Choose Happiness!

I was at a church one time and I had the most clear example presented to me about Satan. 

The pastor called up 2 men and had them stand in a straight line in front of him. With all three men facing forward, the pastor reached around the middle man and smacked the mess out of the man in front. The first man quickly turned around glaring in shock. All he could see was the middle man who looked just as shocked. The first man turned straight again and the pastor once again smacked him. The first man turns around angrily this time. And once again all he sees is the middle man who has his hands up innocently. The pastor than comes out from behind and explains what he was doing. He was being Satan. Whenever a man offends you all you can see is the man. But in reality it's Satan using him. Satan is "reaching around" and smacking you-not the man. Granted the man lets Satan use them but it's ultimately Satan behind it all. 

He's the puppet master. 

Just like this passage in the Bible:

"From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!” Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” (Matthew 16:21-23 NIV)

In this passage you see Peter and Jesus talking. When Peter spoke, Jesus knew exactly who it was and addressed Satan. He had no hard feelings towards Peter because He knew Peter was being used by Satan. 

Keeping all this in mind, learn to forgive and love. Let no man steal your joy. 

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy..." (John 10:10 NIV)

Don't let that happen. Recognize the root of the evil and choose to love. 

I saw this picture today and it brought me happiness. 

"I'll create". You get that? You! You create your happiness. You control your happiness. No one else can ruin your day, if you don't allow it. It's a choice you must make daily. 

So the next time someone hurts your feelings. Or yells at you. Or frustrates you to no end. 

Choose happiness. 

Even in the midst of chaos and anger. 

Choose happiness. 

That's all I've got for you. 

Choose happiness. 

Why don't we fix the one we have?

Last weekend I was hit with a realization. I'm just like the world. Ouch, right?

Let me back up. When I was swimming last weekend on the 4th of July, I watched someone try and repair a float. After thinking he conquered it, he realized the hole was still there. So he thought about the next thing to try to make sure that float was like new. In my head I couldn't understand why not just buy another. I'm sure it's cheaper than the material needed to repair it. Then I was hit in the face and instantly thought of this quote:

Wow. Right to the heart. At what point had I became of the world? Had worldly thoughts? 

My life verse has always been Romans 12:2. In summary it basically says don't be of the world. Have a different way of thinking that pleases God. So what went wrong?

This is a message to the "young generation". 

You can't just throw it all away. 

As I thought more and more on this topic a passage in the Bible came to mind. Noah and the flood. Remember that story? Mankind turned their back on God and He got angry. We were broken and useless. God sent a flood and wiped the Earth clean. 

After the flood had dried, God made a promise to Noah. “Never again will I curse the ground because of humans, even though every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done. As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.” (Genesis 8:21-22 NIV) 

Even though God wiped the evil away, He saw fault. He promised to never wipe away humankind again. 

In Genesis 9 God is very clear. 

"I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth. And God said, This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.” (Genesis 9:11-16 NIV)

You see God made us a promise. Just because we are broken people doesn't mean he'll just "throw us away". He gave us the rainbow to represent and remind us of that. God also gave us Jesus to wipe away our sins and to, in a sense, "fix us". God saw worth in us. Just as that man saw worth in the float last weekend. 

Open your eyes young people. Start taking time to work on things instead of just trashing it. 

My Near Death Experience...

My near death experience still haunts me everyday. Imagine having to live your worst experience over and over.

I know you're dying to know what it is, aren't you?

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I almost got burned. And not the 3rd degree kind either. Worse. The Eternal kind. The burn in Hell kind.

You see-I had just turned 14 and my family started attending a new church. I had my whole life figured out. I lived inside my own head. I had described my head as having this big wall surrounding it. I knew it all, so I wasn't ready for anything to change that. Then I saw the Light. I had spent 14 years of my life standing in flames waiting to be engulfed. I accepted Jesus into my heart and was forever saved. 

Yet this experience still haunts me everyday.

Imagine your near death experience included a gun being held to your head. Then everyday you had to see that same thing being done to other people. It just never went away. 

It's the same with my experience. Everyday I witness unbelievers walking around more and more singed. Time is running out.

So here's my lending hand. Let me tell you a story to help you out of that fire....

God created Earth and He created YOU! (How? I am not exactly sure, but I can't wait to ask!) After us humans ruined ourselves (go figure), God realized we needed more. We needed Grace. So He gave us a gift. A beautiful, little tan gift. A baby. His own Son. God gave us Jesus. Jesus grew up just as you and I. An average man exposed to all the corrupt and sin. When Jesus became an adult, He began ministering. He showed love, grace, and forgiveness. He called people out on their sins and loved them through it. Jesus never accepted the sin, but He loved the the sinner. Jesus knew His fate before He came to Earth. He knew he must pay for our actions one day.

Imagine this:

You and your best friend go out to eat. You both order getting everything your heart desires and don't look at a price.  Now it's time to pay. Your friend looks at their ticket and quickly panics. They didn't bring enough. Now they must face the consequences of their actions. Legally restaurants can call the cops for not being able to pay. So of course to avoid all that nonsense you take out extra money and say "I got this". You didn't want to see your friend punished because you care for them too much. 

-So back to Jesus because I mean come on, He is my favorite-

Jesus knew we must pay for our actions. But like you and your friend-He cared and loved us too much to watch us get punished. So he said "I got this". Jesus was beaten and nailed to a piece of wood just for you. He died along with all your sins past, present, and future. Does that mean you will never sin again? No, but it means you're forgiven. It means you are loved enough that Jesus took all that garbage with Him, when He was crucified. After buried, Jesus rose again 3 days later. Like from the DEAD! (Yeah, that really happened!) Jesus came back with one message. Go and make disciples. Then later He ascended back into Heaven. You see-Jesus, who is completely flawless, took all of your sins, so that you wouldn't be burned. And He's coming back again for me and I pray for you too. You see, Jesus died for me and for you. The nonbelievers and the believers. But to be saved from that fire you must do one thing. Reach Out. You have to accept Jesus Christ into your life. You have to recognize the fact that He took all you blemishes and made you flawless! (A teenager's dream!!)

This has been one of my favorite songs lately.
Really take this in:

"No matter the bumps

No matter the bruises

No matter the scars

Still the truth is

The cross has made 

The cross has made you

~Flawless~"

Flawless by MercyMe.

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Jesus Loves You.
Jesus Died for You.
Now Live for Him.

Overcome this Death Experience. Let it become a Near Death Experience. 

Your story doesn't stop here!!