Warning Against Worldliness

          "What causes quarrels and fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?  You desire and do not have, so you murder.  You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel.  You do not have, because you do not ask.  You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.  You adulterous people!  Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity to God?  Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.  Or do you suppose that it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, 'He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us?'  But He gives more grace.  Therefore it says, 'God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.'  Submit yourselves therefore to God, resist the Devil and he will flee from you.  Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you..."

James 4:1-8

If ya'll want me to write a commentary on this verse, Comment and say so :)

~Rachel

For all those who are hungry

Are you longing for something more?

Are you not finding your place in this world?

Are you searching for answers?

You are longing to have a high being that cares and loves you. - There is a higher being that loves you more that this world.  He loves you so much that He gave you his son and His mercy.

You are hoping to find a purpose in your life that is greater than just living. You have a greater purpose!  God's plan for your life is waiting.

You want to know who is holding your heart? God is. He has been holding your heart since the day you were conceived.

Love,

~Rachel

Dead to sin, Alive to God

Ok, lets open our Bibles :) Fun right! Of course!

Romans 6

This is a hard hitter!

Ok here we go, Romans 6:1-4
What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who die to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us that have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the father, we too might walk in newness of life.

Fewy! ok, what do you think about this?

If you want to truly follow Christ and his death on the cross, then you aren't going to deliberately keep sinning so that Christ can forgive you. You are going to try to become more like Jesus every day.

When you are saved and baptized it is declaring your allegiance to Him. You faithfulness and your heart. Being saved and being baptized are two different things. Being saved is repenting of your sins, asking for Christ to work in your heart, and knowing that he dies on the cross for you. Baptism is declaring to the WORLD that you are going to follow God and his Word.

The NEWNESS OF LIFE. Life is NEW once you are saved.

Blessings,

~Rachel

Green Eyed Girl

Green Eyed Girl

     "Oh, you silly boy!"  The woman's face was flushed, her hands on her hips.
     "But Mrs. Velbral, mother is sick.  Please, do you anything that you can offer?"  The youth spread his hands in a gesture of hopefulness.  The boy was tall and his breaches were to short for his thin, long legs.  "Please, help us ma'am."  He was earnest and totally sincere.  He hated to beg from people that were better off that himself.  It showed weakness, and a state of utter poverty.  God help us all!  He cried within himself as a shiver racked his poorly clothed body.
     "Look at you Nate!  You were once a good boy.  Now you run from house to house beggin' ever since your Pa when to sea."  She brushed her hands on her apron and turned to a servant that stood behind her in the door and whispered something,  "Your father was a coward to have run off to the ocean to escape what he knew was inevitable!  He..."  She was cute off when the boy shouted,
     "You don't know my father!  You don't know why he left either!  You have no right to call him a coward!"  Nate stood his ground.
     "In any case, he left you... and your mother."  She pressed her nose into the air and looked down on the boy,  "It's freezing out here, Nate.  I best be back to fixing tea.  Antonia will be out with a little something."  She whirled around in her day dress.  Looking back at him, she smiled a little,  "I hope your mother is feeling better Nate." Then she disappeared behind the big wooden door.
     Nate shivered again, "Posh, father didn't leave to escape anything!  He had to go..."
     The door opened,  "Hello Nate."  Said an angelic looking girl.  Her dark wavy hair pulled back under a blue bow.  Her apron was also blue.  She pressed a loaf of warm bread into his hands, "It's fresh."  She smiled.
     "Thank you.  you don't know how much this means to me."  He smiled, grateful for what she had given him.
     "Mrs. Velbral isn't that bad once you get to know her."  She said contemplatively as she pinched the cloth of a long winter cloak between her fingers.
     "Oh, I've known her forever.  She has a kind heart, she just says things that ought not to be." He turned to leave.
     "Nate!!!"  The girl cried.  Her green eyes sparkled, "How silly of me!  This is for you."  She held out the cloak. A smile painted her face.
     "Are you sure?"  He asked.  Antonia shook her head.  Nate tucked the bread under his arm and wrapped the cape around his trembling shoulders.  He felt much warmer already.
     "Thank you so much, Antonia.  I will be seeing you?"  Nate grasped the warm loaf of bread beneath his cloak.  His ice cold fingers tingling as they warmed up.
     "God bless Nate."  She turned and was gone inside the large house.

     Later that evening Nate was proud as he stepped over the threshold of their small home, "Mari, I'm back."
     A young girl of about thirteen came solemnly out of the back room.  Her eyes lit up when she saw him holding out the bread, "However did you find this?!"  She exclaimed.
     "Hush, Mari.  Mama is sleeping?"
     "Nate, it's horrible!  She's just burning up!"  She tossed a look in the direction of the back room.
     Nate noticed the blood on his sisters hands,  "Mari, what's the matter with your hands?"
      "Oh, you fatherly thing you!"  She set the bread down and wrapped her fingers with her shawl, "Don't worry about me, Nate.  The basket weaving is rough." She smiled.
      "Where's Tara, Izzi, and Cantin?"
      "They are cuddled in bed already.  They will be happy to see the food!" She took the bread to the table.
     Nate slipped in the little room and knelt next to the sick bed, "Oh, mother.  Do get well."

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1 Corinthians 1:22-25

"For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men."



This verse is a hard one to look into.  What God showed me about this verse was that all that are truly in Christ will preach Christ Crucified.  He says that The Jews want a sign and the Greeks seek wisdom, this may be a generalization for the Jewish and Greek People as a whole (Not saying that every Jew, or Greek is such).  To those who are called (the people called to be Christians), by Christ will overcome their problems through the power and wisdom of God.  So Jews, and Greeks (And any other person on this earth) will overcome through Christ.  What do you think? 
-Rachel

God's Smuggler

As a boy he dreamed of being a spy undercover behind enemy lines. As a man he found himself undercover for God. Brother Andrew was his name and for decades his life story, recounted in God's Smuggler, has awed and inspired millions. The bestseller tells of the young Dutch factory worker's incredible efforts to transport Bibles across closed borders--and the miraculous ways in which God provided for him every step of the way.

This  is a VERY inspirational Book!  I advise you to read this!

Pray For Poland

Belarus, Poland

Often considered the last surviving dictatorship in Europe, the government allows almost no political opposition. The Orthodox Church is the only officially recognized denomination. Unregistered religious activity can result in imprisonment or heavy fines. Unregistered churches are monitored by the secret police and violent raids occur frequently. Because the numbers of evangelical and Pentecostal Christians is growing, persecution is intensifying. Two leaders of the Belarusian Christian Democratic party were sentenced to labor camp in 2011, but were later freed. Another was imprisoned and subjected to psychological torture - World Watch List on Open doors.com

Pray:

• For courage and perseverance for pastors whose churches are being monitored.
• For a breakthrough for churches who have been trying for many years to register.
• Praise God that the church is growing. Pray for a change in the government’s attitude to Christianity.

This was a sight that I found after reading an AMAZING book called GOD"S SMUGGLER, about a Dutch missionary to Germany.  The book inspired me to look into missions and such...I figured that If I cant GO to Poland, Ireland, Germany, etc.  Then I will pray for those who can go.  :)  I love and respect every missionary with a heart to step into danger and be a true ambassador for the Kingdom!  I love every person on this earth, I want you to know that, but I really want people to see that there is compassion and love, God is up there :)

Please, please, please, pray with me on this subject!  I want to start by praying for Poland.

NOTE:  If you can point other people to my blog or tell them about this, I would be overjoyed!  I want to have 100 known people praying for this, and more! :)  The more the better.  God can do great things!