Journal 11

 Philippians 4: 4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Sometimes it's hard to know what you are being tested on by the Lord.

It's okay to have a day, it's okay to have a season, it's okay not to be happy.

Today is not a great, but it is well with my soul.

I'm going to give God the Glory anyway.

I'm going to rejoice and praise anyway.

But He tells us to rejoice.

How do you treat people? Are you gentle? Are you compassionate?

Do you lay it all out for Him?

When you give it to God, and you make your requests known to Him, let Him cleanse you for a second.

He wants to take those places, He wants to take all that baggage, let it go. He wants to give you peace.

2 Timothy: 7 For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.

Joshua 1 verse 9: Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

It's okay to have dreams. Am I worthy to even do this?

What if I take this step of Faith and I fail?

Sometimes we need to lay down our fear because worry doesn't add a day to our life.

Sometimes stepping out in Faith is hard. Don't be moved by fear.

Fear will always leave you hurt, fear will always leave you crippled, fear will always leave you miserable. 

Ephesians 4 verse 2: Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.

The opposite of humility is pride.

And if you're not careful, pride will stop you from acknowledging that there is a problem.

He has not called us to be prideful, jealous, and envious.

It doesn't mean to be a doormat.

Be confident and stand up for yourself in places that you need to.

We need to come together.

Are you going to be patient? Are you going to treat everyone like dirt?

Everyone's treating each other respectfully and with love.

1 Chronicles 16 verse 34-35: Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.  Cry out, “Save us, God our Savior gather us and deliver us from the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name, and glory in your praise.”

If you're holding onto all those things, God can't mold you and teach you.

He died for you, He died for me.

Let us be grateful and thankful.

Let us be courageous, and humble.

Live it by action.

Let us show with affection, not just with words.

Are we going to mess it up? Every day, every day.

It doesn't matter how many times you fall, it matters how many times you get back up.

Keep fighting the good fight of faith.

Keep running your race well.

Keep running your race.

I want to see each of you run your race well.

Your journey isn't over. You still have a work to be done. Your time isn't over yet.

He wants you, He wants all of us to be laborers.

Do it with a Spirit of Love.