Be Strong

1 Corinthians 16:13; Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. 14 Do everything in love.

Gideon

     I was reading in Judges this morning and it talked about how Gideon fought as God had told him to and he overcame the Midianites. I remember really liking the story of Gideon, but as I read Judges 8:23-27, I felt this real sadness because I had forgotten how the story ended.  But Gideon told them, "I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The Lord will rule over you.” 24 And he said, “I do have one request, that each of you give me an earring from your share of the plunder.” 27 Gideon made the gold into an ephod, which he placed in Ophrah, his town. All Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his family.
     I had forgotten that Gideon turned away and made an idle. I was very disappointed and then I thought, "How bad does God feel when we turn away like that, after all he has done?" It makes me want to please God even more and be more careful of what I do. I know it is frustrating to read stories of people who don't have happy endings, but it is a good reminder to us that we need to stand strong and use discernment. We need to not repeat other people's mistakes. 1 Corinthians 15:58; Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

 ~Daughter of the Light

End of the World

   Psalm 44:6-8;

 I put no trust in my bow,

my sword does not bring me victory;

7 but you give us victory over our enemies,

you put our adversaries to shame.

8 In God we make our boast all day long,

and we will praise your name forever.

     I felt like this was a really good reminder that our trust is in God and not in ourselves (thank goodness). I was talking about the end of the world with my mom and sister the other day, which if you know me you know I like talking about those kind of things along with spiritual warfare, and my mom was talking about how scary it was that our world is becoming so corrupt. Perhaps it is because I have been reading all about communism in school this last week or I don't know what, but I wasn't really scared. In fact, I could not help smiling. Something about that we will be going to heaven sooner than I thought made me happy.

     I pointed out to her that in the Revelations it tells us that storms will rage harder than ever before (we just had a pretty bad storm), times are going to be harder than ever before (everyone seems to be loosing it), but it also says 365 times in the Bible to not be afraid. We trust in God, not ourselves. Through ourselves, we can do nothing, but with God, anything is possible. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, which means he is still in control, and what he promised years ago, he will still do. Thank you God.

~Daughter of the Light

Admirable Friends

      It is amazing what you can learn about your friends when you sit back and listen. I have one friend in particular who is going through a lot of real pain. I listened to talk about it, but, unlike a lot of folks, she did not drag on about how terrible her life was and how she hated so and so and all that. She only kept talking because I asked deeper questions. Here she was, in a really difficult situation, and yet, she was not really complaining. I really admire that.
     Even though she has ever reason to be angry at God (she has had serious hardships for years) she is not. She is loving and encouraging and when another one of my friends is having a hard time, she is the first to comfort that person. She is beautiful. I want to be like that.

     Another friend of mine I admire her for her joy. She is always smiling and hugging people who are down in spirit. Whenever I have been somewhere new and I'm confused about what to do, if she is there, she always makes me feel included and makes an effort to help me understand. She is helpful and positive, but she is not one of those optimistic people whose joy is just obnoxious and noisy. She can be silly without being stupid. She is real and genuine and I will always look up to her as a great example of a true Christian.

     Pure, friendly, honest, and honorable are all characteristics that describe one of my friends. She stands up for what is right. She doesn't let people push her into doing something she believes is wrong, but when she tells that person she doesn't want to do bad things, she is polite and loving. When I disagree with people, I have the tenancy to get upset, but she stays calm and says things with honey instead of vinegar.
     She is also funny, but not in a way that ever puts someone else down or is inappropriate. She is a beautiful example of a Godly teenage girl growing into a mature woman. She can be sophisticated and then she can be silly and crazy, but always in a good way and never out of hand. She is also really good at seeing other people's perspectives and noticing if anyone looks lonely or left out.

    I love my friends. Seeing how they handle hardships and push through life with a smile constantly trusting God is so beautiful. I look up to these girls and hope to be like them.
    Thank you God for putting people in my life to look up to and show me how I should act. Thank you for giving be such loving teachers. I pray that you would help them know how loved they are.

~Daughter of the Light

Temptation

    I go to a really great school. It is a classical, charter school. My older brother went to this school for five years, graduated, and got a fully-ride scholarship to the college he wanted to go to. Now that he is in collage, he says the work is easy because he was pushed so hard in high school. I have been going to this school for six years. (that is part of elementary school, all of middle school, and part of high school) I know it is really good academically, but I am a very social person and this school is not social at all. It revolves all around academics. My brother was able to get through alright because he is an introvert and does not crave interaction with people like I do.  It has been really hard for me to get by and I am really freaking out because I have so much homework to do that is collage-prep work. Another this is, all my friends go to this other school. I want to go there so badly it hurts, but my parents don't want me to go.
     It is true that this school I go to presently is amazing academically and I would probably get a full-ride scholarship to go to the collage I want to if I keep going, but for the last six years I have been deprived of any social life that I feel like an incomplete person. It hurts so much more than I can say. If it was physical labor, I could deal with it, but it is not. It is emotional, mental stuff that I don't understand.
      It is clear to me that the school I go to presently is better for me in the long run as far as education, but if I graduate an angry, hurt girl, that is not a good thing. I was reading today in my Bible, 1 Corinthians 10:12-13; So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! 13 No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.  I felt like God was telling me, 'It's okay. I'll help you get through it. Things aren't so bad when we do them together.'
      I asked him why I was so unhappy and he said it was because I spend to much time thinking about my own problems, so I get depressed. 1 Corinthians 10:24; No one should seek their own good, but the good of others.  That makes total sense because whenever I serve others I am really happy, but when I focus on how I am "deprived" of any social life, I get angry, ugly, and sad.
     It is always nice to get that affirmation from God saying he is holding your hand. You know that already, but whenever he tells me that it just makes me feel more confident. Thank you God.

~Daughter of the Light~

Anyone need a hug today? (HUG)