Over the weekend, my dad and stepmom came down to celebrate my birthday. They picked me up on Friday night and then we went to my grandmother's house. We went out to eat at El Torero which was really good. Saturday, my grandmother took me shopping at Belk and I found a really nice outfit. It was my present from my grandmother and my aunt. Later on that night, my dad and I sat outside in the cold and talked. We talked about a lot of things, but they were mostly spiritual. I think I was being tested. I prayed as he talked and asked God to give me the right words to say to him. He told me that I was going to be asked about my faith when I got out in the world. What he didn't understand, was that I had already been questioned about my faith before. Anyway, we talked for a really long time. He asked me some questions and he mentioned some things about the "Lost Books" of the Bible and how some people believed that Jesus had human lusts. I told him that was impossible because Jesus was fully human, but also fully God and that he did not lust after things of this world. In a way, he didn't believe me. He told me that I only believe what I have been taught and only by faith do I believe it. He elaborated more on the "lost books" and said that we don't know that they aren't true and that we don't know that Jesus didn't have a wife because the Bible jumps from Jesus being young to being older. My dad said he wondered why the Bible didn't say what Jesus had done between those years of adolescence to adulthood. He said that the people who believed in the "lost books" said that the people who translated the Bible took it out because it wasn't "relevent" and my Dad said he thought it was and thought they should have left it in. I listened to what he said and put in my thoughts here and there. It was very difficult because I could feel Satan attacking me....through my own father! It was strange, but I kept praying for the right words and I kept praying that God would bind Satan and help my Dad to see the truth and to listen to me. In the end, I know the Holy Spirit spoke through me and gave me the right words to say. I felt unphased by what my Dad said, but I couldn't believe that he doubted the Bible. He told me he didn't, but his words and thoughts said otherwise. I will have to keep praying for him to become stronger and more grounded in his faith. Later on, I was reading my Bible, and I found some verses on faith. In 1 Corinthians 2:3-5 Paul says: "I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God." Wow! What a powerful verse! Many things became clear to me through His word. Another one I found was in 1 Corinthians 2:6-16 where it says: "Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdome, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away; but we speak God's wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory; the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory, but just as it is written,
"Things which eyes has not seen and ear has not heard, And which ear has not heard, And which have not entered the heart of man, All that God has prepared for those who love Him." For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except which is in him? Even the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, no the Spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ."

This was really important to me. I wrote the entire passage, because it is truth, and we, as Christians, experience this everyday. We see and know people who do not understand what we believe and people who hate us because we love the Lord. Because we have the mind of Christ, we understand why they act this way and we can also prepare ourselves for it. For everyone who reads this, I remind you that you have to be prepared, because you don't know when you are going to be asked about what you believe. Remember to pray and ask for God's wisdom, because everytime I do, the Holy Spirit gives it to me.

Love in Christ!

Today I went to work with my mom. We were going to put music on the new DELL DJ I got for my birthday, but I ended up forgetting the USB cord to connect it to the computer. Darn! I just realized that when I found out I left it, I started calling myself words like 'dumb' and 'stupid'. Now that I think about it, I realize that I gave the devil a foothold. He knew how angry I would be at myself and as soon as I was, I let my negative thoughts overflow me. It is so hard to remember that even those simple little words can make the devil smile. We have to be careful not to let him get footholds in even the smallest part of our lives, because if we do, they begin to grow. Then he begins to find out new ways to catch us. Just like a hole in a sweater...if you keep picking at it, it will grow bigger. That is what the devil wants. He wants us to continue picking at ourselves until he gains control. Like it says in Ephesians 6:10-11: Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil."

Well,
This is my new blog. I look forward to being able to share with the world my love for Christ and my walk with Him. I hope to be a light in a world of darkness, and I can't wait to see what He has in store for me. I hope this blog brings you joy in reading it, and I hope that God will bless you as you continue in your own walks. Thank you for reading!