Day #6 : God Reveals Himself.

Today, we'll be READing from Exodus 33:21-34:7. I will no longer be putting the verses in my blogs, because I feel that everyone should take out their bibles while doing this so that maybe God can show you something that I obviously can't. If you do not have a bible, do not fear! Type in the passage that we are about to go through in google, and you will be able to find them no problem! & If you have a problem with any of this, that's fine, just message me and I'll do the best to help you out! :)

Once you are done reading the passage, you should read it twice more, once while THINKing about all the little details God has put into this that during your first read, you passed over and never noticed. Think about the scenes, picture it all happen; and for the third time you read it, you should find a word or two that God uses in this passage that really stands out to you. For example, for me, it's when He says to Moses, "... cover you with my hand until I've passed by."

When God says this, the first thing that comes to mind is the past and future. God does not want us to see what our future holds, because He has it already planned. He doesn't want us to plan it ourselves, He wants us to trust in Him and carry on until we meet our future. He gives us free will to test us, we need to be the strong ones who chose to do the right things instead of doing wrong when we know we are doing so. I think by God not letting Moses see His face was kind of like an image to me of not seeing the future. His back was a metaphor of the past. We can only look at his back, because we can only see the back end of our lives. We are human beings, and we are suppose to wonder about the future, what will happen, and what we will do when certain situations come our way. Lucky for us Christians, God has a plan and takes control of our life, but only if we let Him. Are you ready to give everything to Him? If you're not, you will not be able to see a direct change in your life, and let me tell you from experience, that direct change, is absolutely incredible! We need to fully focus on Him, and give everything up to Him because He gave up everything that mattered to Him to save us, to give us freedom!

Although a lot of us still struggle, (okay, let's face it guys, we all struggle, but don't worry, you're not alone, and it'll all be worth it in the end!) God still has a plan for us. If we listen, He's right there telling us exactly what He wants from us. Like God did with not showing His face, He wants our imaginations to wonder, and don't worry guys, God always goes way beyond our imaginations! Therefore, if you let Him, He will show you the true beauties that lay underneath and on top of this planet, and it'll be out of our wildest imaginations! How crazy is that? How awesome is God? Like really guys, I want you to imagine the most beautiful thing you have ever seen, and focus on that for a little bit. Then, I want you to think how much more beautiful that really is to God, and how much more beautiful He is, and what His plans are for you! Isn't it insane to think about? Someone could care for us that much, that He makes everything beautiful in our eyes when we accept Him. How much more beautiful things are with Him in our lives is indescribable! If God allows it by taking away all the clouds, I want you all to star gaze tonight. The stars are something that just keep me wondering, and keep me in awe of God. Make a date with God tonight, lay out under the stars while listening to worship songs, then just close your eyes and think about how big God has to be to create everything. The Bible says that God is a star breather, and the best thing is, we can never even imagine how HUGE God is! He is the Giant of all Giants, and the Bible also states that He is the best protector, so what do we have to fear, if God is all ours? He's our best friend remember? Which is also awesome since, with God everything is possible! :)

People say life is like a roller coaster, and let me tell you, that on God's roller coaster, you get the most pleasure in life. Sure you always have ups and downs, but His goes the highest, and as long as you have Him, you aren't going far down, and even when do slide down from the top, He's always there to catch you and bring you back up in no time! How many other roller coasters can promise you that? None that I can think of. He's one of a kind, and an amazing creator. We need to see more of His beauty in everyday situations and life. Until we do, we are bound to be miserable for as long as we can accept to be different. He is always there for us, so why not appreciate that by acknowledging Him more in our every day routines? Better yet, change your routines to be closer to Him. That's what love is all about right? Making time for you loved ones, and acknowledging them like they should be acknowledged! Fly above worldly things, look at them from above, and be glad that you don't need to suffer like the ones who do not know God. He will pick you up, so you will never need to know what it feels like to be without Him. All you need to do is believe and to have faith. God will carry you through anything and everything, but without faith in Him, you will not believe, and without belief, nothing will happen. I encourage you to believe in God more, because even if we do not want to think about it, or talk about it, everyone has their doubts about what God is saying, or doing in our lives, but have faith and believe that He is the One and Only God, and He is capable of ALL things. We just need to surrender, and love Him and trust in Him, and when we do, we are forever welcomed into an eternity of happiness and love!

If you feel ashame of anything that has happened in your past, or even that's happening now, stop worrying about it. God is a great forgiver, and He will pull you through any difficult things that you are going through, and He will not hold anything you have done in the past against you. Believe it, and live it. He wants you to know that you don't need to try and hide anything from Him, He knows all already. Talk to Him about it. He's gracious, and loving, He will not punish you, because you have punished yourself for long enough. He is here to help you get through all struggles, so don't worry and don't be scared. He loves you, and He is there for you with His arms wide open waiting for you. Think about that next time you feel down, and if you feel like you are a part of something that you shouldn't be, fix it. Do what God is calling you to do, not what the world is calling you to do. Love life, not because of worldly things, but because God has made this beautiful place ours, and it's our job to do what God wants for it, and us. Step up your game, jump out of your comfort zone, because it's SO worth it in the end!

PRAY that He shows you something that is striking you in curiosity about Him. Make sure you believe that He will show you an answer, and be sure to listen to everything He says. He might not show you right away, but if you are patient and without doubt, He will continue to show you great things! Whatever it is that makes you curious about Him, think about why you are so curious about this exact trait. Why is it so desirous to you? If you don't know why, ask God why it is. He knows all, and there is not one question that He does not have an answer for, He just might not chose to answer you right away. At the end of your prayer, let everything you prayed about drift in your mind and heart again. Feel what you were thinking and talking to God about.

Picture God present in your life, physically and emotionally. Where would He be? What expression is on His face? If He's speaking to you, what tone are His words in? Ask Him to enhance this picture, and not for only today, but for the rest of eternity. Think about this whenever you can, about if He was physically with you, and you could physically see Him, what would be the answers to these questions.

The whole point of your life, is to LIVE, so live your life for God. Its not about what we want, but what He wants. If you feel like what He wants is not clear enough, ask Him to reveal it all to you. Also pray that while you look to Him in prayer, readings of His Scriptures, or even in everyday things, that He reveals Himself to you. Once you do this, be sure to look for Him in everything you do. You will be able to find Him in places where you have never before!

Much love! & Praying for you all!

SaraKath.

Day #5: The Bread God Has Given.

Alright, so, welcome to my new blog site! :) I'm hoping to be able to get more feedback on this one, or at least feel better about my blog. It's been quite a long time since I have written one of these, so please forgive me. I'm a slacker, and it's something I'm working on. If you all would like to help, encouragement always does the mind and soul good! ;) Haha!

So, here we go with day numero cinco!

First step is to always READ the passage. Todays passage comes from Exodus 16:9-16.

Exodus 16:9-16 (King James Version)

⁹And Moses spake unto Aaron, Say unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, Come near before the LORD: for he hath heard your murmurings.

¹⁰And it came to pass, as Aaron spake unto the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and, behold, the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud.

¹¹And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

¹²I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel: speak unto them, saying, At even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God.

¹³And it came to pass, that at even the quails came up, and covered the camp: and in the morning the dew lay round about the host.

¹⁴And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground.

¹⁵And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat.

¹⁶This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded, Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer for every man, according to the number of your persons; take ye every man for them which are in his tents.

Now, the second step is to read it again slowly, and concentrate on all the emotions the Israelites were feeling. The emotions while they were complaining, the excitement once they noticed God's glory in the clouds, this amazing gift of bread God has given from the heavens, and the satisfaction of not having to worry about having enough.

In this devotional, it says to THINK about what your complaint to God would be at this very moment. Don't try to figure one out, just let it come to you. After it comes to you, think about any signs that God has given you, or ways that He has told you that He will provide your needs; that He will solve each complaint, within His own time, and His own ways; we just need to be patient.

I know how hard it can be to struggle with something and to try and be patient. A lot of the times, I think God answers us right away, but we're to focused on our struggles to really hear what He is telling us. We focus more on worldly issues and things, instead of putting all our focus on the line for God. He wants all of our attention, and if He has it, we will no doubt hear His words and plans for us. Patience is very important in anyones life. We all need it, and most of us struggle very hard with patience, with either not having enough of it, or having so much that we hold back what's really on our minds. Most of us struggle with having enough, but if we do focus on God, He will provide us with plenty of patience, we just really need to focus on Him, and only Him.

This makes me think of how rough my year of 2009 was. I was struggling so much, and became very depressed with everything that was going on in my life. Finally, I realized that, even though I felt like I was giving everything to God, something was still holding me back, which was anger. I was angry about certain things, and frustrated to the point where I had no idea what to do with my life, or how to handle myself anymore. I was just looking for answers, but without really paying attention to all the signs God was giving me. I was worried about my dad being sick, and I was worried about my life in university, and where I wanted to go next year. I had a rough couple of months right before Christmas, but just one day, God told me not to worry, because no matter what I need, He will provide and that He had a plan for my life.

I just find that a lot of us waste our time complaining about stupid things that will not matter in the end. We complain about the way others act, meanwhile we act very similar. We all get annoyed so easily it seems, but honestly, I think that's just the world getting to us. We need to remember that this planet, is not our home, heaven is. This is our temporary living space, which God has given us to show the world how beautiful and glorified He and his children are. It is our job to provide to others like He provides us. We are set on this earth to do His work, and to help others the best way that we can. Now, who's going to make the first step? We can sit back and keep putting it off as long as we want, but the longer we do so, the more miserable we will become, and the more miserable the people we could be helping will become as well. We need to get out there, and trust that God will provide us with what we need to provide for others. He is the key to any type of success, and He is the key to a healthy heart and soul. We need Him to survive this world, and we need to trust in Him to provide everything we need, instead of complaining about the things we don't have, and worrying about how to get them. If they are things that we need, God will give it to us, in some way. He is the best provider there is, and we don't want to miss out on any of Him just because we'd rather sit back and be stressed out about whatever it is that is bothering us.

Hopefully this is all making sense, and if it's not I'm sorry. When I write these blogs, I kind of just go with the flow. I never check them over, which I know I should, but I feel like this is the best way to get what's in my head out. I honestly do believe that God uses me to do this for a reason too, and that a lot of what I'm saying I don't even realize until later, because God puts it on my heart to say it right away. He's using me to talk about His word, and His ways, which I think is pretty neat. I think He tells everyone a lot, and at first, when He told me to start this blog, I didn't listen, but since I have started it, I have gotten so blessed, and it really did open a lot of doors, and I mean, that's really neat since I just started! God really is an amazing provider, and I write all this down because I don't want anyone to miss out on it anymore. It's so much more fun to live a life that is full of God than to worry and be frustrated for most of your life. Then again, I full on believe that, to be happy, you need to want to be happy, and try to be happy, then it eventually becomes natural. At least, that's exactly what happened to me. and I feel like it completely changed my outlook on life. God really spoke to me when He said that, and it's something we all must know. I had a lot of questions for Him, and He provided me with answers! I now know what I'm going to be doing next year, I'm more focused on Him, He made me see things that I was blinded by before, and He just made me so much more excited for life! Make sure that you don't miss out on anything just because of some stupid struggles. Life is more than just that, be adventurous in spirit! God will provide you with great experiences and beauties! You just need to trust in Him!

If you have a hard time seeing what God has provided you with, well I encourage you to PRAY for Him to show you exactly what He did provide you with through your complaint. The cool thing about God is that He doesn't have a secretary. You don't need to leave a message after the beep, He just answers your call right away, and He always gets back to you with answers! That is, as long as you believe that He will, because without belief, you just have a bunch of hope, and even though hope is always good, unless you believe, whatever you're hoping for rarely actually happens. He's your best friend, and He is always there for you! So don't hold back, don't be scared, just talk to Him, tell Him what's on your mind! Even if He already knows it, He appreciates when you communicate with Him. That's what He needs from you, and until you do that, the providing will not be as noticeable to you.

Now, for the LIVE part of this devotional blog. You need to sit quietly with all your attention on God. Feel His "enoughness" in you, the satisfaction you have within Him. There shall never be any dissatisfaction when it comes to our Lord. So I pray for all of you to just sit in His glory, and acknowledge His work, and everything He has provided you with. I also pray that He provides you with whatever you are searching for. Since honestly, who in this world isn't searching for something?

Until next time!

SaraKath.

Day #4: Learning to pay Attention

READ Exodus 3:1-6 aloud.

Exodus 3

¹Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.

²And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

³And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.

⁴And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.

⁵And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.

⁶Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.

This passage describes a very exciting encounter that Moses had with God. He witnessed what we humans would never think would be possible! It made meTHINK of the time I was on a missions trip in Argentina, and a little girl from home gave me a drawing to give to another little girl in Argentina. She thought it would be a nice gesture and I agreed that when I met a little girl whom I thought would love the picture, I would give it to her. The picture was of snow in our beautiful Canadian home, and no child from Argentina has ever seen snow.

So I was in church the last Sunday before we left, and a little girl runs up to me and wants me to pick her up. Of course, I do so and start dancing with her during worship. At the time, I had braces, and she was fascinated by them and kept touching them. (it was a little gross, but heck, it was a beautiful little girl from Argentina. I couldn’t just ship her back to her mother! I wanted to spend the most time with her as possible. Haha. Although, I did shut my mouth pretty quickly once she reached for them again.) Anywho, on our way out of the church, I stopped the child, and told her that I had something special for her and her brother. I took out my purse, and searched for that picture that I wanted to give her. I had a friend beside me helping me. I looked everywhere in my purse and could not seem to find it. I emptied everything out onto a table, and proceeded to give them candy because I felt bad to have lost the real gift that I wanted to give her. I prayed to God to help me find this picture, and I had almost lost hope. I turned back around to search for it again, and there it was, on top of the pile of stuff that I took out of my purse! I turned to my friend, and asked if she had seen it there before, and she shook her head no. We were both amazed that God did such an amazing thing. He placed that there for me to give to that little girl. No matter how hard I looked for it before, it was nowhere to be found, but once I asked God to show it to me, He graciously placed it on top of the pile for me to see. Seriously, how amazing is that? Have you ever encountered anything from God?

A lot of us feel like these types of encounters have to be visible to the human eye, but a lot of the times He sends us spiritual gifts/encounters as well. Kind of like my YWAM trip! He assured me that He had everything under control, and to not worry about right now, because tomorrow is a new day, and He had great plans for my life. Jesus is the most gracious gift we could ever receive, and we never even deserved Him. Especially after giving us His Son, you would think God would stop there wouldn’t you? He doesn’t though, and that’s what is so great! He is the best forgiver anyone could ever ask for, and He is willing to give us everything that we need as long as we live our lives for Him. When we are not sure about how to live for Him, or whatever else we’re unsure of, He is willing to tell us directly what we need to do. Whether it is to find a new church, new friends, or to fully start over, He is always right and even though we should never question His grace, love, affection or plans for us, He still allows us too. He wants us to understand His was each more everyday. How many best friends do you have that will do that no matter what time it is, or what else they are busy with? He is truly amazing and astonishing. He is the glorious of all glories, and all other glories come from Him.

Look around you, at the trees, the ocean, the sky… He created each and everyone of those things for us to see, so that we have even more reason to glorify Him. When was the last time you went for a nature walk, and looked at all the details that this earth has to offer? He knows everything about every single piece of being on this planet. He knows how many hairs are on your head, He made your eyes exactly the way He wanted them, He knows what’s within you, and He knows us better than we know ourselves. He is there with us every step of the way, and I don’t know about you, but He is the only friend that can promise me all these things, and literally sticking to His promise. Thank Him for your life every day, because of Him, every second is worth living if we truly believe in Him.

When God said “Remove your sandals from your feet. You’re standing on holy ground” I think He meant to remove worldly things, and focus on His holiness. How often do you acknowledge God’s holiness? How does God’s holiness make a difference in your life? Are you willing to put all man made things aside, and focus on God? No one said this life would be easy, but with God’s help, no matter what struggles you go through to get passed all the horror of society, it will all be worth it in the end. Focus on Him, and His love. Even thought there are times where we believe that God has let us down, He always brings something better in our lives through all the bad that happens to us, and our loved ones. Through every struggle that brings sadness, there will be a delightful day that we can rejoice in Him for bringing us smiles. He will never let you down, no matter what.

Now, some of you may feel like you have never had a real encounter with God, or maybe you are just uncertain if you have or not. I encourage you to PRAY to God right now, and ask Him to bring Himself to you. That He will share a special thought with you, through a sign, or through just listening to what He has to say. He is a great and mighty God, and if it is in His will, He will answer this prayer. If you are struggling with a decision, ask Him to send you a sign, you’ll be surprised on how often this works. The trick is, to believe that He actually will. Without believing, there is no receiving. Work on your relationship with God, and continue to pray to Him each and every day.

Moses only heard from God when He paid attention. We are a lot like Moses in a way; we only pay notice God when we pay attention to what goes on around us. I want you to be able to find a quiet place this week, where you can sit in awe of God. Spend some time in silence, where you can pay more attention to the things you usually neglect. These things may be situations, people, quiet moments with God, His creation, etc… While you sit there and think about these neglected things, look for ways that God is waiting to interact with you, but that you have never noticed before because of your lack of attention. We all do it, but now is the time to change it. We need Him to speak to us now more than ever before. Are you ready to LIVEthis life while committing to focusing more on what God has in store for you?

Much love,
SaraKath.

Day #3: A Picture of Forgiveness

Take time to be in a quiet place. Settle your mind and silently READ His word.

Genesis 50:15-21

Joseph Reassures His Brothers

¹⁵ When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?” ¹⁶ So they sent word to Joseph, saying, “Your father left these instructions before he died: ¹⁷ ‘This is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly.’ Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father.” When their message came to him, Joseph wept.

¹⁸ His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. “We are your slaves,” they said.

¹⁹ But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? ²⁰ You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. ²¹ So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.

After reading this silently, read it again aloud. Listen for a sentence that God uses to speak to you by touching using it to touch your heart. Close your eyes, and THINKabout that sentence or word that stood out to you. Focus on it, and write it down, but only that one sentence/word that you fell in love with.

When I did this, there were two sentences that stood out to me. The first was, “Will you do it? Will you forgive the sins of the servants of your father’s God?” which made me think of what I talked about in the last post I did. I found myself struggling and judging others, and God told me that I needed to stop, and that He would help. I need to look past the wicked of others, and start to forgive and think more about their feelings than their actions. God wants us to forgive and to be understanding towards His children of the world. He is our Father, and we should do what He says. Forgiveness is a hard thing to do, but we must try, and with God’s help, everything is possible. No matter how much that person has hurt us in the past, as long as God is with us, no bad will come out of it, all we need to do, is to listen to His will. Our willingness to do what He says and wants.

The second part that stood out to me was, “Don’t be afraid. Do I act for God? Don’t you see, you planned evil against me but God used those same pans for my good, as you see all around you right now — life for many people.” This just amazes me. After reading this over and over, it just still hits me hard. God is a gracious giver. I have said it in the past, but this verse right here, is proof.

So many times we are afraid of pretty much everything, but why must we be afraid if we are the children of God? God is our Father, and if we believe and honour Him like we should, He will never let anything bad happen to us. The pain that we feel, will change into love later on. Right once we start thinking that things can’t get worse, God reminds us that it can, by bringing more struggles into our lives. Do you know why He does this? He does this to show us to always be grateful for what He has given to us so far, and that He is always there to give us a helping hand. He loves us, and wants the best for us, but until we start listening to His word, we will never be happy. There are others suffering way more than you, and God wants you to help them, but before you do that, you need to ask God to use you, and to start by fixing you. He is the One that we can ALWAYS count on. No matter what struggles you are going through, He is always there helping you get through. All that you need to do, is believe in Him, that He is capable of everything and that He will handle it all because of the love that He has for you. Start looking up, instead of always thinking of the pain, think about all the amazing times you have had in your life. I know that it’s a lot easier said than done, believe me. I have struggled, and I know. We all know. We are all human and understand the suffering that we can go through, but until you turn everything to God, nothing will heal.
Read the passage again, and think about all the ways that forgiveness is illustrated throughout the text. Think about all the feelings that are in the text, all the emotions. Imagine what it feels like to be the forgiver, then imagine what it feels like to be the forgiven. Forgiving someone who has hurt you, gives them hope to be better, as well as how you feel. It’s a good feeling to be able to forgive, and even though that the person whom you have forgiven may not acknowledge how lucky they are right away, they will eventually realise, and it will give them hope. If you look around you, in the world today, the society does not allow us to have much hope. With all the hate, and wars, we need to show now, more than ever that we Christians are here to change that. We are here for God, and we are willing to do everything in His will to make this planet a better place to live for everyone. Emotions are very hard to deal with, and for those who feel unloved, hurt, frightened, and whatever else, it is our job to be there for them to give them hope through our Lord Jesus. If we don’t start forgiving, this will never happen. Show them love through forgiveness. Don’t be afraid to get hurt, because in the end, God makes everything better than what it was like before the pain. How is the expression of love meaningful to you? I encourage you to note your thoughts.

Read the passage one final time. After you do this, think about how God is speaking to you through it, and what He is telling you to do. Listen to what He wants from you this week. Maybe what He is telling you will bring a whole new look and perspective of you in His eyes. He continues to amaze us, so why not try and amaze Him? He is a proud father, and I encourage you to continue to make Him even more proud of you this week, along with every other day of your life. He may even guide you on a new adventure, a new road to the rest of your life. He has blessed me by showing me what He wants me to do with my life next year, and I cannot even express my happiness or excitement! He told me to go be apart of YWAM. (if you don’t known what YWAM is, it stands for Youth With A Mission, and I encourage you too look them up! The experience is truly amazing! & it’s all for God, so what could possibly be better than that?) You never know what He has in store for you, unless you listen to Him, you will never understand the incredible plans He has for you. I encourage you to talk and express yourself to Him each day. He listens, and will show you His love and plans for you. He will continue to give you signs, in numerous ways, just pay attention and you will have no doubt that they are from God. I am a living witness of that example!:) Trust in Him, and PRAY to Him about all this, and then write down that you feel like He has invited you to do.

For the LIVE part of this, I want you to meditate on this quote that is from the Book Of Common Prayer, and let yourself receive it on your own. “Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten; nor the hope of the poor be taken away.”

Tonight, I will be praying that God shows you a new path for your life, and sends encouragement your way!

Peace & love.

SaraKath.

Day #2: Wrestling in the Night.

Lately I have been having trouble taking time to write in my blog, which I apologize for. I apologize to God, for not taking enough time for Him, while He has been patiently waiting for me to call on His name. So, here it goes God, this is for You! J

I struggled a lot with this devotion. At first it made no sense to me, but God has made things a lot more clear for me this time around.

So let’s start off by READing Genesis 32:22-32, and if you don’t really understand what’s going on in the passage, and if its your first time reading this, it would be a good idea to look up at a few verses before this.

The first thing I want you to do, is to picture yourself in this passage. THINK, about if you think that you are Jacob or do you feel like you’re an invisible bystander just sitting there, watching it all?

When I think of me being in this passage, I think that I’m a little bit of both. A lot of the times, I sit back, and watch others struggle, because I end up giving up the hope that I once had in them. I always feel guilty about it, and I should. I am glad that I feel this guilt, because it makes me realize that I need to be better. I’m judging, just like every other human being on the earth, but just because everyone else does it, doesn’t make it okay. Did Jesus do it? No, He did not. He’s the only being on this earth that matters, so why should the congregation out rule Him in our eyes? We need to be more like Jesus, more like God. We are put on this earth to set good examples, to be good people and to do His work. A lot of us say that we know this already, but if we know it, and believe that it is true, why do we sit around and wish that we would/could, but cannot find the strength to do it. We cannot find the strength to do it because we always feel like we need to do in ourselves, as if we cannot ask for help. God wants us to ask for His help, and unless we believe that He can actually help, we will never become who He wants us to be. We cannot do it on our own. Stop being an onlooker, and start being the one who stands up for God by representing Him through all of our actions, words, and thoughts. Strive to be like Him, fight for what you believe is right. Don’t be taken over by society.

A lot of the times people will make fun of my beliefs, and when I think about this story about Jacob, I picture me as Jacob, wrestling the world. I will get hurt, but my relationship with God overrules my pain everyday. He is the reason why I am on this planet, and it’s time for all of us to fight through the pain, and to look at the righteousness of our King! He uses the pain that we go through each and every day to grow closer to Him, and by growing closer to Him, our lives will finally make more sense. I believe that more than ever lately. I had a really rough year last year, and God has been pulling me through the tears, pain and struggles and encouraging me to have more faith in Him. He told me not to worry about what is happening now, but to do the best that I can and He would take care of the rest. God is a wonderful provider, and is the best gift giver ever! Listen to what He tells you, and look for the signs that He gives you. He has been giving me so many signs lately and I have never felt so blessed! I was a total reck last semester, and now with God’s gracious being, He refreshed everything in my mind, heart and soul. I feel like nothing could take me down now, and I am so excited to live my life for Him! Have courage, and faith to walk beside Him each and every day. It’s the only way to live a full free life!

I encourage you to pray and to tell God exactly what you want, in details because He loves to hear from His children. If you believe that He is able to give you want you need and want in life, He will provide. Don’t be greedy, and I say this because a lot of us PRAY for things that we do not need. Focus on your inner being, and not about worldly things. Pray for Him to work through you, and to encourage you do focus on Him every day.

Praying is not always easy for everyone, a lot of us have a hard time focusing on what we want to say. If you are like me, and have a hard time focusing on your thoughts and words that you want to express to God, try writing how you feel down. Express your frustration, your joy, sadness, and whatever other emotion that you are feeling. Make a list of things that you want or feel that you need. If you believe, and really are in need, God will provide without hesitation. Just be patient and wait on Him, because the longer the wait, the greater the gift!

Now for the last and final part of this devotion. The LIVE part. Picture yourself in a quiet place, where all you hear is the waves, and the sounds of creatures that our Lord made for us. Do you trust God in this imaginary situation? Within the chaos of creatures and wilderness around you, do you hear God’s settling voice comforting you? Listen for His voice, feel His arms around you. If you feel uncomfortable, feel honest about it. How do you wish to feel like? Express your feelings and rest in the thoughts that God gives you.

Until next time…
Praying for you all!

SaraKath.

Day #1: Desire for Reconciliation.

Alright, so since this is my first post of the actual day to day devotionals, I shall explain how it works. It has an order of four specific things to do. I will not share the exact things it says in the book, because I want all of you to go out and buy it yourself! :)

So first, READ Genesis 3:1-10. In case you need the verses, here they are!

The Fall of Man

¹ Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

² The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, ³but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’ ”

⁴ “You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman. ⁵ “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

⁶ When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. ⁷ Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

⁸ Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. ⁹ But the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?”

¹⁰ He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”

This made me THINK about how so many of us disobey God. We all do it, it’s a factor of life sadly. We need to work hard, to do His work, instead of doing work that distracts us from Him. He should and needs to be our full on focus. Which leads me to taking time for Him. Have you took time for Him today? I know I haven’t taken enough time. I have barely taken any time for Him today.

A lot of us are too busy with worldly things to acknowledge God’s beauty. Try going for a walk today, and looking at every detail of every part of the trees, the sky, dirt, and anything else that is around. He made all of it. Every single detail. He knows every single freckle on your skin, exactly how many hairs are on your body, He knows all! Why would we have want to try and hide something from someone who is that amazing? He created us, and gave us life, free will, the beauties of everything that surrounds us, but instead of praising Him like we should, a lot of the times we’re judging the way He works. God is magical, He’s based on wonder, which makes it so amazing! You can picture this beautiful glorious God up in the heavens who took the time to make every single piece of your skin, your bones, body part, and everything. He placed all of them together and made a master piece; which is you. No matter what anyone ever says to you, believe that you are a masterpiece; and not only a masterpiece, but God’s finest work of art that He has ever made. He wants you to know that, and to call on Him to be your Father, and your best friend.

Do you ever feel alone? Sometimes I just feel like all my friends are gone, and as if my best friends are becoming a blur. Who is your best friend? Are they someone who you can count on for absolutely anything? Who you can trust with your life? Who always gives the greatest advice and encouragement, while you feel like the rest of the world is constantly judging you, and having these expectations of you that you just don’t see happening? There is only One best friend who can promise you all of this, no matter what time of day or night. His name is Jesus. Everyone hears about Him, and a lot believe in Him, but do they have faith that He will hold up to all of His promises? Stop asking yourself questions, and start asking God to show you the answers Himself. Don’t just ask and then not expect God to answer, because if you do that, you will never get answers. Have faith in God to show you the answers, make sure to look for them, and to really want to know them.

Doesn’t it hurt when your best friends disappoint you? Don’t you ever feel like the ones you love the most, are sometimes running away from you and your problems, and start focusing on someone or something else? It feels like crap. It really does. So how do you think God feels when we disobey and run away from Him? He loves us more than we could ever imagine. We might think we understand what love is, but God has a whole different meaning of love for us. Don’t you want to know about it and learn more about the love that He has to share with you? Have you disobeyed your best friend? Are you willing to work at it, and get that relationship back where it should be? God should be your best friend. He’s right behind you, waiting to catch you each time you fall. He’s there with open arms waiting. Are you ready to turn your life around, and open up your arms to Him? Turn around and give Him a hug. He’ll embrace you, and you will feel love and comfort pour on to you like you have never felt before. Continue to grow closer to Him. He’s never far. He’s always right there waiting. How long are you going to make Him wait?

I got a little bit off topic, but God let’s it happen for a reason!

We all rebel against God. It’s something we all struggle with, that’s why it is so important to have people encouraging you to lead a Godly life. So here I am folks, I’m here, posting all of this for you, to encourage you to lean to God, let Him catch you when you fall. Do what He wants for you, because His plans are way better than ours. Listen carefully for what He’s trying to tell you. He’s there, waiting for you to call on Him. If you are having trouble with a certain situation or addiction, pray about it! One of the many great things about God is that he is the definition of Forgiveness. He never judges you, He just wants to help. Don’t give up on doing good! We all know it’s so much easier to just drift, and fall into evil things but thanks to Jesus, we don’t need to! No one said the Christian life would be easy. Even though a lot of people seem to have it in their head that it is, it’s definitely not easy. Stand up for what you believe in, be strong! I encourage you to follow the path God has for you, because you will get the best reward in the end. The greatest gift of all. :)

Take time to PRAY about everything you’ve thought about. Tell God your flaws, just so He can hear it from you. He may know all, but hearing the truth from the person you care about, means a lot more than just knowing and never hearing it. Talk to Him, He’s your best friend! It doesn’t need to be anything fancy. Speak to Him as if He were your best friend, because that’s what He should be. Confess the truth to Him, He’s a great listener! Don’t let His listening skills go to waste!:)

Now, for the last part of this blog. How do you feel about everything? Do you want toLIVE more righteously for God? Remember that we are not put on this earth for our own will, we are here for God’s will. In verse 9, God asks Adam where he went. If God knows all, why do you think He asked Adam? He wanted Adam to confess. Adam’s confession was “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” When are you most tempted to hide from God? When are you so ashamed, that you want to turn away from God? If you are truly that ashamed, that you want to turn away from the Greatest Forgiver of all times. If you really want to run away from something/someone as great as God, than should you really be doing those certain things?

Praying for you all.

Much love.

SaraKath.

ps: I stumbled across this song tonight, someone danced to it on So You Think You Can Dance Canada, and I just fell in love. It’s called Your Hands by JJ Heller. Here are the lyrics. It really is an amazingly beautiful song. Hope you all enjoy!

I have unanswered prayers
I have trouble I wish wasn’t there
And I have asked a thousand ways
That You would take my pain away
That You would take my pain away

I am trying to understand
How to walk this weary land
Make straight the paths that crookedly lie
Oh Lord, before these feet of mine
Oh Lord, before these feet of mine

When my world is shaking
Heaven stands
When my heart is breaking
I never leave Your hands

When You walked upon the Earth
You healed the broken, lost, and hurt
I know You hate to see me cry
One day You will set all things right
Yea, one day You will set all things right

When my world is shaking
Heaven stands
When my heart is breaking
I never leave Your hands

Your hands
Your hands that shape the world
Are holding me, they hold me still
Your hands that shape the world
Are holding me, they hold me still

When my world is shaking
Heaven stands
When my heart is breaking
I never leave You when…

When my world is shaking
Heaven stands
When my heart is breaking
I never leave…
I never leave Your hands

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrZKb5cTyN0