Purpose To Walk The Way God Planned

Danie1:1-8

1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. 2 And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the articles from the temple of God. These he carried off to the temple of his god in Babylonia and put in the treasure house of his god.
3 Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring in some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility- 4 young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king's palace. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians. 5 The king assigned them a daily amount of food and wine from the king's table. They were to be trained for three years, and after that they were to enter the king's service.
6 Among these were some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. 7 The chief official gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego.
8 But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way.





Back-it-up

Romans 12:2

Don't let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould, but let God re-mould your minds from within, so that you may prove in practice that the plan of God for you is good, meets all His demands and moves towards the goal of true maturity.

Ephesians 2:10



10For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Psalm 139:1

You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.

Jeremiah 1:5

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.

MEMORY BANKING

John 3:16

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

This is a basic verse that you will want to commit to memory.

When telling others about Jesus, they will often ask why He in such a big deal. This verse is one that you can use to support your statements that Jesus is the key to having a real relationship with God!

APPLY THIS: BABYLONIAN BRAINWASH

When the babylonians tried to brainwash Daniel, they tried to mold him into a good babylonian. They wanted to change his habits, his faith, his thinking, and his identity. Think about what Daniel went through, then compare your own life to Daniel's by answering these questins.

In what ways dies the culture you live in try to mold you into thinking and believing differently from how God wants you to think and believe?

What things can you do to beat the babylonian brainwash?

Think of some things that the culture around you says are important. Now think of that God says are inportant. How are these different?

Eric Liddell




Nations take a lot of pride in their Oylmpic athletes. People expect the ulmost effort from those chosen who are gifted enough to represent their countries at the games.




That's why many people in Great Britain didn't know what to make of Eric Liddell. Before the 1924 Paris Olympics, the track star meter dash. Why not? Becuase the trials for the race were scheduled for a Sunday!




Eric Liddell was a celebrated rugby player and runner in his native scotland. He also camr from a family of missonaries. A devout Christian, Eric was preparing for the mission field himself. He had always believed sunday to be "the Lord's Day". For liddell, that meant Sunday would violate what Lidell believed-so he chose not to run in the event at all.



Some people were angry with Eric Liddell for choosing to stand by his convictions. But they were just as pleasantly surprised by his success at the Paris Olympics. Liddell won both the bronze medal in the 200-meter dash and the gold medal in the 400-meter dash.



Eric Liddell went on join his family in China as a medical missionary. He was always a popular Bible teacher and preacher.



He served in China spreading the Gospel from 1925 to 1943. In 1943, he was imprisoned in a Japanese internment camp with other missionaries and their families during World War 2.


Liddell encouraged his fellow prisoners with Bible studies for all. He orgaanized games for the youth and children in the prison camp. He spent early mornings and late nights in prayer and personal Bible study, often reading the Scripture"by the light of a peanut-oil lamp". He died from the effects of a brain tumor in 1945, just a few months before the war ended.


Liddell's stand for his beliefs and the impact of his faith as a young man are shown in the motion picture Chariots of Fire. Even more impressive, however, are the numerous testmonies of his faith from friends and acquaintances.



DO YOU THINK ERIC LIDDELL HONORED GOD WITH HIS LIFE?







WHAT DO YOU THINK OTHERS THOUGHT OF HIS REFUSAL TO COMPROMISE HIS FAITH IN GOD?

TAKE A STAND


Make Up Your Mind.


IF you want to be a world-class soccer player, you have to make up your mind (purpose in your heart) to be committed to practice. If you want to be a great physician, you must make up your mind to study chemistry. If you want to have a life that counts for God and be used by Him, you have to make up your mind, like Daniel did, to seek the Lord, do what He says, and be willing to share your love for God with others. Today, when a governmennt tries the kind of program the Babylonians used on Daniel, it's called branwashing. Through consistently making God-honoring decisions, Daniel beat the Babylonian Brainwash. You can withstand the pressures of your culture by choosing to trust and obey God.



MISSION: POSSIBLE

Assignments for Servants of the Most High GOD.



This week your "MISSION POSSIBLE" is to:

1. Pay attention to the times this week when you are faced with a choice of compromising and giving in to a Babylonian or choosing to obey God. As a reminder, white down each event and how you chose to respond.



The Situation The Choice I Made





2.Explain today's memory verse to your mom or dad or a close friend. Say what it means in your own words.



" For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in his shall not perish but have eternal life" John 3:16



3. Read Daniel 1:1-8 again on your own. Read it out of the Bible. Remember that when you obey God, you are choosing to have the kind of life that God honors and blesses. Sure it may be scary, even dangerous at times. Commit to asking God, "WHAT DO YOU WHAT ME TO DO TODAY? Here I am- I'm willing to be used"!





Live a life of eternal significance and meaning by boldly obeying and following GOD.

Please go under "What Would Jesus Do" because today my blog isn't work properly and it posted "Run to God" beneath it!!!

One minute sermon! You gotta see!

WHAT WOULD JESUS DO?

Do you ever ask yourself this? I do all of the time! It really makes you think what WOULD Jesus do! Would He do this or would He not? My friend left her WWJD bracelet here at my house and every time I looked at it I thought WOW I really need to get my act together and do what the Lord would do.... not just what my flesh wants to do! In every situation and circumstance we need to ask our self is this what the Lord would do, say or react. Why you may ask? Because the world is watching and to many we are the only Jesus they will ever see!

RUN TO GOD

God doesn't leave us we leave Him! When we let the world come into our lives Jesus can't get in! The Lord wants to be the all and all in our life! Why am I saying this? I'm saying this because we need to run to the LORD and not the world. Instead of getting fixed on things against God we need to fix ourself in to the word of the Lords and follow His ways!

Mandisa - He Is With You (Slideshow With Lyrics)

THIS GOES WITH THE POST BEFORE

Trust in God

I have been thinking alot about trusting in the Lord... God loves each and everyone of us and HE wants us to trust in Him with all our hearts.. even in the hardest times we need to trust in Him!! Do you remember when I posted foot steps in the sand? Well that dream that person had was very true ..... HE is always the one who is carrying us in the hardest times!




I picked up this quote it goes like this! God doesn't give us what we can handle. GOD helps us with what we are given!!!! God puts certain people in our lives and does specific things on purpose for our good... even when we think our world as we know it is collapsing on us and we have nowhere to turn..... God is there and is always there!!!!





Here is a bible verse I found... Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3: 5-6... what this verse is saying is that even though your world seems in turmoil and we don't understand what is going on, we need to trust Him with our lives, knowing that He will make our winding, rocky paths straight.




I heard a song the other day and it by the artist, Mandesa , and I'm going to post the song! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!!!

FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT, LOVE

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23


GOD'S LOVE FOR YOU

The unfailing love of the Lord never ends! Lamentations 3:22


How much does God love you? He loves you so much that He sent His Son Jesus to come to this earth for you and me! And, when you accept Jesus into your heart, God gives you a gift that is more precious then gold: that gift is called"eternal life" which means that you will live forever with God in heaven! God's love is bigger and more powerful than anybody can imagine, but it is very real. So do yourself a favor right now: accept God's love with open arms and welcome His Son Jesus into your heart. When you do, your life will be changed today, tomorrow, and forever.


TIP FOR KIDS

God's love for you is too big to figure out, but it's not too big to share.

Snuggle in God's arms. When you are hurting, when you feel lonely or left out, let Him cradle you, comfort you, reassure you of His all-sufficient power and love


TIP FOR PARENTS

You know that "God is love." Now, it's your responsibility to make certain that your child(ren)know it, too.

TALK 01 of 10-minute talks

Title: WHO'S IN YOUR SEAT?

Topic: Friends

Big Idea: Be careful who you hangout with.

Scripture:
"Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked
man, from man whose words are perverse, who have
left the straight paths to walk in dark ways, who de-
light in doing wrong and rejoice in the perverseness of
evil, whose paths are crooked and who are devious in
their ways." (Proverbs 2:12-15)


The Story:
Chitho never could've predicted how the morning would end. This 19-year-old never realized that his decision to give someone a ride would be fatal.

It started with a simple car ride. Chitho picked up Saul and Jose. Music pumping, as the boys drove to Hallie's and picked her up, then continued across town.

Their first stop was for gas. Hallie, a teenage mother, wanted to pick up her son at her mom's house. Someone else wanted to go to Wal-Mart, but the four teenagers decided to eat first.

They stopped at McDonald's for some burgers and ate in the car.

Chitho, the driver, was 19 years old and had never been in trouble with the law.
Saul, 19, rode beside him, with Jose and 18-year-old Hallie in the back seat. Jose had been released just three weeks before from Boys Ranch, a Sacramento County facility for repeat juvenile offenders.

After the burger break they resumed their trip to Wal-Mart. Along the way, a teenager stood alone at a bus stop.

That's when it started.

Jose told Chitho to pull over."Let's check out this kid and see what he has," he said.

At this point Chitho made a decision that changed the lives of every person in the car- a decision that resulted in his death, the incarceration of two others, and numerous sleepless nights for many involved. Chitho turned the car around and parked near the bus stop.

Jose grabbed a fake gun that looked pretty real and popped out of the back seat. Hallie objected,"this is stupid! I gotta go!" but Jose wouldn't back down.

Saul got out with Jose, and together they walked over to the bus stop and robbed the kid. They ran back to the car, and Chitho drove off.

Jose began asking to go to other places; Hallie just begged to go home. But Chitho continued on to Wal-Mart with his fellow felony offenders.

Pulling into Wal-Mart, they passed a police car. When they parked, another police car parked near them.

Officer Kevin Howland walked up to Chitho's car and began questioning them. The robbery at the bus stop just three minutes prior had already been called in, and a car that looked like Chitho's had been reported fleeing the scene. Officer Howland was following up the call.

The conversation didn't go well. Officer Howland asked if they had any weapons.

Chitho couldn't believe it had come to this. He didn't know what the charge would be, but he knew he was in trouble.

Chitho wasn't Innocent-he was the one driving the car. He was the one who made the U-turn at the bus spot. Even though he didn't know what the consequences of the U-turn would be, in the very moment he made the turn Chitho probably knew he was making the wrong decision.

And now he was reaping the consequences of that decision. A police officer was at his window and the situation was getting out of hand.

"Let's go! Let's go! Let's go!" Jose barked from behind Chitho.

Chitho couldn't think. He knew he was in trouble. Maybe they could get away. Maybe, even now, he could still avoid getting into trouble.

"Let's go! Let's go! Let's go!"

And that's when it happened.

Chitho slammed the car in reverse, hitting the rear passenger side of Howland's vehicle. Police reported that the impact pushed the cruiser a few feet across the parking lot.

That's when everything went crazy.

Officer Howland drew his gun. Chitho put the car in drive and stepped on the gas. Police reported that Chitho's car would've sandwiched Officer Howland between two cars if he hadn't jumped on the hood.


Officer Howland fired eight rounds into the car.

Glass shattered as the shots rang out. The Chrysler crashed into near entrance of the shopping center.

Silence.

Chitho was dead.

Anyone in the car that day would tell you Chitho wasn't trying to rob anyone, and he definitely wasn't trying to kill anyone.

But Chitho made several mistakes that day behind the wheel, and his last mistake cost him his life. Chitho died of gunshot wounds to the chest and right arm.

One bullet made it past Chitho and hit Jose in the wrist. People who knew the situation probable would've said that the bullets hit the wrong person that day.

Hallie was released one day after the incident. The next day Saul was arraigned in Sacramento Superior Court on felony charges felony charges of robbery and receiving stolen property from the boy they robbed at the bus stop. Jose faced similar charges, and even though he was 16, he was prosecuted as an adult.

But Chitho wouldn't live to face any charges. Chitho decisions that morning were his last.

They say hindsight is 20/20. You wonder: If Chitho had been given a second chance to think through his first decision that morning-would he have picked up Jose?

Ask Yourself:

Would you?

Who are you letting in you back seat?

Who are you surrounding yourself with?

Chitho was a good kid. But on that particular morning, he surrouded himself with bad company. That one decision led to other bad decisions that ultimately cost him his life.

Think about choices. Chitho made a series of choices that day:


> a choice to pick up Jose and Saul,
> a choice to go driving around with them instead of just heading home,
>a choice to make a U-turn and let his passengers start trouble with a stranger,
>a choice to continue driving them after they committed a crime,
> and the choice to run from a police officer.


Chitho made most of these choices with someone barking in his ear. If Jose hadn't been barking in his ear, he probably wouldn't have made the choice he did.

Who's barking in your ear?

Application and Scripture:

Be careful who you let in your back seat. Be careful who you listen to.

The bible consistently talks about the importance of surrounding ourselves with those who will build us up, and being careful to avoid those who will lead us away from what's right. Check out this excerpt from the book of Proverbs in the Bible:


"Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men, from men whose words are perverse, who have left the straight paths to walk in dark ways, who delight in doing wrong and rejoice in the perverseness of evil, whose paths are crooked and who are devious in their ways"( Proverbs 2:12-15)


God gives us the wisdom to watch out for people like this. He also reminds us in other passages (such as Hebrews 10:25) to surround ourselves with other believers, encouraging each other in doing what's right.

Who do you surround yourself with?

Are you careful who you let in your back seat?


In Closing:

Some of us probably need to rethink some of the people we surround ourselves with.


Let's pray about this:

God, you know who it is that I've allowed into my life-my back seat, for lack of a better term. You know that I've probably by even influenced by them to do wrong. It's clear you don't like that. Forgive me, God. But more than that, help me to steer clear of this kind of trouble. Give me even just one or two people who stand for what's right and true-people who make you a priority in their lives. Give me some of these people in my life.

God, I give you my friends. In Jesus' name, Amen.




story happened May 25, 2006

WRITERS BLOCK

I guess each and everyone of us has this.... it's called the dreaded writers block...... well that's what I have had for TWO whole weeks... I had soooooo many ideas going through my head but I couldn't just pick one!!!! What do I write about? All of those questions swarmed through my head... as I looked at all of the things that I could write about... what should I do because maybe it could help someone that I didn't even know? Well here is my answer from God! I went to the Christian book store with my mom the other day and I stumbled across this book called 10-minute talks.... this book has opened my eye's to ..... well I can't really explain!!!!!! But you will soon find out what I'm talking about.... this book puts a new perspective on many things!

Psalm 25:4-5

Show me your ways, O Lord,
teach me your paths;
guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are GOD my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long.
Psalm 25:4-5

The Warrior's Prayer

The Warrior's Prayer

Heavenly Father,
Your warrior prepares for battle.
Today I claim victory over Satan by putting on the whole armor of God!


I put on the Girdle of Truth!
May I stand firm in the truth of Your Word
so I will not be a victim of Satan's lies.


I put on the breastplate of Righteousness!
May it guard my heart from evil
so I will remain pure and holy,
protected under the blood of Jesus Christ.


I put on the Shoes of Peace!
May I stand firm in the Good News of the Gospel
so Your peace will shine through me
and be a light to all I encounter.


I take the Shield of Faith!
May I be ready for Satan's fiery darts of
doubt, denial and deceit
so I will not be vulnerable to spiritual defeat.


I put on the Helmet of Salvation!
May I keep my mind focused on You
so Satan will not have a stronghold on my
thoughts.


I take the Sword of the Spirit!
May the two edged sword of Your Word
be ready in my hands
so I can expose the tempting words of Satan.


By faith your warrior has put on
the whole armor of God!


I am prepared to live this day, in spiritual victory!

Amen

Footsteps In The Sand

Footsteps In The Sand
One night a man had a dream.
He dreamed he was walking along the beach with the LORD.
Across the sky flashed scenes from his life.
For each scene, he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand:
one belonging to him, and the other to the LORD.
When the last scene of his life flashed before him
he looked back, at the footprints in the sand.
He noticed that many times along the path of his life
there was only one set of footprints.
He also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times of his life.
This really bothered him and he questioned the LORD about it:
"LORD, you said that once I decided to follow you,
you'd walk with me all the way.
But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life
there is only one set of footprints.
I don't understand why when I needed you most you would leave me."
The LORD replied:
"My son, My precious child, I love you and I would never leave you,
During your times of trial and suffering,
when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you."
Author unknown

Water Angels

I just came from a service by a organization called Water Angels...... it's a ministry for the homeless. I came away realizing just how blessed so many of us really are. While there, I met some lonely and hurting people. I also met others that are being changed by God. It makes me think that as Christians, we should go out and try to help and make a difference. It makes me stop and think how would I like to be homeless? I have two question for you, "how can YOU make a difference in society today" and "how can WE best represent Jesus to a lost and dieing world"??????

YouTube - David Crowder Band - How He Loves Us (Slideshow + Lyrics)

YouTube - David Crowder Band - How He Loves Us (Slideshow + Lyrics)


Hey, I thought that I was going to talk about the fruits of the spirit for a little bit but just today I heard a song on the radio and every time I here this song it makes me cry. I think of how much God REALLY loves us. He gave His Son for us so that we can live with Him forever......is that not a great thing to think about!!!!!

Hi my name is Grace

Hi my name is Grace,
I got inspired to write this blog after reading my friends blog godsgenerationisnow.blogspot.com.
This blog is all about how we can become stronger in the Lord.