A new start

I have started a new blog,
Feel free to come and read.

http://godofsecondchances.blogspot.com.au/

Time & Life

So much time has passed since I last posted.

It feels like youth group was a life time away. I really thank God for the experience as it was a time to passionately pursue God with reckless abandon, knowing that despite my shortcomings, God is able to fulfill my weaknesses and that we just a little bit of faith and an expecting heart, God moved in powerful ways, demonstrating his love and kindness towards me.

Where am I now with my walk with God?

Well truth be told, I think this is the hardest year I've ever had following God. It has been full of great high's and terrible lows. I have seen God do extraordinary things and I have seen my foolishness lead to heart break.

I am currently on a break from serving God. Not because I wanted to, but I think God is really just realigning my heart. Stripping back all the gloss, to see my true heart, true identity, whether or not I want to serve God for my own glory, or do I want to serve Him for He is worthy. Whether or not I am 'successful' in this life, my calling is to be faithful to my God.

I love God, I want to serve Him, and I want to give my life for Him. I pray that my heart is strong enough to let go of those things that so easily entangles me. That for the sake of the kingdom, I can whole heartedly pursue the things he has for me.

There is someone that I really like at the moment, that's struggling, struggling to find themselves in God. To know who she is in Him. I'm praying that she comes to know the love of God in such a deeper way,

¹⁷ that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, ¹⁸ may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— ¹⁹ to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:17-19)

God please change her heart, keep calling her to you. Help her to fall in Love with You.

God help me to walk worthy of the calling. To love well, serve well. To be a man of integrity. A man of honour. In Jesus name.
Amen

Girls, Me & Stupidity

I have come to the realisation that I'm really horrible bad when it comes to relationships.

~ Breaking The Cycle ~

I'm sitting here listening to the song 'Love the way you lie' by Eminem. I don't usually listen to songs with such aggressive lyrics, but I think lately in my own life I have been watching someone become an abuser towards one of my sisters.

It's one of these incredible, surreal feelings of not being able to help, not being able to do anything about it. I feel like punching myself in the head when I see her run back to her abuser. I feel like ripping out my own heart in a desperate attempt to save her. I reach this place where I realise that there is nothing I can do, but just stand there and watch her destroy her life.

The abuse victim cycle is this circle of action that destroys both parties involved. How is it possible that two people that 'love' each other have gone from being in love to be able to be so full of hate, so full of bitterness, where does all this hurt and hate come from?

It comes from a hole in our own lives. For the victim, there is a hole in there life where they feel that they deserve the pain that they experience, they feel that this is how they deserve to be treated. This can be because of the way they were treated when they were a child, or when a massive event happens that makes someone lose their identity. They're identity is then built in the approval of someone else. It opens up the person for abuse, neglect and hurt.

I look at my sister and I see that she has been rejected by so many people in her life. I guess her those people that she wanted to feel love from them, but didn't receive it. Then she ran to men to get that approval, but the men she ran to, didn't love her, but used her, broke her life.

God, it i just a cycle, a continues run in circles. God there is so much hate in our hearts, there is so much evil. How can a man hit the women he loves, how can he force himself upon her, how can he hurt her so much? God I don't understand how actions start in our mind and then manifest in the lives of others.

God only you bring change. Only you can truly break the cycle and then restored the years that have been lost. Only you Jesus are our hope. Only you have change minds, hearts, actions.

God help me not to give up hope. Hope that my family can change, Hope that you Jesus can speak into their lives. Hope that I can bring your message of love to those that are hurting, those that are longing. God give me the strength not to give up, not to lose hope, not to turn to my own wickedness but to submit my life to you. To be a living sacrifice.

'But as for you, you meant evil against me; But God meant it for God...' Gen 50:20

'And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose' Rom 8:28

Leave, God will restore all that was lost.

Something Worth Dying For

I am so torn up inside. I want something worth fighting for. I want to see a church that truly reflects the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. What is the Church? I once heard the church called my mother who is a whore.

The church is like a whore. So full of problems, mismanagement, sin, and all these other sorts of junk that weighs it down, that constricts it, that causes so many people to get disillusioned with it. That hurts people, that causes the gentiles to blaspheme the name of God.

Yet at the same time, the Church is like my mother. The one that has given me life. Without my 'mother' with all her faults, I would not know Jesus. It has been there in my darkest times and pulled me out of the pit.

Yet there is this burning desire in my heart, this tremendous holy discontent to see the Church, universally rise up to what it is called to. A church that preaches the word, boldly, clearly and concisely. A church that loves one another and lays down their lives for each other. A church that brings people into their lives and shares their hope and their warmth with one another. A church that cares about the individual and not the numbers. A church where there are miracles, where lives are changed daily, where people are added to their number each day. Where serving God is a JOY and not a chore.

God please, I beg you, move in YOUR church. Please do something. I don't know how to take it, I don't know how to support when I see so many faults. God I just want to share about you, God I just want to see people come to know Christ. Everything else is secondary. God I want to see YOU glorified, magnified. Loved.

God it's not just about Sunday, it must flow on to our daily lives. There must be an opportunity where the Church can act as the body of Christ. Where it can truly be the hands and the feet. God there is no point in a church that solely focus's on Sunday. There must be a church that brings people into their lives, that loves, edifies, builds. God there must be true friendship and fellowship built up. A sharing of lives and love.

God please have mercy on us. God give us wisdom. Lord, help me to grow in my patients and humility.

Jesus. I need, I want, I live for You.

Traded

Traded from me,

Time with you.

The years have flown

Yet we still play the same tune.

If I had a wish,

Oh but one

My wish would be

To turn back to when we begun.

To share laughter,

To learn everything from you,

Yet instead it was traded

For a private school.

Yet there is no bitterness

Only sorrow

We realise too late

The time was borrowed.

No longer a tie between

My sisters, you and me

Traded just like that

God let us go back.

God it is only in you, that I find myself, my place, my home. God it is only in you, that I have my value, that I have my purpose. Jesus, but by your grace, there go I.

Long time no see

Wow, it has been almost 8 months since I last made a post on my youth blog.

Well even if no one ever reads this, it is a great opportunity for me to glorify God and give Him the praise and honour.

UPDATE


I've moved to the university group and under the leadership and guidance of Andy Leake who is doing an awesome job. He is a great man of God, 34 and single :D for all you who are single, female, Godly and willing to come to Adelaide for a missions trip :D

Anyway, youth is still on, same time same place! It is being run by my good friends Nick, Joe and Vivian. Youth group has been able to grow in so much depth because of these three. They are taking Youth group to a place I would never have been able to do myself. I am so honoured and blessed that the kids get great leaders such as these guys to lead them.

I think the main thing that I wanted to talk about tonight was contentment in Christ.

I see so often in ministry and serving, so many people striving to please either God or Man. I know that there is a part of us that always wants to be encouraged and complimented from others and that is okay. But when we start to serve Christ in order to recieve applaus from anyone but Christ himself, we miss the point.

Our reward becomes other peoples approval and our joy and peace in Christ is sold cheaply for a few words.

I don't say this because I am perfect, but rather I say this because I myself have done that in the past. So much i've strived so hard and for all the wrong reasons that although I got the job done, i missed the heart of God.

The heart of God is so important. God's heart is one of love. He doesn't want us to strive in order for us to win his love. He just wants us to receive His love.

Imagine, if you had a child, or imagine your nephew or neice. Imagine that you love them dearly and you want to give them a hug. But they said 'wait, let me do the dishes first, or clean my room first, or get a glass of water for you, only then I will allow you to hug me, because then I would be worthy of your love'.

That is totally wrong thinking, we love our children regardless of what they do or how they perform. Yet we view God in this same manner, we assume that if we cannot or do not perform, we cannot recieve God's love. But God is faithful and just to forgive when we repent of our sins. He then seperates our sin from us as far as the east is from the west. Then He loves us, just as we are, just where we are.

My encouragement, is stop striving. Allow God to love you, rest in Him.

3 am

Any time you receive a phone call at an odd time of the day, be prepared for God to do something.

I just received a phone call from a person that use to come to our church a long time ago but fell away and got involved in some occult things. She was getting in really deep to these things and she want's out and didn't know what to do or who to talk to. She tried others, but none answered.

I just had the cool privillage to lead her back to Christ. Rebuking a lot of things from her, i really felt the presence of God when i was praying for her. Hopefully by God's loving grace she comes back to care group today and comes back to church on Sunday! If your reading this, please pray for her. God will know who your talking about.

Isn't it cool when God lets us into His adventures, even if we lose a little sleep!

Thoughts from the heart.

God;

I wish I didn't so often feel like an island
I wish that I could trust You more
I wish that I could understand Your timing
I wish that I wasn't so self centred
I wish that I could be a better leader, a better man

I wish that people could see past my hard exterior
And know that i'm just like them

I wish that I could better express myself


But when all my wishing stops
When all my self efforts fail and I come back again
You smile and just open your arms
Then I rest in Your embrace

A President, a Vision, A God, A Destiny

I just watched the acceptance speech by Barack Obama for the presidency of the United States of America. I have to admit, i sat in awe of this man, as he displayed great leadership and vision. He called on the American people to come together, to be as one, to unite. Through that unity and sharing a common vision, they will be able to grow as a nation and as a people. I was so inspired that I thought to myself 'I should go to the USA, and become a citizen!' ^_^

But i started to think to myself. This man, this leader, as great as he may be or may become. He is still a man. His destiny, his life, his everything is in the palm of God's hand and it is God who gives him his talant and ability. It is God that raised him up and it will be God that sustains him.

If God can take this one man, to make such an impact on a country.

WHAT CAN GOD DO WITH HIS CHURCH?

God's Church is greater and more important than any man, women or country. The Church is greater and stronger than any military and any force in the world, whether seen or unseen.

God is going to glorify his church. God is going to reach out to the world and influence His world through His church.

Therefore... where is OUR faith, our VISION? Where is our trust in an ALL MIGHTY GOD.
GOD CAN DO ALL THINGS...

I was talking to one of my friends who is in our CCM group for Adelaide Uni, and i was sharing with him. I was saying, why can't CCM be 1400 people strong. Adelaide uni has about 14,000 students. Why can't CCM have a tith of the students. Why not? Let us pray in such a way, that we believe that we have the power and bless of an ALL MIGHTY GOD on our side.

Let the Church wake up from its slumber. Let the Church repent of its lack of faith. Let the Church rise up and take its place. In the name of Jesus.

Let us pray in faith, let us pray in belief. God move in our nation.