Prepare the Way

Joel 2:12-17 talks about God;s return, and how we need to prepare the way, and call all men to repent. I normally just read this verse as if it is just a vocab word, it has no meaning beyond what is written before me, and is completely understood to be blunt and apparent.... I was so ready to talk to my worship team about it, and give AWESOME input... but i had never read this verse out loud... and there is something different about reading a verse outloud. it just changes the way the verse is in your mind, and everything has a greater effect and you notice more what you are saying. It's crazy. i was reading, and i was completely in awe of the words i had just read.... like...
If God came back at this moment, i would NOT be prepared at all. and the only way i know that i can be saved is to have a completely pure heart and renewed mind. This is obviously something i do not amount to yet, but is definitely something that i am asking God for. The cry of my heart is for my city to be saved because of Gods amazing love and mercy... Instead of showing God's glory though, i have been trying to make it about me...
In order for God to save my family, and my friends, and my generation, i have to start by offering myself as a living sacrifice, because this is true worship (romans 12:1)
it isn't about what I'VE done in the past, it is about what i am currently allowing GOD to do through me, in the present. So, i'm probably not helping anyone who is actually going to read this, things just make more sense to me when i write them out... sorry. lol....
i'm going to do something a little odd.... but i'm going to write out a prayer right now....

God,
God i pray for the hearts of the city to be opened. and not because i want my friends to be with me for eternity, which i do, but because i know that this will show your glory and honor. I pray that every eye will see and every ear will hear your truth. God start with me. i don't want to be like the pharisees, i want to be an example of what your love can do, so move in me O God. God show mercy on me, that i may forerun your coming and help sound the alarm for my generation. God i don't know what it is like to be hungry, or desperate for anything... But God, i want to be DESPERATE and completely ABANDONED to you. this is my cry. that my heart, and the hearts of my peers, and my generation will be completely abandoned to desperation for you. God put a cry in our hearts for your love, and your revelation.
Amen.

♥

tangible presence

OH MY GOODNESS!!!
so, tonight during youth group we were talking about just... how God is actually returning during our lifetime. i don't have the courage to speak up during youth group, but these are my thoughts on the whole evening. ... so, American's fill their time with temporary, unsatisfying things right? *referring to the bubble gum blog* why is that? tonight God just whispered in my spirit these exact words " until you have revelation of how relentless my love is, and how beyond what your minds can fathom, you will fill the emptiness in your life with temporary satisfaction"
my reaction was "...silence..."
until we receive revelation of God's love, and how abundant and beyond what our minds can fathom it is, we will not dedicate our time to him. our time will be filled with quick, superficial highs. and because there are so many different kinds of worldly highs, we could literally go until God's return without once asking him to fill the empty places in our lives....
i don't know about you, but this grieves my heart. we could go our entire life without God... if we don't alert our friends about God, it is very possible that they will never have the opportunity to hear his voice, or read his words...
My heart grieves for our generation, that we would not be a lost generation, but that we would bring God back into focus for the world. that we would present the coming of God, and usher in his kingdom. sigh.
wow... i have way too much on my mind...

time to go to bed though ♥
sweet dreams!

bubble gum in all its glory

Today i had some bubblegum, and while you may go an entire day without pondering why you eat bubblegum, me and my wondrous intelligence could not resist. totally kidding. But, do you ever wonder why we enjoy things that are so simple? i mean, its sugar, thats pushed together, and you chew it, until it either starts to taste revolting, or it pops all over your face causing great struggle in pain. why do we as humans choose such pointless things to occupy our time? is it that we hope it will one day begin to not taste bad after chewing it? or do we somehow hope it is going to miraculously not end up masking our face from oxygen...?
Bubble gum isn't exactly one of the ten deadly sins, but it is a good metaphor for the choices we make as human beings. i mean, we are choosing to spend money (like 70 cents, but still) and time, and even risk breaking rules having it. for something that brings only temporary pleasure... when we could in fact be having a lunch, or a smoothie, or something that brings nutrition into our bodies, helping our systems work better and extend our period of life. We as humans tend to go for temporary satisfaction out of habit. It seems as though it is something built into our sinful nature. we are not willing to work for even the simplest things in life. We have so many options but as a default we choose the one that is easiest AND fastest, YET most temporary and unsatisfying. MAYBE we should stop and think about simple things. like a guy choosing to watch porn instead of waiting for sexual pleasure in marriage. Or a girl choosing to dress suggestively instead of waiting for a man who loves her even when she is wearing her baggy old sweats. Why are the pointless, temporary things more appealing to us then things that are rewarding and enjoyable?
i don't have a closing to this blog, but its just something to get you thinking, and help me take a second look at things i think about so effortlessly.
thx for reading ♥

two roads

After reading "the road not taken" by a wonderful poet, Robert Frost, one has to think about the paths, or roads that he/she is choosing to take. I am not one to be labeled as a poetry connoisseur, but i do not read with a closed mind. The poem, if the title does not make it apparent enough, talks about regretting the missed experiences in life, because of the way you have chosen to live and vice-versa. So, after reading this poem, I, the unexperienced reader couldn't help but ponder the road that i have chosen. I am obviously a Christian, and have dedicated my life to God, But what is this other path that i am missing out on? and will i regret not taking this path in my last days? After praying, and pondering this question for a few days, i remembered everything we had talked about while studying Revelation during youth group. If God is going to take over the entire world, and reign in power, i would definitely prefer to remain on his good side! Thus coming to the realization that by just following a path that is marked and led by God, the only regrets i could possibly have would be not informing others of this path and eventually losing them. I plan on not only following God's path, but informing my peers and relations of it so that i can in-turn remain with them for eternity.
The point of this blog is not to congratulate myself for picking God's path, but to remind readers to just step back and view their choices and paths carefully, that they will live with regrets ranging from few to none. well, that about wraps up my thoughts for the evening.
thanks for reading <3