"Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him for the help of His presence." Psalm 42:5. Let's all be happy again today. We shouldn't let ourselves be in despair. Why? Because God loves us, and we are His. That should be joy enough within itself.

"You may think you can condemn such people, but you are just as bad, and have no excuse! When you say they are wicked and should be punished, you are condemning yourself, for you who judge others do these very same things." -Romans 2:1. Judging is a sin. God sees all sin as the same. When we judge and condemn others for their sin, we are committing a sin of the same magnitude. Judgement stems from pride. When we think we have it all together and right, we start thinking we can dictate others. But what many fail to realize is that God is the ONLY one with that kind of authority. We should embrace others and show them love when they stumble. That is what we're called to do. We're not called to be Bible police.

"Never think that God's delays are God's denials. Hold on! Hold fast! Hold out! Patience is genius." -Georges L.L. de Buffon. This quote speaks for itself. Just because we don't recieve what we want immediately, it doesn't mean God has said no. He will give you an answer in time. Sometimes it happens right then, others it takes a while. But God's timing is perfect, and eventually you will see why He timed it the way He did. Something that my mom told me once when i was upset about something is that you shouldn't look at bad situations as God's sign to give up. Look at it as an opportunity to be patient and not give up.

"Even when I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me." -Psalm 23:4. No matter what scary situation we're in, God is with us every step of the way. I know I talk about this a lot, but we all should constantly remind ourselves that we're not alone. He's our constant support. In any and every situation. If you're going through something, repeat this verse to yourself until it becomes you. Know that He cares for you more than anyone. You will get through it with Him.

It may be cliche to say, "Jesus is the reason for the season." But as we celebrate Christmas, try to look past the crazy, fast paced shopping and stress and decorations and food. Let's remember why we give gifts- because Jesus gave. But let's take "Jesus is the reason for the season" one step further. Let's make Jesus the reason for EVERY season. Merry Christmas everybody.

"....do not be discouraged, for I am your God....." Isaiah 41:10. I didn't put the whole verse because there was one point i wanted to emphasize. Do not be discouraged. We can allow ourselves to be completely down about life at the drop of a hat. But when we get discouraged, that doesn't make things better. Sometimes it seems like there's no light at the end of the tunnel, but the Bible urges us not to get discouraged, because He is our God. He'll bring us through, every time.

"Set a guard over my mouth, LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips." Psalm 141:3. Pastor Chris tweeted this this morning. Let's ask God to help us speak kindly. When we pop off and use vulgarity, it never leads to anything good. Let's be lights to the world and try to keep our speech pure.

"The devil is filled with fury because he knows that his time is short." -Revelation 12:12. Why is the devil causing so much destruction? Because he knows his time is limited. He's trying to wreak as much havoc as possible. But God has SO much more power than him. You never have to worry about the devil and his fury, because God will protect you from him. Even the devil knows that God is more powerful and will defeat him. If the devil himself knows it.....we should too.

"Do not merely listen to the word, and so decieve yourselves. Do what it says." James 1:22. There's more to the Bible than listening. We've got to understand and apply. Going to church is great and all, but we're fooling ourselves if we don't apply the wisdom. Let's make a point to really hear wisdom and apply it to our lives, rather than let it go in one ear and out the other.

"So Jacob worked seven years to pay for Rachel. But his love for her was so strong that it seemed to him but a few days." Genesis 29:20. If you look in the Bible, you will find an incredible amount of verses about love. God created us to be loving creatures, like He is. He made us in His image. Sometimes when we have a feeling of love for someone it amazes us how we have the capacity in our hearts for expanding love. But God made us for love. He gave us the ability, and also gives us the command. This applies not only to your significant other, but to everyone you come into contact with. Show them Christ's love, and they will find that love from within themselves.

"When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom." Proverbs 11:2. Why do people become prideful? Perhaps it's because they are trying too hard to prove to themselves and others that they are great. Sometimes when others look down on us, we use pride as a defense mechanism. Other times, we can literally get so caught up in ourselves that we don't see how prideful we're getting. But pride will get you nowhere. Humility, however, will give you wisdom. When you stop praising yourself, your focus will be on more important things.

"When everything seems to be going against you, remember that airplanes take off against the wind."- Henry Ford. As Christians, we can face so much adversity. Others put us down and try to argue that we're wrong. But remember that airplanes, these huge, heavy machines, take off against the wind and can fly for hours on end. We too, can face against these obstacles and opposition and fly above it. We can do amazing things once we have faith that God will take us higher.

"Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love." Mother Teresa. Not everyone preaches, sings, or becomes a missionary. Not everyone is like mother teresa, traveling the globe helping people. Not everyone is meant to do big, showy things. But that's not necessarily what's important. Whether you do "big" things or not, you're doing absolutely no good if you don't have love behind it. God looks at the heart so much more than the actions. What matters is our love. Jesus said that they will know we're His disciples by our love. He didn't say they would know they would know by how well known we are throughout the country/world.

"The fear of human opinion disables; trusting in God protects you from that." Proverbs 29:25. Pastor Chris tweeted this verse this morning. We all have worried about what others think. Whether it's our appearance, our personality, or the things we have. We've even worried about what others think of our faith. But we've got to think one thing in mind: human opinion does not matter. This is much easier said than believed, but we must remember it. When we keep our minds focused on what others think, we're disabled. We can't do much of anything bc we're too worried about unimportant things. But the Bible says that if we have faith in God.... We can be protected from this. We no longer should live in distress because some people don't like us.

"You intended to harm me but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives." Genesis 50:20. This verse was said by Joseph, to his brothers. Joseph's brothers had tormented him and tried to kill him because they were jealous of the attention he got from their father. But despite all this, Joseph wound up becoming a very successful servant of the pharaoh. After their father's death, his brothers felt guilty and apologized, and this verse is what Joseph said to them. When adversities are thrown at us, God can help us use it for good. We can help others who are going thru what we went thru. There's much more to this story, so go read Joseph's story in Genesis and see how HIS troubles can still help YOU.

"I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you." Psalm 119:11. As Christians, we need to know what we've gotten into. We need to get deeper into the spirit of God so we can understand what He wants for our lives. It's more than just getting "fired up" at worship with a thousand other people. That's why He gave us the Bible. When we learn scripture, it helps us know what's right and wrong, and it shows us how much He loves us. Keep scripture in your heart. Give yourself a regular reading routine. Find what works for you to make it easier and more understandable. The more we understand, the closer we can get to the Savior. :)

Mark 4:35-41

Mark 4:35-41 has the story of Jesus calming the storm. We've all heard this story several times; how Jesus and the disciples were on a boar when a deadly storm came upon them. Jesus was asleep when the disciples flipped out and woke Him up. Jesus got up, rebuked the storm, then asked them why they had no faith. We've all heard this miraculous story, but why do so many of us spend our time worrying? Worrying has never helped solve any problems. Jesus will help calm the storms in our lives if we just hush it and have faith in Him. Life can be scary sometimes, and you never know what's going to happen, but you do know that God is ALWAYS there for you. No matter what.

Acts 4:12

"Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under which heaven given to men by which we must be saved." Acts 4:12.

The plain truth is this: The only way we can be saced is through faith in Jesus Christ. We can't be saved through any other person, god, oe by doing good deeds. God is a jealous god. He wants all of you for himself. You are his creation, so why would he want anyone else to claim you? He just wants your love.

Proverbs 28:1

"The wicked flee though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion." Proverbs 28:1.

Sometimes it may seem like doing the right thing is wimpy or fearful. Others egg us on to do wrong and claim that if we don't, we're too afraid or etc. In actuality, the Bible says that the righteous are as bold as a lion. It takes more courage and boldness to do the right thing than the wrong thing. Standing up to others and their influences is hard. Risking friendships, popularity, and status is hard. But the rewards are eternal. When you stand up and be bold for God, He is so proud. So be bold and stand up.....like a lion.

Romans 12:16

"Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited." Romans 12:16.

One thing the Bible talks about often is keeping your pride in check. We as humans have no earthly idea how awesome God is, yet so many of us put ourselves on a pedestal above others. We are all equal in God's eyes. SO when we get conceited and prideful, it's completely ridiculous and only hinders what God wants you to do' If you're given a position in ministry, that doesn't mean to only associate with those who are working with you. Remember the lost, the poor, the unsaved. Remember what ministry even is. When we get prideful......souls are on the line.

Proverbs 28:13

"Whoever conceals their sin does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy." Proverbs 28:13.

Pastor Chris tweeted this November 24th and it stuck out to me. We tend to hide our sin whenever we do it. Unfortunately, many people who call themselves Christians condemn those who have slipped up. So when we sin, we usually like to keep it a secret, so we can keep up this persona of being "perfect." But this is what the Bible says NOT to do. We not only confess our sins to God, but we need to confess them to our trusted Christian friends, so we can get support and help. Also, when we hide our sin, we stop ourselves from helping those who have committed the same sin and need help. Don't keep things in the dark.

Matthew 12:21

"And His name will be the hope of all the world." Matthew 12:21.

Jesus didn't come to condemn or make you feel guilty. He didn't come just to heal a few people and perform a few miracles. He didn't come to give us religious holidays or to make us feel warm and fuzzy for a short time. He came to give us hope. Yes, He came to take the punishment of our sins, but with that sacrifice.....comes hope. Hope that we're able to be free from hell. Hope that we'll go to heaven. Hope that the Father wants to have a relationship with us. Hope that He hears us and loves us. Hope that He counts our sins no more......

Acts 4:13

"When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus." Acts 4:13.

Jesus' disciples were not the best and the brightest by worldly terms. They weren't rich, weren't that great in school, and they weren't high class. Yet Jesus....Lord of the universe.... chose them to be his closest followers. Why? Because of their faith. Things like money and status really should mean nothing to us as Christians. God can use ANYONE....rich or poor, educated or drop outs, popular or rejected. God doesn't care about your status on the social ladder or how many figures your salary is. He cares about your heart.

What can we do?

"Do what YOU CAN do. Trust GOD to do what you CANNOT do." -Craig Groeschel.

Many go through life thinking that God will provide everything if we just sit back and do nothing. Yes, God provides for us, but that doesn't mean he wants us to be lazy. He wants us to do what we can, then He will take care of the rest.......He will take care of what is humanly impossible. If we were to sit back and God supplied us with every tiny little thing, we would never look at Him as God. We would see a supernatural force that's obligated to cater to us. The Bible praises hard work. Let's not become lazy. Let's trust God and do what He wants for our lives. We can never live to our full potential if we don't work for it.

Psalm 34:8

"Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him." Psalm 34:8

The Lord is good. GOOD! He's not mean, condemning, or scary. He's good. When we get over our preconceived notions of a big meanie in the sky.....we can truly take refuge in Him. He LOVES us intensely. He wants us to take refuge in Him. Taste and see....realize....know....believe....that He is good. He defines good/love. Abide in Him and be blessed.

Isaiah 29:13-14

" The Lord says:“These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught. Therefore once more I will astound these people with wonder upon wonder; the wisdom of the wise will perish, the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish.”

How do you worship? Do you find yourself forcing it so others around you will think you're into it? Sometimes we need to remember where our hearts are. We can boast Jesus and pretend to worship all we want, but if our hearts are far from Him....it's pointless. Worship comes with heart change, not without.