40s Swing Dance

40s Swing Dance

Last week my friends, my sister, and I went to a "Masquerade Ball". This Ball was put on by a homeschool group in the OC. Maybe it was our fault for not reading the plain writing on the home page, "We're a group of homeschooled and unschooled teens who gather in and around Orange County, CA for beach parties, regional dances, pizza nights, campouts, Disneyland trips and other events. We welcome all homeschoolers new and old, regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, homeschool style, what you eat or don't eat or what time you get out of bed". Now this sounds nice, but it also is called relativity. It's when someone compromises on what they believe so much that they don't care what you believe as long as we all get together. Sounds like what Paul saw in Athens, "as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an alter with the inscription, 'to the unknown god'." Paul was dealing with people so "tolerant" as they say, that they worshiped lots of gods and just to be safe they paid tribute to a god that they didn't even believe in. What did Paul do, praise them for keeping peace among other people groups? NO, he told them they were created by God and are accountable to Him. One of my favorite motivational verses is Acts 17:6-7, I wonder how many Christians today can ever say they've been accused of "turning the world upside down"? Now where was I before this reconstructionist insert? Oh yeah the dance.

  Anyway we went to a pagan "ball" and had fun. That in itself is an example of how Christians can have fun with pagans, but that is not what I'm writing about, I'm writing because this homeschool group got one thing right, teens today need to have things to do, places to go and be themselves with friends, but when you have no standard to say no to a kid you can only imagine what went on at that "ball". I and maybe also my friends were expecting kids to be (actually) dancing with their friends, not simply shaking vigorously, laying on the floor, hopping from side to side, not to mention what was going on in the back corner off the dance floor. All that being said don't feel bad for taking us mom. Our parents don't intentionally send us into a sin filled environment but when it does happen they are there to teach us why it's wrong through the scriptures. I have gifts and not gifts, singing and dancing are  gifts the good Lord hasn't given me, but I was "dancing" better than most of the kids there. I can only see this as a slap in the face to the art of dancing. 

  So that is why my friends, sister, and I are going to throw a dance party this summer. The theme is a World War 2 era(1940s) dance. And to eliminate the sometimes awkward slow dance, we will be doing jitterbug dancing as they called it then, you maybe more familiar with the term swing dance. After going to the "ball" mentioned above, we have decided to throw a party based on Christian ethics and the art of dancing. We are still in the process of planning and scheduling the dance, but we want to throw it in an airplane hangar with airplanes from that era, we will dress the way they dressed and dance the way they danced to the music they danced to. The age range will be 13-18, and there will be chaperones there to supervise activities. Over all it will be a night to remember(in a good way). 

 One thing I ask from you is that if you are or know a WW2 Vet that you email me their story and a picture to go with it. Not only because I am fascinated with stories from old soldiers who fought for our freedom, but I would like to share the stories with the attendees of the party and maybe even on my blog. 

Doing His Will, 

Austin Ryan

Ps my email is creationcreatures@aol.com

How Did We Get Here

It's been a little while since I've written on my blog, but this was because I was studying a new(for me) topic. It's called eschatology, which is basically the study of the last days. I might write another post about the "end times" if need be. I challenge you to challenge me if you have questions, but I thought I'd show you what I've been learning. 

So, how DID we get to this point?

No Christian denies there is a problem in our generation, the homosexual community is growing, abortion is still an international practice, and it seems like the Christian community is deteriorating. The main reason for these problems is that the church allows it to happen. The majority of Christians today are Pre-millennial, which means they believe that the rapture will happen then Jesus will reign on earth for 1000 years. The problem with this Pre-mill belief is not only that it isn't biblical but that it excuses our lack of duty(I'll come back to this). I know what your thinking, "Did he just say the rapture isn't biblical, what about 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17?", This passage, when placed in the larger context of the chapter, is answering questions that Christians in Thessalonica had concerning death. "What has happened to our loved ones who have died before the return of Christ to earth? What is theirs and our ultimate destiny?" Paul’s answer: bodily resurrection at the return of Christ to earth!  Not an escape into the sky. Jesus even asked the father NOT to take us out of the world(John 17:15). "Ok, well what about Matthew 24:36-44?" Well, "as in the days of Noah", who were left behind, who were removed from the earth? Matthew 24:39," and they were unaware until the flood came and swept THEM all away." Like I said before if need be I will write more about the "end times" but now I will show you what we should be doing.

 Christians need to be reconstructionists. In order to re-construct something it has to be created then broken. God created this world good, or He wouldn't have said so(Gen 1:31), but He made it so it needed a care taker. God told man to multiply and subdue it, this also means to cultivate it. We need to be in the culture, and we need to cultivate it to a way that pleases God. But what pleases God? Would it be safe to say that a culture that has Godly standards, and that is seeking after God is pleasing to Him? Today, Christians don't care if, and almost want, the world to go to hell in a hand basket. I use to believe in the rapture, and when I did I would pray every night for God NOT to come the next day and to wait at least until I was married and had kids. But then I would pray NOT to have kids in fear they would be left behind. Sadly most Christians have this mind set that "if we aren't going to be here in 10 years why leave a legacy?" Instead we need to leave a Godly legacy, and teach the next generation how to influence the culture. 

 All Christians acknowledge Christ as King, that He is God incarnate who came to die to save His people and rise to God the Father to reign as King. 

   “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed."(Daniel 7:13-14). 

   Jesus said," all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me..."(Matt 28:18). 

"I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, 'You are my Son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.'"(Psalms 2:7-8), let me ask you, do you think Jesus forgot to ask? Of course not! 

  Daniel 2 talks about king Nebuchadnezzar's dream. Long story short the dream means that there will be kingdoms to come after the Babylonian empire but then there would be one to come that shall never end. Daniel 2:35,"...But the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth". That stone is the Kingdom of God, it WILL fill the earth just like God said.

    So when will this happen? Jesus said,"if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you" the next verse says,"or how can someone enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then he indeed may plunder his house."(Matt 12:28-29). The strong man mentioned in the text is Satan, who at that time was unbound, but now he is bound and the Christians now go in and,"plunder his house". The take over of Christianity is not an instant event, it will take a while. For example,"It is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden, and it grew and became a tree", or,"It's like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened"(Luke 13:18-21). 

Who or how will this come to be? Simply, "...the zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this"(Isaiah 9:7). Jesus told us to be salt(which was used to preserve meat) and light(which was used to give light to the whole house). Knowing that, we are supposed to shine to the whole world and then to preserve the goodness in the world.

Here's another question for you, is the power of the resurrection more or less powerful than the curse? Also where does the power of the resurrection stop? Christ came to die to remove the curse given to the world(both people and nature). Basically, because Jesus died and has defeated the curse we now go and reconstruct the earth.

  What happens when people have this multi-generational vision, and a God given job? People started building cathedrals that they would never see finished. They had the mind set that, "hey, we are going to be here for awhile". 

   Where did this mind set go? Many people had this mind set but when WW1 came people changed and wondered,"how could God allow this world go to war if there will be peace?" Then WW2 came and this vision almost completely died because,"surely God couldn't use this for good". But one thing to remember is who won both wars? The Allies, but these wars were not between the Allies and the Axis but between Christianity and Humanism. But nevertheless people lost the,"we need to shape this world to please God" kind of vision. 

   Why is the reconstruction view so important? It's not salvation issue. No, but it is a Gospel issue, to only preach the law then repentance through grace is only to preach part of the Gospel. We need to start at the beginning.

   In the beginning God created the world, He placed man and woman in this world along with all the created creation. God saw all he had made and it was GOOD(Genesis 1:31). God placed one rule over Man, not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil(Genesis 2:16-17). Man, tempted by Satan, committed a crime against God, and in doing so allowed sin to enter the world(Romans 5:12). Man, in sin, is separated from God who is righteous. God sent his commandments to Moses to give to the people, that they may know what sin is(Romans 7:7, 5:15). God being also just, would be justified in destroying Mankind. But, oh that glorious "but", God knowing Man would choose sin over Himself had a plan. The only way for Man to make amends with God was to present a sacrifice, but Man being dead in sin can never present a worthy sacrifice. So, God also being merciful, sent His Son Jesus and the perfect sacrifice. The only person to perfectly please God is Himself. Jesus came as "the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but for the sins of the whole world"(1 John 2:2). Because God loved His creation so much He sent His son to remove the curse of sin. Now anyone who calls upon the word of the Lord WILL be saved(Romans 10:13-14). But Man still dead in sin is chosen by God to be born-again according to the purpose of His will(Ephesians 1:4-5). Now that we have been set free from sin we are now a slave to God, the fruits you bear are from sanctification by the Spirit. The Holy Spirit begins conforming you to the image of Christ. As we grow to be more like Christ, we need to also give an answer for what we believe(1 Peter 3:15). Jesus gave His followers a command to,"go therefore",WAIT! What do we do when we see that word? We must ask,"what's that therefore there for?" So we go back a verse," And Jesus came and said to them, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.'"(Matthew 28:18-20). Now we must demonstrate our love for God and others(the two greatest commandments) by spreading the Gospel. But that's not it, as Christianity spreads so does its standards. When a people group honors those standards they will be blessed. Then Jesus will return after all His enemies are defeated(1 Corinthians 15:24-26). This is Good News!

So now what do we do? 

First, we must read the Bible! The Left Behind series is a great story, but it is not the Bible. The Bible has everything we need from how to run a Godly government to how to preach the gospel. The scriptures are sufficient for all areas of life. 

Second, we must take what we learn to others and give an apologetic for what we believe. There are no exceptions to the great commission. 

Third, we must rebuild the family starting with marriage and that kids are a blessing. Then we must teach those kids to do the same to their kids. We need to raise soldiers, not doomsday prepers. We MUST leave a legacy!

Fourth, we must pray both for repentance of not doing these things, and also for future generations not to fall into the place where we are.

Last but not least, we must influence the culture. Christians are called to be in the world not of the world. 

Am I blaming premillennialism for all our problems today? No, I'm blaming the church for not being in the culture, conforming it to please God. We need a revival! Revivals don't happen twice a month on Wednesday, they start when the people of God return to His ways, read their Bibles, act on what they learn, and then teach their kids to do the same.

    This world WILL get better, the question is, will you be apart of it?

Doing His Will,

Austin Ryan 

Dating, Purity, and Love Part 6 of Preparing for the Future Blog Series

This blog series has turned out wonderfully. I want to thank Gabrielle again for inviting my sister Faith and I to post on her blog. I pray this post answers questions you have and enlightens you to things you may not have known before. Also, is you have any questions, please comment below and I will do my best to answer. Enjoy!

    

Crush, boyfriend, girlfriend,the K-I-S-S-I-N-G song (person A and person B sittin in a tree K-I-S, you get the point) lovebirds, and the fish in the sea analogy, if you have heard these words(and song) before the fourth grade, then you are not alone! It seems as though every child from the time they can hold an other's hand is drilled with concepts of "love", "dating", and and the K word(kiss, oops i said it). If you or your child was anything like me, he/she jumped on the band wagon and played along. Soon they had crushes because it was cool or the norm. Since this "love life" is pushed at a young age, kids in high school are no longer satisfied with just holding hands. Don't believe me go spend a week at you local high-school. It seems as though all they have on their minds is, "what can I get out of this person". All they feel is hormones not love. So are little kid crushes bad? I'll answer that with a pattern that has a main theme through this post; a thought becomes an action which becomes a habit that will either glorify God or glorify oneself. So you tell me if having a crush is glorifying to God or not.

When I had a crush I wanted to learn how to respond biblicallay, but I could not find a book written to boys about girls in a Biblical point of view(if you know of one please comment). I will do my best to answer questions and make important points that would have helped me with this topic. There may be some things you see in my post that a pastor or preacher has said that I don't credit, only because most things I know I learned from someone else.

What happens when something is broken, but then heals? It becomes tough, harder, and resistant to certain things(depending on what broke). Different types of martial arts require strong, tough bones. That is why some,who are training to fight, will break bones to make them resistant to breakage. The heart works the same way, the more it breaks the harder, tougher, and more resistant(to love) it will become. Having a crush or even the dating process( the art of getting to know someone personally to see if they would be someone you want to marry) can have tremendous effects on the heart. "Breaking up and moving on” is exactly what stiffens the heart to potential love in the future. Dating is a lot like divorce, most premarital relationships will end in a breakup, and in the United States, 1 in 2 marriages end in divorce. Why? Because people are no longer committed after the 5th(not an actual statistic) time being broken-hearted. "You can't be hurt by someone if you never love them", Charles Ingalls(yes, I just quoted from Little House on the Prairie, and yes, I watch that show). Why should we be faithful(loyal) to one another(especially in marriage)? As a Christian, simply because God is loyal and faithful. Again, do you think that dating and breaking up is a (thought that turns into an action that becomes a)habit which will glorify God or oneself?

In my experience at the high school by our house, finding a date is mainly off of looks and position. Guys tend to look for beauty while girls look for the more popular guy in school(and looks). Don't get me wrong I admire beauty as much as the next man, but we must not allow beauty to take precedence(become more important) over Godliness. Instead of chasing false pleasures that are pleasing to the eye we should be chasing the fruits of God that leads to sanctification thought the Spirit(Romans 6:22). So how does someone go from, "wow, she is beautiful!" to lustful thoughts? Well, is a process you may be familiar with, first there is a (lustful)thought, then the action is thinking that that thought is OK, then the habit forms of looking at girls(or girls at guys) lustfully, then that habit will be carried into a marriage, causing problems of unfaithfulness, leading to divorce, something that God shuns.

Dear Young Ladies, if the Lord has blessed you with physical beauty, save it for your husband. To many girls think the way to popularity or finding the best man is by wearing immodest clothing and flaunting themselves, sadly today's society makes that true. Dear Young Christian Men, do not take advantage of young ladies, but instead look at them as sisters, having compassion toward them, and rebuking them in love.

We as Christians should be running toward God as fast as we can. How do you run a race? Are you focused on the prize(in this case God) or are you looking all around? Have you seen those flaps on race-horse’s mask? Those are there to help keep the horse from seeing distractions. That is how we should run toward God, distraction free. Some may ask, “how can I find a spouse I'm only looking straight ahead?” Allow me to add to that question, “how can you see anything if you're only looking straight ahead?”  The only thing you can see is God, so God has to bring something in front of you in order to see it(including a spouse). Being pure isn’t just not dating or kissing and dressing modestly, its a lifestyle. You can’t just think about being pure, you have to(with God’s help) act upon it and make it a habit that will glorify God.

“If your goal is purity of heart, be prepared to be thought very odd.”~ Elisabeth Elliot

You may be wondering, “Why hasn't he used scripture to prove his point?” First of all, you don't use the Bible to prove your point, you use your point to point to the Bible. Second of all, there is not a lot of verses on this topic. However, we have the greatest example of love in marriage. First is Jesus, and how He died for the church, second Hosea, who was told by God to “love a woman who is loved by another man and is an adulteress, even as the Lord loves the children of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love cakes of raisins.” I encourage you to read about Hosea’s unconditional love, that paints a picture of how Christ loves the church. Also, there is a standard Paul gives to the church of Corinth about being yoked with unbelievers. Although this verse does not refer to marriage, it does give a good standard toward marriage. The question is, how could a quality marriage be built and maintained if you disagree on the most crucial issue in the universe—the Lord Jesus Christ?

The Bible also does not give any reference to dating or courtship, but it does give principles to finding “the person”. We first know we shouldn't be like the world, in deed and thought. While the world’s view may be to date around as much as we want, the important thing is to discover the character of a person before making any commitment to him or her. We should find out if the person has been born again in the Spirit of Christ (John 3:3-8) and if he or she shares the same desire toward Christ-likeness (Philippians 2:5). The ultimate goal of dating or courting is finding a life partner. Men and women who choose to date often have no commitment to consider marrying the other person. In contrast, courtship is undertaken only when both parties are prepared to make a commitment to marriage. We need to be held to Godly standards in the way we look for a spouse, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33).

In any situation, we as Christians are called to first glorify God in all we do(1 Cor 10:31)

Doing His Will,

Austin Ryan

Godly Manly Men

This post is apart of Gabrielle's preparing for the future series.

Men to be leaders both in the home and the community. The main problem in the world today is that many young men who are graduating from say college or high school are coming into the world not knowing how to be a real man, not knowing how to lead their family or provide for their wife or even show commitment in their marriage. This is because the fathers today were raised by fathers who didn't know what they were doing. 75 to 85% of kids from a Christian home will reject the faith after one year of college, because they were not given a foundation. Obviously both Gabrielle and I are stressing the issue of foundations unfortunately I won't be able to mix that in this post because that is a very important issue so they'll have to wait till next week.

All other occupations or jobs are meant to support the most important occupation, that is motherhood. Fathers are to be breadwinners, they're supposed to go out and provide for the mother who stays home and teaches her kids the ways of truth. Fathers then come home and lead the family in Bible studies and worships to help the mother in building the foundation for the children of the next generation to teach the next generation. But sadly today many mothers and fathers are sending their kids to the public school system which is teaching the exact opposite of the truth. Parents I cannot stress this enough, you need to know what your kids are learning, whether that being you stay up to midnight every night teaching your kids through their homework, showing them why it's wrong and what is right, or teach them in the home through the Bible which is our ultimate foundation for truth. Christ said, "I'm the way, the truth, and the life" when we realize that we become close minded, in the sense that now that we have the truth were not going to listen to any more falsehoods. In Psalms 11:3, "If the foundations are destroyed, What can the righteous do?". Adolf Hitler said, "the one who rocks the cradle is the one who rules the world." This meaning the one who raises the generation is the one is going to impact the generation for good or for bad. One excuse parents use to send their kids to public school is "oh my child will be the light in that dark place", the problem is this generation of teachers is shoving down truth or as Roman says they are "suppressing the truth in unrighteousness." Back to the subject hand, what does the Bible teach men to do?

There are three stages in a man's life, single, married, married with kids. Each one of the stages is just as important as the next one but each carrying totally different responsibilities. The first one we will examine is singleness.

Very rarely is this first stage ever called the gift of singleness, but I assure you that is very much so what this is. Do not mistake mistake for what I'm saying as an excuse to be single, but rather an encouragement to follow through with your job with this gift of singleness. There's no doubt that God calls us to certain jobs and duties throughout our lifetime. Usually when a person a single, he or she is young , has lots of time, and plenty of energy. This of course is not always the case, the apostle Paul was single, or even better unmarried, but he went out and reach multiple countries with the word of God, and wrote most of the New Testament. So when we look at the apostle Paul he obviously did not waste his singleness he went out and made difference for the Kindom. If you are a single man(or woman), get out there and use your youth to make a difference. 1 Tim 4:12,"Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe."

The second one of course is married. And compared to singleness marriage has its own new set of responsibilities including leading your wife( not the other way around) and building off each other in the Faith. The apostle Peter was married hence the verse Matt. 8:14. We don't see the apostle Peter doing as much as the apostle Paul(books and traveling) did but he was one of Jesus' 12 disciples and sat under Jesus' teaching, one thing that Paul didn't have the chance to do. I don't have much experience in this stage or the next(I'm 15) but I do know that marriage is supposed to be an example of how Christ loves the church.

Third one is married with kids. "Children are blessing from the Lord" Psalms 127:3, Children are like arrows in the hands of the mighty warrior, and the parents jobs are to train and sharpen these arrows into the world's next-generation of Christians. During this stage the man's priorities are less on himself, and more on teaching his children and setting an example. In this stage the father should be demonstrating for his sons how men should treat a woman and other men, he should be teaching his other children, both sons and daughters, how to study God's word and reach the world with the gospel, and preparing them for the stage of singleness. The best way for a father to set an example in these areas is to hold his child's hand and demonstrate by just doing it.

In short, men should be leaders in this generation, and examples to the next generation of men. Godly men need to set the bar high, then show young men how to reach for those expectations. How are you preparing yourself to impact the following generations?

Doing His Will,
Austin Ryan

A Letter to a Friend

I wrote this letter to a good friend awhile back, but never sent it. In a time where true Christianity is not very popular, good friends are hard to come-by.

          Dear Friend,

       Everyday I am encouraged by you and your family. Everyday I am thankful to God our families are friends. A friend is simply defined as a companion/comrade. We are soldiers, we must run the race with endurance, but how can we run alone? We can't, God helps us, and the right friends encourage us. God has blessed me with the privilege of knowing you, your brother, and your family. Friends (and family) can have a great influence on our actions and what we believe. There are two types of friends, one will squander in sin with you, the other will press you to grow. I am thankful that you are a friend of the later sort. I pray I can be an iron sharpening iron type of friend. I can learn as much from you as you can from me. I pray we never cease to learn about the One who saved us. In His grace I write this letter of thanks.


Your Brother in Christ,
Austin Ryan

American Missionaries

OUR MISSION STATEMENT!: We are 2 homeschooling families from California and Montana meeting up for the trip of a lifetime! Our 2 moms along with us 13 kids are going on a cross country trip to share the gospel, make memories, and learn along the way! The budgeting, miles, stops, and fundraising has been planned in it’s entirety (well, almost) by the young teens in these 2 families. We are passionate about Christian Reformation. Coming back to God’s authority and absolute truth found in scripture. We want to see our generation rise up and become rebels for the Lord!! We hope to inspire parents to raise up their children as sharp arrows in the hands of mighty warriors. We will be traveling the following states: CO, KS, AR, TN, NC, KY, IN, IL, IA, NE Please contact us if you have a church youth group, MOPS, homeschool park-day or homeless shelter...that we could come to and serve or share. We have many topics that we are prepared to speak on: Apologetics, Purity, Modesty, Prolife, Creation, and Teens Doing Hard Things. Our moms also have much to share on juggling the large family and a raising of Christian families in today’s culture. We would also like to learn along the way so if you have a business, museum, operation, gallery etc. and wouldn’t mind teaching us a thing or two, we would love to hear from you! #2crazyladiesandtheir13babies

What is Gods Will?

   Have you wondered what God's will for you is? If you don't know then you are 
being foolish, "Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the 
Lord is." (Eph. 5:17). I was guilty of this before I found out how simple it is 
to find. Lets make a simple assumption before we continue, if God has a plan for 
us, he must want us to find it. Where would we expect to find his 
will/plan for us? Through some supernatural revelation, audible voice, or some 
accidental "sign"? Nope, all we need to know about God (and His will) was 
written in the Bible. What is the first step to "finding" God's will?

 

 

  The First step: Salvation

 

"The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance." (2 Peter 3:9). God wills all of His sheep come to repentance and be saved. If you are a professing Christian and are constantly tossing up the sinners prayer and rededicating your life to him, how can God show you his will? Sadly Christians (that continue to sin regardless of what God says) say, "I've accepted Christ at age 5,7,9,15,17,21,35 etc." If you don't "know" God, I encourage you to repent, turn from your sins, and be baptized before you continue to read.

God's golden chain of redemption Romans 8:30

"and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified."

 

 

Second step: Be Sanctified

 

     To be sanctified is to be pure. "For this is the will of God, your sanctification" (1 Thessalonians 4:3). Being sacrificed/pure is a heart issue, and if you are pure in heart and mind things like dressing modest come naturally. A thought becomes an action which becomes a habit and ends in a result. Therefore whether or not you think pure, actions like looking or not looking lustfully at the opposite gender becomes a habit and a result is carried into your marriage.

 

 

Third step: Willing to Suffer

 

     Many people are afraid to find God's will because of what He might make them do. Most of us may not suffer as Job did, or be persecuted like Paul. We as Christians should be so lost in Christ that we count all things to be loss and rubbish (Php 3:8). All of the apostles suffered and died. We should be content with all that happens and is given to us. We can endure persecution through the strength Christ gives us. If we trust God, love him, and know he will receive all of the glory, then what are we afraid of?

 

 

Fourth Step: Live Godly

 

     Christ never said we can be equal with God, but He set a way for us to live. I encourage you to read one of my favorite books Philippians. In Philippians 2:1-18 Paul talks about being like Christ. To live godly is to have the same attitude and desires as God does. Learn What God desires and make them your desires. You can never make His desires yours on your own. "For it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure."(Philippians 2:13). Live to the glory of God. If you cant bring glory to God while doing it, don't do it.

 

 

Conclusion

 

    Do whatever you want! If you are truly saved, being pure, willing to suffer, and have Gods desires, you will be compelled to do what is pleasing to God. If God doesn't want you to do something, He will close the door. God will not tell you to be a missionary in a third world country nor is it in the bible(e.g. "Austin be a missionary"), but if you feel like something is Gods plan for you, start knocking on the door. It will either open or remain closed.

 

 

 

Doing His will,

Austin Ryan