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I TURN 20 TODAY!
1)
Then said I:
"Ah Lord GOD!
Behold, I cannot speak, for I am youth."
But the Lord said to me:
"Do not say, 'I am youth,'
For you shall go to all to whom I send you,
And whatever I command you, you shall speak.
Do not be afraid of their faces, For I am with you to deliver you,"
says the Lord. - Jeremiah 1:6-8 (NKJV)
I remember when I was just turning a teenager, I had already given my life to the Lord but I was so afraid of my faith that very few of my school friends knew about my Saviour. It was all very well going to Church and being able to be myself but at school I searched for ways to avoid the whole "christianity" topic. I have always been very concious about what people think about me and I remember hiding Him from everyone because I was embarassed. Can you believe being embarassed about the Creator of the heavens? It saddened me greatly because my relationship with the Lord was growing and a part of me was rising up inside and wanted to shout His name from every rooftop of my town but the other side suppressed that and I was in a real battle of giving either side the glory. I struggled with this for a few years until I got past it, with the Lord's help I decided that He was worthy of my praising and worshipping of Him outside of my bedroom and the Church walls. My heart really wanted to let people know the beauty He's given my life. If you're in a similar position to me that I was in when I was around 13 I want to encourage you to stay strong and bold in your faith because your battle has already been won by an almighty God that love you and cherishes you with all His heart and that your voice matters. This world needs more amazing and inspiring individuals like yourselves to shine a light in this darkened land and if not you then who?
2)
The Lord is on my side;
I will not fear.
What can man do to me?
The Lord is for me among those who help me;
Therefore I shall see my desire on those who hate me.
It is better to trust in the Lord
Than to put confidence in man. - Psalm 118:6-8 (NKJV)
Along with my conciousness of what people thought of me was caring too much about people liking me. I was heavily concerned with everyone getting along and would wince at the possibility of someone not liking me. It would make me incredibly sad and at times would consume me, I tried ever so hard to keep the peace wherever possible and would avoid conflict and drama. The hard truth is not everyone you encounter will be as appreciative of you than others and getting to grips with that and moving on to focus on God and shift that pressure and expectation you place on yourself is going to be so liberating. Do not put all your confidence and waste energy on getting people to like you, it will be a wasted effort and you may end up comprising instead put all your confidence in the Lord.
3)
Let love be without hypocrisy, Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.
Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another;
not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;
rejoicing in hope, patient in a tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer;
distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.
Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.
Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.
Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men.
Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath for it is written "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay" says the Lord.
Therefore
"If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
If he is thirsty, give him a drink;
For in doing so you will heap coals of fire on his head"
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
- Romans 12:9-21
It is very easy to become disheartened when people hate you, gossip about you and hurt your family with words. I would tell my younger self that hatred is a waste of time and it is much better for the soul to forgive and bless your enemies rather than curse, gossip and stir. It is easy to hate but love takes courage. Love is the very essence of God's being and if we are empowered by His love and His Holy Spirit we begin to see people through the eyes of Jesus and we love them. Our enemy is against principalities and powers not flesh and blood. The devil wants to cause disunity with hatred and gossip but with the Lord guiding us united we'll stand drenched in His love and ready to win people back for Jesus.
4)
Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.
For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;
and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power. - Colossians 2:8-9
Growing up in church, I was very concious and aware of what those older than me and in authority over me were saying. I took every word in as the truth and never tested it with the Lord's word. A couple of years ago when I moved church I was able to find people that loved the Lord, hung onto every word of the Lord and showed the love of the Lord, the genuine love of the Lord to me and it was something I had rarely experienced beforehand. Pray that the Lord opens your spiritual eyes and grants you wisdom, knowledge and understanding of Him and His Word. Pray that He plants people into your life that can be accountable for you and will love you regardless of what you have to say. Pray that He puts genuine, sold out for the Lord people in your life that will inspire and grow with you and treat like family :) Shoutout to Mama, the Matejka family and my very best friends from home and uni and around the world - you know who you are and what an inspiration you are to me I thank God for you beautiful people in my life. I enjoy doing life with you very much!
5)
Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. - Colossians 3:2
I thought it best to finish on this verse as Christians our brothers and sister in Christ are being attacked, slaughtered and silenced all over the world. His Word and His values are being ripped out of schools, out of countries laws and thrown to the pavement. Becoming a Christian doesn't guarantee an easy life on this earth, no, aren't we grateful for He swears to never leave us nor forsake us. When the weight of the world is on our shoulders, when we feel bounded by our sin and when we feel unworthy of stepping into His presence and His goodness being so low down and far away from Him puts us in the perfect position to kneel at His feet and pray. When the trials and the tribulations build up and you can't see whether or not the future is looking bright look to Him, always to Him, press past the flesh, past our self and into Jesus for our reward is not on this earth but with Our Father in heaven!
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