The Introverted Evangelist

   There I was, crumpled on the floor. Beaten and bruised. In a desperate place, I cried out , "Help me!" There was nothing more that I could do. I felt alone and ashamed. There I lay crippled with brokenness, and that was the moment when He touched me.    In the midst of all my agony, I felt Him. This is the moment when I realize nothing else matters. In the end, our God is all that will remain.    "And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever." ( 1 John 2:17 )    The Lord came in and fixed my eyes. He shifted my focus. What is of utmost importance to me is the Kingdom of God. Whatever earthly things that clutter my mind are unnecessary. Pollution that the devil slings at me is useless and unwanted. Whatever he is saying, doesn't affect me. It will not last in the end. God is forever.    I choose  to live with zest  and joy . I choose ...

   Oh what grace You have shown me, my Lord, that even when I habitually sin, You still hold me close. I have no doubt that Your love for us all is completely unfailing and everlasting. I am amazed by Your patience for me, God.     "The Lord is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy." ( Psalms 103:8 )    "The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, Slow to anger and great in mercy." ( Psalms 145:8 )    Now I see what You have so lovingly done for me. Now I know that I am secure. I am ever so grateful for Your love. A simple "thank you" will not suffice. You are so merciful, and You relent from doing harm . I am confident in the fact that no matter how far off I wander, You will always welcome me home with open arms.    Your love is perfect. You are the Great I Am. You are the One who reigns over all for all eternity. You are my hope and my peace. I trust that You will never leave my side. I can ...

   Mind games. This life here on earth is jam-packed full of mind games played by the devil. The enemy is very tactical and malicious. He gives his all to every attack, because that's all  he ever does. His full-time occupation is to deceive and destroy.    Look around at all the darkness in this world. Every fallen soul, every child that has wandered away is a result of allowing the devil's mind games to sink in, manifest, and take root. Don't let his weeds choke the beautiful garden that the Lord has planted in you.    Satan is so tricky. It's absolutely imperative that you be on guard. Keep the Word of God hidden in your heart. Make it a prime source in your defense arsenal. Don't ever allow  the enemy's lies to remain in your thoughts. Don't think you've got it all under control by yourself. It's always  best to cling to the strong hand of the Lord. Remember we never face these attacks alone.    "Be strong and of good...

   My stress, my worries, my fear, and my sorrow I can bring to my God. I might lose my temper, but my Lord is pure. "The Lord is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy." ( Psalms 103:8 )    Though I feel afraid, my God tells me not to fear. "Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." ( Isaiah 41:10 )    "Be not dismayed ," The definition of the word dismayed  is to be "struck with fear, dread, or consternation". Stuck is defined to be "affected by something overwhelming " So when the Lord says, "Be not dismayed," He is telling us to not become struck with overwhelming fear or dread.    "for I am your God." Let the Lord control your thoughts. Remember that He is the Lord of our lives and our minds, and worry does not  have authority over us. The reason for our dismay is so often because ...

   When I look around me, I see the most stunning and magnificent sights. It sparks in me a great appreciation and admiration of what our God has made. He is the almighty One, the divine Creator, and He loves us so much. I can only imagine that He places these beautiful things into our lives to make us smile.    I'm in awe of it all. All of what He's designed is just so incredible. He gave each creature the ability to love and feel. He taught the sun when to rise and set. He crafted the the mountains and drew out the vast oceans we gaze upon. Praise Him!    Everything new. His creations are all new. "For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former shall not be remembered or come to mind." ( Isaiah 65:17 )    I see that the beauty of the nature of what He created is a grand reminder of how we have been renewed. When the lord created all the earth He made it all new, and you see: it is marvelously beautiful. ...

   I'm looking up today. I'm proclaiming that I am not a victim to the enemy. I may struggle with the lies he uses to try to penetrate my mind, but I know who I really am. I'm a child of God.    I refuse to hang my head or drown in my constant worries, because I know that I can take what's bugging me right to my Father. I guarantee that He'll take care of all those anxious thoughts. He cares about our fears. He loves us dearly.    The real reason I can often become hung up on the enemy's nasty lies is because he's jealous, angry, and bitter. He's so determined to steal our joy because he  has no joy whatsoever. I can be filled with joy and peace because I'm destined for heave, but he is steaming with rage because he is going nowhere. He gets to stay right where he is: in hell.    Once I can be completely confident that my God is way  bigger than all my anxieties, that's when all Satan's lies will seem so ridiculously silly. Go...

   Think about how God created the whole entire universe from nothing at all. He didn't need any previous matter to make it either. He created  it. There is a world of difference between creating and renovating or fixing.    The definition of creating is to bring something into existence. Now I looked into the definition of existence. One of those definitions was "the fact or state of living or having objective reality". However, one of the other definitions really caught my interest. It was this: "continued survival".    "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation ; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." ( 2 Corinthians 5:17 )    In this verse the words "new creation" are used to describe us now that we are in Christ. When I searched the definition of the word creation , I found three that pertain to this verse. The first two being almost word for word the same as the definitions for creating  ...

   Life. What does it mean to live? How does Christ want us to experience this life? Is the life we're living today reflect His promises? Are we living the truth that is salvation?    "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly ." ( John 10:10 )    I don't go through my day to day life living fully abundant. I wish that I did, but that is not the case, at least not always . Why do I not? Well, because I can often feel overwhelmed by what the enemy shoots at me. Yuck.    This is precisely when I must remember that my God has all the authority. My God is more powerful than the enemy, and He's the One protecting me. Jesus says this: "My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand." ( John 10:29 )    We're safe in His arms. Through Him we'r...

   "In my distress I called upon the Lord, And cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, And my cry entered His ears." ( 2 Samuel 22:7 )    What love is this, O God, that You have showed me mercy even in my darkest hour? What grace with which You've blessed me so dearly. My greatest desire, my Lord, to live a life of gratitude. To live as Your child, in constant fellowship with You. My soul is satisfied when I am with You. You make my cup overflow and restore my hope.    I was once buried in sin and fear, but now I have received freedom. By the grace of my God, I have been made new. I no longer writhe around in pitiful miseries, but I live with joy and vitality . My highest thanks is simply not enough. Let my life be an offering for my King, the Lord of all. I will praise and praise throughout all my years, because my God set me free.    I was hopeless, but He is my hope and strength. Though I was in the pit of despair, He...

   Sometimes things happen that we don't understand. Often times, our fragile human hearts feel torn and beaten. When the going gets tough, it's not uncommon for us to become bitter. Isolation is not the answer.    Over a year ago, I was in the hospital. I was far from thrilled about being there, and all I wanted was to get out. But, I did not become angry with God. Sure He could have easily  stopped the whole ordeal from occurring, but I think being there had some real purpose to it.    I could have hardened my heart and turned away from God, but instead I found comfort in Him. It would've been so simple for me to just say, "How could You do this to me, God?" But, in that moment, God was truly my refuge. He was literally  all I had, and that was okay. In fact, it was a beautiful thing.    Though my days were stressful and tear-filled, when the sun set the good stuff happened. Every single night I would sit on that horribly uncomforta...

   The Son came to set us free. He came so we could drop our chains and live in freedom. Freedom from bondages of sin and shame. We are forgiven from all unrighteousness. If Jesus has forgiven us, who are we to say otherwise. Why do we insist on punishing ourselves for things our Lord has already forgotten about?    Do not be deceived, for we are made right before our Lord. By the blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ, we have been cleansed and made new. Therefore, nothing from our past has power over us. No sin is too big for God. Nothing could ever make God stop loving us, because He is Love. We love because He first loved us .    The love of God isn't like the love of fellow humans. God's love is perfect . His love never fails us. He is slow to become angry and quick to forgive. What an admirable love. I know I long to portray a love that is, in the slightest, a reflection of His. I pray that His love might pour out of my heart onto others, so that th...

   Everything can start with one slippery thought, and it's all down-hill from there. Don't let your mind become choked by the enemy. He has a plan, and it's a very horrid plan. Three words to denote the enemy's mindset: discourage, deceive, destroy.    First, you may feel sad and disappointed (bonus points for another "D" word?). Then the enemy creeps in and tries to trick you, and get you to believe his malicious lies. And because you feel extra crummy you may think it sounds convincing, and then try to implement it into your mind. Do not let icky thoughts reside in your head! It is extremely  important to keep one thing at the center of your thoughts: Jesus.    When your mind is set on Christ, nothing can disturb you. He brings peace and joy, but the enemy thrusts nasty, dirty, gross thoughts of sorrow and anger. Don't give in. When such thoughts come your way, hold up the shield of faith and say NO!    It is so easy to go with wh...