Halloween

Happy Halloween!

Today is about Halloween since today is the 31st lol. I personally don't celebrate Halloween anymore, but the rest of you who do have fun. I'm in my twenties, so it doesn't make sense for me to trick or treat along with the fact that I tend to see things. That's why I don't celebrate it. I like all the decorations that are done and some of the costumes are cool, but other than that I don't do anything with it. I don't even like scary movies, so I'm just a boring person when it comes to this time. The rest of you who might be trick or treating or going to a Halloween party be careful out there and stay safe.

Improving prayer life

Our prayer life can be non-extinct or very little at times and that can't be. I realize that a lot of us are busy throughout the day, so we say that there isn't any time to pray. That is just an excuse we say in order to try to get out of praying, but this really needs to change. Schedule a time when you can spend some time communing with God whether that is getting up a little earlier in the morning or right before bed because when we do that we get closer to God. God wants to have a relationship with us, but if we aren't actively seeking Him then we aren't getting closer to Him. 

I have this problem where I only pray at night or do something quick when someone asks me to pray for them or someone they know. When I pray right before I go to sleep at night its always the same exact thing without actual meaning behind it. Prayer for me has became something that isn't really getting me nowhere because I don't pray with good intentions. I do it in such a way that is becoming repetitive/boring when it should be something I do that I'm actually happy to do. I need to change the way I pray and glorify God as I do because He deserves ALL the glory. 

We have to be more mindful of how we pray, how often we pray, and our meaning behind it. If we pray the same way with the same words then that isn't really praying anymore in a sense because we aren't changing it up or praying in a way that is allowing God to fully be present. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." The way to improve our prayer life is to be aware that it isn't all that great to begin with and make an honest dedication to changing it. We should glorify God first before we get into what we want because God is the one who has ordained everything, so He needs to be given the credit in what He has done and who He is.

Gossip

 

                            

          We have a tendency to talk about people behind their backs when we don't like someone instead of just telling that person to their faces and that can cause a lot of problems. If we can learn to just talk to people about how we actually feel about them then there might be a few less problems. It is true that there will probably make problem regardless because it could cause hurt feelings, but I feel that its better if they knew instead of being informed by other people who might be getting things mixed up. Gossip is also can make way for rumors and that isn't a good thing. Rumors can be very ugly and they can really hurt people. 

There is no need for gossip to be a thing because you can just talk to people face to face instead of behind their backs. Nobody deserves to be spoken to or about in a negative way because it isn't nice and it can seriously hurt someone, so the thing to do to not do it. Stop spreading gossip or rumors and if you have a problem with someone then tell them yourself. Its better if its face to face and not in a secretive way. Why can't we all just get along instead of hurting people with our words?

Spiritual Gifts

Spiritual gifts are the different things that God has given to each of us in order to help others, but not all of us specializes in the same ones. God designed us in a special way that is different from everybody else and He gave us certain gifts that are our greatest strengths. It doesn't have to be the ones in the Scripture in the picture above because they're more than what is written in that verse.

I have always struggled to know what my gifts are, but there are two that I can think of that I don't necessarily like all that much at times. Those two are empathy and the ability to pick up on emotions. Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. I like being able to do that because then it shows that I care about that person without being fake about it, but the ability to pick up on feelings also has a part to play when I'm empathizing with someone and it isn't a good thing sometimes. 

I tend to hold on to those feelings and what I get told, which isn't good, because then it turns into a burden for me. I don't know when to let go fully and just leave to God. I mean I know that I have to pray and trust Him, but part of me doesn't fully relinquish it to Him.

There may be some of us who don't know what are spiritual gifts are, but it's like a personal journey you have to be on to figure out where yours lie because no one can tell you what your gifts are....except God that is. Be confidant in who you are and don't give up on the search because when you find out what those gifts are it will make a lot of sense since it can be obvious once you come to a conclusion. It's alright to not have it all figured out right away, so stay strong in the effort. 

Psalm 23

This is my favorite Psalm because it is so comforting to me especially verse 4. It is reassuring to me to know that God is with me through the valleys of my life, which is the low points/struggles, because He is the only one who can make things better. It doesn't matter what that thing is that I'm going through because God is with me regardless. 

What is your favorite verse in the Bible and why? Comment below your answer this. If you don't have a favorite verse then comment what does bring you comfort and the reason why.

Peace

Peace is something that everyone should want because it's important. If there was peace in the world then there would be no need for trouble or strife. We need to be nice to everyone, yes everyone no matter if we hate them or not, because we should treat others the way we want to be treated. We are taught that when we are little, but a lot of people don't do that. We want others to be nice to us when we are acting like jerks, but that's not what we should act like. 

Why would anyone want to treat us nice when we are jerks to them? If we are nice to people then they might be nice to us and everything will be okay. It doesn't matter if we like the person or disagree with what we are doing we need to be kind and help people. When that happens in the world then there will be peace.

Peace isn't going to happen if everyone is at each other's throats all the time. That isn't going to fix anything at all. If anything it will make things worse and just cause chaos. We all need to want peace and do something to start changing the world in a peaceful way that isn't hateful or derogatory. Only then will the world know peace.

Refuge

We are going to experience trouble at different times in our lives and its going to feel like we are alone or we don't have the strength to get through. The thing is we have someone who is going to stay by our side through anything that life throws at us and who will give us the strength to get through it. That person is God and He won't let is face stuff by ourselves, even though it might feel like we are. God is always going to have our back and we can be rest assured that He will provide us with anything that we need even a place to rest our heads.

There isn't anything that God won't help us with, but He might not do it right away because it has to be on His time not ours. He will answer our prayers in a way that might not be what we want, but that doesn't mean that He isn't going to answer. We are never going to be alone through our lives and we will always have a place of refuge when we need it. We just have to believe that and be comforted in it. 

Burdens

Burden: cause (someone) hardship or distress.

This also applies to ourselves as well because when we worry about something to a certain extreme it will start to physically affect us. I know when someone comes to me and tells me things that they are going through I tend to hold on to it because that is just who I am, but the thing is I need to learn to let it go and give to God in order for Him to do something about it. I am always telling my friends that if they need to talk they can talk to me, but when they do I still think about it for a very long time till I can't take it anymore. 

At that point I have no choice but to give it to God for Him to do what He wants to do with it, so I don't have to. I believe that is how most people are as well. Something will happen in their life that they will start to worry about and they won't let something to be done, so they allow it to sit and grow until it becomes unbearable. That isn't a healthy thing to do because it can hinder us from doing things.

The logical thing to do is to give it to God and let Him deal with it and to not think about it again because if we do that they it won't be a burden for us to carry. There is no need for us to continue to hold on to something when we have a God that is bigger than anything that we are going through and He will always be there when we need Him to.

Faith

Faith is something that can allow for anything to happen if we drop our pride and believe that it can happen. It is the thing that can literally move mountains:

"He replied, "Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you" (Matthew 17:20-21).

See the thing here is that we have to faith to be able to do things that may seem impossible. If you think of it the word impossible can also be said as I'm possible and I like to think of it like that because of the passage above. "Nothing will be impossible for you." Faith is also something that either comes easily to some people or be a struggle for others, but it has to be something that God has complete control over.

Honestly, I have had my own share of struggles with my faith and I feel like some people don't realize that about me. Now don't get me wrong I've never questioned whether God exists or not because there have been times where there hasn't been any question whatsoever. As I'm writing this part I'm starting to get emotional because its hard to admit that I have struggled with my faith. When my ex-friend tried to commit suicide our junior year of high school and I just so happened to be there when she did it ultimately saving her life in the process it was so hard to deal with. I questioned my faith then because I felt so guilty over what happened, even though it wasn't my fault, and I couldn't believe that God would allow me to go through something that traumatic.  I have had other people come to me that were depressed, struggling with suicidal thoughts, and just feeling hopeless and I don't like it at times. I love being there for people, but I don't like how attached I get to what is going on with them because at that point it turns into a burden and it just keeps on piling up till I can't handle it anymore.

I know I need to just give to God and let Him handle it, but its so hard for me to do. It feels like my faith is tested all the time and I know it is meant to see if we can stay on God's path without doubting, but when things start getting difficult its so hard to stay on that path. I will never stop believing in Him because I know without a shred of doubt that He is real and that He has my back. I need to learn to give things/let them go when I start getting overwhelmed with all the stuff people come to me with. I will still be there for those who need someone to talk to, but I can't hold onto it because it will start to affect me in a way that I shouldn't be.

If you are struggling with your faith right now in this season of hurt because of all the crazy that is happening this year keep your head up and pray for God to help you through it. Its okay to struggle at times because being a believer isn't going to be all sunshine and rainbows all the times. There is going to be struggles that we have to face at times, but if we have God on our side we can get through it. For those of you who aren't struggling with your faith right now that's good. That means that God is a priority for you in this moment. We need to all learn to allow God to be front and center when it comes to anything that is going on in our lives; the good and the bad. We have to have faith that He will be there for us no matter what through anything.

Cherish your friends

Friends are people who need to be cherished because you don't know how long a friendship will last. They're two types of friends; those who stay for a short time and those who will be there for a long time. The friends who stay by you for a long time are true friends and those are the ones that we need to be cherishing because they are the ones that matter. I'm not saying that all friends shouldn't be cherished, but the ones who stop being our friends aren't worth the effort of trying to keep.

If they want to stop being friends over something stupid that happened or because they are just using you then you shouldn't be friends with them. True friends will be there for you no matter what happens. They aren't going to use you for selfish reasons and they aren't going to leave at a drop of a hat. I personally have a couple of close friends that I will cherish forever because they are that important to me, but I have had friends who I stopped being friends with whether that was because they were toxic or we drifted apart. 

If you have friends or even that one friend who has been by your side through ups and downs keep them because those type of friends can be hard to come by. If you have friends who are bringing you down both mentally and emotionally then you need to get rid of them because you don't deserve to be put down like that. You don't have to be friends with people who are only going to belittle and disrespect you because having that toxicity in your life will slowly eat away at your other relationships that matter more. 

That isn't just reserved for friends either. It could also be family members as well, but that is a whole other thing. It will be hard to let those people go especially if you have known for a long time, but it has to happen if you want to be happy. You can do it and you can make friends who won't treat you like crap as well as being by your side through anything. Don't give up.

Reading

Reading is something I enjoy doing, but it feels like I have been sort of lax til recently. I will read down at one of my friends houses, but stopped reading at my home. I started reading again at my home like a week or so ago and haven't stopped lol. Reading for me is both relaxing and at times an escape depending on what is going on in my life. I can picture what is happening in the book I'm reading and I like when that happens because it actually feels like I'm part of it.

Not a lot of people like reading and that's okay. You don't have to like what I like. There is nothing wrong with that and it isn't going to hurt my feelings if you don't. Will I still talk about my favorite books to you? Of course I will. You can like what you like; I will like what I like and that's that. If I happen to find someone who likes reading like me then we can talk about the books we read. 

Toxic people

Toxic people are those people who tend to make it all about them and who speak negative all the time. They want to be the victim in whatever circumstance that they are in and just put it all on you because they want someone to feel sorry about them. I used to have a friend who was toxic and it took me a long time to finally be like I can't be friends with this person. We met when we were in Middle school and we friends til we graduated high school together. 

Every time this person would call me she never let me have a word in edgewise because all they would talk about was how bad their life was and blah blah blah. Now don't get me wrong I like being that friend that will listen to you and support you through anything you are going through, but when you start to act like it's someone else's fault for why you can't move forward with your life and are negative all the time I can't be friends with someone like that.

It's really hard for me to let friends go, but after I realized how bad that person was for my life I stopped talking to them. If you have someone in your life who you know is toxic then you need to let them go and make friends with people who will actually be your friend. Toxic people will wear you down after awhile and it sucks when it slowly starts to escalate. 

I know it will be hard for those of us who don't want to let go of friends, but you can't allow all that negativity to be present because it will slowly start to affect you and that isn't a good thing. If you really don't want to lose that friend then I guess you can have a talking to with that person or people and let them know that what they are doing isn't right or good for you. Tell them how you feel and if they won't change what they are doing then you won't be friends with them anymore. That will be a hard talk and you might end up losing them regardless, but sometimes it's for the best.

Choices

We all have choices to make every second of every day and each choice determines what we will do. There is a good and a bad choice that we can do at any point. The thing is we have to choose to do the good thing because that is more essential than whatever the bad thing. When you do something bad there is consequences that will come out of it.

When you do something bad it can either end up with you dead or in jail. Jail is no place for anybody because it is a scary place that anything could happen in. Literally anything. In order to not end up jail don't do things that is against the law. People think that the law/rules don't apply to them and that they are hard, but when you end up in jail that quickly changes.

Just make good choices and try to ignore that little voice that is saying to do something bad because going down that road isn't going to end up being a good thing. We know right and wrong....well we should, so we need to be doing the right thing like staying out of trouble with the authorities and some good could come out of it. You got this.

Being different isn't a bad thing

 

      Being different isn't necessarily a bad thing because it shows that you don't go with how society is trying to make you be like. It doesn't matter what you look like,body type, mental state, what gender/sexuality you identify as, what your personality is, etc. It doesn't matter what other people think of you because it just matters what you think of you. Sure some of the things that you do or identify yourself as is against God. Let me tell you something though I might not agree with what you are doing, but I will respect you anyways because that is just who I am as a person. Its not my place to judge you, so I won't its that simple.

    Hebrews 12:14 says, "Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord."

    Matthew 7:1,2 says, "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."

    We shouldn't be mean to those who aren't like what we want them to be because being different is what makes them unique and special. Society wants everyone to look a certain way and to act a certain way, but if that was a thing then it will be like a group of robots and not actual individuals. Its just like when people say that God should control every aspect of us if He wants everyone to follow Him (He does, but He isn't going to force it). God is more than capable of just causing everyone to do what He wants, but He doesn't because then there isn't that choice of fully believing in Him. He wouldn't have given us free will if that was the case.

    No one is perfect...well actually no human is perfect. The only one who is perfect is God Himself. Saying that that means that everyone person is going to be different regardless. There is obviously things that you shouldn't do...criminal things that is, but if you like to read or cosplay or sing or whatever else that isn't a crime then do it. Who cares what other people think of you. There is always going to be those people who will say mean/hateful things to you and that is going to be difficult to hear, but we need to learn to block those words out and keep doing what we are doing.

    Take myself for example: I'm in my early twenties and I like to read, anime, wear different colored clothes together, loves Jesus, and is in the middle of being an introvert/extrovert (I feel more like a introvert though lol). I'm weird, but I like that I'm weird even though there are people who don't like some of those things. Here is the thing: I don't care what people think of me. I also don't drink alcohol (I've had sips of a couple things, but that's it. Just a sip or two), smoke (that includes weed/marijuana or anything like that), or do any kind of drugs. I'm just not into those things and they're bad for you anyways. People don't get why I don't drink since I can legally now, but that's fine it isn't going to affect me.

    Being different shouldn't be something that we keep bottled up. If we do that we aren't being our true selves and we are just being fake doing that. Just embrace who you are and don't allow all the negativity get to you. Become friends with the other weirdos lol and stop trying to be someone your not.

Genuineness

 

                                        

                    When you find a truly genuine person keep them close and don't let them go because true genuineness isn't in everyone. Become friends with them because if you are friends with them then you will know that they won't leave no matter what. There are people out there who you might end up befriending, but that doesn't mean that they will be real friends or not. That's called being fake and fake people aren't worth dealing with because they don't really care about you. Being genuine is something that comes really easily to people and difficult for others.

Take myself for example: I'm nice to people and if you are my friend I will stick by you unless you give me a reason not to be friends with you. I love all people and I will respect them unless they give me a reason not to. I always tell all my friends that I will be there for them no matter what and if they ever need someone to talk to or just someone to listen I will be that person. I feel like I'm naturally genuine when it comes to people, but there are times when I will get irritated/annoyed/mad at someone (like all people). When I first meet someone I'm instantly nice to that person. Its my first instinct because I don't know what they are going through or have gone through and I don't want to make things worse.

Everyone should be genuine to one another because it is important to show that you care about them as a person and just who they are in general. Its important for people to feel like someone cares about them and is actually sincere about it because they could be struggling with self-esteem or something like that and they might already feel like nobody cares about them, so when we associate with them we need to show true authenticity/sincerity to that person. Being genuine shouldn't be something that we shy away from. We should embrace it and being caring to people. 

Keep our Focus on Jesus

(The full story is Matthew 14:22-36, but for the sake of this blog topic I'm focusing on 29-31).

Those verses in the picture is something that we should all be aware of because it can happen to us (not literally lol) and that's not a good thing. You see when our focus is completely on Jesus without us wavering in that focus then we are able to do anything, even walk on water, but the minute we start to doubt Him and remove our eyes from Him then we will start to sink. The thing is we don't have to be afraid of sinking because when we call out to Him to help us He will do exactly that. He wants our full attention at all times, but because of our humanity we tend to fall away at times when things get to hard to handle or we just want to be rebels. 

When we are being rebellious eventually we will turn back to Him. The same thing is go when we sin. Eventually we will have no choice, but to go to Him in order for Him to cleanse us. It might not happen for a long time, but it will at some point that we are not expecting it even want to happen. Keeping our focus on Him will help us through whatever life decides to throw at us because we will know without a shadow of a doubt that He is with us during those times. It can feel like a struggle at times because other things can show up that have a tendency to show up in order to distract us.

Those distractions can either come from Him or Satan himself and if they come from Satan we have to be on guard against those things. I have had a thought where life is just one big test that God decides to throw at us to see if we would keep on His path. They're things that we can keep our focus on, like a certain hobby, for a long time so why can't we do that with God. Sometimes it feels like we do things on purpose to see how long it takes for us to get away with it until God decides to do something that makes us stop and that isn't a good thing.

Stop taking your eyes/focus off of Him. I know easier said then done, but we can do it. It isn't impossible, but we have to make that decision to do so because we have to do it ourselves. If we are having trouble doing so ask Him to help because He will. Keep asking if He doesn't answer right away because He isn't going to leave us hanging.