“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

Hebrews 11:6

Think back to the very first time that you gave your life to Jesus.  We often use the phrase “gave your life to Christ”, but what exactly does that mean?  When you gave your life to Jesus, you literally handed God the keys to your life.  You practically signed up to be God’s personal instrument of change in this world.  Of course we should always try our best in whatever we do, but no matter what, God will always be guiding us by opening and closing doors.  Sometimes we may face obstacles and times when we are trying to understand God’s will for our lives.  Take myself for example.  Recently, I was given the opportunity to run for a class position atBooneHigh School.  I wasn’t sure what God wanted me to do, so I prayed, “God, if you want me to have this position, if leadership has any part in my future, then let me win this election.  If it is not your will, then simply let me lose.”  God can do anything, including guiding your path and future.  You see, when at a crossroad in life, we sometimes get the misconception that God is down one road and not another. In actuality, God is right next to you, ready to walk with you no matter what path you choose. You may not know what your future holds, but you can know who holds your future. That is living with faith.

 Check out: Hebrews 11:6, Psalm 37:23–26

Good Call: “Fear can keep us up all night.  But faith can be one fine pillow.”  Author Unknown

Today’s Challenge: Give God total control of all aspects of your life.  Have faith in his promises.  It’s easier said than done.  Trust him with everything from family issues to friends, to tests to sports.  God wants to guide you in everything you do, but God can’t guide you if you refuse his guidance.

Very few feelings feel better than when somebody stands up for you and rescues you from a situation you found yourself in.  I remember one time growing up I was being picked on by an older group of guys.  One of my older brothers saw this, gathered his friends and “took care of the situation.”  I remember the feeling of feeling alone when being messed with.  I also remember the feeling of someone standing up for me.  In this story in the Bible some people are messing with some girls and Moses comes to the rescue.  This ended up being a good decision because one of the girls ended up being his future wife.  I have a feeling that there is someone in your class that needs to be rescued from gossip.  Or someone in your lunch that needs to be rescued from discouragement.  Or someone on your team that needs to be rescued from depression.  There are all kinds of ways we can rescue each other.

Check Out: Exodus 2:11-25

Good Call: “Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment.” Jude 1:23

Challenge:  Take some time today to think and look around your situation and see who may be in need of being rescued.

Do you have a relationship that needs some healing?  Do need a miracle to get a better grade in that one class?  Do you need God to intervene on behalf of your family?  Then pray about it!  Whatever your needs are take them to God.  A lot happens when we pray. 1) We are admitting that we are not in control but that God is.  2) We are inviting God into our situation.  3) We are tapping into God’s unlimited power.  We need to stop thinking of prayer as some pointless process and reclaim the power that there is in seriously praying for God to move on behalf of our lives and our situations.

Check Out: James 5:13-18

Good Call: “Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for 3 ½ years…”

Challenge:  Grab a cheap journal and began writing down prayer request.  Keep the journal by your bed and pray with your journal daily that God would show up in real and BIG ways in your life.

 “But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him, The Lord does not see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’” I Samuel 16: 7

Sometimes we get so caught up by appearances that we forget about what’s important. With TV shows, commercials and magazines all telling us how we should look, act, dress and talk, it can be confusing. We want to fit in with the “cool” group, but have you ever thought about what makes them “cool”? Not often is it because they have a good heart and are nice to everyone, but more because they are the prettiest girl or drive the hottest car, or excel at sports. When you make friends with a group of people, you need to look deeper. What about that person that you’ve seen in the halls but never really said hello to? The Bible is full of stories where God used the people that were overlooked. Even the apostles were outcasts, just poor fisherman. David was a small boy who everyone laughed at when he went up against Goliath. The story of The Good Samaritan is the story of a man helping someone from an enemy country. You never know when you might meet your new best friend if you just keep an open mind and look with more than your eyes.

Check Out:  I Samuel 16:1-13

Good Call:  “The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen, nor touched…but are felt in the heart” – Helen Keller

Challenge: Talk to at least one person today that you wouldn’t normally hang out with.

I grew up playing basketball.  I loved playing and often would find myself at a basketball court until late at night.  The courts I’d go to were packed with people playing and waiting to play in the next game.  When a game finished the winning team would play the next team that was put together by a “captain” that got to pick his players.  During this process you had all kind of people jumping in the “captains” face screaming, ‘pick me, pick me, pick me’.  But there were always other people that wanted to play but weren’t obnoxiously screaming the guys face.  They were simply on the court shooting and making shot after shot.  This is what the captain wanted to see.  He wasn’t putting together a debate team full of people that can talk a lot, he was putting together a basketball team and he wanted proven people that he knew could play basketball.  God is doing the same thing.  He’s not looking for people that say they are Christians to everyone.  He’s looking to see who the actual Christians are.  He’s looking for the ones that actually fear Him more than their classmates, a reputation, or a sport.

Check Out: Ecclesiastes 5:1-17

Good Call: “As you enter the House of God, keep your ears open and your mouth shut.”  Ecclesiastes 5:1

Challenge:  What’s one thing you’ve told God you’d do but haven’t done yet?  Figure it out and do it!

“So God created human beings in His own image.  In the image of God He created them; male and female He created them.”  Genesis 2:27

There is a type of fish that is called an archer.  This fish has an interesting way of getting a meal.  The archer likes to eat insects.  The problem is, most insects are flying above the water’s surface.  But the archer has a solution.  This fish swims to the surface of the water and puts its mouth near the top.  Then the archer does something amazing.  It spits a stream of water up into the air, and the water hits an insect flying by.  The water knocks the insect into the water, and the archer is able to gobble it up.  Just like God gave the archer a special talent he has done the same thing with you.  God has made you unique.  Quit comparing yourself to others.  Nobody can be a better you than you!  You made you the way you are for a reason, warts and all.

Check Out: Genesis 1:1-31

Good Call: “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb.
Before you were born I set you apart
and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.”  Jeremiah 1:5

Today’s Challenge:  Think about your unique make up.  Then begin thanking God for making you unique.

“But God removed Saul and replaced him with David, a man about whom God said, ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart. He will do everything I want him to do.”  Acts13:22

David was a shepherd, poet, giant-killer (remember David & Goliath), king, and ancestor of Jesus-in short, one of the greatest men in the Old Testament.  But alongside that list stands another; betrayer, liar, adulterer, murderer.  The first list gives qualities we all might like to have; the second, qualities that might be true of any one of us.  The Bible makes no effort to hide David’s failures.  Yet he is remembered and respected for his heart for God.  Knowing how much more we share in David’s failures than in his greatness, we should be curious to find our what made God refer to David as “a man after my own heart.” (Acts13:22)  David, more than anything else, had an unchangeable belief in the faithful and forgiving nature of God.  He was a man who lived with great zest.  He sinned, but he was quick to confess his sins.  His confessions were from the heart, and his repentance was genuine.  David never took God’s forgiveness lightly or his blessing for granted.  In return, God never held back from David either his forgiveness or the consequences of his actions.  David experienced the joy of forgiveness even when he had to suffer the consequences of his sins.

We tend to get these two reversed.  Too often we would rather avoid the consequences than experience forgiveness.  Another big difference between us and David is that while he sinned greatly, he did not sin repeatedly.  He learned from his mistakes because he accepted the suffering they brought.  Often we don’t seem to learn from our mistakes or the consequences that result from those mistakes.  What changes would it take for God to find this of obedience in you?

Check Out:  His life and story can be found in I Samuel 16 – Kings 2.

Good Call: “Then King David went in and sat before the LORD and prayed,

“Who am I, O Sovereign LORD, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?”  II Samuel 7:18-19

Challenge: Take some extra time today and began studying the life of David, you’ll love it!

I remember growing up and one of my friends had the nicest parents you’d ever meet.  But one day I was at my buddy’s house when he brought home an F on his report card.  Well in the blink of an eye I saw his nice parents turn ice cold with anger.  They didn’t shout, scream, or go crazy but they did make it clear that those grades are not acceptable.  They made it very clear with their tone and with their punishment.  Did his parents love him still?  Yes, but they were also serious with the rules they had set.  The same is true with God.  We often consider Him to be this always nice, never mad figure that will love us no matter what we do.  The Truth is that although God’s love for us will never stop pursuing us when we don’t follow His plans and rules for our lives He is not someone you want to mess with.  Our God is a serious God.  He takes our sin very serious.  He takes caring for His children very serious and when anyone or anything harms instead of helps His children He gets very protective.  They say that it’s bad news to mess with a cub bear because momma bear will come after you.  Well that’s an understand statement compared to God.  Don’t find yourself on God’s bad side because you didn’t care for His children (all of us) as you should have.

Check Out: Ezekiel 22:23-31

Good Call: “God takes our sin so serious that He sent His son Jesus to die on the cross for it.”  Dustin Aagaard

Challenge: Tell God you’ll be that one person that seeks righteousness and you’ll be that person that cares for His children.  Name 3 ways you can practically care for His children.

I know it may seem confusing but our job is to serve and love people but it is definitely not to try to win their approval.  We are to focus on Christ and submit to His plans for our lives and allow Him to mold us into His image.  We are not to be worried or preoccupied with what others think about us as if we are living life for them.  Not at all, we are living life for our Lord and & Savior Jesus Christ.  The moment you begin to live life for others is the moment you take Jesus out of the driver’s seat of your life.  Many times in your life following Jesus will make others around you happy and feel loved.  However there will be times in life when following Jesus may upset the crowd around you.  It may mean you lose a friend or get put into an awkward situation.  Don’t be surprised by those moments, expect them.

Check Out: Galatians 1:10

Good Call: “Have an audience of one.”  Author Unknown

Challenge:  What is God calling you to do at your school that you’ve been holding back on due to social fear?

Ever feel like the first part of the verse the (right/left)? Maybe it was when you failed that test on the same week your boyfriend broke up with you and you found out your mom and dad are getting a divorce.  I’m not sure about your story but I do know we all have them.  We all have those moments when it just seems impossible to catch a break and you are just not sure if you’ll even be able to make it much less praise God in the midst of it.    Even in the midst of starvation Habakkuk made a choice that he would still rejoice in the Lord.  Habakkuk’s feelings were not controlled by the events around him but by faith in God’ ability to give him strength.  When nothing makes sense and when troubles seem more than you can bear, remember that God gives strength.

Check Out: Habakkuk 3:17-19, Job1:22

Good Call: “Don’t tell God how big your problems are.  Tell your problems how big your God is. “  Owen Orr

Challenge:  Thank God for at least 10 specific things in your life.