Trust

John 6:5 & 6 is one of my favorite verses. "Jesus looked up then, and seeing that a vast multitude was coming toward Him, He said to Philip, Where are we to buy bread, so that all these people may eat? But He said this to prove (test) him, for He well knew what He was about to do." It blows me away. Jesus was testing Philip to see if he trusted in Jesus' power. As the story goes on, Philip starts to panic a little as he tried to come up with a plan. But all along Jesus had the perfect plan. Wait, did you get that? All along, Jesus had the perfect plan! Don't you see, we are like Philip, we only partly trust in the power of God and the Holy Spirit. Because if we did completely trust Him, we would never find ourselves panicking for a plan. God places us in difficult circumstances, trials, or hardships with a purpose in mind, but we fail to see it. Most of the time, when we aren't sure what our next move should be, or don't have a plan, we panic and stress. We tend to look in all the wrong places for an answer that can only be found in Christ. Jesus has everything under control at all times. From the beginning of time, God has known everything that will ever be, and it is all according to His plan. In John 5, Jesus feeds 5,000 people with only a few pieces of bread and a couple fish... He can handle your situation. Trust His power and love and be confident in His plan. It may be unknown to you right now, but trust me, whatever it is, it is perfect. 

Let's Face It.

Here's to the lost, hurting, and broken Christians. Heres to the people I'm burdened for. 

Let's face it. Nobody wants to believe they have problems. No one wants to admit they mess up. No one wants to change. Nobody wants help. Even though they know the consequences of their lifestyle and choices, they can't accept the need for change in order to live a life pleasing to the Lord filled with joy and peace. Somehow they become content with where they are. I mean they say they are Christians, but do their actions back up their claims? I'm not pointing fingers, I'm not near perfect. But I know my faults and I turn to the Lord for help and guidance. I see brokenness, and I am burdened. 

Often times, Christians take Christ's grace for granted. They think that since they've been "saved" that they have been granted a free ticket to live however they please. They get this idea that since they've prayed the prayer, that they can use grace and forgiveness as an excuse to live in constant sin instead of turning from it. It's not like that! You see, God's Word is like an all you need to know guide to Christianity, and spending time reading it is crucial to faith. Read it, and you will see how God feels about sin. They say they've accepted Christ but they push Him aside or place Him in a box and only get Him out when they desperately need something. They forget why they are here. They forget that line "by grace I have been saved". BY GOD'S ABUNDANT GRACE we have been given life on this earth, and while we are, we are given a choice: Life or Death. It's that simple. LIFE- accept God's grace and live  according to His plan and live in a way that brings glory to God. DEATH- believe satan's lies. Live like the world, please yourself. Those are the choices! Only two. Many people have "chosen life" but are not living like they have done so. They've become halfway Christians that live in mediocrity. Such a lifestyle does not please the Lord, so much so that He makes it clear several times in the Bible. (A few: 1 John 3:9, Romans 12:2, in Matthew 18:8 & 9 He commands us to rid ourselves of any sin or wrong doing, and Hebrews 12:13-14, and the one that speaks most clearly about leading a mediocre life is found in Revelation 3:15-16.) God is extremely clear about how Christians are called to live a Holy life completely sold out to Him. And the thing is, God promises so many rewards and blessings for His faithful servants. Not to mention He provides rest, peace, and joy. They are too caught up in the moment. That moment then becomes a way of life. Whether it be sex, drugs, alcohol, partying, and so on. Yes, all these things feel so good in the moment, but it only lasts for a short while, so then they do it again. And again and again until they HAVE to have it or else they will be miserable. But they HAVE to break the cycle if they truly want abundant life with Christ, and who doesn't? It's not impossible to stop and change. It's hard- but the other side is so much better and fulfilling. How are they missing this? I mean yes, I've been there. Fortunately, for me, I didn't dabble in too terrible things. However, I sought refuge, peace, and pleasure in the wrong places, namely, self harm, but that was before I found Jesus. When I found Jesus, I was covered in grace and mercy and love and I was fulfilled so much that I didn't need those things to find an escape or to be happy. So now I have a personal relationship with Jesus, and yes, I have done things that do not honor God. Yeah, I've let my desires over come me a few times. I've crossed lines that I can't uncross. But I've recognized my mistakes and I've been forgiven and I make a continual effort to turn from the things that tempt me. It's a constant battle, but God doesn't expect me to be perfect. He only asks that I rely on Him and repent from these things and try not to make the mistake again. I wish everyone could understand this, because their lives will be so much better. Again, I'm not saying I am perfect. In fact, I'm writing this to myself. I only used the pronoun 'they' because I was originally writing to 'the lost, hurting, and broken Christians'. Really I should go back and change it to 'we', so let's face it, WE all have brokenness.

A Letter of Thanks

I began writing this a few weeks back, not certain whether I would post it or not. It began as a letter to a handful of people in response to some things God has been teaching me. I wanted to express my gratitude for the influence each individual has had in my life. I've sort of become complacent by taking my blessings for granted. I'm living in the light of the love of my Heavenly Father, but I have forgotten how and why I've gotten here. I didn't find freedom on my own. There were several people that pointed me to the Lord. So, in a spirit of gratefulness, on this Thanksgiving Day, I am going to share this letter with all of you. 

To those who have sacrificed their time to pour into me: 

        I would like to share with you how yourself and others have impacted my life and pointed me towards Christ. To do so, I am going to define the basis of my faith, and I will describe to the best of my ability how incredible my God is. From the day of Adam and Eve's treacherous fall in the Garden of Eden, the human race has naturally inherited a sinful nature. Consequently, without divine intervention by Christ, we would be eternally separated from our Creator. However, I refuse to find contentment in being irrevocably doomed to an eternity without Christ because of the mistakes of my ancestors. I have chosen to be different and set apart. I am no longer dead in sin, instead, I have chosen life in Christ! I have been plucked from my sinful ways by the hand of an almighty God! Now, I am perfect in the eyes of the Lord because I have been washed by the blood of my perfect savior. As a child of God, I have been set apart from the world; I am no longer defined by sin in the past, present, or future. My strongest desires are no longer of the world, but of the Lord. I desire to seek His face daily, to live in a manor pleasing to Him, and to further His kingdom. The Lord constantly pours His blessings on me, and the least I can do is to come to Him with thanksgiving. So that is what I am doing now, showing thankfulness to those he has blessed me with. As most of you understand, while I am still living on this earth, I am not an exception to sin. I am a teenage girl living in a dark world which is unceasingly trying to pull me down into its darkness. There are many things being thrown at me, and I realize that my responses will influence my future. Being a Christian teenager in today's society is like trying to drive a car in a storm. I've chosen the road I want to take and I know my destination, but then life gets in the way. The rain pours down and hinders my vision, making it difficult to see the road. Satan tries to  prevent me from progressing forward in my journey by throwing distractions in front of me. There is no need for me to name the distractions because they are obvious. It is a constant struggle to keep sight of my destination while battling against evil distractions. Before I chose Jesus, I had no certain path to take, and navigating through the storms of life was nearly impossible. I neglected God's protection and guidance and instead turned to worldly refuge. Now however, having built my foundation in God's truth, I find my help in the Lord. His Word speaks life and truth into me, He has given me an incredible community of Christian brothers and sisters, and He offers protection and comfort all the time. Yes, I am a believer, yes, I have accepted God's gift of salvation, and yes, my greatest desire is to bring Him glory with everything I do, but no, I am not exempt from earthly struggles. I say all of that so that you may understand where I stand in life right now with my faith. Over the past several months the Lord has been teaching me to lift my gaze from my current circumstances and to look to Him. It has been an extremely hard lesson for me to learn, and I will probably always be learning it. God has taken me on a journey this past year into a world of unfamiliarity where I have had many opportunities to learn and grow, but I've also hit many bumps in the road. The trials that have accompanied this journey have not been easy. I've felt the pain of heartbreak, disappointment, and many different kinds of heart ache. I am still on this journey, and for how much longer I do not know, but I am choosing to fix my eyes on the Lord. He is changing my perspective and is giving me a spirit of gratitude and hope. Without you, encouraging, guiding, and comforting me throughout different times in my life so far, I would not be standing on a firm- faith based foundation. Thank you for allowing God to use you as His vessel to work in me. I love you, and I am forever grateful for your influence and sacrifices to point me to the Lord.

Much love,

AnnaLisa 

Below is a list of individuals that have sacrificed much of their time to pour into me. There are many others who I am also very grateful for, but these are some that stick out the most to me. 

My parents

Mrs. McCurry

Mrs. Penn

Mrs. Joiner 

Mrs. Gunter

Nikki Gentry

Mrs. Greer

Alex Alvarez 

Mary-Michael McCathren

Abby Henry

Frontline Missions

Mrs. Mercure

Gabby Rousse

Taylor Hendrix

Dina Dennis

Drew and Ashley Karschner

Katherine Gravitt 

                                                  

Upon Return

Luke 15:11-32 is a story that most of us are very familiar with. We've heard the Parable of the Prodigal Son preached along with many messages about returning to Christ. But like I've said before, The Lord grants me a new understanding of the particular passage every time I look at it.. I think it's quite remarkable  that the story of the Prodigal Son  so closely parallels to my life. In the story a  father gives his  two sons their share of inheritance. One son immediately leaves and begins to waste all that his father has given to him. The father becomes concerned for the son, who has hit rock bottom. The son is left with nothing, so he decides to go back to his father. He expects his father to be furious and disappointed. As soon as he returns home, however, he finds his  father waiting anxiously for his return. In the end of the story his father celebrates his son'a return. Jesus used this story to demonstrate the Lord's love and grace to the Pharisees.

The Parable of the Prodigal Son is an excellent example of our heavenly Father's love and grace for us. You see, in my own life, I am the prodigal child. He gave me the most gracious, undeserved gift, and I accepted it. Over time, I began to take that gift of salvation for granted. While I should have been sharing the love of The Lord with others, I was wasting that time by blending in to the rest of the world. I struggle greatly with blending in. Standing out in faith takes a tremendous amount of courage, especially while surrounded by all the wrong things. I am grateful however for the grace The Lord has shown me through these trials. I've slipped up here and there, but my roots remain in Him. He has kept me from a lot of bad places. But as I read this story of the Prodigal Son, I realized that I need to return to the Father, and continue on with HIS plan for me. I've realized that I am placed in the circumstances that I am in to show love and light to the people around me. It is so incredibly hard to show love and light when worldly temptations are pulling at you constantly. But The Lord put me where I am because he knows that I can be strong. I have to be. I want to be.

So in closing, I ask you, how does the story of the Prodigal Son relate to you and your walk?  Have you ever received the gift of salvation from the Father? Did you accept the gift , but now you've taken it for granted? Or have you been lost and empty for a long time, feeling like the Father has forgotten about you?  The Lord is anxiously waiting for you to run to him. He  hasn't forgotten about you, he isn't ashamed of you, he is ready for you to surrender yourself to him so that he can pour his love out on you.  Run from the worldly desires, and run to The Lord. He will wreck you, rebuild you,  and fill you with an indescribable love that can't be found anywhere else.

What A Love

What a love he has for me, for us, for you. I used to think that God was a "one time" kind of guy. One time to show love, one time to rescue, one time to forgive, one time to reveal, and so on. I was so completely wrong. The Lord has continued to speak and reveal himself to me since the day in January of 2013 when I accepted his gift of Salvation. It's been over a year now, and what a year it has been. The cliche thing to say is that Christianity is a hard walk filled with ups and downs. But it's not exactly cliche when you're living in it. I was obviously naive to think that walking with God was going to be a breeze. I wish I could write every single thing God has done this past year, but to catch up to present times, I would already have an entire novel-- A novel in one year, imagine how much God has left for me? This past year, the most significant attribute to my walk, I would think, is influence. God has taken and given to me many times. The people he has put in my life this year have been an absolute blessing, and even the people he has chosen to take away from me have turned into blessings. Through people alone I have been able to gain resources necessary to grow my faith. No matter the person, each one radiates Christ's love. They inspire me daily to better myself in Christ. This alone is a huge challenge. Everyone always has room to grow. My growth is dependent on my pursuit of Christ, and efforts to stand firm in Faith rather than fall into sin. Lately, God has been teaching me that not only does he love me for who I am and not my actions, but my sinful nature will never leave me. As a human, sin is a natural part of me. When I accepted Christ, however, I declared war within my soul. I thank God for making me strong, but no matter my strength, I am still human. I will never be perfect. Romans 7 tells me that whenever I want to do good, evil is right there with me. I know that I have to constantly fight to overcome this evil. My evil may be different than your evil, but the same God is in control. The greatest part of this war is that God is on my side, and with Him, there will be victory. And though I still struggle, victory is coming, and evil will be defeated. This battle will be won, and this evil will no longer have a hold on me. I see this hope, I feel his love lavished upon me, and it gives me all the more reason to continue fighting. Not only will I no longer be a prisoner to my evil, but I am a light to the world, and I will shine this light in darkness. I am beyond ready for Jesus to use me in huge ways, and I know he is using me now. I desire to be a better example for the people around me however. I've also learned that giving my problems completely to God is the most affective solution. So, with this as well as with many other things, I am trusting that God will continue to grow me and use me for his glory.