Tuesday, August 31, 2010

God's Answers

Alyssa posted a comment on the "God is Here for You" post a little while ago. It was a lot about God answering our prayers. Since that comment is kinda hidden away, I thought I would make an article out of it.

Have you ever prayed to God and thought He never gave an answer? For example, maybe you know lost someone close to you. You may wonder why God put you through that. Maybe you prayed and prayed that that person would stay healthy and with you, but nothing gets better. Would you doubt that He heard your prayers? Know this: God always hears and answers our prayers. As I've said before, God has a plan. He has reasons for everything He does. Alyssa talked about how she lost a family member, and she wondered why God would put her through so much pain. She eventually found out what God's answer was. The loss of her uncle strengthened her family's faith. Even though God always answers our prayers, it doesn't mean we will always like what the answer is. So if you don't think God is listening; if you don't think He gave you the right answer, remember that our God is always listening us, His children. Trust in Him; He always has the right answer.

Trust God,
Kyle

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Featured band: Silverline

Silverline is a Christian rock band that I met at Lifest this year. I can tell you, from experience, that the band members are really fun to hang out with! :) They have two albums: "Voices in the Night" and "Start to Believe". Sorry about the lack of songs. Playlist.com , the site from where I get the music player has only those three songs. But they're good! :)

Kyle

"Come to the Cross"

Inspiration for the article today comes from Michael W. Smith's song "Come to the Cross.

There's always room in Jesus's heart for us. The song starts off like this:

Mourner, wherever you are
Wherever you are at the cross there is room
Tell your burdened heart
Your burdened heart at the cross there is room
Tell it in the Savior's ear
Cast away your every fear
Only speak and He will hear
There's always room at the cross for us. What I mean by that, is God won't deny you his love, mercy, or grace because you are one of millions. He's always here for us to tell our problems and pains to.

Hallelujah, everyone
Everyone can come to the cross
It doesn't matter what you've done
Everyone can come to the cross
Here, in the chorus, is another example of God's grace. Regardless of what you've done or what happened in the past, God still loves and accepts you.

When should we come to the cross? Well, the question is: Once we come to the cross, must we leave? Luckily, the answer is no! Once you let God live in you, you don't have to forget about it. Embrace his spirit and let Him do his work through you. You can be so much happier.. You may find yourself doing things for others that you never did before. You will also find that you have someone to talk to in the worst of times. Like the song said "Tell your burdened heart... at the cross there is room". When you're burdened, talk to God. Ask him for help or guidance when you need it. God answers our prayers. He may not answer in ways that we would expect, or even in ways that we like, but you always get an answer, and it's always the best.

Peace be with you,
Kyle

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Remember Rahab

Every night beefore I go to bed, I read a few pages of the Bible. Last night I started the Old Testament book of Joshua. In the first chapter, Joshua sends two spies across the Jordan into Jericho (in the Promised Land) before the rest of Israel entered. The spies were close to getting captured when they came upon the house of a woman named Rahab. Rahab wasn't the person you would think God would use. She was a prostitute, and for most of her life, she didn't believe in God. When word of what has happened with the Israelites came to Jericho, Rahab heard of it and began to believe in and fear the LORD. When the spies came to her house, she hid them. Soon, men of the Jericho military came in search of the spies. Because Rahab was hiding the two men, they were not found. After the military men left, Rahab lowered the spies out of her house through the window. The spies made it safely back to their families.

As I said before, Rahab wasn't a woman whom you would expect God to use, but she didn't let her past keep her from God. We all have things in our past that we aren't proud of, but we can't let those things draw us from God. Past regrets can't get in the way of giving ourselves up to God for His use. God will use you how He sees fit, regardless of your past. If you ever feel like things you've done are keeping God from being in you, just remember Rahab and how God used her.

Remember Rahab,
Kyle

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

How Do You Use His Name?

God's name is used in many ways today, and not all of them are good. The question is: How do you use his name? Do you use it as a blame? God's name can be a blame for us sometimes. Don't blame God for any bad things that are happening. Those things may either be Satan's work, or small bumps in the road. Remember that God keeps the big picture in mind. Ever use it as a curse? "Oh my God!" or "I swear to God!" are two commonly used phrases in which God's name is used in a not-so-good way. The Third Commandment says: "'You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.'" That was covered in the first part of this article. What the Third Commandment doesn't say, is how we can use His name. Use His name for His glory. Praise Him. Use His name to teach others and spread His word. That's one of the reasons we, as Christians, we made. To glorify the LORD.

Praise the LORD,
Kyle

Monday, August 23, 2010

Five Minutes to Go...

It was a Sunday like any other. Church started at 9:00, and my alarm was set for 7:30 so I could get ready and get to church in time to get a good seat. At least, I thought it was set... 8:50 came around and I was just stepping out of bed in my pj's. First thing that came to mind: "There's no way I'm getting to church today." So I didn't. I simply walked up to the living room, sat down, and watched tv.
Now I'm looking back on that day and wondering why I didn't go to church. God doesn't care how nice you look. His house has no dress code. The dress-nice-for-church attitude is not God's, it's just one that His people have come up with. Now I'm not saying we should never dress up for church or look nice. What I mean is: Don't skip church one day because you're having a bad hair day. God accepts us for who we are. What matters is that we are there to praise Him and learn His Word.

Come as you are,
Kyle

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Featured Band: Superchick

This week's featured Christian band is Superchick! Superchick plays rock music, with some songs being girl-power based. They're very fun. If you try searching them and get no results, try Superchic[k]. Listen to the song "Hero", and be sure to really listen to the lyrics. It's an amazing song.

Rock on for God,
Kyle

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Footprints

One night a man had a dream. He dreamed he was walking alond the beach with the LORD. Across the sky flashed scenes from his life. For each scene, he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand; one belonging to him, and the other to the LORD.
WHen the last scene of his life flashed before himm, he looked back at the footprints in the sand. He noticed that many times alond the path of his life there was only one set of footprings. He also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times in his life.
This really bothered him and he questioned the LORD about it. "LORD, you said that once I decided to follow you, you'd walk with me all the way. BUt I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life, there is only one set of footprints. I don't understand why when I needed you most you would leave me."
The LORD replied, "My precious, precious child, I love you and I would never leace you. During your times of trial and suffering, when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you."

That story was on a card I picked up at church one day. I've kept it in my wallet ever since. It reminds me that when I'm going through a tough time, the LORD will help me out. When I'm going through one of the toughest times, the LORD will carry me. So if you're walking through the valley, and it turns into, say, the Grand Canyon, let the LORD carry you and you will make it through. There's strength in the LORD; don't be afraid to use it when you need it.

In Christ,
Kyle

Friday, August 20, 2010

Through the Valleys

I was listening to my iPod (again) and came across the song "Mountain of God" by Third Day. It's an amazing song about strength and God's love. It starts off like this:

Thought that I was all alone
Broken and afraid
But You were there with me
Yes, You were there with me

And I didn't even know
That I had lost my way
But You were there with me
Yes, You were there with me

God is always with us. When we're broken, afraid, belittled, and overwhelmed, God helps us. Let Him be in you and you will make it through. Speaking of making it through...

Even though the journey's long
And I know the road is hard
Well, the One who's gone before me
He will help me carry on
After all that I've been through
Now I realize the truth
That I must go through the valley
To stand upon the mountain of God

For me, this is the most uplifting and powerful part of the song. It tells us that everybody has a long, hard journey, but God's there to help those who have faith. The last two lines are my favorites. There are mountains (ups) and valleys (downs) in everyone's lives. We have to learn how to face those downs with God.

I talked about this before, I believe, in the "Courage in Faith" article. When we are walking through life's valleys, we must have faith. Walk tall through life's challenges, knowing God is always at your side, helping you on. And when you're too weak to walk, and you think you can't go on, the LORD will carry you. But that's another article for another day. That will be continued in tomorrow's article "Footprints".

credits: Lyrics from the song "Mountain of God" by Third day. Lyrics were taken from azlyrics.com

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Two Announcements

Two things to announce!

1) God's Word Saves now has a page on facebook. Like us! :)

2) This week's featured artist in the Music Player is Relient K! :)

Peace,
Kyle

Courage in Faith

So I'm sure I've explained faith and what it entails. One thing I never mentioned is that faith can give you courage. I realized this when I was listening to "Find Your Wings" by Mark Harris. There's a line in the chorus that goes:

That faith gives you the courage
to dare to do great things.

I paused the song the first time I heard that so I could think that over. I realized that he's right! There is courage in faith. If you want courage, simply have faith that God is watching over you. Have faith that He loves you and will make everything OK. Simply put: Faith is the key. The key to courage, the key to heaven, the key to an AMAZING relationship with God. So next time you're walking through the Devil's valley, have faith that your God will lead you to His mountain. Then you will have the courage to walk through the valley, proudly, untouched by the Devil, for God is with you.

Have faith,
Kyle

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Music Player

Inspired by Elise's post and Alyssa's comment, we now have a Music Player! Thanks to playlist.com for their gadget. The Music Player will feature a few songs from a Christian band. The band will change every week, so don't forget to check it out! I will be accepting requests/suggestions of bands to feature, just comment here!

Kyle

Your Music Taste

This summer I was working at a strawberry patch and the subject of music came up. Everyone started talking about their favorite songs and who they want to see in concert and I started to realize a trend, everyone was talking about some hip hop rap or rock artist, they were singing about sex or hurting some girl or something along those lines. Then I realized I hadn't said a thing about my favorite song. At that everyone seemed to realize that too. So they all asked almost instantly, "Elise, what about you?" and I sat there and I remembered the first country song I ever heard called "The Long Black Train" by Josh Turner and no one knew about it, of course, it's country and its CHRISTIAN. It got me thinking, you know even our music affects how we live. And it affects how people see us. Yes, there are rock and hip hop that aren't talking about sex, but how about those bands that are Christian. Why don't they play those on the radio? We need to let people know there is awesome Christian music that is good to hear and lift your spirits. Such as Relient K and Skillet. Our music affects us whether we wanna believe it or not.

In Christ,
Elise

Sunday, August 15, 2010

"He Still Calls Me Son"

I was listening to my iPod yesterday when I came upon a song. It's one I've listened to many times before, but I never fully listened and absorbed the meaning of the song. It was "He Still Calls Me Son" by John Waller. It's a song about Grace. He starts off by telling us the bad things he's done and the terrible things that have been done to him:

"I drug his name through godless places
And I've known shame that no child of his should know
I've seen pain on broken faces
Beyond all thought of hope
I was just too far from home
Still I always wondered when I closed my eyes"

And the first chorus reads:
"After all I've done
Could he run to me?
Would he kiss my face?
Could he even look at me?
After where I've been
should he take me back?
I would understand
I've disgraced him
But it would be amazing
If he still calls me son"
Are you ever like this? I know I get like this sometimes. I went through a rough patch awhile back. I wondered if God could ever forgive me for all the terrible things I did and thought. Things I didn't do that I should have.

In the next verse, he talks about how, just when things look the worst, and he's crawling home on his hands and knees, he sees God watching over him with forgiveness.

After all I'd done
He just ran to me
Then he kissed my face
He would not let go of me
After where I'd been
He just welcomed me
I didn't understand
But he put his robe on me
It was so amazing
That he still called me son
That's the second chorus. It shows how amazing God's grace is! No matter what we've done, God will always be here for us. Our faith is what matters. God will always forgive us, because Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross for our sins. God will always call us his sons (and daughters).

One day as I breathe my last
And I know my days on earth have ended
When every hour is spent
I will close my eyes in amazement
And I'll hear angels
They'll be singing
And here, on his deathbed, he is sharing still how God's grace is with him. His faith has earned him his place in heaven, because God forgives us of any sin we have committed.

If you're ever wondering if God will call you His, think of this song and smile. Know that God will always forgive you. Even if your faith is weakened with pain and sorrow, You're still His child and his love for you is uncondional. Amen

God's grace,
Kyle

credits: Lyrics posted are from the song "He Still Calls Me Son" by John Waller. Lyrics were taken from allthelyrics.com

Saturday, August 14, 2010

500 Views!!!

Yay! We've have reached our first milestone view count: 500! Thanks to everyone who has read, commented, and voted on the site, but you wanna know what I think? 500 is great, better than I expected, but I think 1000 is better! How fast can we get there? Pretty quick if you tell your friends! At the bottom of each post there is a nifty little toolbar that you can use to post to twitter, facebook, etc. Tell you friends, family, church buddies, youth group. Even if they're not Christian. In fact, that's even better! have a friend that hasn't come to Christ yet? Help them out! Tell them to check us out! godswordsaves.blogspot.com is NOT hazardous to your health. I repeat: NOT hazardous.

Also, I was wondering if you guys would like God's Word Saves to have its own Facebook and/or Twitter account. If there was one, would you make use of it? Coming soon is a "Contact Me" area. The blog will soon have its own email, so you can contact us privately if you have any questions/concerns. But I must say, as with the comments, vulgar, anti-God, anti-religion, hurtful, inappropriate, offensive, spam, or mean emails are NOT appreciated.

Again, THANKS so much for the support you have given us here. Let's see if we can get up to 1000 views by the end of August!

God's peace,
Kyle

God Can be in You

Do you ever think about God and say to yourself "Why is He so far away?"

There are millions of Christians in the world. It's very easy to think that God is so far away from us personally. Too busy to be with us personally. But He's not! That's the amazing thing. God is always with us, communicating with us, teaching us. He's not just up in his throne. We must remember that he came down to His people. Not in Godly form, but as man. He came down through Jesus Christ. We have to want to have a personal relationship with God. He's not going to do all the work to make a relationship work. You have to meet Him halfway. He will not come where He is not wanted. So you have to want Him in your life, and have faith that He will be with you as long as you believe. If you do that, God will be in you.

Peace,
Kyle

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Faith Saves

Faith is very important and very powerful thing. Faith is believing and being certain of something we don't see. In this case, that thing we don't see is God. We have to have faith that God has a plan for us, and He does. Every little thing that happens is part of God's greater plan. Sometimes that plan includes things we don't like. I have a very close friend that had a battle with cancer. Throughout her fight, she kept her faith strong. She put her life into God's hands. She dropped life's reigns and let God do His thing, and she was rewarded for her faith. He got rid of her cancer! It's amazing what faith can do. You've probably heard me mention this before, and I'll mention it a million times more. The story of Joseph in Egypt. The terrible thing that happened to him, the cancer in his life, was being sold into slavery. Joseph kept his faith strong. He believed that God knew what is best. God rewarded him by bringing him up to be the Pharoah's right-hand man. Eventually, that led to Joseph's family being brought to Egypt, and then the Israelites being delivered from Egypt. So just remember, God has a plan for you. Keep your faith strong and you will be rewarded. Amen

Stay faithful,
Kyle

Comments

I just want to say that this blog is not a place for anti-religion, hurtful, nor inappropriate comments. Twice now, people have posted hurtful/rude comments. Nobody is forcing you to read/visit the blog. Please, keep your anti-religion comments/thoughts to yourself. Vulgar language is also not allowed. The blog is meant to be uplifting and educational. It's meant to help people understand God's word and lessons. Starting now, Any hurtful, rude, anti-religion, mean, vulgar, disrespectful, or inappropriate comments will be read, responded to, and DELETED IMMEDIATELY. I will respond in hopes that the comment's author will read the response. If this continues after the "read, respond, delete" process, I will be changing the Comments Settings so all comments will be reviewed by me before being posted. Any comments of the above-listed nature will not be allowed. Thank you

Kyle

HELLO!!!

I finally figured out how to post! I, like Kyle, will only be posting when I have something meaningful to say. Also music is a huge inspirational so you will often see me refer to songs and artists who have influenced me in some way. I just wanted to say in advance I am not trying to use the blog as a platform to advertise I just want to share the bit of songs that moved me. I will always post the artist and song along with any lyrics used (if I know them) to avoid legal issues. If you choose to look up the artist awesome , if not that's cool too. I am looking forward to posting and reading the feedback.
Blessings,
Alyssa

Sunday, August 8, 2010

The Popularity Idol

I was reading my Bible when I came across a little side note. My Bible is full of them. They offer insight on different parts of the Bible. This one was in Leviticus and it talked about idolatry. More than once, the Israelites made idols and worshipped them instead of God. It went on to talk about different idols that we have here in modern society. An idol is anything that has become more important to us that God. It listed an idol that really caught my attention: Popularity. If you think about it, it's so true! All too often, being "popular" pulls us away from God. Sometimes we are afraid to act the way God tells us to. We don't wear our Christian T-shirts to school. We tuck our cross necklace under our shirts, out of sight. We are afraid of what people might think or say. We can't let it be like that! So throw down that idol. Proudly sport an "I Love Hardcore Christian Girls/Boys" T-shirt. Speak up for your God. Popularity lasts only a lifetime. God's love lasts forever. But that doesn't necessarily mean you have to completely give up popularity to love God. All you have to do is believe that God is more important. Have friends that will accept you for who you are: God's child. Amen

Friday, August 6, 2010

See the Little Things

God made everything. He made Earth and all it's inhabitants. He gave us all of our possessions. Everything here is connected to Him. Have you ever seen God's beautiful work here on Earth? He sends us little things, beautiful reminders of His love for us. Sunsets are one example. I think of the twilight sky as God's canvas. Some nights, He paints a beautiful for His people, so we are reminded of His love for us. A tip on being happy: Notice the little things. See the sunsets, notice every small, beautiful thing that He has given us. Once you can do that, see his little gifts to us, you have unlocked another door to happiness. Amen

Look for God's little gifts,
Kyle

Events

There's a new "Events" section to the blog. I will link to the event's website if there is one, so be sure to check it out! You can suggest Christian-oriented events for addition to the Events section by commenting on this post.

Note: "National Pro-Life Cupcake Dat: Oct 9th" is the only event up right now. The link is to their website, but I have also created a facebook event that you can attend. Just search "National Pro-Life Cupcake Day" and find the current event. There was an event made for Nation Pro-Life Cupcake Day 2009, so make sure you find the 2010 one!

Kyle

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Welcome!

I would like to welcome Alyssa as a new author on the blog. I can't wait to hear what she has to say! Now, be nice. Don't scare her away, please. :)

Kyle

Don't Be a Garage Christian

A friend's facebook status yesterday read: "Sitting in church makes you no more Christian than sitting in a garage makes you a car."
This is so true! We can sit in church all day and still not be true Christians. The problem is that we give God his own little space, and that space extends to the property lines of our church. Once we leave Service we resume our everyday lives, leaving God all alone at His altar. That's what we do, but we don't have to continue doing it. God wants people to hear about him. He wants us to spread His word to everyone! Spread it to the masses: your family, your friends, believers, and those who still haven't come to Christ. Who knows, you may even help someone start their relationship with the LORD. Trust me, it's an amazing feeling.
So pray to the LORD. Ask Him to fill you with his love. Ask for understanding of His Word so you can spread it to His people.
Lastly, I ask you this: Will you bring God into your life? Will you stop being a Garage Christian? Amen

Spread the Word,
Kyle

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Saved From Doubt

Until recently, I was doubting the success of the blog here. I was getting bummed because of the low number/rate of views. I was doubting the quality of my writing, but right when I was about to give up, God talked to me. The first time it was through my girlfriend. I asked her what her opinion about the blog was. She told me she was proud and that she loved it (thank you, dear). The second was through someone whom I've never spoken to before. It was a reader who commented on a post. She talked about how she loves the blog, and how it has helped her with her relationship with God. I was talking to my best friend today and she actually ws the one to tell me about the post mentioned above. She was aware of the doubts I was having and told me: "You have doubts and God provides you a message to keep your faith strong". That's exactly what happened. God saw that I was having my doubts and he sent me those people, who helped me and kept me going. (Thank you to all those mentioned, you helped me so much.) So next time you are having doubts, whether they are doubts of faith, of other doubts, just look around. There might be a message from God waiting to be discovered. Amen

When in doubt, stay strong,
Kyle