I AM new?

New year, new you? 
I don't think so, it hardly ever sticks. you promise yourself to do more exercise, or to eat more healthily, give something up... the list goes on. 
last year I decided to give up noodles, I gave them up because I was eating noodles everyday and it was probably not that good for me. It did last the whole year, it was difficult to begin with but it got easier as the year went on. 
but in all honesty it is the first year I've completed a whole year of giving something up. It hasn't changed me as a person and neither did I expect it to, even though I convinced myself it would, but also at the beginning of 2014 I promised myself that id be a "new me". that didn't happen either. I don't know what I expected to happen but nothing did, last year I had a new boyfriend, a new job, and that's about it. 
I think the "new me" has started, but only since I started the new job, Essential. I have learnt a lot about myself, and my journey is still ongoing. 
What I'm trying to say is that just because a new year starts, doesn't mean the new you starts then, it can take time and can sometimes happen over time not over night. 
Don't give your self unrealistic goals or time lines or 'start dates' Pray to God, put all your cares in His hands and let your life go on it's own path led by God. 
I want this year to take up something rather than giving something up, so this year I'd like to be accountable for all of you who read my blog. if you would like me to pray for you you can comment on the bottom of this post, or email me on: lauren.harry@salvationarmy.org.uk 

I AM fake

I heard last week that an idol is something that takes you way from God.

And I tried really hard to pretend that I didn’t have any idols, that it wasn’t me who was one of those people who put something else before God. But actually I am one of those people.  

An idol is any person, object or activity you give a higher priority in your life than a relationship with God. An idol can be your home, your job, a vehicle, a relationship, or even your family. An idol can be a pet, a computer, or what you look at on that computer. An idol can be alcohol, drugs, sex, or any sin. An idol can be the work you do for the Lord that consumes all your energy and time. God says He’s a jealous God. He wants our time and attention.

 “This is what God-of-the-Angel-Armies, the God of Israel, says ‘You saw with your own eyes the terrible doom that I brought down on Jerusalem and the Judean cities. Look at what is left: ghost towns of rubble and smoking ruins, and all because they took up with evil ways, making me angry by going off to offer sacrifices and worship the latest in gods – no gods that neither they nor you nor your ancestors knew the first thing about. Morning after morning and long into the night I kept after you, sending you all those prophets, my servants, begging you, “please, please – don’t do this, don’t fool around in this loathsome gutter of gods that I hate with a passion.” But do you think anyone paid the least bit of attention or repented of evil or quit offering sacrifices to the no-gods? Not one. So I let loose with my anger, a fire-storm of wrath in the cities of Judea and the streets of Jerusalem, and left them in ruins and wasted, and they’re still in ruins and wasted.’” Jeremiah 44:2-6

This is God’s anger against His own people! The people of Judah had been warned but they refused to listen. It is exactly the same today, people will tell you to turn your life back to God, DESTROY your idols. Don’t keep those idols on show if they are the things keeping you from a righteous walk with God.

It is so easy to leave God in the back of your mind, but by putting Him in the back of your mind something else must be in the front of your mind. Maybe we need to take a good look at our lives what it is that in the forefront. What are our idols? What is taking us away from God? Only you will have the answer to that it is between you and God. Enjoy finding out and replacing it with God.

I AM fasting

In Isaiah 58 it says this:.

“This is the kind of fast day I’m after:

    to break the chains of injustice,
    get rid of exploitation in the workplace,
    free the oppressed,
    cancel debts.
What I’m interested in seeing you do is:
    sharing your food with the hungry,
    inviting the homeless poor into your homes,
    putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad,
    being available to your own families.
Do this and the lights will turn on,
    and your lives will turn around at once.
Your righteousness will pave your way.
    The God of glory will secure your passage.
Then when you pray, God will answer.
    You’ll call out for help and I’ll say, ‘Here I am.’
    quit blaming victims,
    quit gossiping about other people’s sins,
If you are generous with the hungry
    and start giving yourselves to the down-and-out,
Your lives will begin to glow in the darkness,
    your shadowed lives will be bathed in sunlight.
I will always show you where to go.
    I’ll give you a full life in the emptiest of places—
    firm muscles, strong bones.
You’ll be like a well-watered garden,
    a gurgling spring that never runs dry.
You’ll use the old rubble of past lives to build anew,
    rebuild the foundations from out of your past.
You’ll be known as those who can fix anything,
    restore old ruins, rebuild and renovate,
    make the community liveable again.
    and don’t use my holy day for personal advantage,
If you treat the Sabbath as a day of joy,
    God’s holy day as a celebration,
If you honour it by refusing ‘business as usual,’
    making money, running here and there—
Then you’ll be free to enjoy God!

“If you get rid of unfair practices,

 “If you watch your step on the Sabbath

We need to remember to say grace before meals, and to give thanks for our days.

Jesus spent forty days going into the wilderness. There is no actual suggestion that Jesus fasted for this time, but those familiar with the story of Elijah are likely to have assumed he did.

Just like Jesus we do need to set some dedicated time to God aside.

Now fasting doesn't have to just be not eating food, and, I'm not saying you need to ‘give your sleep’ to God, but, we need not to be lazy, try and spend your ‘lazy’ time doing something to get closer to God! Give up watching your soaps, or stop spending so much time on Facebook and pick up your Bible.

Recognise what god has given to us through His Son Jesus Christ, and remember to give your whole life back to Him, take no credit for yourself!

I'm adopting this sacrificial way of life for not just this year while I'm on Essential, but hopefully I will continue this for the rest of my life.

There is an element of impossibility about being a living sacrifice, you can’t be living and be sacrificed, but we should ALWAYS strive for it.

I AM a disciple

Do you ever think about what your life looks like from someone else’s point of view?

Like, really?!

Who you are, every day, to your best friend, why they chose you over somebody else? Or just how you are in front of somebody you know, how they think of you as a person? Or, to a stranger, what is their opinion of you from that tiny moment you met them, whether or not you had a conversation, you are somebody in their life. Are you  always be the best person you can be or do you put on a show in front of others?

You should always strive to be your honest self, to everyone! Not just to put on a show during the week, to make people think more highly of you, and when you get to church on Sunday,  that mask you have been wearing all week is taken off and you’re back to your ‘honest’ self. Do you think that if you took that ‘church’ self into your community anyone would think any differently of you?

I have been thinking a lot about the disciples of Jesus and I have to say, what I've read and heard, the disciples were NOT the best of the best. The disciples were just like you and I. They were young men, about my age there or there about. What happened then was, most Jewish children would go to school for the first time at the age of 6, and they would learn the first 5 books of the Torah , until they were 10. By ten years old the children would no longer be in education and they would go back home and start to learn the family trade or how to run a house hold. Those children though, they still knew those first 5 books. But, if one of those children showed real potential, who showed the most natural ability to learn, then they would go on to learn the rest of the Hebrew scriptures, by heart! The best of the best knew Genesis through Malachi from memory. That is something pretty incredible. At the end of this time they spent learning the Torah, at the age of 14 or 15,again, most of those young people would go to their family trade or business. But, the best of the best will then apply to become the Rabbis disciple! They will devote the rest of their life to become not just like the Rabbi, but live the way the Rabbi lives.

What I’m trying to say is that Rabbi's would only take the best of the best. If the student didn't have what it takes then that student would be turned away from further learning. The Rabbi wouldn't choose you if he didn't think you had what it takes. But Jesus didn't do that. Jesus went up to normal, everyday people, and they were instantly chosen by Him. The fact that these young men were already tax collecting, fishing and in carpentry trades means that they weren't the best of the best! They were their true selves; they never pretended to be someone they weren't. In this day and age they would have been  turned away from their Rabbis at a young age and would have to learn the trade of their family's. Just because we may not know our scriptures off by heart, or may not learn as well as others, means nothing to Jesus! 

Jesus sees us coming and just opens his arms for us to run to and He just holds us close. He accepts us all, JUST AS WE ARE! Whether we dropped out of school, or finished university with a first. We will never be anyone else's expectation of the best, but we can try for ourselves to be true and to show others what we want them to see at all times and what they will be proud of. You will never know from the way that you live your everyday, ordinary life, the influence you may have on other people! So don't pretend to be something you are not. Don't pretend you know what you do not know, because Jesus doesn't care if you fall short of  'perfect' because all He matters about is that we take off our masks and leave them behind!

I AM beginning.

Dear Essential.         

I am so new to this. We are only just in the early stages of this relationship. You scare me at the moment because of the things I have to face this year. The relationships I am building with the other Essential students, leaders and the people I am going to meet are in such an early stage that I feel very overwhelmed, but I know if I trust in God and give my all to him He will guide me.

I want to thank you for everything you stand for. You’re view on how to live this year as a disciple of Christ is something I already knew but didn’t fully put into practice. I am going to remember you in everything I do, and I’m going to tell people all about what I stand for and show it through how I live it out every day.

I am sorry in advance if I don’t get things quite spot on, I really hope that this year, any wrongs that occur, I can ask God to help me though. I’m sorry that so far in this relationship, I haven’t given the time to get to know the people I’m around, but this is something I’m hoping to quickly rectify.

Please help me this year to be the person God wants me to be, please help to mould me into the best of the best that I can be.

From Lauren.