On one hand, Christianity is highly glamorized: we're all obsessed with idea of Christianity as cute Bible verses, Hillsong lyrics and Bible journaling, but that's just not an authentic peek into the real life of a real Christian. Of course, we can have all three of those things (I know I do!), but it's just so much more than that. It's beautiful, freeing, fulfilling...yes, but it's also hard sometimes. Living life for Jesus is not always a walk in the park. ... and I've definitely learned that lesson recently. I've experienced the typical teasing and behind-your-back-talking of high school (Read more here), but I never thought I would lose a friend over my faith. And it's not even that they were just a school friend, an acquaintance, or someone who I hung out with a few times, they were one of my very best friends... one of 10 years. They were someone I told all my secrets to, someone who I always trusted. As time went on and we grew older, I was met with some pretty hard circumstances, and that's when I turned to the Lord. (Read more about my story here) From then on, I just grew closer and closer to Him, and farther and farther away from my friend. It wasn't that I chose to stop contacting them, but we were just slowly drifting away, and I didn't know why. We tried to salvage it a few times...promises were always made, but none were kept. We drifted farther away, however I still maintained my relationship with Jesus, and it only got stronger. Much time went by, about a year, and I started sensing something seriously wasn't right in our friendship. I didn't really know what it was, but I knew it was something. We still weren't talking, but I ended up finding out that they were uncomfortable with how much I talked about and prioritized my relationship with God, and they felt that I was trying to change who they were as a person. Obviously, they don't have the same beliefs as me, and I certainly wasn't trying to change them, but I understand why they might've felt that way. Nonetheless, I was crushed... they didn't want to be my friend anymore. I was crying for days, but at one point, I heard the Lord tell me that it was his plan for me. I heard Him remind me that I shouldn't keep people in my life who want to pull me away from Him or that don't encourage me to pursue Him. It was a reminder that He is all I need. (John 14:8) The whole situation not only reminded me of that, but God also opened my eyes to the hard truth of what life would be like for me, and what it is like for all Christians. We're counter-cultural. We don't buy into the lies of the media that are instituted by the devil. We live life set apart, making our every decision by the Word of God... checking with Him to know if what we're hearing lines up with His will for us. We don't believe in the things the world believes... and the world doesn't like that. They put labels on us, saying we're hateful. A lot of the time, we're demonized, persecuted for being different and choosing to live "the old-fashioned" way. "Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name." |
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Hello everybody! I thought I'd do a quick blog post this week that's a little more laid-back and fun, so I decided to tell you all about some of my favorite Christian-lifestyle things! I'm planning on doing one of these every once in a while, so this is the 1st edition! Anyways, I hope you love some of these things as much as I do, or find something you'd like to try! ❤
Music🎜
I THRIVE off of Christian music!! It has been one of the biggest tools for me to connect with the presence of God and grow in my relationship with Him. I have over 600 Christian songs on my phone, and several playlists pertaining to different emotions, themes, and topics. I basically only listen to Christian music, so I have many favorites to share with you!
Kari JobeKari Jobe is my very favorite Christian artist. Her voice is so beautifully pure, and her songs are a gateway to the presence of God. She has an AMAZING heart for the Lord and I look up to her so much as a Christian, a singer, and a woman of God. I'm actually seeing her in concert TONIGHT!! Click on her picture to go to her site and check her out! |
HillsongHillsong Church is a global church based in Sydney, Australia, however their various music groups have been quite prominent in the Christian music world! They have 3 different groups: Hillsong United, Hillsong Worship, and Hillsong Young & Free. I love all of them so much!! Their music brings such peace to my life and fill me with the Spirit! Click on their picture to check them out! |
Bethel MusicBethel Music is a group of musicians and worship leaders from Bethel Chruch in Redding, CA. THEIR MUSIC IS SO. ANOINTED. I can't express how much Bethel Music's music has impacted my spirit. Their live spontaneous worship performances bring me to tears every time. Check out one of my faves on the right hand side of the screen on a PC or at the bottom on a mobile device (the YouTube video) and click on their pic to check them out! |
Albums
"The Garden"by Kari Jobe
"Love Riot" by Newsboys
"You Make Me Brave (Live)" by Bethel Music
"Brave New World" by Amanda Cook
"How can it Be" by Lauren Daigle
"Zion" by Hillsong United
"Love Ran Red" by Chris Tomlin
"Here as in Heaven" by Elevation Worship
"Let there be Light" by Hillsong Worship
"Majestic" by Kari Jobe
"Starlight" by Bethel Live
"Love Riot" by Newsboys
"You Make Me Brave (Live)" by Bethel Music
"Brave New World" by Amanda Cook
"How can it Be" by Lauren Daigle
"Zion" by Hillsong United
"Love Ran Red" by Chris Tomlin
"Here as in Heaven" by Elevation Worship
"Let there be Light" by Hillsong Worship
"Majestic" by Kari Jobe
"Starlight" by Bethel Live
Apps
YouVersion Bible AppThe YouVersion Bible App is essential for any Christian. I've talked about this app in a few of my other blog posts, but it's honestly just so amazing. Not only does it have the Bible available in any translation/version, but it also has built in devotionals on every topic imaginable, videos, and podcasts! It's such an incredible app and I can't even imagine my life without it! Click here to get it! |
First 5 by Proverbs 31 MinistriesFirst 5 is an amazing devotional app for Christian women. Each devotional only takes 5 minutes to read, as the name implies. Its purpose is to encourage women to start their day with the Lord: their first 5 minutes. Not only are the devotions great, but there are groups you can join to connect with more women of God! I love this app so much!! It's available on both the iTunes store and Google Play. |
Prayer MateThe Prayer Mate app is basically just an interactive prayer list. You can put everyone/everything into the app, organize them by category, and add details. Then when you go to pray, it will help you remember to pray for everything! It's a pretty simple app, but it's suuuper helpful! It's available on all app stores. |
PrayPray is (obviously) another prayer-related app, but it's very different. The Pray App allows you to join your faith community (your church) and then post things that you need prayer for. Other people in your faith community can pray for you, and it tells you who prayed for you as well. You can see others' prayer requests and pray for them too! It's again, pretty simple, but a great way to become aware of the power of prayer! Click here to get it! |
So there are some of my favorite things! That's definitely not it, but I want to save some of my other faves for another edition! I'll share some of my favorite songs, blogs, ministries, books, devotionals, websites, bibles, etc, so this series looks to be a pretty good one!
Let me know in the comments if you liked this type of blog post and what some of your favorite things are!
Let me know in the comments if you liked this type of blog post and what some of your favorite things are!
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Hello friends! Sorry no blog post last week... my computer crashed and I wasn't able to get it fixed until this past Monday! That's why I wasn't even able to send out an email! Sorry again, guys! ❤
We see it in television shows, movies, on social media, in class and at work: it just always seems like everyone is trying to figure out who they are. And you might be doing the same thing.... and the thing is: there's nothing wrong with that! However, in a culture where everyone is obsessed with being like everybody else, it's important to know who God says we are.
You are purposeful.
You may be thinking: what could God possibly have for little ol' me?
Well that, my friend is between you and God, but we know through the Word that He has a perfectly unique plan for each and every one of us.
Well that, my friend is between you and God, but we know through the Word that He has a perfectly unique plan for each and every one of us.
"'For I know the plans I have for you' says the Lord 'They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.'"
(Jeremiah 29:11)
The best part about God's plan for us is that it's so unpredictable... but the good type of unpredictable. We know He is good and He is for us, so it's fun to wait for whatever He has next for us. It can be scary too, but we have to learn to trust Him even when it's tough (Click here for more). He's known what your life was going to look like forever! He tells us in His Word that:
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart..."
(Jeremiah 1:5)
You are strong.
Without God, we are weak, powerless, and surrendered to sin. One of the most quoted bible verses of all times puts it perfectly:
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
(Philippians 4:13)
With Christ, we have the power to overcome our sins, but also to find hope in situations that seem hopeless. Remembering God's promises to us makes us strong.
"But those who trust in the Lord shall have new strength; they will soar high on wings like eagles; they will run and not be weary; they will walk and not faint."
(Isaiah 40:31)
You are loved.
As Christians, we know the Gospel to be God's love story to humanity, and we know He loves us, but sometimes it's hard to wrap your head around the fact that He loves YOU! A good way to put this into perspective is to replace neutral pronouns in Bible verses with your name.
“For God so loved {your name}, that He gave His only Son, that [as] {he/she} believes in Him {he/she} should not perish but have eternal life."
(John 3:16)
"But God shows His love for {your name} in that while we {he/she} [is] still [a] sinner, Christ died for {him/her}."
(Romans 5:8)
It's almost impossible to explain how much God loves us. He says, “'I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness'" (Jeremiah 31:3). He will hold you in times of trouble.
You are His.
"'Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.'"
(Isaiah 43:1)
When we are born again in Christ, we are officially being born into the family of God. We are all sons and daughters of the One True King! Not only that, but when we accept Christ as our savior, we surrender our wills to Him, and let Him be the leader of our lives and allow Him to be in control. It's the best thing you can ever do: accept Jesus and let Him really be the Lord of your life. Knowing you're in the shelter of the Most High all the time is comforting. You are God's, and He will do anything to protect you from harm. Whenever you're afraid, you must remember that you are the son or daughter of the King of Kings.
As the famous Hillsong United song goes: "For I am Yours, and You are mine."
As the famous Hillsong United song goes: "For I am Yours, and You are mine."
"Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—"
(John 1:12)
As you can see in the title, this is only part one: we have such a beautiful identity in Christ that it can't all be posted in one blog post (without it being 4 miles long 😁) God made us to be so many amazing things so that we can flourish in our lives here on Earth. Although we all have the same general identity in Christ: it's important to know that God identifies you specifically in a lovely and unique way.
Let me know in the comments: what lies has the enemy been telling you about who you are?
Let me know in the comments: what lies has the enemy been telling you about who you are?
Songs of the week:
In a world where the media and just about every person around us is trying to pry our faith from us, the idea of teenagers willingly wanting to be followers of Christ seems a bit unlikely. When adults think of teenagers, they usually think of trouble-makers or individuals who do without thinking. Those things are true of many teens: with the exception of true Christian teens. For them, or really, for us, it's a constant struggle to try to balance the fun of being a teenager with staying in line with God's wishes for us and our lives.
For the most part, teens delight in doing just about everything the bible condemns: drugs, alcohol (getting drunk), having sex before marriage, dressing provocatively, cursing, etc. Not a lot of teenagers value a relationship with Jesus, and being a Christian teen means having a lot of unpopular opinions, values and views.
Adolescence is the season of life when children break away from their parents and their guidance, wanting to be totally independent. When we give our lives to Jesus, we are called to be 100% dependent on Him which doesn't seem appealing to the teenage mind.
However, the biggest thing that pulls teens away from pursuing a relationship with Jesus is their fear of not fitting in or seeming weird. There's always that stereotypical "religious kid" portrayed in movies and/or TV series. In today's world, you're considered less intelligent and in some cases even less of a "good" person if you believe in God and the values of the Bible. It's scary to stand out of the crowd, especially as a teenage... But the Bible says we are a city on a hill! We're called to stand out! (Read more here ➻)
High school is a very judgmental place, but unrighteous judgment should never overpower our willingness to live out God's commands. No matter who you are, God is calling you to spread His love story.
For the most part, teens delight in doing just about everything the bible condemns: drugs, alcohol (getting drunk), having sex before marriage, dressing provocatively, cursing, etc. Not a lot of teenagers value a relationship with Jesus, and being a Christian teen means having a lot of unpopular opinions, values and views.
Adolescence is the season of life when children break away from their parents and their guidance, wanting to be totally independent. When we give our lives to Jesus, we are called to be 100% dependent on Him which doesn't seem appealing to the teenage mind.
However, the biggest thing that pulls teens away from pursuing a relationship with Jesus is their fear of not fitting in or seeming weird. There's always that stereotypical "religious kid" portrayed in movies and/or TV series. In today's world, you're considered less intelligent and in some cases even less of a "good" person if you believe in God and the values of the Bible. It's scary to stand out of the crowd, especially as a teenage... But the Bible says we are a city on a hill! We're called to stand out! (Read more here ➻)
High school is a very judgmental place, but unrighteous judgment should never overpower our willingness to live out God's commands. No matter who you are, God is calling you to spread His love story.
As I was finishing up my eighth grade year, I became more fearful than excited about starting high school. I remember expressing my worries about having to deal with peer pressure and those around me, but as I began actually going through my freshman year, I realized that as long as I clung to Jesus more than the world, everything would be okay. It shouldn't matter what people think of you if you're doing everything in your power to be more like the One who saved you. Others' sins shouldn't disturb your life... it creates a habit of judgement, something that many Christians, including myself, struggle with.
Adolescence is a time where teenagers try to find themselves....become the person they want to be or feel they are. But that's not how God designed life. The Bible tells us who we are. We find who God wants us to become through talking with Him.
Adolescence is a time where teenagers try to find themselves....become the person they want to be or feel they are. But that's not how God designed life. The Bible tells us who we are. We find who God wants us to become through talking with Him.
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you..."
(Jeremiah 1:5)
He knows you. He knows who you are. He knows who you will be.
But He also knows who everybody else is. He also knows who everybody else will be, but they're too busy stuck in their feelings to know that. They're too stuck thinking it's important to be who the world calls them to be. They don't know that God has that perfect plan for them, too.
But it's our job as Christians to help plant that seed of knowledge. To bring the Good News to them and let them know that God already knows who they are. To point out what it says in the Bible of who they are.
But He also knows who everybody else is. He also knows who everybody else will be, but they're too busy stuck in their feelings to know that. They're too stuck thinking it's important to be who the world calls them to be. They don't know that God has that perfect plan for them, too.
But it's our job as Christians to help plant that seed of knowledge. To bring the Good News to them and let them know that God already knows who they are. To point out what it says in the Bible of who they are.
It's hard to confront others, especially peers, about something so near and dear to your heart. (Click here for 7 ways to spread the Gospel ➻) It's hard to get to the point where you can say "I don't care what people think or say about me, I just wanna honor God" and truly mean it. It's something we all struggle with, especially being a teen in this anti-biblical culture, but when Jesus died on the cross, He didn't say that whoever follows Him will have an easy life. He never said that it would be easy to tell others about His sacrifice. The Bible talks about how difficult it will become for Christians to stand up for faith and spread it to others, but that clinging to God's Love will shelter us.
"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?"
(Romans 8:35)
Though you may only be a teenager, don't let your age make you any less of a leader or preacher for Christ. A lot of teens use their not-so-smart actions to get attention. They set bad examples for those around them and bring them farther away from who they're called to be. However, teenage Christians should use their actions to bring people back to our purpose: glorifying God.
"Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers [and nonbelievers] in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity."
(1 Timothy 4:12)
"Teenagerhood" is a rough season of life. A lot of the time, it determines what kind of person you will be. For Christian teens, it should be used to grow closer to God: to pray to Him, to worship Him and to read His Word to find out the person you are in Christ, but to also to encourage others to do the same.
Let me know in the comments: what's the hardest thing for you to stand up against as Christian teen?
Also please fill out this survey to let me know how you're liking His Will | My Faith and what you'd like to see next!
Let me know in the comments: what's the hardest thing for you to stand up against as Christian teen?
Also please fill out this survey to let me know how you're liking His Will | My Faith and what you'd like to see next!
Songs of the week:
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About the Author
Hi! I'm Angie! I'm a college student, worship leader, pro-life advocate, future teacher, youth ministry intern, and above all else, follower of Jesus Christ. I would love to get to know you!
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