You don't know me
You don't know who I am
You don't know what fight I'm in
You don't know what I've done; where I've been.
Who are you to judge?
You don't have the slightest clue
From the outside,
My life doesn't look so grim
Once you get to know me,
And you've learned where I've been,
You'll see...
You have no place to judge.
Who are we to judge?
We don't know the inner workings
We don't know where someone has been
We don't know what they've gone through
Judgement is left to one
The Almighty God
The one who was with us
Through it all
You don't know me,
You don't know where I've been
You don't know what I've done; what I've felt
So, who are you to judge?
This is just a little something I wrote and wanted to share.
Friday, November 26, 2010
Sunday, November 21, 2010
God's Mercy
Last night I was able to experience Holiness Revolution, a giant youth group. It was a unique experience. The main topic of the night was God's mercy.
God's mercy is so great, many of this know this, yet we struggle to believe that we are included in this. We can easily tell others that they are loved, that God is forgiving and merciful, that they are beautiful, that they are fearfully and wonderfully made (psalm 139). Yet, we cannot believe this ourselves. It does not apply to me. God, you do not know what I did. God, you are not big enough to fix this. God, I am helpless. God, I am broken. God, you cannot fix me.
I want to tell you these are all lies! God is bigger than our minds can fathom. His love, his mercy is completely unfathomable. God is big enough. God is strong enough. God will help you. You are NOT too broken for God!
Be open. Allow the Holy Spirit to penetrate your heart. Let him in.
Let the Holy Spirit change you.
Look at what Christ did for you! He wanted to do this! We, as sinners, all deserve eternal death. We all deserve to die, but Christ died on the cross for us. He died on the cross so that we might have life and have it abundantly. His most precious blood drips down upon us and we are washed clean with the blood of the lamb! His mercy cleanses us and makes us worthy to have eternal life. And the best part is... Christ WANTED to do it!
Keep praying!
God bless!
In Jesus&Mary,
amber
God's mercy is so great, many of this know this, yet we struggle to believe that we are included in this. We can easily tell others that they are loved, that God is forgiving and merciful, that they are beautiful, that they are fearfully and wonderfully made (psalm 139). Yet, we cannot believe this ourselves. It does not apply to me. God, you do not know what I did. God, you are not big enough to fix this. God, I am helpless. God, I am broken. God, you cannot fix me.
I want to tell you these are all lies! God is bigger than our minds can fathom. His love, his mercy is completely unfathomable. God is big enough. God is strong enough. God will help you. You are NOT too broken for God!
Be open. Allow the Holy Spirit to penetrate your heart. Let him in.
Let the Holy Spirit change you.
Look at what Christ did for you! He wanted to do this! We, as sinners, all deserve eternal death. We all deserve to die, but Christ died on the cross for us. He died on the cross so that we might have life and have it abundantly. His most precious blood drips down upon us and we are washed clean with the blood of the lamb! His mercy cleanses us and makes us worthy to have eternal life. And the best part is... Christ WANTED to do it!
Keep praying!
God bless!
In Jesus&Mary,
amber
Friday, November 19, 2010
I Know God Will not Give me More Than I can Handle, but...
Sometimes I wish He didn't trust me so much. ~Mother Teresa
Many people question, is there a such thing as spiritual warfare or spiritual battle?
My answer: Absolutely.
However, we only experience it and receive suffering with it when we are in touch with God, have a personal relationship with him and seek Him as our comfort and consolation. Don't let this steer you away from this personal relationship with God, because he will be with you through it and be your strength as you suffer...plus, all the suffering offered to Christ saves a great many souls, that we do not realize we have saved until we one day make it to heaven.
The devil has been attacking me repeatedly with the same attack for a really long time now. Even before I became Catholic, I struggled with these thoughts and feelings I have been having...that are completely inexplicable. It is kind of like my heart has been taken and twisted and turned in every which way that makes living absolutely awful torture, but I know that God is doing something with it and that gives me hope, and courage to keep fighting. Now, this does not mean I am perfectly content and okay all the time. I still lose hope. I still feel discouraged. However, I do know that this is a cross Christ has given me to bear. He is with me in all my suffering and when I call upon his name He is right there. He is always right there waiting for us to run into his open arms and feel his presence. So, when the going gets tough- don't be discouraged. Hope in the life that is to come and say a prayer. My favorite prayer in fighting this battle has been to St. Michael.
St. Michael, the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do Thou O Prince of the Heavenly Host cast into hell satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin and destruction of souls. amen.
Another way to fight a spiritual battle is to pray a novena and implore the help of a saint to fight this battle. Their intercession will help you as well. Remember that as you are calling on the Lord the devil will attack even more fiercely and will try even harder to get you to fall away from Christ and instead of accepting it all as a cross you must bear he will try to convince you of the lies he is feeding you and will continue to try harder and harder. It is your duty to spend time in prayer and to get to know and recognize the Lord's voice over the devil and push satan aside rather than Christ.
In conclusion, prayer is crucial in your life. No matter how much or how little, you need prayer. Don't lose hope and remember that this is only a small part of eternity that we are on this earth, so rather hope in the life to come. Lastly, trust Jesus always.
Keep praying!
God bless!
In Jesus&Mary,
amber
Many people question, is there a such thing as spiritual warfare or spiritual battle?
My answer: Absolutely.
However, we only experience it and receive suffering with it when we are in touch with God, have a personal relationship with him and seek Him as our comfort and consolation. Don't let this steer you away from this personal relationship with God, because he will be with you through it and be your strength as you suffer...plus, all the suffering offered to Christ saves a great many souls, that we do not realize we have saved until we one day make it to heaven.
The devil has been attacking me repeatedly with the same attack for a really long time now. Even before I became Catholic, I struggled with these thoughts and feelings I have been having...that are completely inexplicable. It is kind of like my heart has been taken and twisted and turned in every which way that makes living absolutely awful torture, but I know that God is doing something with it and that gives me hope, and courage to keep fighting. Now, this does not mean I am perfectly content and okay all the time. I still lose hope. I still feel discouraged. However, I do know that this is a cross Christ has given me to bear. He is with me in all my suffering and when I call upon his name He is right there. He is always right there waiting for us to run into his open arms and feel his presence. So, when the going gets tough- don't be discouraged. Hope in the life that is to come and say a prayer. My favorite prayer in fighting this battle has been to St. Michael.
St. Michael, the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do Thou O Prince of the Heavenly Host cast into hell satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin and destruction of souls. amen.
Another way to fight a spiritual battle is to pray a novena and implore the help of a saint to fight this battle. Their intercession will help you as well. Remember that as you are calling on the Lord the devil will attack even more fiercely and will try even harder to get you to fall away from Christ and instead of accepting it all as a cross you must bear he will try to convince you of the lies he is feeding you and will continue to try harder and harder. It is your duty to spend time in prayer and to get to know and recognize the Lord's voice over the devil and push satan aside rather than Christ.
In conclusion, prayer is crucial in your life. No matter how much or how little, you need prayer. Don't lose hope and remember that this is only a small part of eternity that we are on this earth, so rather hope in the life to come. Lastly, trust Jesus always.
Keep praying!
God bless!
In Jesus&Mary,
amber
Sunday, November 14, 2010
You are loved, You are worthy!
You were not a mistake, for all your days are written in my book. Psalm 139:15-16
Today, I was reading a love letter that I received from God, the Father, made up of bible verses I came across this one. A struggle I carry in my heart is one with feeling like I have purpose, I am worthy, I deserved to be loved. When I read this verse I realized that God has a plan and a purpose for you! He has a specific detailed plan and has us on this earth at this time for a reason. We are meant to be here and have a mission. I do not know your specific mission nor do I know my own, but we all have a mission to love and to spread the word of the Lord throughout the world, to every person we meet. So, start there and build from that. We all have a mission! To learn what your specific mission is you must pray and ask God to reveal it to you, but I promise you life has purpose and meaning. You are meant to do something great, whether big or small, it will be great and will change someone's life!
Over the weekend I was on retreat and these two verses stood out to me repeatedly:
And it is my desire to lavish my love on you. 1 John 3:1
Because I love you with an everlasting love. Jeremiah 31:3
Jesus loves us! He chose to die on the cross for us! He wanted to die on the cross for us and give us eternal life. It was his life, and he chose to give up for us! Because he loves us! He loves us with an everlasting love! He wants to lavish, pour out his love upon us and love us.
The catch- We have to accept his love! We do NOT accept his love and do not allow or permit him to love us he can do nothing, but speak words of love to our heart, words that will be drowned out by demons trying to get us to fall away from Christ. Do NOT LISTEN TO THE DEMONS! You are loved. You are beautiful! You deserve to be loved! You are worthy of loved! Christ just needs you to be open to him and permit him to come into your heart and he will take care of the rest!
Let Jesus consume you entirely.
Keep praying!
God bless!
In Jesus&Mary,
amber
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Double Life Syndrome?
Last night our youth group topic was Double Life Syndrome. Do you lead a double life? Do you wear one wardrobe for youth group and church events and another for school or social events? Do you say your pro-life, but do nothing to stop abortions? Do you profess the faith at mass and forget about it entirely after? Do you go along with impure, sexual jokes so as not to look weird?
I'm sure you answered yes to one of these questions or would have at one point in your life. Well, how do I fix this problem? How do I take my two lives and pick one and how do I remove the one that I do not want to partake in? Prayer!
Prayer seems to always be the answer to these types of problems, but it is only with Jesus we can change our lives. We are nothing, we are dirt, we are worthless, and we are powerless...without Jesus. When our life is centered on Jesus, when we let Jesus consume our mind, body, heart, and soul - our entire being we can do all things! Nothing is impossible with Jesus. All things can be accomplished and his grace and mercy will be enough for us to keep pressing on. His grace, his mercy is enough. We just have to allow him to come into our hearts. When you reflect on your life look and see where you're one person and where you're the other. You need to choose the life that has Jesus. STOP GOING THROUGH THE MOTIONS! Stop settling! Be radical. Be different. As Pope John Paul II says, "Do NOT be afraid" Do not be afraid of what will come of a situation. If you are giving everything to Jesus and seeking to do his will, you cannot go wrong. Jesus will lead you down the narrow path. He will give you everything you need. He will be your strength. He loves you! You just need to say: Jesus, come into my heart. I wish to serve you. I want to come to know you more. Help me to live a life for you, and you alone.
When we pray, when we run to Jesus all things come together and we are able to serve him as he calls us to serve. When we come to know Jesus we will always, always, always have somewhere to run. When we are living our faith we have a continuous joy because Jesus is the source of our joy and loves us more than our human minds can fathom. Do not be afraid to live your faith radically. Let Jesus consume you. It will be something you will NEVER regret!
I'm sure you answered yes to one of these questions or would have at one point in your life. Well, how do I fix this problem? How do I take my two lives and pick one and how do I remove the one that I do not want to partake in? Prayer!
Prayer seems to always be the answer to these types of problems, but it is only with Jesus we can change our lives. We are nothing, we are dirt, we are worthless, and we are powerless...without Jesus. When our life is centered on Jesus, when we let Jesus consume our mind, body, heart, and soul - our entire being we can do all things! Nothing is impossible with Jesus. All things can be accomplished and his grace and mercy will be enough for us to keep pressing on. His grace, his mercy is enough. We just have to allow him to come into our hearts. When you reflect on your life look and see where you're one person and where you're the other. You need to choose the life that has Jesus. STOP GOING THROUGH THE MOTIONS! Stop settling! Be radical. Be different. As Pope John Paul II says, "Do NOT be afraid" Do not be afraid of what will come of a situation. If you are giving everything to Jesus and seeking to do his will, you cannot go wrong. Jesus will lead you down the narrow path. He will give you everything you need. He will be your strength. He loves you! You just need to say: Jesus, come into my heart. I wish to serve you. I want to come to know you more. Help me to live a life for you, and you alone.
When we pray, when we run to Jesus all things come together and we are able to serve him as he calls us to serve. When we come to know Jesus we will always, always, always have somewhere to run. When we are living our faith we have a continuous joy because Jesus is the source of our joy and loves us more than our human minds can fathom. Do not be afraid to live your faith radically. Let Jesus consume you. It will be something you will NEVER regret!
Monday, November 8, 2010
You Are All Beautiful!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hth7GzAoXos
I heard this song the other day and it was interesting because I had been really struggling with some insecurities of mine. Women so often feel insecure about our appearance. We're afraid we look fat, or ugly, and are always striving to be perfect, gorgeous, stunning, and trying to live up to this false standard the media puts forth for us to live up to and we're not good enough unless we can meet these standards of beauty, which are all ridiculous, and impossible to achieve because we are all human and imperfect, plus almost all of those images are computer edited, so how are we supposed to successfully look like an image that is so perfect only because of computer editing? We're not! We are all beautiful just the way we are! God made us beautiful!
One of my favorite bible verses comes from Song of Songs 4:7. This verse states "You are all beautiful, my beloved, there is no blemish within you" How true is this! We are all made in the image and likeness of a perfect God. We are perfect in the eyes of the Father! He loves us just where we are and just how we are.
A great quote from St. Rose of Lima
"Lord, help me to remember what is really important:
That I am Your child
You are my Father
You love me for who I am and how I live,
not what I look like or what I own.
Let me praise you who sees into my heart, who is always with me, and who eases my suffering."
Remember, my dear friends, we are all beautiful and we are all loved by our Father in heaven. You are never alone and you are so loved. Take your insecurities to the Lord and seek him for comfort and consolation when you struggle with your image.
God bless!
Keep praying!
In Jesus&Mary,
amber
I heard this song the other day and it was interesting because I had been really struggling with some insecurities of mine. Women so often feel insecure about our appearance. We're afraid we look fat, or ugly, and are always striving to be perfect, gorgeous, stunning, and trying to live up to this false standard the media puts forth for us to live up to and we're not good enough unless we can meet these standards of beauty, which are all ridiculous, and impossible to achieve because we are all human and imperfect, plus almost all of those images are computer edited, so how are we supposed to successfully look like an image that is so perfect only because of computer editing? We're not! We are all beautiful just the way we are! God made us beautiful!
One of my favorite bible verses comes from Song of Songs 4:7. This verse states "You are all beautiful, my beloved, there is no blemish within you" How true is this! We are all made in the image and likeness of a perfect God. We are perfect in the eyes of the Father! He loves us just where we are and just how we are.
A great quote from St. Rose of Lima
"Lord, help me to remember what is really important:
That I am Your child
You are my Father
You love me for who I am and how I live,
not what I look like or what I own.
Let me praise you who sees into my heart, who is always with me, and who eases my suffering."
Remember, my dear friends, we are all beautiful and we are all loved by our Father in heaven. You are never alone and you are so loved. Take your insecurities to the Lord and seek him for comfort and consolation when you struggle with your image.
God bless!
Keep praying!
In Jesus&Mary,
amber
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