world can offer may look inviting, but when you put your eyes back on God, all of that stuff fades into the background. It doesn't matter anymore. That's how it should be. It's like this: Our eyes have a blindspot in them, right on the front. So when you look up into a starry sky, you may not be able to see a certain star looking right at it,but if you focus somewhere else, suddenly that star comes into your peripheral vision and you can see it for how it really looks. Put your eyes back on it, and you're blinded to it. When you take your eyes off of God and look at what the world is shoving at you, all of that "stuff" looks great and inviting. But put your eyes back on Christ, and you can see the world for what it truly is, which is sinful and deceitful and untrustworthy. You name it. So when you come to realize that, let me give you this advice:

Do a 180 and run as fast as you can from the world. God will be waiting with outstretched arms, ready to take you back and help you along the journey of life.

So here it is kids. Tomorrow we're going to walk through the doors to Ozark High School, and we'll be bombarded with lies to cause us to stumble. In real life, don't do a 180 and sprint back out the doors, because then you'll be absent and your parents will probably think you skipped school. But in your heart, keep your eyes focused on God and he will guide you through the whirlwinds of those hallways.

In all your ways acknowledge Him and he will direct your path.

And p.s. If you ever find yourself giving up or overwhelmed with life, don't walk away from God. If you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here. I'm just a facebook message, text, phonecall, or conversation away. Don't be ashamed to either. Following Christ isn't going to be easy, but I promise it's going to be worth it.