Stand up to your friends for GOD

Something i have always delt with, is friendship issues. One of the things i wanna talk about, is a quality of a true friend. A quality that is hand for some to do, because it takes boldness, fearlessness, and trust in the Lord. I remember a message that Pastor Travis spoke a few years ago, about friendship. And he talked about all the things a true friend needs to be. One of them, was that you have to look out for them, and if you see them heading for trouble, to talk to them about it. I cant remember exactly what he said cause it was like 3-4 years ago.. But something that has stuck with me through all of my friendships after that message, to this day, is that you have to be willing to sacrifice your friendship. I found a scripture that really touches on that, it is Matthew 10:22. It says “And all nations will hate you because you are my followers. But everyone who endures to the end will be saved.”. For some reason this scripture seems like a good one for what i wanna talk about.

If you just stand by.. and watch your friends fall, and get into something that you know will end up hurting them, then what type of friend are you??? To just stand around and watch them walk away from Christ.. or maybe its not that serious of a situation, but you're too afraid to stand up for Gods word. Your too afraid to say something, or a scripture, because of what it could do to your friendship. That if you speak up for God that it could make your friendship awkward, or they might think “haha well thats a cute little scripture.. but this is serious”. I think what its talking about in Matthew 10:22 is that when we speak the word, not everyone is going to like us. Some may hate us for our beliefs. But we have to stand up for God and even if it costs us a friendship with someone, if GOD speaks to you, speaks into your HEART to tell your friend something in a time of hardship, then we can not hesitate, we can not worry about what will happen to our friendships if we are BOLD and speak the word that God has put on our heart for that friend, that stranger, or that family member. Because if we do that, then we willbe blessed beyond comprehesion. I have personally struggled with this all my life in my friendships. I have lost many many friends.. Due to speaking up for God, and my “friends” did not agree with me, they got upset. But i do not regret a word i said to them. I know in my heart that God used me and spoke through me to them, and i was put in their life temporarally so that i could tell them about my Lord who has saved my life. But sinse i took that leap of faith, God completely BLESSED my life. I went for three years without a single good friend. But then i got more connected into The Rock Church after about two years of attending. Me and my family prayed for one friend for me.. just ONE good friend. And literally just suddenly, i got blessed with 5 new amazing friends in my life that i am still friends with to this day. You see, God used me to speak to those other friends, and then he released them from my life, so that i could have even better friends, and LOTS of them!! Now today, i have countless amounts of friends. So many amazing people that i would do anything for.

It sounds easy.. you may be thinking, duh i'll speak the word to my friends if God tells me to!! But to tell you the truth. It was not easy at all. Some of the leaps i took were the hardest things ive ever had to do. To say. Because the things they said back to me.. would cut deep in my heart. Its the only thing they could do. Was come up with the BEST way to insult me, and HURT me. I mean what were they gonna do?? say “Yeah your right”?? haha i dont think so. The only thing that kept me going was putting all of my trust in God. As BAD as the things were that they said to me.. I tryed with everything in me to not let it get to me, and not take it personally. And that right there was the hardest part. Hearing what they say back. God helped me through those times so much. All i could do was smile and laugh about it. And pray that someday they will see the light. And if they ever came back asking for help, that i wouldnt turn my cheek because of what they said to me, but i'd let them come with open arms and help them with whatever they need. I remember one time.. I sat down with one of my friends/bullies (yea idk how that works) in her room.. Cause i wanted to talk to her about something. And when i told her, she got a little upset, and said somethin that hurt, but when i looked in her eyes, she was tearing up. Those tears were a sign to me that i had made a difference. I know that i have hurt some people from being brutally honest, but i also know that i have changed some lifes, and even if they never realize it, i know i have impacted them in some way. And that is the best feeling of accomplishment you will ever feel. A feeling that no trophy, job, or award could ever give you. But i am certanily not perfect in this at all. It takes practice, and graciousness. Because i know that there has been times where i have been too harsh, and said some un-nessesary things that were not spoken to me by God. Because of this i have learned to ALWAYS think before you speak. I always think over every little thing before i give any advice now. Or even just speak.

I know that God has put me in the lifes of many others, and them in their lifes, right now, so that i can do the same. But i also have friends now that will listen to what i have to say, and will consider it, and do the same to me. Im certainly not trying to say that everyone you talk to will get mad at you and do what they did to me. That was just my personal experiance.

Just remember Matthew 10:22 when your caught in a situation like that.

Be Yourself

If i have learned one thing this year, it would be just two words. Two words that i have heard my entire life, but they never meant anything until now. I always just saw words, and like oh thats cute. That's a cute little saying, sew it onto a pillow, ya know. Those words are, BE YOURSELF. Or i remember i used to always say “Be who you want to be, not what others want to see”. Which actually i thought of while writing a poem when i was 10, but i guess its a big quote that everyone says haha. Im just that smart ;) This past year those words have really sunk in my heart, and i've been shown how important they truely are. There is SO much pressure on teens these days, to change who you are so that you will “fit in”, or change for a guy. And i think thats why no one these days really know who we are. That is why we are sterio-typed, labeled, assumed about, and that is why we are SO lost. Because we just dont know who to be. Should we be a drinker? Smoker? Be a partier? Christian? Skater? Emo? Hooligan? Vandalist? Gangster? The list could go on forever.. But we try out all these personalitys, looking for which one we fit best into, but they all get old after a while, and we just keep hoppin around. We will search for ourselfs in the opposite sex. But anyways, (i get sidetracked easily =P) for me personally, i did a lot of that last year. There were some guys, that i felt i needed to prove myself to be like them, or become like them, for them to like me. For one, i started becoming a “bad girl”, and tellin him what he wanted to hear. Because i thought it would make him like me more, cause he enjoyed that sort of talk. Later i found out i was pretty much gettin used. For what? I was the girl he was friends with just because i told him what he wanted to hear when he was having a rough time. He began to change me into someone im not, i changed MYSELF into someone im not, for him. And i now realize how ignorant that was, when i knew he was a bad influence on me. And i do regret some of the stuff that was said. There are other times where ive changed what i like and am into, such as video games, guitar, and all sorts of things. And im sure ill look back in a year and realize things im doing right NOW that are stupid like that. But my point is.. God has given us an identity. First of all, An Identity in Him. To be his sons and daughters. But second, when we find ourself in Christ, we start to put together who we are, and you dont feel like you have to keep searching for who you are. For instance, i love Longboarding, Snowboarding, ATV-ing, bein outside, and i enjoy hangin with the guys ang gettin dirty. But i also love make-up, cuttin hair, want to go into cosmotology, and will longboard in dresses and high heels. And i have a problem with procrastinating and motivation. Its just who i am, and its who God created me to be. I cant help that im girly in the sense that i love make-up, i cant change the fact that i hate math, and that i honestly dont like video games that much, or that i hate reading with everything in me. I can not pretend for a friend or for a guy that im totally into Halo or HoN, or COD, or TF2, or MW or whatever. I cant pretend that i love football or sports cause i am sooo not a sports person!! Another thing is stealing your peers identitys. For an example, a girl will like a guy, but the guy likes another girl. Whats the girl going to do?? Well of course, she is going to analize the girl, and try to become like her, and do what she does, like what she likes, so that the guy will like her. But all your doing is being an identity theft. Becoming someone your not. Lately, one of the biggest things that keep me on track to who i truely am, and keeping true to myself, is this; Say you become JUST like someone else.. When “the one” guy comes, or just any guy, (or even a friend) comes, and you get to be really good friends with, you get to know eachother, and he really likes you. But the person he got to know.. isnt really you. Its someone else, your just pretending to be like. Your being a FAKE. Our world today is FILLED with fakes that put on an act every day. But you see.. the truth will ALWAYS win out. Luke 8:17- For all that is secret will eventually be brought into the open. And what i always remind myself.. i want people to like me for who i am. I would rather be hated for WHO I AM then loved for WHO I AM NOT. And when “the one” comes along, i want him to fall in love with ME. Not all the things im pretending to be. You can only put on an act for so long.. Eventually people are going to catch on.. But sure.. sure we will go through life trying new things.. and having them just not work for us. Like some ppl try to learn Piano.. and they are determind at first to be the best, but deep down they hate it, and just want to do it cause its “cool”. Im trying to explain this as best as i can.. But i just cant seem to get through what i am really trying to say.. Though i am trying as best as i can. We just cant care what others think of us. If were worshiping in church and feel like gettin down on your knees, or jumpin around like crazy, then you cant be afraid to step out of your comfort zone, and not worry about the people around us. If there were no one else around we would be perfectly fine with being ourself and belting out some lyrics. So when were out in the real world, away from our alone time, you cant hold back who you are or your just not being yourself. Now this doesnt mean if your in WalMart, and your feel like screaming at the top of your lungs as you run through the isles, (or during service in church for that matter =P) that it is acceptable. Ya gotta be respectful =P I think what im trying to say is.. You can not be embarassed for ashamed of who you are created to be. Dont try to change things about you that you cant do anything about. Dont try to hide it. Because God created you PERFECT in his eyes. To God, you are his PERFECT creation. He doesnt see anything wrong with you. Its never you that he hates, its the sin that he hates. He will never love or hate us any more or less no matter what he do. Theres so much i wanna say.. and i could babble on for the rest of my life about all the lessons life has for us to learn, but i'll just stay on the subject of bein yourself for now.. Causeee i've already wondered and i have no idea pretty much of what i just typed =P It just kinda flows through my fingertips and i just keep typing as things come to mind. Which that brings me back to finding yourself in Christ. God gave me a scripture this year, its 1 Corinthians 12:7-. It explains how We are each given a spiritual gift. We are given this gift so that we can help people. God gave me the gift of being spoken through and the ability to give wise advice. Where others, they may have the gift of prayer, healing, speaking in tounges, etc. Etc.

Soooo before i make a novel out of this one subject, ill end it with that scripture. Cause i could say soooo much more about it. There is so much more about your Idenity in Christ and all that. But heres for now =] I pray that you understand what im talkin about and get the message im tryin to get through.