Never give up

His forehead glistened as the sun bared down on him, his body soaked with sweat from the heat. His lungs were on fire while he labored to keep a smooth rhythmic pace of his breathing. His legs were tightening and aching as they methodically moved beneath him.
“100 meters to go…yeah I can do this,” he said to himself as he rounded the curve. Struggling to keep going, he tried to push himself harder in that final stretch, but his body just wouldn’t let him. As he crossed the finish line, he heard the chief call out his time, and he collapsed on the grass beside the track as a wave of disappointment washed over him. Once again Daniel Walker managed to miss passing the 1-mile run. The chief walked up and said, “Walker, you got to start pushing yourself harder. Run everyday….if not you ain’t ever gonna pass this run.” “Aye sir”, Daniel replied. John, one of Daniel’s best friends and current platoon commander walked over and said, “Hey, you’ll get it next time bud”. “Yeah, easy for you to say John, you run varsity cross country and even on your bad days you still pass. Man, I’m never gonna pass this.” John paused for a minute in thought, “You just gotta listen to the Chief, his right you have to run every day and push yourself to do better. I didn’t make you my second in command for nothing, you good at pushing yourself when you want something bad enough, now apply it to this.” “Yeah, alright…I guess your right” Daniel admitted. “Come on, we’ll head back in and head up to Krispy Kremes after school and do that bible study.” “Haha alright man, sounds good.”
For the past 2 years, young Daniel Walker excelled in just about everything he tried in high school that is until we talk about athletics. He didn’t have a bunch of talent, but he certainly wasn’t terrible at things…just average. However, running was always his weakness. Did fine on the other aspects of the physical fitness test, but never could quite get that run down. Now, it was a big deal because he needed it to get promoted so now it mattered. However, the next few months until the run would have a huge impact in his life. It’ll all began with that trip up to Krispy Kremes.
“Alright Daniel, here’s what we’re going to do,” John said as they arrived at Krispy Kremes, “you and I are going to run every day after school getting you ready for this next PFT.” “I don’t know about that too much now,” Daniel replied. “Hey, if you want to get promoted then you better start working and I’m going to help you. We’re starting next week,” John almost commanded. “Alright fine John, but you are probably gonna kill me.” With a smirk on his face, John replied, “just maybe. Monday at 1600.”
Monday afternoon, John was waiting at the track for Daniel. It was hot outside and there was a cloud in site. The humility was already making John sweat from just standing there. Daniel finally got there, seeming to be a bit reluctant to do this. They stretched out, got lose and started to run around the track. Barely making it one lap around the track, Daniel fell out. “John, I’m sorry man but I just can’t keep running at that pace.” “Dude, yes you can come on,” John yelled as he ran back to get him. “No, I can’t…I’m sorry John,” Daniel said with his head held low. “Alright, we’ll take it slow.”
It took a lot of motivation from John, but he managed to convince Daniel to keep running with him each day. John would pick up the pace slowly over time, and Daniel would always go home sore. Around the end of the first week, Daniel felt better about it. He told John that he was going to keep going each day. It was painful, his legs were tight each night, and it was tough to move around from the aching pain of being sore each morning, but he wasn’t going to quit. He needed this and he knew that, so Daniel got out there each day, pushed past it and ran with everything he got.
After about a month of running, John made Daniel do the mile by himself, and John was going to time it. “Daniel, it’s only 4 laps. We’ve been training for a month now, you got this bud.” Daniel stretched, got lose and started up his mile. He started off with a good pace, go that breathing pattern going and just kept running. “Eh, this ain’t too bad,” Daniel said to himself as he kept the motivation going. The 3rd lap came around. Breathing was tougher, but the past month has helped him keep that under better control. He wasn’t as sore as he use to be, and things were going ok. Final lap came around. Daniel’s heart was pounding from the run; he tore around that finally curve and dashed with all he had left the last 50 yards. A wave of exhaustion hit as he laid down in the blazing summer sun, but the smile wouldn’t leave his face as John showed Daniel the stop watch. “20 seconds to spare,” John said as he patted Daniel on the back. “Just in time too, we got PFT next week.” “Yeah, John, I can’t thank you enough man, I’m really glad you helped me,” Daniel said. “Hey, I know it’s been tough for you, but you never gave up and that’s what counts. Let’s kill that run next week.”
It was a mildly hot day for the summer down in the south. There was a cool breeze rustling the leaves and clouds were moving in and out over the sun. “Perfect running weather,” Daniel thought to himself, “this is gonna be the day.” The Chief stood there with his stop watch ready as everyone lined up. “Ready, set, go,” he yelled and off they went. Daniel felt great. The mildness helped keep his motivation up and he was set on finally passing. “A month of pushing myself and busting my butt is finally going to pay off,” he thought as he started on his second lap. As he started his 3rd lap, the chief called out the times. “Dang, that’s a whole extra 30 seconds faster than I thought. Finally lap…yeah, this is in the bag.” He came up on that last curve, his heart was pounding, and the anticipation of finally passing the run for the first time in 2 years was just building in his chest. He was ready to take that passing time and wear it proudly. He came around the end of the curve, then snap, his foot found a hole in the track. Daniel collapsed in pain as John and the chief ran up to him. “You alright Daniel? What happened?” the chief asked. “I don’t know,” was all Daniel could muster. It was right there, right there in his grasp, and he lost it. The defeat was killing him as they loaded him in the golf cart to get him back up to the school.
Over the next few weeks, Daniel rested up on his ankle. When it got stronger he got out there and ran every day, just like him and John did a month ago. He pushed on and tackled the next PFT ready. In the end, Daniel did get passing times on the run, well under a minute of what he needed. He overcame many obstacles along the way; soreness, lack of physical fitness and injuries. Despite the difficulties, Daniel never gave up on it. Eventually Daniel would become a Coast Guard Rescue swimmer and lead a life of high physical fitness levels and saving lives because of it, all because of deciding to push past adversity and never giving up.

Daniel sets a good example here for never giving up. High school comes with many challenges that we may not overcome the first try. However if we lean on God like Daniel does, seek Him and continue to strive at things, then we will succeed. No matter what the challenge or obstacle is, remember to never give up.

The Full Armor of God

<sup>Many of time we talk about how we need to do this in high school, reach out to people, stop doing this or that sin. We hear a lot about what we need/should/want to do, but instead, lets take a look at how we can do it. Life is like a battleground, we are going to experience times of success, failure, difficult, and peace. That's how things are gonna be. We are always having to fight against the things we want to do because it's how the world "has fun". It's easy to want to get wrapped up in them. Yet, Christians are given the tools to fight back. Just as soldiers go into battle prepared, so do the Sons and Daughters of God.


10</sup> Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. ¹³ Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. ¹⁴ Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, ¹⁵ and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; ¹⁶ in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

This is a passage from the 6th chapter of Ephesians talking about the Armor of God. Let's break down what Paul is talking about here as the Armor of God. The first item that lays the foundation, and helps to hold things together is the Belt of Truth. Girding your loins with truth is another way of talking about fastening a belt around your waist. Truth is what lays the foundation for fighting against sin and the devil. Knowing what is true will help us in making the right decisions in life and knowing that our God is true and faithful. If we don't know what is true, then how can we believe God, know what is right and wrong, and make the right decisions. So putting on that belt of truth is the foundation of living a Godly life.
Now we take a look at the breastplate of righteousness. Righteousness is that ability to know what is right and wrong, and then making the Godly decision with it. What's interesting is how righteousness is described as a breastplate. Breastplates protect the heart. In a spiritual sense, our heart is the one that gives us the desires in life, that place where those desires come from. So when we put on that breastplate of righteousness, we are protecting our heart, letting it's desires line up with God's righteousness.
When we talk about reaching out to people, and taking the Gospel to different places, we don't go there on our hands, or our head. We use our feet. Our feet are the ones that take us places. So that is why we prepare our feet for the Gospel of truth, to take it where God is leading us to.
Shields is the piece of armor that is used as the main article of defense. Just like in our walk in life, the shield of faith. When we are unsure of ourselves, our situations, or going through trials and temptations, we can always fall back on our faith to lead us through and to overcome these temptations. Our faith is what keeps us going, and protects us the most. Thus why Paul describes faith as a shield, the foundation of defense and protection.
The helmet of salvation is always a powerful one for me. It's what protects our mind. In Romans Chapter 12 is says, "Therefore do not be confirmed to the ways of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." Our Salvation all begins with that mental realization that we need Jesus, and the decision to follow Him. As we put on the Helmet of Salvation that God has given us, we will be ready to make wise decisions and lead a Godly life with "our heads on straight".
Finally, our weapon of warfare, the sword of the Spirit. When we face those trials and temptations, hard times, good times, the armor that God gives us protects us. However, we can just sit there and continue to take a beating, we gotta fight back. God gives us the perfect weapon, His word. The bible gives us everything we need to lead a Godly life and to fight back against what the devil throws at us. That is why we call the word of God our sword.

As we wake up each morning, preparing for school and life, I encourage you to put on the armor of God so that we can live a life that is honoring and pleasing to Him. When we continue to seek Him, God will gives us the Armor that we need to honor Him each and everyday.

Making the tough decisions in life

High school is definitely a time of change for all of us. As freshmen, we transition into a larger schools, make new friends, and start to become young adults. As Sophomores and Juniors, we start to look at the classes we want to take more seriously, and which ones will benefit us for what we may want to do. Also, we start to look towards our futures, and develop ideas and plans for what we want to do. Finally, as seniors, we start applying for colleges and scholarships, get serious about the plans we have or the ideas floating around in our heads, and start putting them into action. It's the life of a high school student
We face crossroads all the time, some simple, others life changing. However, we will have to eventually make a decision once we get there. They won't always be easy though. Making the decision to study for your test instead of going to hang out with friends, cleaning your room when you are suppose to, or getting out of a relationship that is hurting yours with God. Many of times, we don't know what to do, or the decision to make. Will we regret the decision we made, or be thankful we made the tough decision?
In the end, all of the decisions we face now and in the future should honor God. I can tell you that these aren't always easy. Sometimes it will be simple like saying no to a drug. It's not easy to go against the flow seeing we want to fit in and have friends, but when we say no, we have honored God, fill relieved to have done the right thing. Quick and simple. Sometimes they can be painful like ending a relationship because it's getting in the way of you and God. It's tough, I know, and it will take time to move past it, but in the end, it will strengthen your relationship with God and being more able to work for His glory. Whatever the decision may be, remember to go with where God is leading you, or telling you to do. For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11. Though the decision may be unclear at first, God will always lead you in the right direction about it. So when you face those tough decisions, follow God's leading and honor Him with it.
What about the wrong decisions we've already made? I've asked the same thing in life at many points in our life. As teenagers, we aren't always gonna make the right decisions every time. We are only human. What I want to encourage you with, is don't dwell on them. It's ok to remember them, I actually recommend it. Why? So we can learn from them. God allows us to make mistakes, because we learn from them pretty darn well. We have to be willing to forgive ourselves. Jesus died on the cross, paying the price for our sins and forgiving us from them. If the God of the universe is willing to forgive us, then we certainly should be willing to forgive ourselves. We are only human. When we mess up, or what we messed up with in the past, just move on, learn from your mistakes and seek God even more.

When the tough decisions in life come, seek God, and make the decision that will lead you to a stronger relationship with God

Let's tackle some questions

I want to open the floor for questions, just feel free to ask them. It doesn't matter if it's a trial, or confuse, it could be anything. Just ask away in the comments.

Reaching out

We hear quite often in youth group and in church that we need to reach out to people, the guy sitting all alone at the lunch table, or the girl that doesn't seem to have any friends in your drama class. We hear about it a lot, yet...we don't really do anything about it. Why is that? Fear. We're scared that we're gonna lose friends, or our reputations for hanging out with "that kid". We worried that we won't have the words to say. But, what does God have to say about it.
In the end, we don't have to worry about what others think of us. God is what matters in the end, and how He thinks of us. 20 years from now, we won't remember most of the people in high school, nor care about what they thought of us way back then. So if it's your reputation holding you back, just remember that you're glorifying God and in the end that is what matters.
Also, the bible tells us that the Holy Spirit will give us the words to speak. So don't focus on the fact that you think you will stumble of your words, just take that leap of faith and seek Him. For all you know, this person may become your best friend, or you may change their lives forever.
So, let's all take that first step in faith and start reaching out to others

God has a purpose for us all

So, more often than not we ask ourselves, what are we gonna do? Where are we going to college? What am I majoring in? My career? etc. Especially in this high school age, when we have to start making those decisions, and for all you seniors, it's definitely something on your mind a lot. We'll all get anxious about the classes we need to take next year and how it affects the following years and colleges. Wonder if we'll go to our first choice college. Worry about how we are gonna pay for college. It's certainly not something that's easy to do and remain at peace about, and gets tougher as graduation grows closer, for everyone from freshmen to seniors. However, one of the things that God has revealed to me a lot lately is that need to trust Him, no matter what the future holds.
   Over the course of the past year, I struggled a lot in trusting God with what I was gonna do in life. I desire to serve Him in the US Navy, and started my application for a Navy ROTC scholarship in the spring. However, since November of last year, I was anxious about if I was gonna get it. I had decent grades, however they certainly were not the top of the line and while I played sports, I never did varsity, only JV. It was hard to trust Him that He was gonna take care of me. I knew it would be extremely difficult to go to college without taking out loans or having my parents pay for it, something I really didn't want to do. Over time, it was easier to come to the realization that there was nothing to do other than trust in Him. I had done all that I could and now everything rested in Him. It still didn't make things easy, but it made it easier knowing that God was gonna look out for me, whether He blesses me with a scholarship or not. God eventually answered my prayers and blessed me with the full ride Navy ROTC scholarship.
  What I learned from that whole experience, was that God is gonna take care of you. He has a purpose for all of us, whether it be something simple, or something big. We have to learn to rely on Him to provide the means to achieve whatever He has placed in our hearts. It certainly won't be easy at first, we'll doubt, think we aren't worthy or capable. However, God has that purpose for each and everyone of us. When we let go and trust Him, He will certainly make sure that it happens. Just remember, even though things may not make complete sense now, God has a purpose for us all, just trust Him about it

Colossians 2

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1For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, 2that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments. 5For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ.

Paul begins this chapter with talking about the faith and the effort Paul has poured into the church at Laodicea. He encourages them to become stronger with each other in love and to grow closer to Christ.
Christ is the Knowledge and understanding of God. He reveals things that we can't understand on our own. All Wisdom and Knowledge as verse 3 puts it. We can trust that the Lord Jesus will be able to take care of us because He knows everything, and what is best for us, even if we are not sure what to do, or thing that it is not the right thing (Proverbs 3:5-6).
The knowledge that Christ knows everything, and is looking out for our well being further develops our trust in Him and the assurance that people won't sway us when the give counter arguments.

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6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
8See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. 9For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, 10and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. 11In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. 13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

Just saying a prayer then living you life just as it was before hand, throwing in the "trying to do the right thing" just doesn't cut it with God. Like it says in verse 6, just as we received Christ, so also walk in Him. Being a Christian requires developing a relationship with Christ, seeking Him with all of our hearts as Jeremiah shows us (Jeremiah 29:13). We should walk in the Spirit of Christ, leaning on Him so that we can grow closer to Him and not sin (Galatians 5:16). That is what being firmly rooted in Christ means. To have that relationship, to be growing in Him and walking in the Spirit. We may not know all the answers, and mess up sin wise, yet if we have our foundation in Christ, we will be rooted in Him and able to stand up against trials and temptations.
It will also helps us to stand up against the idols and other though processes of this world. Christ is in the head of all things, the head of the body, church and spirit. Kings and Kingdoms bow down before the might of the Lord our God. and thanks be to God for giving us Christ. Being firmly rooted in Him will helps us to stay strong in the Lord and not get pulled away by this world. Jesus died on the Christ, taking away the very filth that God hated with a burning fire. Hated enough to send people that didn't honor Him to an eternity separated from Him and filled with pain and suffering. Isn't it awesome to know that Christ took that away, nailing it to a cross and setting us free? It is truly an amazing thing.

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16Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. 17 These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. 18Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, 19and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.

20If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— 21 "Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch" 22( referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? 23These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.

When we become firmly rooted in Christ, we will be able to stand up for what we believe in, because it will be God guiding our actions. We won't have to worry about what other people thing of us, or what we do, but rather what God wants us to do and what God thinks of us. Let us hold fast to God as it tells us to do in verse 19. The world may think it knows what it is talking about. It may look good at the moment. There may be times when you think it is the best thing for you. However, if it isn't of Christ, then it will lead us down a path of unrighteousness. Christ is our all in all, and as long as we stay firmly rooted in Him and walk in the Spirit, we won't be lead astray be the things of this world that have no value

All in All, seeking Christ is the best thing for us. Being firmly rooted in the foundation of Christ and what He did for us will help us to live a life that honors Him and isn't lead by the things of this world. Jesus took the price for our sins, nailed them to a cross, to the penalty and died, so that we can live. Let us honor and respect that by living for Him, walking in the Spirit, and loving God with all our hearts, minds, souls and strengths.

Colossians 1

So, God has been revealing a lot to me through the book of Colossians. I hope that y'all will journey with me through the book of Colossians that we may all be edified in Him and continue to develop our relationships with God.

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1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

2 To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are in Colosse:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Their Faith in Christ

3 We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all the saints; 5 because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel, 6 which has come to you, as it has also in all the world, and is bringing forth fruit, as it is also among you since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth; 7 as you also learned from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, 8 who also declared to us your love in the Spirit.9 For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10 that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.

Paul begins his letter with a greeting, that he writes in many of his letters.
He continues with telling the church at Colosse about how they pray for the church because of their faith. The city of Colosse was an important city in Asia Minor and was considered the sister city of Ephesus. Because of all the problems and heresy that the church members face in the city, Paul encourages them with pray and thanksgiving for the faith that they have and the fruit that they bring forth. He continues on with his letter to encourage them and to bring forth truth that would help them during their trials and temptations.

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13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, 14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.

Christ when he died on the cross, redeemed us from all of our sins. The perfect spotless lamb on which the sins of this world were laid upon. When that event happened, the power of sin and the devil (the power of darkness) lost it's control over us and we were brought into the light of Christ.

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15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. 18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.

Christ, the image of the invisible God, created everything. He was there with God in the beginning as it is stated in John chapter 1 and in Genesis where God says "let us make man in our image" (note that it is plural). Christ who created everything and it is the head of everything, no matter what it is, has the power to hold everything together, and that He does. We don't have to worry about problems or situations that break us, or things that seem to fall apart, because Christ is there and holds everything together, and lets everything work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). We have an Amazing God do we not?

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19 For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, 20 and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.
21 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled 22 in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight— 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.

God loved us enough to send His only Son that we may be free. It pleased God to let Christ be the head of everything and all His power dwell in Him. Because of that, Christ had the power to set us free, to take us from our sinful, selfish self and live a life honoring God, holy and blameless in His sight. However, we have to remember to constantly seek after Christ so that we can still walk in the Spirit and not fulfill the desires of the flesh (Galatians 5:16)

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24 I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church, 25 of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God, 26 the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. 27 To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which[d] is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. 29 To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily.

Paul tells the church at Colosse that he is glad to suffer knowing that it is for the glory of God and the benefit of the church at Colosse. He reaffirms what God did in his life, making him a minister of the gospel, and shows that the gospel is the mystery of God, having now been revealed to the saints, and God has called Paul to witness to the Gentiles, because Christ died for all of mankind, not just the Jews.

Well, This is Colossians Chapter 1. Feel free to add to this and ask questions.

Trusting in God

Trust is something we here about often. Trusting people to do their part of the science project, trusting friends with material items or struggles, trusting our bus driver to get us to school safely (which isn't always easy to do lol). It's part of our everyday lives, but how does it apply to our relationship with God? Do we trust God in the same way that we trust our best friend? Parents? Youth Pastor? Do we even understand what it means to trust in God in the way that He asks us to do? Unlike trusting our friends, teachers and parents, God call us to trust in Him on a much higher level. Let's take a look at what God says to us in the Bible.
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understand." -Proverbs 3:5
So, God tells us to Trust in Him with all of our hearts. First off, let's break down what trust is.

1.

reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, etc., of a person or thing; confidence.

2.

confident expectation of something; hope.

 

To rely on something, hope in, fully confidence. That's what we do when we trust in something or someone. Solomon, the author of the book of Proverbs, tells us to trust in God with all of our hearts. Meaning to trust Him with everything that we have, every fiber of our being. Trusting Him more than anyone else. Then it continues on with "and lean not on your own understand." Well, what does that mean, lean not on your own understand? Simply put, things aren't always gonna make sense, but trust in God anyways. God can see the big picture of our lives, while we on the other hand, see a very small portion. God reminds us not to try and use our own understand, try to make sense of what He is doing sometimes, because it won't make sense to us, but it does to God. God works in our lives in amazing ways, and lets us go through things to make us stronger and prepare us for our future. He ask us to trust in Him without us making sense of things because He sees the whole picture unlike us and in the end, it will work out for our benefit. 

David was a young fella in the Bible. He was the youngest of his brothers, and had to stay home to help with the sheep while his older brothers went off to war. The king of the philistines challenged King Saul to a one on one battle, his best verses Israel's best. The philistines sent out Goliath. He was huge, around 9 feet and extremely strong. No one in the Israeli army wanted to fight. Somehow word got to David and God called him to go out and challenge Goliath with a sling and a stone. David, being faithful went out, and killed the 9 foot giant with a rock from the river. It's a good example of God seeing the big picture and asking us to trust Him. In david's mind, it didn't make any sense what God was asking him to do. How could a sling and stone kill a giant. However, he trusted in God, didn't rely on his own understanding and did what the Lord asked. God took care of him too, and he became a hero in the kingdom of Israel. 

If God can take care of a boy and kill a giant with a stone, then He can lead you out of whatever situation you are in, struggle you are going through, or problems you face. Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding my brothers and sisters, and as verse 6 puts it right after, "and in all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths" Trust in God, but Him in front, and He will be faithful to take care of you. 

Thinking before you react

So, we're all teenagers. We more often than not get the mentality that we're right, or we react to situations without knowing the big picture. Matter of fact, we let small things get to us, or our tempers flare up quickly. Believe me, I've been there, still do a lot also. Thankfully, God's grace is more than enough for all of us, and by growing closer to Him, He will show us ways through His Spirit to honor Him, and through His word.

In the Book of James, God shows us some wisdom on what we should do in certain situations involving our tongue and how anger.
"But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger;  for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God"
Be quick to hear....many of us do that in everyday conversations, talking with friends and the like. However, how often to we take the time to listen to what someone has to say when we are mad at them? Arguing with them? Frustrated with them? Most of the time, we don't. We do the exact opposite and choose to not even listen. Then it brings up slow to speak. I can't even count the amount of times people have always warned, "Think before you speak". Well, it's a very true statement, and God even tells us to do the same. We are quick to say something that we pretty soon regret. Sometimes it is a simple joke, others, it's something rude or crude said during an argument/fight. Our words, can never be taken back. Once we say something, we've said it, it will always be there. That is why God warns us to be careful what we say and to think about it before we do. Also, there's a reason why this statement goes with the first. More often than not, when we are quick to speak, we are also slow to listen. We want to say what we want, poke fun, get back at someone, and we don't want to hear what they have to say back to us. Though go hand in hand with each other. When we face situations where it is easy for us to just blurt something out and ignore the other person, just think, you may be surprsied what God will have you do in the moment when you do, or how much you can change the situation.
Lets take a look at the rest of the verses, Slow to anger for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. I know from experience, and I've seen it happen a lot, we let our tempers flare up sometimes with seconds. High school is gonna come with a lot of situations that will make it easy for you to get angry. You may be having a rough day with people frustrating you, stressed out about school or things in life, different situations of the like. When we are like that, it is very easy for us to get angry. However, that's what God says not to do. It's certainly not easy, I mess up with it a lot. But by seeking Him daily, He will remind us to focus on Him in those situations. When we get angry, let it lose and what not, we are dishonoring God. Anger doesn't justify things, but rather does the opposite and generally makes things worse. That is why I encourage you to focus on Christ
Overall, We should take a step back, look at the situation, calm down, and think about what we say before we do. Work it out with whoever the problem is. And let God be your guidance

Being an Imitator of God

So here is a study that will help you in your walk with Christ and being a witness to your schools that I did a while back

Quote:

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children and 2walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.

Paul is telling us that we should be an imitator of God. Well, what does it mean to imitate someone.
1. To use or follow as a model.
2.
a. To copy the actions, appearance, mannerisms, or speech of; mimic
b. To copy or use the style of
3. To copy exactly; reproduce.
4. To appear like; resemble.

Those are some definitions of what it means to imitate something, or someone. Paul is calling us to do just that. To copy God, to resemble, follow as a model, to reproduce. So what does that look like? How do we imitate God and walk in Love, just as Christ loved us. As we read on in Ephesians Chapter 5, it gives us a good picture.

Quote:

But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints

That verse packs quite a lot. Immorality, impurity and greed should even be named among you. That means there shouldn't be even the tinniest hint of that in your life.
Some of you may ask what does Immorality and impurity mean. It's talking about Sexual immorality and impurity. That is any sort of sexual act, thought or desire that is outside of marriage. That ranges from extreme things such as pornography and sex, to simple things such as looking at someone in a lustful way. The Bible tells us, that there shouldn't be even a hint of that in our lives. It's not easy, believe me, but with God all things are possible. Also...

Quote:

No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.

God will always be there to help you overcome temptation in your lives and to help you become an Imitator of Him.

Quote:

4and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.

Simple enough. We shouldn't be mean to others, tear them down or joke about things that don't glorify God, but rather to build people up and to give thanks in everything.

Quote:

5For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

Just as this verse says, people that deliberately practice those things don't have an inheritance in the Kingdom of God. That doesn't mean those that aren't trying to overcome it.
Let's use a young teenage boy by the name of Joesph for an example. Joesph at an earlier age, became addicted to pornography and was deep into lust. He looked at girls as objects, not as a human being. He also didn't know Christ. He was one of those people that didn't have an inheritance in the Kingdom of God. That is, until he accepted Christ as his savior. God changed his life around and now he is trying to live a life for God's glory, but he still messes up sometime in the lust area. Does that mean he does have an inheritance. No, we're all human, which means that we are going to mess up. What God is looking at, is your heart and whether your heart is trying to glorify Him or continue in the flesh.

Quote:

7Therefore do not be partakers with them; 8for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light 9(for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), 10trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.

Therefore, don't be partakes with them. If we want to be imitators of God and live for Him, we can't join in in practicing the things of this world and being immoral/impure people. Rather we have to walk in the light and strive to learn what pleases God. Our good works come from the Fruit which the Spirit of God produces in us. So walk in Spirit, not in the flesh.

Quote:

11Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; 12for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret. 13But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light.
14For this reason it says,
         "Awake, sleeper,
         And arise from the dead,
         And Christ will shine on you."

Everything that we do will one day be exposed before God Almighty. Ever thing we hide in the closet or throw under the bed. It's all going to be exposed before the Light of the Lord. That is why Paul encourages us to not participate in those unfruitful deeds. That don't help us to become an imitator of Christ. But rather, they are what keep us spiritually dead and sleep. We want Christ to shine on us, and reflect the things we have selflessly done for God and not the selfish acts we have done for ourselves. Be an imitator God

Quote:

15Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, 16making the most of your time, because the days are evil. 17So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, 19speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; 20always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; 21and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.

As we've been told before, life is but a vapor. Thus we need to make most of the time God has given us on this planet and to glorify Him while we are. Be careful what you do so that you don't dishonor God. Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. Praising God for everything that He has done in our lives and joining together with our brothers and sisters of Christ to do that. As it is said throughout the New Testament, in everything give thanks. There is always something you can be thankful for.


Let's recap on this. God calls us to imitate Him, or to copy/resemble Him. We do that by walking in love and honoring God with our lives. If we want to imitate God, we have to remove ever hint of sexual immorality and impurity. Our speech should be used to praise Him and build others up, not tearing them down. People that don't live a life for Christ won't have an inheritance in the Kingdom of God. Just because we mess up doesn't make us lose our inheritance, we have to strive to do better next time and remember to focus on Christ. Everything we do will be exposed someday, so let our works be ones that honor God. Finally, live our lives focused on Christ, giving thanks in everything, and striving to understand the will of God.


Therefore be imitators of God

Frustration

So, we all got our frustrating moments in school. For example, today was the first day of school for our county. It was all great going into senior year, I liked my schedule. Well, I was a TA, or Teachers Assistant. We had to go up to the front office and get our teacher assignments. We request a teacher and they see if that teacher doesn't have a TA yet. Well, the teacher I really wanted was already taken. It was frustrating cause I really didn't wanna TA for anyone else. Well I started to ask some teachers if they had a TA yet. I asked probably 4 teachers before I finally was able to be a TA for someone. It was very frustrating for me and I let it get to me for about 2 periods.
Well, on my ride home today, God showed me how I should be letting things like this get to me. We are all gonna have periods in our life were things frustrate us, that's just life for you. But if you make the best of the situations, it makes things easier, and you'll be more accepting of things. Just like how God showed me that somehow, having a different teacher will help me. I may not understand it now, but God has His plan.
I just want to encourage y'all to remember in those frustrating times, that God has a plan. Something may go wrong, or not how you planned, but in the end, God knows what He is doing and it will somehow work out for our benefit

Be careful who your friends are.

I love all the activities, friends, groups, and what not that you have in high school. The fellowship of great friends that make you laugh, support you when your down, and of course give you a hard time when you have your "blonde moment". The sports where you can easily connect with people from a common interest, such as running for myself. Also the extra curricular where you are working together with people to achieve a common goal or just to have fun. In high school, you're always working or doing something with fellow students, and many of them become your friends.

 Friends are really valuable, definitely in high school, but it goes beyond that, friends are valuable for your entire life. However, you gotta be careful who your friends are. Your friends influence you in your decisions of what is right and wrong, they are the ones that you will most often go to for advice, and the people that you are around the most, minus your family. You become in a lot of ways, like your friends.
With that in mind, hanging out in the wrong crowd can become harmful to your relationship with God. They can influence you to do drugs, which is illegal and harmful to your body. We always wanna be accepted by our friends, so it can lead us to do stuff we wouldn't normally do, like go to that party, drink and go to school the next day with a hangover. Having those types of friends influence us to do things that God doesn't want of us, and it also damages our ability to witness. If you are trying to talk to people about God, and you're the one that hangs out with the wrong crowd, doesn't do the right things, it's hard for them to understand why they need Jesus to "save them from their sins". Also, this doesn't only apply to people that drink and have sex and all that bad stuff. Even friends that just don't honor God, but aren't doing all the things the world views as "bad". Anything really.
Now hear me out, I'm not saying to isolate yourself from these people. Matter of fact, it's ok to still be friends with them. However, don't let them be your best friends, or the ones you hang out with a lot. You know how we have those people we call friends, and they are, but not super close. Yeah, let those people be in that group, cause you still want to be able to reach out to them, without them pulling you down.

So, let's take a look at the other side of things. As I was saying, friends influence who you are, so be wise in your decisions of who you make your close friends. Let them be the ones that are gonna build you up, encourage you to seek God more, and are fun to hang around, without having to do all the other stuff. The ones that will walk along side you in your relationship with God, the ones that will encourage you when you are going through a trial and pray for you. Having that sort of close circle of friends is the one that the bible encourages you to have, and when you look at the whole picture, you definitely understand why.
This is the group of friends where your best friend comes from. The one that you can go to about anything, no matter how embarrassing,  the one person that you share all the stuff with and whom encourages you daily in your walk with Christ. That type of friendship is extremely helpful in high school, not only in making it through, but in your walk with Christ and trials/temptations you face. As Galatians and Ecclesiastics puts it
"Therefore, bear one another's burdens, thus fulfilling the law of Christ."-Galatians 6:2

"Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil.  For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!  Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone?  And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken."- Ecclesiastics 4:9-12.


That threefold cord it talks about at the end of Ecclesiastics, is you, a friend, and God. That circle right there, is the one that will never be broken and can help you with any trial you go through.

All in all, I just want to encourage you to be careful who your friends are. The ones that you hang out with all the time and go to about stuff, be sure they are the ones that will be beneficial to your relationship with God. It's ok to be friends with people who aren't seeking God, matter of fact, I encourage it because it helps in witnessing to them, but don't let those be the super close ones. Pray to God about what He wants you to do with the friends you have now, and never forget the value of a true friend

Find a youth group

So, having a strong support bases while in high school not only helps us in our low points in life, but it also gives us a group we can share the wonders and love of God in the high points in our life. A good youth group is a huge help to a high school student in their walk with God.
Over the years that I have been in high school, no matter what I was going through there was always support. I'd get support from some of the guys when I was struggling with different things, and encouragement when life was going good. They'd always be willing to listen, encourage, pray, and hold you accountability. Having a group that you can go to for Godly support and advice will help you out a ton. Even with academic help, there's always someone there good at some subject in school. It's encouraging and helps with your walk with God. Makes you realize that you aren't the only one striving to live a life for God.
Also, be careful that you don't get stuck in a youth group that is seeking God halfheartedly. When you get into those types of situations, you wonder where God is in all of this, why is no one living out the things they say they do. It will bring you down really quick, and can affect your faith in a very negative way.
I want to encourage you just to find that youth group to help give you that Godly fellowship that is very health to a relationship with God. Hit me up with an email if you got any questions or the like (the email's in the home page). God bless

Don't get discouraged.

In High School, we face a lot of challenges. Whether it be the 5K on Saturday morning for Cross Country, the test Tuesday afternoon, or that constant sin tempting us, there's always a challenge. We face them all the time in High school, and we will definitely face them as adults in our careers, families, and communities later on in life. That's part of life.
What I want to encourage you with, is not to get discouraged when you slip up with that sin, or don't make the best grade on that test. What these challenges and trials do, it strength us. In Romans 5:3-5 and James Chapter 1 shows us, is why we face these challenges. God is doing this to punish us, or to just get a laugh out of us struggling to get through, but rather to make us stronger. When we make it through the challenges, we become stronger, we know how to deal with it more then next time it comes around. A lot of the time, challenges require the use of patience, and trust. Going through those challenges develops our patience and trust, which we can use in other areas of our life, and it definitely isn't limited to just patience and trust. It can be all sorts of things like self-confidence, motivation, dedication, and the like. Don't let that math test or that temptation beat you down or worry you, but rather let God use it to make you stronger and to grow close to Him.
But what happens when we lost the baseball game, or give into that temptation or peer pressure? Why can't I get this right? A lot of us ask We're only human, we can't get it right every time. If we did, then we wouldn't need God now would we. That's the beauty of it all. God is gonna be there to comfort us when we mess up with that temptation, or fail that quiz. He's always there.And not only that, those mistakes, help us to grow closer to God. When we mess up, yeah, it make take us a bit, but we come running back to God. We ask for His forgiveness, and He accepts us with open arms. One thing God has never ceased to do is to show me how I can use that mistake to grow closer to Him, to lean on Him more, and also, how to be better prepared for it next time. Don't let be a stumbling block for you in the future, but rather a lesson to make you stronger.

"I have made you and I will carry you;
   I will sustain you and I will rescue you."

    -Isaiah 46:4

Getting ready for school to start

So, it's August. Yeah, that time of year again....school starting back. Many of us are sad that the summer is over, some of us are just glad that we know have something to do. Regardless of how we feel about it, school is gonna start and we'll be there. The really question is, what are we gonna do once we get there? Are we just gonna go through school like everyone else, making sure we make it to practice each day, do our homework, and study for the test on Thursday? What if we stepped out in faith, do the extraordinary?
One of the things that God has really placed on my heart lately, like I was telling the seniors, is to reach out to our schools, and make a difference in the lives of the people around us. This doesn't mean preach to every single person, regardless of if they want to hear. In the book of John, in Chapter 15, Jesus talks about abiding in Him. When we abide in Christ, and have an active relationship with Him, our light truly starts to shine in the World. we'll be the light on the hill that Jesus talks about in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5. The old saying, "actions speak louder than words" is definitely true. When we love other people, regardless of how they treat us, we work at helping the people we come in contact with and witness to them through our actions, it opens doorways to talking to them about Christ. So my fellow high schoolers, let's step out in faith, and make a difference in our schools. A quote from a song sums it up nicely
"Why do we go with the flow? Why take the easy road? Why are we playing it safe? Love came to show us the way, love is a chance we should take, I'm moving out of the rain. Dont let your lights go down, dont let your fire burn out cause somewhere sombody needs a reason to believe. Why don't you rise up now? Don't be afraid to stand out. That's how the lost get found"

Do you feel God challenging you to step out in faith, and do something for His glory that you normally wouldn't?

How are some ways you can better become the salt and light of the world and reach out to your schools?

Are you holding back? Are there things in your life that are hindering you from being a strong witness? If so, are you talking to God about fixing it?

Would you be willing to get a group of friends together to help work together to reach out to your school, just as a group of friends or through a club such as FCA or World Changers?

(feel free to answer this questions if you like in the comments)

High School

So, for all you freshmen, welcome to high school. To everyone else, it ain't over yet. As I stated in the description, high school is definitely a once in a lifetime experience. However, as a Christian, high school is definitely tough. We face all kinds of things, from simply not wanting to do our homework, to big stuff like alcohol and sex. And of course, the peer pressure and the desire to fit in. High school has gotten tougher over the years. I hope and pray that God will use this in a mighty way to help everyone to learn to Walk the Christian walk in high school, and surviving high school as a Christian.