Stop Searching.

I just heard a song on the radio in which the girl said that she was searching for love to fill the empty space inside of her. I almost stopped the car right there and punched the radio...but I'm generally not that violent. Empty space? Of course you have an empty space! Do you know who is meant to fill it!? God. Our Creator, our Savior, our Healer, our Redeemer, our Friend.

There is an old song that says we each have a God-shaped hole in us. He is the only One who can fill up that portion of our souls. And we are supposed to feel empty until we ask Him to come and fill us with His Spirit. So why do we turn to other things, seeking this fulfillment? That is just a waste of time and energy...and it leads only to disappointment. All we need is found in Him.

"Some wandered in the wilderness, lost and homeless. Hungry and thirsty, they nearly died. 'Lord, help!' they cried in their trouble, and He rescued them from their distress. He led them straight to safety, to a city where they could live. Let them praise the Lord for His great love and for the wonderful things He has done for them. For He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things." --Psalm 107:4-9

He is faithful to rescue us from our vain attempts at satisfying our own desires. But why do we even need to suffer in the first place? Seek the Lord above all else. He is more than enough.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take." --Proverbs 3:5-6

As Inescapable As Light.

One tiny glimpse of light expels all darkness in a room. That is my desire. I want to shine so that everyone can see the Light. I do not want them to see me, but I want them to see Christ in me.

"For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all and therefore all died. And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again." --2 Corinthians 5:14-15

This makes me think of the Christmas Eve candlelight service at church. Every year, we recieve a candle when we walk in...we go through the entire service anticipating the traditional ending: singing Silent Night with the house lights off, a few people lighting their candles from the center candle on the Advent wreath, and then passing off the light to everyone in the room by lighting the candles at the end of each row. Christ, the Light of the World, is obviously the center candle on the Advent wreath. The first few people to light their candles from the first candle represent the leaders of the early church. They begin to spread the light all over the room (world) to people who begin to spread it, who begin to spread it. Soon enough, the entire room is flooded with light...almost as bright as if the house lights were on again. That is what we are called to do. Spread our light...well, Christ's light.

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it." --John 1:1-5

Another version says: "the darkness will never extinguish it." Mmm. We need to live this way. Always. This Light is the Source of our faith and the only thing we should put our faith in. Faith.

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." --Hebrews 11:1

I want to have faith so strong that it feels like I am watching my life from the outside. I want God to do things so big through me that people will look at me and know that I had absolutely nothing to do with it...other than believing that my God is all-powerful. When people ask me what my plans are after school, I can honestly say "I have no idea. And I am completely fine with that. When God wants to tell me, He will." And I think that that faith demonstrates the hope that I have in my Only Hope. He is above all and in all and through all (Ephesians 4:6). So He may do anything and everything He wants to through me.

Have faith. Shine.

Moving to Zion.

This should come as no surprise to anyone, but one of Jimmy Needham's songs got to me today. It's called "Moving to Zion" (http://www.newreleasetuesday.com/lyricsdetail.php?lyrics_id=62499) and it is a depiction of the shift from living as though on Mount Sinai to living as though on Mount Zion.

Sinai was the place (literally) where Moses was given the law on the tablets that were eventually placed in the Ark of the Covenant. It was a place where only he was allowed to go because He would be in the presence of God...the Israelites were not granted direct access to God and they were under strict instructions to not even touch the mountain for the 40 days that Moses was there. From this time on, God's glory resided in the Ark of the Covenant in the Tabernacle...and it led the Israelites where they were to go, in the form of a cloud by day and a pillar of fire at night. To sum it up, Sinai was the place where God demonstrated His holiness and supremacy.

Zion is the place (figuratively) where God currently displays His glory. Not His physical glory, of course, because we won't witness that until we are in Heaven, but the glory that is available to us while we are on this temporal earth...this is the glory that we are called to demonstrate to the world. He has sent His Spirit to reside in us, so that we can bring Him glory and honor for as long as we live. We have direct access to our Lord because Jesus died to save us from the punishment of our sins and so that the Advocate could come down to us at Pentecost. To sum up, Zion is the place where God demonstrated and continues to demonstrate His grace and His desire to have a personal relationship with us. And this Zion in which we are currently residing is just a taste of the true Zion that we will experience in Heaven one day.

"You have not come to a physical mountain, to a place of flaming fire, darkness, gloom, and whirlwind, as the Israelites did at Mount Sinai...No, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless thousands of angels in a joyful gathering." --Hebrews 12:18, 22

"God's law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God's wonderful grace became more abundant." --Romans 5:20

"Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirement of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God's grace." --Romans 6:14

"If the law could give us new life, we could be made right with God by obeying it. But since the Scriptures declare that we are all prisoners of sin, so we receive God's promise of freedom only by believing in Jesus Christ." --Galatians 3:21b-22

And then Paul (well God through Paul) gives us this illustration:

"Tell me, you who want to live under the law, do you know what the law actually says? The Scriptures say that Abraham had two sons, one from his slave wife and one from his freeborn wife. The son of the slave wife was born in a human attempt to bring about the fulfillment of God's promise. But the son of the freeborn wife was born as God's own fulfillment of His promise.

These two women serve as an illustration of God's two covenants. The first woman, Hagar, represents Mount Sinai where people received the law that enslaved them. And now Jerusalem is just like Mount Sinai in Arabia, because she and her children live in slavery to the law. But the other woman, Sarah, represents the heavenly Jerusalem. She is the free woman and she is our mother...And you, dear brothers and sisters, are children of the promise, just like Isaac." --Galatians 4:21-28

Do Not Fear.

The phrase "do not fear" occurs 365 times in the Bible. If God mentions it that many times, you know He must be serious about it.

"Don't be afraid, for I am with you. Don't be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand." --Isaiah 41:10

What is your biggest fear? As Christians, our greatest fears should not be the same as those who do not believe. I would venture to say that if you asked just anyone off the street, they would say that their biggest fear is death. Because of what Jesus Christ did for us on the cross, we have a hope that is greater than anything unbelievers can find in this world. Because of His perfect and holy sacrifice, we have been saved from death. We have died to death. We have died to sin, which leads to death. We have been sanctified and made righteous in the sight of the Lord.

"For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him. We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him. When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God. So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus." --Romans 6:7-11

In fact, we are called to rejoice in death. While we are here on this temporal earth, we take comfort in the fact that we have died to sin. And after this life, we will have been saved from death (though we already are, we just haven't completed it yet) and we will live forever with everyone who has professed Christ as Lord. Forever. We cannot comprehend that. If our eighty years (or however long we have) on this earth are like the blink of an eye in heaven, I am so very excited to see what eternity will be like.

Be Thankful.

It's funny how God uses the most random situations to show you something. I was tired of the background on my computer, so I embarked on a quest to find a new one. I searched for "world" in Google Images and as I was browsing through, I found this one. It is a color coded map of the GDPs of every country in the world. Even though it was based on information from 2007, the point is still the same. America is by far one of the richest countries in the world. (By the standards set up by the world, at least.) And yet, we still complain. We complain when we don't get to eat where we want to. We complain when we don't get what we want for our birthdays or Christmas. We complain when taxes go up. We complain when it takes too long for our paychecks to get here. We complain when the service at a restaurant is a little slow. We complain when the check-out lines at the mall are too long.

"Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content. But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows." --1 Timothy 6:6-10

"When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required." --Luke 12:48

"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful." --Colossians 3:15

Let us understand that the peace of God is not an excuse for complacency. We should never be still...never comfortable...never satisfied with the amount of our selves, our time, our money, and our energy that we are investing in the work of the Lord. But more importantly that we are investing in getting to know the Lord. Only when our personal relationships with our Maker are on the right track will we be able to produce fruit and assist in the true work of the Kingdom. Sometimes the good things become the enemies of the best things. Don't let the devil deceive you into thinking that being busy doing the work of the church can suffice for your true calling. Don't settle. Always strive for more. Let me tell you: your biggest plans are drops in the bucket compared to what God has planned for you.

Trust. Follow. Believe. Know Him.

Grace Awakening.

Just to be clear, that is the title of the book that I am a few pages from finishing. It has been such a good read and I am so grateful that the Lord led me to read it right now. I think that the concept I got most out of the book overall was that we need to realize the importance of grace. We need to truly understand grace. We need to practice grace. We need to thank God for his abundant grace. (Ok, that was more than one...but my fingers just kept typing.)

One of my favorite chapters is entitled "Emancipated? The Live Like It!" Swindoll parallels the time of slavery during and following the Civil War with the lives of the recipients of God's grace...and the liberty that comes with it. After the Emancipation Proclamation was reflected in the Constitution, many slaves did something rather strange:

"And yet something happened that many would have never expected. The vast majority of the slaves in the South who were legally freed continued to live as slaves. Most of them went right on living as though nothing had happened. Though free, the Blacks lived virtually unchanged lives throughout the Reconstruction Period."

This is a somewhat lengthy quote, but when I read this section I was astonished...it is so very true...in fact I'm pretty sure I pounded the table with my fist.

"Now if you think that is tragic, I can tell you one far worse. It has to do with Christians living today as slaves. Even though our Great Emancipator, Christ the Lord, paid the ultimate price to overthrow slavery once for all, most Christians act as though they're still held in bondage. In fact, strange as it is, most seem to prefer the security of slavery to the risks of liberty. And our slave master, Satan, loves it so. He is delighted that so many have bought into that lie and live under the dark shadow of such ignorance."

"For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of His dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins." --Colossians 1:13-14

And here's another thought that I find especially intriguing...

"When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the obligation to do right." --Romans 6:20

Actually, I just recommend reading all of Romans 6. Go. Do it. Now. Please.

Now, one more think that really stuck out to me from this book. It hits close to home for me because some of my extended family members fall into this category. What do you say to an unbeliever who sees nothing wrong with the life they are leading? What do you say when they are successful (in the eyes of the world) and need nothing? What do you say when they have a wonderful family and friends? What do you say when they ask you what is wrong with their life?

"It is possible you may cope fairly well with life, but I must remind you that you will not make it past death."

"'If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed?'" --Luke 9:24-25

This World Has Nothing For Me.

"This world is empty, pale, and poor compared to knowing you, my Lord. Lead me on and I will run after you. Lead me on and I will run after you."

Who ever decided what would be "normal" or "acceptable" according to society? Who said that everyone should go to school in order to get the highest paying job possible? Who said that everyone should work hard to earn enough money to have a BMW or Lexus...or Ferrari? Who said that everyone should live a comfortable life and enjoy every minute of it? Who said that we should want a house in the suburbs in a neighborhood with plenty of families just like ours? Who said that everyone should try to look the same or have the same personality? Who said that everyone should fake a smile and pretend like everything is ok, even when the world is caving in?

Who said we belong to this world?

"For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth. But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for Him to return as our Savior." --Philippians 3:18-20

God is our Creator. God is our Sustainer. God gives us abundant grace. God's love is unfailing. God's forgiveness is complete. God is the Source of all. God is our Only Hope. In God, our identity is found. And God should be our focus. All the time. The things of this world are only temporary, even though it seems like heartache and disappointment will last forever. We are only given a short time in which to complete the mission that God created us for. And the only way we can accomplish that is through Him.

"My life passes as swiftly as the evening shadows. I am withering away like grass. But you, O Lord, will sit on your throne forever. Your fame will endure to every generation." --Psalm 102:11-12

Satan is powerless over us. Do not be discouraged. Even when the enemy tries to thwart our plans and the goals for which we are striving, we have victory in God. But we must be fully surrendered to Him. When that happens, we will find that we have no desire to fit in with the world...because we know the truth. The cross of Christ is foolishness to those who don't believe. But we believe. And we know that the cross is the reason we are alive today. Praise the Lord!

"But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world. Those people belong to this world, so they speak from the world's viewpoint, and the world listens to them. But we belong to God, and those who know God listen to us..." --1 John 4:4-6a

Being Small.

"If it's You that's getting bigger, I don't mind being small..."

That is a much easier statement to say than it is to live. Whether we realize it or not, we are all seeking some form of recognition. If we do well on a test or paper, we want people to know...if we do something nice for someone, we want to tell someone else...if we write something that (we think) is profound, we send it to someone to read...if we give a lot of money to a charitable organization, we encourage others to follow suit. But, that was not us. All that we are is found in Christ...He is the source and keeper of our identities. We are nothing on our own. Nothing.

"He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less." --John 3:30

No matter what God is calling us to as individuals, everyone has the name main objective: bring glory to the name of Jesus Christ. When it comes down to it, that is the reason God created us. So rather than desiring that people notice us, we should strive only to proclaim the name of our Lord and Savior at the top of our lungs (not necessarily literally, but that would be great.) To use a power quote: the point of our lives is to point to Him. And the thing is, when we surrender all of our lives to Him, this John 3:30 concept will happen immediately. That is what we should yearn for.

"'For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.'" --Luke 14:11

Do not think that you are more important than you really are. Of course, in the eyes of God, we all have a special place and were created for a specific purpose...and that is an inexplicable comfort. But just because He has created you for your calling doesn't mean that you can wait and go your own way until you are old. I believe that the earlier you fully submit your life to the Lord, the more He can use you for. Isn't that the desire of everyone in the whole world? It should be! I can barely contain the excitement as I'm typing this right now because I'm just so ready to go out and do whatever it is He has created me to do! I was talking to a friend about this last night...we were saying that if we knew what the Lord wanted us to do and where He wanted us to go, we would literally drop everything right now and go. If someone handed me a plane ticket to Africa, I'm not even sure if I would stop for petrol in the car on the way to the airport...which could be a problem...but you get the point.

"When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers--the moon and the stars you set in place--what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them? Yet you made them only a little lower than God and crowned them with glory and honor." --Psalm 8:3-5

God has something huge planned for your life. Huge. Bigger than you can comprehend. All those plans you have that you think are beyond attaining...yeah, His plans are ten times bigger. All you have to do is have the attitude of Isaiah in Isaiah 6:8. And you will be surprised at the way He gets you there. Just trust. Follow the path...no matter if it goes up to the top of a 5,000 foot mountain, down into the depth of a valley, through a dense forest where you can't see your next step, or into an open field showered in sunlight.

"'My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,' says the Lord. 'And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.'" --Isaiah 55:8-9

Stand.

The word "stand" indicates confidence...and since we have no confidence in ourselves or this world, the source of our confidence is the Lord. When we have faith in Him...faith that can move mountains...we can stand up against whatever comes our way. We can stand upon the knowledge that we have no strength apart from Him.

"Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong." --1 Corinthians 16:13

"Now I stand on solid ground,and I will publicly praise the Lord." --Psalm 26:12

"But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and He will stand upon the earth at last. And after my body has decayed, yet in my body I will see God!" --Job 19:25-26

"Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand." --Ephesians 6:13

"If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all." --Isaiah 7:9b

"When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone, but the righteous stand firm forever." --Proverbs 10:25

So...do not go through your life (or even just today) stagnant...do not be spineless...do not be timid...do not be unsure...do not be complacent...do not be comfortable. Stand up and be ready to embark on whatever journey the Lord has for you. Rely on His strength. Trust Him always.

Service.

"But Jesus called them together and said, 'You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must become your servant, and whoever wants to be the first among you must become your slave. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give His life as a ransom for many." --Matthew 20:25-28

Christ, the ultimate example of everything good and holy, served everyone He came in contact with. People that the Jews were not to associate with...people who were outcast by society...people who would go through their lives miserable if they did not receive a miracle...people whose lives were corrupt. He chose twelve imperfect men to serve with Him as His disciples, but He served them much more than they realized...I think of the night when He washed their feet. Because Christ (who is perfect, blameless, sinless, and one with God) served, we (who are the complete opposite) should serve.

"Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically." --Romans 12:11

"For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don't use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" --Galatians 5:13-14

I was very humbled by something that I observed yesterday. We went to a graduation party for a girl at our church yesterday and shortly after we got there, the senior pastor of our church arrived. We talked for a while and learned that he had already been there for a while, but had to leave for a bit...he came back at the end of the party to help tear down the tables and chairs to take some of the burden off of the family who was exhausted from throwing this party. Now, I know that just because he is the pastor of a church he is not set up on a higher plane, but it was very refreshing to see that he felt the same way. As long as we have known him, he has been this way and I thank God for his attitude.

"Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ." --Colossians 3:24

Sometimes we are called to do things that we do not want to do. But if we approach the situation thinking that we are serving the Lord, I think that our perspective will change a bit...and rightly so. I know that I do not want to do a job halfway if I am trying to complete a project for the Lord. Just like we cannot and should not love halfheartedly...God deserves our whole hearts. And from that, we can pour out our love to the people He places in our lives.

1 Timothy 6.

"But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it." --verses 6 and 7

God is rich. He owns everything...all of the things that are being bought and sold right this very second...all of the stocks that are being traded on the Dow Jones...all of the money that is being deposited and loaned out by all of the banks in the world...all of the cars at all of the car dealerships and factories that exist...all of the trees and plants growing in the most remote parts of the world...all of His precious children that He created in His own image. So why do we have an attitude of entitlement? As if we have done anything to earn the things that He has blessed us with. In fact, the only thing we deserve is punishment for our unending sins...but instead, He gives us unending love and grace. How does that work? Understanding that all that we have belongs to God, we must realize that WE belong to God. Our identities are wrapped up in Him, not any possession we may be blessed with on this earth.

"For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." --verse 10

I think that the devil uses money as a weapon against us much more than we realize. When was the last time you went all day without mentioning money, in one form or another? We talk about it all the time. Now how about this: when was the last time you went all day without mentioning our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ? This world has nothing for us...so why do we talk more about the world than we talk about the One who has overcome the world? (John 16:33).

"But you, man of God, flee from all this and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses." --verses 11-12

Advice to live by. I'm going to leave it at that.

"...Keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which God will bring about in His own time--God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To Him be honor and might forever. Amen." --verses 15b and 16

Surprisingly, the part of this verse that sticks out to me is "unapproachable light." I read yesterday in Exodus about when Moses came down from the mountain after receiving the second set of stone tablets (which could be another post entirely). "When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord." --Exodus 34:29. If Moses' face was radiant just from talking to God, can you imagine how bright God's light is?! So bright that darkness will never extinguish it! (John 1:5)

"In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life." --verse 19

Take hold of the life that is truly life. Take hold of the life that is truly life. I will say it again: take hold of the life that is truly life. We need to seek the Lord so that we can know what that kind of life looks like. I will venture to say that the life that is truly life is the one lived by following the path of God every step of the way. He can do within us abundantly more than we can imagine!

Give Him Your All.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." --Proverbs 3:5-6

This is a very familiar passage to most of us, which is why I think it is a good one to talk about...not because it is simple to explain since we know it so well, but because we know it so well that we need to actually comprehend it. In devotions this morning, the lady broke down these verses into the four main ideas...I'm only going to touch on one for now. "In all your ways acknowledge Him." She gave this example: if you walked into a room and your best friend was there, you would obviously go over and speak to them...but how many times do we enter a situation and not acknowledge that God is right there in the room with us? Why don't we start to think that when we go into a new circumstance, He is already there...he is present in all things. It makes me think of a quote from The Count of Monte Cristo when Edmond says "Can I never escape Him?" and Mercedes responds "No, He is in everything." (I know, I know...but I really like the movie.)

"And whatever you do, whether in word or in deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." --Colossians 3:17

We owe Him all that we are. We need to be conscious of His presence in our lives every second of every day. He is always there. When we understand this, we will realize that we are always with Him as well. When we are fully committed to Him, we will get to know Him more and more and be able to share in the things that break His heart, bring Him joy, lead Him to discipline someone, and bring Him to reward someone. (Understand though, that the rewards on this earth are nothing compared to the rewards waiting for us in Heaven.)

"Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with Him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God's way of making us right with Himself depends on faith. I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised Him from the dead. I want to suffer with Him, sharing in His death, that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!" --Philippians 3:8-11

Those are some powerful words! Take them very seriously. And know that this attitude is what we should strive for. This is a heart that is fully committed to the Lord...one that acknowledges His presence in all things.

"Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing." --James 1:2-4

Mmm. Does anyone else want that? I cannot even express the eagerness I have to experience the great joy that comes from troubles...when it comes down to it, I want to view everything as an opportunity, even if it is meant to be a severe hindrance thrust upon me by the enemy. He has no power over me!