TheChallenge pt. 2

Do you remember my post at the beginning of the year titled "The Challenge"? Well here is an update. Doing something for 30 or 60 days straight is hard! I have not yet succeeded.

We are creatures of habit, good ones and bad ones. We are also people who fill our days. So no matter what it is filled with (sleep, tv, work, etc.) those things are our habits. In order to add a new one we must subtract from an old one. That is where we find most of the trouble.

So if you have been attempting a challenge I want to encourage you to not give up! Also a 30 day challenge does not have to start on the 1st of a month, it can start today. Don't give up! Keep trying! The bible says a righteous man will fall seven times and still get back up.

Good luck!

~Awaken Us~
Brenna Stanford

A Little Story for You

Recently a conversation about God and church arose between me and another person. They quickly began to quiz me asking why it is okay to go see a movie if there is a scene with some nudity or a couple of cuss words when pornography and cussing is wrong. This conversation snowballed. Every answer I had they picked away to try to find a fault in it. Every example I gave they shot one right back except more extreme and wanted to know the difference.

When one question was posed and the only answer I had was that we don't have the qualifications or the ability, much less the place to say if someone will go to heaven or hell. That was not good enough for them. It was this very black or white thing to them based upon your actions.

I became frustrated and upset. I didn't have the answers for them. What answers I did have they picked away and found fault in. I felt very frustrated because I know in my depth what I believe is not faulty, but I could not find the words to show them. Then I became upset thinking about how I just messed that conversation up. I couldn't show them or tell them what I know.

I spent the next little bit thinking about this. Every detail of it and asking God questions. I desperately wanted to be able to explain all of this. I relaized that there is a LOT I do not know. I also realized that this person was basing my faith and relationship with God off of acts by humans.

It's not about what you can and can't do. If that is the concern or the focus then you won't find the answer. Christianity isn't about a list of rules, do this and don't do that. Christianity is about a relationship, not a religion.

When you meet someone you don't start the conversation off by telling them that you'll be their friend and they can be yours but here is a list of things you can do and a list of things you can't do. It is the same with God. He is not asking you to do all of these things or quit doing those things before he will be your friend.

God simply wants you to ask him to be your friend, your savior, your father. Your God.

Yes in a relationship with God you will soon find there are things that you don't do anymore. You will also find that there are things that you will start doing. This is not because someone is forcing you. It is because there is a part of you that doesn't want to do those things or that wants you to do them. All of that will come in time and won't be forced on you by any person.

All God asks is that you would accept him, his son and his spirit. He wants you to gibe up your entire life to him so that he can make it better! You do that by simply saying, 'God I need your help. I give you control of my life. I believe that you are God and sent your son to die for me. I believe that you raised him from the dead and that he know lives in me.'

Driving Without Any Lights

Have you ever been driving at a time of day where it's not really dark outside but not really bright out either? The past couple of days have been like that around here because it has been rainy and dreary outside. During this time I have noticed that 99.999% of the people have their lights on, but there is always that .001% that doesn't. So I began to wonder why don't you have your lights on?

Why Are You Driving Without Any Lights?

I began to think about this. There had to be some sort of explanation! I began to ask the questions, Did you forget? Are you completely unaware? and Are they broke? If you are anything like me then your mind spiderwebs from one thing to another based on even the smallest of similarities or associations. Although, this time my thought spider webbed themselves into asking further questions.

Did You Forget?

Did you simply forget to turn them on? Were you too busy rushing around to remember to turn on you lights? Or is it that you can see fine, so you didn't think to turn them on or didn't think it was necessary?

Are You Completely Unaware?

Do you even know that you are driving around without your lights on? Did you think they were the automatic ones that came on when you started your vehicle? 

Are They Broke?

If your lights are broke then how did they get that way? What happened to them?

Life Happens. So many times this is the answer to the What happened? question. When you go through life just driving along trying to not speed or hit anyone you may get stuck behind a big dump truck that's full of stuff. When out of no where they hit that pot hole in the road and out from their truck flies some rocks. They bounce off the road and hit the front of your car. They scratch the paint, maybe chip a window but they completely bust out your headlights! You weren't necessarily doing anything wrong, life just happened. Now your lights are broke.

They could even have just gone out. Maybe it was bad wiring or maybe something was knocked loose. Nonetheless, they're out.

Maybe you're driving around without your lights spiritually. The same questions apply. We can become so busy that we forget to turn on our lights spiritually. We get so busy rushing around with our crazy schedules that we forget to take the time and praise God for the day. We forget to ask him to forgive our sins and show us how to be better. We forget to stop, breathe, and focus on God. We forget to ask him to take control of this day and recommit to live for him this day.

We can even think that we don't need our lights on because we can see fine. The problem here is that there are more people on the road beside us. I remember when I was young and this circumstance arose my dad would always get frustrated and mumble under his breath how they have a dark car and you can't see them coming. If we are driving that car without our lights on then others can't see us. As Christians we are to shine our lights not so we can see, but so that all the world can see. Making sure we turn on our lights isn't just for our benefit, it is for the benefit of those around us also.

We can even be completely unaware that our spiritual lights aren't on. You see we drive the vehicle with the automatic lights. As soon as we start our car they come on. So we go to church once, maybe twice a week. We are all fueled up and ready to hit the road! Right? Wrong. I recently listened to an interview with John Maxwell and he said that the only thing that is automatic in life is death. So logically that would mean that turning our lights on spiritually is not automatic. We must intentionally take the time and turn them on every time we hit the road. (Every time we wake up)

Our unawareness could also mean that no one has ever told us we must turn on the lights. Have you ever been told about God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit? Has anyone ever told you that there is a God who created this whole world and everything in it, then gave it all over to us? Have you been told that we biologically want to sin, that the skin we are living in desires to sin? But did they tell you how God can't look at us when we sin so he sent his son, his only son, from heaven to earth to be born in human flesh and to live a sinless life so that in the end he would be beaten and put to death brutally carrying the weight of EVERY PERSON'S SIN? That includes you and I. Did you know that all of that happened so now you can go through Jesus to receive the forgiveness from God?

Maybe you did know this. Maybe your lights just got broke while going through life. Whatever has happened, whether someone busted out your lights or your they went out over time, be encouraged right now in knowing that they can be fixed!

If you are one who has never heard about God, or maybe you need to be reminded, you can do that right where you are at this moment. Romans 10:9 says that if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead then you will be saved!

Do you know all of this but have just been too busy or didn't know that you needed your spiritual lights on for others to see? You have the opportunity right now, wherever you are to stop, focus and talk to God. Do you need your broken lights fixed? Call upon his name. He is the healer! Do you need to re-prioritize? God says that if you put him first then everything else will fall into place! If you just need to take that step of maturity in your walk with him and start shining your lights for others then he can help. Ask for guidance!

I pray that every person who reads this is encouraged, empowered and awakened!

~Awaken Us~

Brenna Stanford

Know

I just want to take this post today to simple encourage you. You may be in the middle of a struggle that there seems to be no end or answer to. But remember this, in all we know that we are more than conquerors!

As long as God is in control you have the victory. Just as God allowed Satan to test Job, he may be allowing you to face something. So stand firm in knowing there IS a reason, even if we are unaware or don't understand!

KNOW who you are.
KNOW who you serve.

~Awaken Us~
Brenna Stanford

The Challenge

As most of you know I work with youth. In our youth group we are setting a Challenge in front of them to do something everyday for 60 days.

It is said that 21 days is the length of time it takes to create a habit, but how many of us have done something fro 21 or 30 days and fell right back out of that habit? So we have extended this a little further to make it more of a challenge, but also more of a change.

We also ask that they choose something that will be difficult for them. A challenge is just that, challenging. Some of things are to take a picture everyday, don't eat any sugar, be kind to someone, exercise, read, have a daily quiet time.

I watched a Joyce Meyer recording today and she was interviewing John Maxwell about his book The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth: Live Them and Reach Your Potential. In this he spoke about no matter what or how you choose to grow, it must be something that is done daily and it must be intentional. So I want to extend this challenge to you!

I CHALLENGE you to do something daily for 60 days. This something can be fun, productive, spiritual, anything as long as it betters your day!

I have decided upon mine, and feel free to be in prayer with me about it. At the end of the 60 days I will let you know what it was and how I did. If you have decided to accept the challenge then feel free to comment and share what you will attempt to do or not do!

~Awaken Us~
Brenna Stanford

God Has Not Left!

So I have decided to take on reading the Bible in a year. I have never read all of the Bible so I thought this would be a good way to do so. I also decided to read it in Chronological order instead of straight through, front to back. Today I started on the book of Job, I have read this one before. As I started into this book I felt God give me this epiphany. It was like there were puzzle pieces I already had,God just showed me how to put them together!

Incase you don't know the story of Job let me some it up for you. Job is this righteous, blamesless man who loves God. One day Satan goes strolling up to God and God is like where have you been? Satan says oh you know roaming the earth doin' what I do. Then God shows him Job and says you're not good enough to have him, he loves me. So verse 9 Satan starts in...

Job1:9-12 - 9 “Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied. 10 “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. 11 But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.”

12 The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.”
Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.

After that the book goes on and tells the story of all that Satan put him through and his response to it all. In the end Job remains faithful to God and gets back even more than he lost!

As I read verse 9 - 11 God showed me how all the pieces of that puzzle fit together. We have been given the Bible, the active and living word of God as the guide to our life. It contains every example we need for every issue we have.

But have you ever felt like ALL of life's issues came down on you one right after the other? Well our example in these times is Job! Most of us will not have to face what Job faced, but we can look at his responses to even the most tragic situations. When you are in the middle of whatever storm and it feels like God has completely forgotten you, remember to remain firm in your faith! Keep on loving God and praising him. Because in the end you will end up getting back much more than you lost!

I can testify to God's faithfulness. I can tell you this as my family faces trials right now. We have a hope that is far greater than any situation or circumstance. Our Father's light can out shine even the darkest of darks! If you are a Christian, stand firm in that! If you aren't, you can be! You can have this hope. This victory! All you have to do is believe in your heart that Jesus is Lord and confess with your mouth that God raised him from the dead! Then you will be saved! (Romans 10:9)

Have a great weekend, knowing that there is a plan for you!

~Awaken Us~
Brenna Stanford

The Light

Have you ever been in total darkness? The kind of dark where you can't even see your hand in front of your face much less anything else.

Well this last week I experienced this type of dark. I had scratched my eye and had to patch it up. While this is not a life threatening event by any means I felt God speak to me through this. My other eye quickly grew tired of trying to see everything and do all of the work on its own. I would do the dishes, but by the end my hurt eye was hurting even more and the other eye was aching as well. For a part of your body so small, it sure is important. That is a whole different sermon in itself!

I remember laying on the couch frustrated and tired. Then I remembered all of the scripture about light.

John 8:12 - When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Genesis 1:4 - God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.
Even in the very beginning when God created light he saw that it was good. Then he seperated it from the darkness. So we know right there first hand that we are to be separate from darkness. 2 Corinthians shows us this in chapter 6 verse 14, Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?

Psalm 119:105 - Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.

Psalm 27:1 - The Lord is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid?
If you are in that place of darkness right now you can get out! 2 Samuel 22:29 says "You, Lord, are my lamp; the Lord turns my darkness into light." Look back to John 8:12 that says when Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” You can be free from the darkness! God want to light up your path (Psalm 119:105) and set you on a stand to shine to the world! All you have to do is choose. Romans 10:9 says that if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead then you will be saved!

There is no "right" prayer you have to pray or use the "right" words, feel it in your heart. Then talk to God!

Maybe you are a Christian, but you have let your light dim. Refresh that right now! God says to fan into flame our salvation (2 Timothy 1:6 - For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.)! It takes work and effort on our part, but we can be a light that shines through any darkness, no matter how dark it gets! Get back to that place with God, that secret place. The place where only the 2 of you go. Get there! Be filled again!

Matthew 5:14-16 - 14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

~Awaken Us~

Brenna Stanford