Not My Parent's Faith

Ring of Promise

2011-12-20T12:41:00.000-08:00

In our culture today, rings have meaning. A man and a woman exchange rings when they get married. People give expensive rings to people that are valuable to them. Etc, etc.

Beyond just the informal meaning of a ring, these precious circles hold a much deeper principle than a sign of whether someone is "taken" or not. Rings are a symbol of promise. When people get married, they are making a promise to one another. When a young girl wears a purity ring, it signifies a promise to stay sexually pure until marriage.

Wait now... if rings signify promise, then what exactly is a promise?
Well, I'm glad you asked.

Dictionary Definition:
prom·ise : noun/verb

1. A declaration that something will or will not be done, given, etc.

2. An express assurance on which expectation is to be based.

3. Something that has the effect of an express assurance; indication of what may be expected.

4. To commit oneself by a promise to do or give; pledge.

Notice anything interesting here? Well I do.

When I read these definitions, there is realistically only ONE person I can think of that fits ALL of these characteristics. Yeah, I know. I've promised people things (ie: to write on this blog more often=FAIL), I've been promised things many times... but in all reality people have let me down time and time again. Since I've never actually known a single human person who could actually keep their promises allllll the time (since it's literally impossible), I often find myself thinking that promises don't hold much meaning.

Sometimes the character of the promiser will make a difference, but ultimately a promise always seems flimsy to me. Something that, if broken, I'll need to just forgive and forget. Something that doesn't hold much weight. We use it as a simple word... a simple thought... we fling the word around as if it has become devoid of its original design. We have raped the word "promise" of its intended meaning by our culture's lightly held view of the word.

I know that's a strong thing to say... but think about it. If a promise meant something, we wouldn't have husbands cheating on their wives. We wouldn't have mothers deserting their children. We wouldn't have siblings, or parents, or spouses that ever walked away, let us down, or died unexpectedly. If the word "promise" meant something guaranteed, then people would never be able to break them.

Unfortunately, this whole promise problem has leaked into our churches as well. Not only are people not keeping their word, breaking promises left and right, but people are forgetting who DOES keep promises. Yeah, you heard me right... we (the church) are replacing God's perfect ability to follow-through with our own humanity. We think that somehow God is like us, and forgets to do what He said He would. Uh-uh. Not true.

The Bible has a LOT to say about promises. In fact, the word "promise" is found over 220 times in the NIV, with over 200 of them referring to God's promises. Take a look at just a few I pasted here:

God is not human, that he should lie,
not a human being, that he should change his mind.
Does he speak and then not act?
Does he promise and not fulfill?

Numbers 23:19

Not one of all the LORD’s good promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled. Joshua 21:45

For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. 2 Corinthians 1:20

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
2 Peter 3:9

Wow! Convicting, right?

We need to start living a life that counts on the promises of God... not doubting, but trusting in the absolute assurance that His character is faithful!

Now the question is:
If we (you & me) are the bride of Christ...
What will you do with the ring of promise God has given you? Will you squander it? Will you disown it? ... Or will you RELY upon it, knowing that His PROMISES are TRUE?

MythBuster #1: Sinner Winners

2011-06-09T23:21:00.000-07:00

Announcing...

MythBuster #1: Sinner Winners

Have you ever seen someone and thought 'man, they're such a loser', or maybe something like 'dude, they have some real issues'?

Wellll... whether you'll admit it or not- I will at least. Actually, I have thought things like that more than once in my lifetime. I know once you see it on the screen, it really does look bad, but how often do we let those thoughts and ideas slip in?

Well, for MythBuster #1, I want to address this question:

Does God see some sins as worse than others?

Growing up, I was always taught that the blood of Jesus covered all sins, and as a kid, that made sense. But then, as I began to get older, and I became more aware of society, legislature, and humankind, I began to notice that certain acts of "sin" (so to speak), often were treated differently based on human law or rules. For example: I learned quickly as a child that different acts of rebellion often came with different levels of punishment. Telling and lie would often cause a swift spanking on my rear-end, whereas "forgetting" to do a chore might only come with a scold or reprimand. When I was in school, and I began to learn about government and laws, I soon discovered that committing certain crimes came with larger and more severe punishments than others... For example: murderers and rapists often got years in jail, whereas a shoplifter might only have to do community service for a period of time.

Now, don't get me wrong- I think on a moral standpoint, these things are often very good... but it made me begin to wonder: In the church, how often do we "categorize" sin based on human standards?

When I really started thinking about this- it really got my mind rolling, because I realized that I, Jasmine, do this on a regular basis! I don't mean to, necessarily- but somehow the rules and basis on which humanity governs wrongdoing, often infiltrates my mind when I look at sin. I try to size it up- measure it out- explain it- but its really all the same: just plain old SIN. Its been around since the Eden Era, and there's nothing new about it. I think we often (out of pride) assume somehow "counting" or "measuring" sin is the right thing to do because it validates OUR righteousness- it make us feel better, or seem better because~ "ya know, well at least I'm not as bad as THAT guy over there..." We often create that mentality, and forget to see what God thinks about it...

This poses a second question, which is the main one I actually want to address: Does God see certain sins as worse than others? Seems like a logical question, right?

As I began to think about this- it (of course) pushed me to the Scriptures, as I was on a mission to solve my dilemma. Because the reality is and was: I realized that if God doesn't see sin with labels (the way I often do), then I really shouldn't be either!
Whoaaa... Can you hear the growing pains? ;)

"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin." (1 John 1:7)

This passage literally states that when Jesus shed His blood for us, ALL sin was taken care of... Meaning there's no sin currently residing in our lives if we've accepted Jesus, because its ALL been paid for! Wow!

"For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it." (James 2:10)

This scripture is crazy because it makes you realize that God can't be a sin counter or measure-er because it says that ANYONE and EVERYONE has broken the WHOLE LAW! Can you believe that!? That goes against the grain of "categorizing" or "measuring" sin, because it means we can't!

"All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation." (2 Corinthians 5:18-19)

If God is "not counting people's sins against them", then how on earth could he be measuring certain sins as worse than others? That doesn't even make sense!

As you can see- it's impossible for God to be "measuring"- or even counting sin for that matter! It would be against his NATURE to measure sin, because Scripture is clear that the New Covenant clears believers from ALL transgression. If that's the case, then: Why do we think that somehow our sin is better or lesser than anyone else's? Its all SIN!

Final Conclusion- MythBuster #1...
There are NO Sinner Winners in God's eyes, because God doesn't see certain sins as worse than others~ He actually doesn't SEE sin at all! (more about that in MythBuster #2... ;))

Myth Busters!

2011-06-02T21:20:00.000-07:00

I have a new series to announce: MYTH BUSTERS!

Here on my blog, I am gonna address 5 myths commonly found in the Christian church*- they will each have their own post, as many of them will take awhile to work through...

*Note: based mainly on personal experience

You guys ready for this!?

Growing up in the church, I often found that I was told certain things over and over... many of them scriptural truths such as: "Love one another!", and others such as: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Well, if you're like me- you can see the truth in these statements- I mean after all, they are straight from the Bible! But then... there were always those ideas or teachings that wouldn't sit right with me- somehow I would accept them (because that was the "right" thing to do), but I would never feel totally comfortable with them either.

Since then, I have seen so many others (whether new or old to the Church) succumbing to these same ideas. Often times, I felt as though some of these things came from IMPRESSIONS I got in church society, rather than in direct teaching... So- then, that got me thinking: //If I'm struggling with some of these things- then maybe others are too!//

In these next posts- I want to do some sleuthing- some real searching in the scriptures... because I'm really tired of all these "taboo" words or cliche ideas we have circulating in the Christian church today. I don't know about you- but I, for one, want to really know: what's truth, and what's myth?

Now-- Who's with me? :)

Myth #1 is coming veryyyyy soon....

Temp Setter?

2011-05-25T23:00:00.000-07:00

Do you know the difference between a thermometer and a thermostat?

Think about it- they're different, but how?

Before you get lost- think on this: What is the purpose of a thermometer? The dictionary defines it as: "an instrument for determining temperature". What is the purpose of a thermostat? The dictionary defines it as: "a device for controlling temperature".

How does this relate to our spiritual lives?

Well... as you might have guessed, I think this idea has some great insight that can relate to not only our physical temperature, but our spiritual temperature as well.

In the Bible, Jesus talks about being salt and light, and he also uses the analogy of being like a "city on a hill" (Matthew 5). If you're like me- I get this, but only to a certain extent considering that we don't have fortified cities on hills anymore, and salt isn't used for the same purposes like it was in Jesus' day. Don't get me wrong- Jesus had major word-analogy skills; if not the best ever! He was always using every-day, simple, understandable things to explain Heavenly principles. Like in Matthew 5 (salt, light, city, the whole gammit) he was talking about influence- and how believers should impact the world around them in a very strong way through: their words, actions, and lifestyle.

Well, in the same way, I think it makes sense that as Christians- called to change the world for Christ, we should learn to be thermostats and not thermometers! It's super easy to "go with the flow", but its much harder to go against it! If we are constantly just changing our temperature to match our surroundings- how much influence can we be having? From what I can see, it seems totally Biblical for us to not gauge the temperature around us, but instead learn to set the temperature! If we're temperature setters then immediately things have to change, right? I mean think about it- what if we were the ones that began to change things around us, rather than being changed by the things around us? Did you catch that? There's a huge difference!

"What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words." 1 Cor. 2:12-13

What if our homes, our neighborhoods, our cities, our states, our countries began to have a spiritual temperature set by followers of Christ? Do you know how radically things would have to change if that were the case?

Instead of having strip clubs on every corner, and bars at every stop light, we'd begin to have revival meetings everywhere- churches would be popping up all over the place, because there wouldn't be enough room to fit all the new converts. Really try to picture it- it would be the craziest revival of all time! Instead of shrinking back in fear, people would be spreading the name of Jesus everywhere they went. Demons would be cast out, the sick would be healed, spiritual gifts would abound- people would be on fire, transforming the atmosphere of our world with the message of the Gospel and the power of the Holy Spirit.

"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind..." Rom. 12:2

Looking at your life TODAY, can you honestly say you're living as a temperature setter in the Spirit, or are you being influenced by the constantly changing seasons of this world?

It's NOT a JOKE

2011-05-22T13:03:00.001-07:00

I'm sure you've seen many of these signs around- or at least heard enough about the May 21st prophecy for the end of the world. Well, obviously, we're still here!

Today at church I was very much convicted that I have taken the WRONG stance on this whole "Judgement Day" thing. I was of the mindset that the whole thing was rather funny, and I often joked about with fellow Christians that I knew didn't believe any of that "crap" either.

I look around on my Facebook News Feed (made up primarily of believers) the last few days, and I find myself finding and "liking" funny comments, or silly pictures about how "Judgement Day" is almost over, or how the billboards are dumb, etc., etc. The news is covered in it too- just take a look if you don't believe me:
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/Religion/post/2011/05/may-21-end-of-the-world-doomsday-harold-camping/1

... hahaha. Funny, right?
Nope.
Wrong.
Today I came to the realization that as a believer in Jesus, I should be 1) GRIEVED and 2) UPSET...

FREEZE! Now, right away- I know what you're thinking... "Oh, that's so sweet, she feels bad for them."
WRONG again.

So to preface my 2 points further, I'm gonna ask some questions that got ME thinking- hopefully they will for you too!
-Why is it our instinctive nature to NEED to be RIGHT?
-Why would pointing fingers EVER be Biblical?
-How can we GLOAT over another person's failure?

-When does GOD get the MOST GLORY?

When you begin to think about some of these questions- it begins to open your mind to new things.

#1- Don't you think this whole thing is rather grieving to the Holy Spirit? I mean, think about it... do you know how many people are led astray by the false teaching, and how many Christians will question the power of God, because they were taught to believe lies? Shouldn't we (as believers) be saddened that this whole campaign has literally ruined some people's lives, and that the enemy is using it to instill false teachings in our churches? WOW. How then, could we EVER mock? We're working against ourselves- people don't know the difference between "those" Christians and "real" Christians... If we are advocates of TRUTH, why would we EVER pass judgement, trying to make ourselves look more "holy"? It's utterly disgusting.

#2- I'm pretty sure that if the Holy Spirit is grieved, we should be too. Doesn't it upset you that people on NATIONAL television are floating fake people up in helium balloons to mock the "May 21st Rapture"? Doesn't it bother you that people are mocking God, and his Almighty power? Can't there be a RIGHTEOUS ANGER and SADNESS that we are pointing our wrath at people, rather than the deceiver, thief, and liar who brought this all about? Doesn't it make you MAD that the devil is leading people astray? Doesn't it upset your heart and make you sick to see people perishing because they are MOCKING the King of Kings? May we not be a generation who laughs on the sidelines, but rather invest our knowledge of transformational power into those who are drowning in the lies!

Helloooooo.... We need to WAKE UP!
This isn't a JOKE- it's not even the slightest bit FUNNY.
Why then, is it so easy to LAUGH, or to turn it into a "Who's RIGHT"?

I feel sick. Who are we? By what authority do we pass judgement on the people of God?

We are laughing when our brothers and sisters are falling down- when our DUTY is to help pick them back up and be partners committed to seeing the BRIDE of CHRIST glorious.

If the the heart of God is so saddened- why would I ever feel differently?

"Do not gloat when your enemy falls;
when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice."
Proverbs 24:17

"And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Do not quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil.
May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it."
1 Thess. 14-24

_________________________________________________
Lord-
I am grieved, because YOU are grieved. My spirit is touched and saddened by the lost-ness of humankind, and how many of us are willing to point fingers. Show us, Lord, how to build these people up- to partner as advocates of truth.

Let us be a people and a generation committed to bringing the body of Christ together- to aim in faith for a glorious bride that would give You glory and honor.

Rise up in the American church a righteous anger towards the enemy- and all of his plans for destruction. We declare that his plans for evil will be turned for good by the power of the Holy Spirit!
~Amen

Keyhole Christianity?

2011-05-11T22:37:00.000-07:00

Every day, I have so many things I want to write--
this is literally becoming my place to journal my revelations as they happen!

So anyways- I was having a conversation with one of my friends yesterday, and as we were talking I had this awesome vision, more like a picture in reality... so I'm gonna share it with you- hopefully you can follow!

First I have to start with a preface to the actual vision itself:

God has really been teaching me many, many things- especially things regarding the Holy Spirit. He has been opening doors for the Spirit to do new things in my life, and has been renewing my passion to walk in the fullness of the Spiritual giftings, and to heal the sick, cast out demons, etc. etc. (see some of my previous posts). For most of my life, I have been spiritually more mature than most people I know- but recently the Lord has been re-integrating to me that I need to stop comparing my progress with everyone else's, and run ahead- hungry for more of God. Through all of this, He has been teaching me that I have only begun to see a tiny sliver, not even an iota of the power that is available. This is where the story starts:

I was standing at the edge of heaven, and before me I could see 7 doors. At each door, there was a person: they owned the door they stood at. Beyond the doors there was all glory and majesty as heaven was in the distance. Then as I walked closer- I could see what each of the people were doing.

At the first door, there was a girl- and she was leaning against the door frame listening to music, totally oblivious of what was on the other side of the door. She didn't seem concerned that she was missing out... only that she was living life to the fullest in the NOW.

At the second door there was a man pacing back and forth in front of the door because he wasn't sure if he wanted to open it or not- he couldn't seem to make up his mind. Every time he went to open it, he would grab his hand back, and begin pacing again.

At the third, fourth, and fifth doors there were people of different ages- one was a young woman, another was a very old man, and another was middle aged. They were all bent over- almost as if the position was comfortable, and they had stayed that way a long time. All three of them were looking through the keyhole in the door- and could just see the tiniest bit of light from the other side. They were all very content, it seemed as if they were happy with just looking through the keyhole.

The sixth door there was a child. The child was actually in an open door, and beyond that- there was a brilliant light. But as I stood there and watched, the child aged and became an adult. As the child grew years older before my very eyes- the door slowly, but surely continued to close until the child was all grown-up and the door had shut. The child seemed neither upset, nor aware that the door had closed.

The seventh (and final) door was my door; Jasmine's spiritual life and in that moment I came face to face with my reality. My face was pushed up against the door, and there was a small crack opened up to heaven. The crack was small, but I was pushing it open a little more each day.

It was then I felt the Lord speak to me: "Jasmine, you've only discovered a centimeter's worth of the power in my Spirit. You have yet to see the true vastness and power I hold. Don't be like the others... you may think, at times, that you have opened it all the way, but I am showing you today that my Promise is bigger than your mind can even conceive."

Wow! It was SO convicting to realize that God isn't finished- that even though I may feel stretched now, God's power is only a centimenter in my life. This has caused me to explore scripture, and right away this is what I found:

For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. (Ephesians 3:14-21)

According to that verse- we can't even begin to understand all the things God want to bring into our lives, and do trhough us...

All of this begs the questions:

~Which door is YOUR door?
Are you open to the Spirit of God in your life, or are you content and comfortable to look through the keyhole to the Kingdom?~

Embrace

2011-05-08T22:00:00.000-07:00

Today I had the awesome privilege of speaking at my church for Mother's Day. My mom talked about releasing your children to the Lord, and I talked about being the child who will embrace the things of God.

In no way do I claim to be a great preacher, or do I claim that this message will impact you, or even impress you in the slightest. In fact, the main reason I share this audio recording is because I want you (all my blog friends) to celebrate with me as I begin to explore the new calling God is beginning to bring into my life. I'm not sure what it (the new calling) will look like in the future, but I am trusting that as God opens doors, I want to be right there to walk through them.

Take a listen (its about 20 mins.), and feel free to leave comments! :)

Frontrunners

2011-05-08T21:44:00.000-07:00

Frontrunners are the people that live all-out,
they're the ones that challenge,
they're the ones who walk in their calling,
not afraid of what people say or think.

Frontrunners are those that push ahead,
they're the ones that never slack,
they're the ones that never hold back,
slow down for no-one.

Frontrunners are those that aren't tangled up by society,
they're the ones that push ahead,
they're the ones that walk in boldness,
die to self, live for truth.

Frontrunners are those who live in FORWARD position;
they live with wisdom as the guide, and discernment as the path.

My calling is to be a- Frontrunner for Christ.
Yours is too.

LUST is an EPIDEMIC

2011-05-06T15:42:00.000-07:00

My previous post was about the presence of demons...

And this post comes in a similar light because I am MORE and MORE convinced that the enemy is wiping out our generation by undermining our purity through an overwhelming spirit of:
LUST.

Yep, you heard me right. Revelation moment for me.

Now before you get all worried-

Don't see what I'm not saying. I'm not here to preach doom and gloom--

BUT... please DO hear what I AM saying- The Bible tells us about lust and how wrong it is (Matthew 5:28). In fact, the word "lust" is found over 30 times in the NIV.

And yet, if you ask almost any young person, they have struggled or still struggle with some form of lust. Whether it be: idolatry of a celebrity, lusting after someones body, or checking out "hot guys", the lie is STILL the SAME.

Ladies and gentlemen- I hate to break it to you, but unfortunately we've all struggled with this at some level or another...

We've identified the problem. IS there a solution?

Here's where the revelation comes in! :)

We often rationalize lust: we assume its just "because we're young" and because we have "new hormones" or its "that time of life", etc, etc, etc. I've heard them all-- many from young people, bu even more from adults with (apparently) low expectations of young people in the church. I could go on forever with the utter EXCUSES we make in order to KEEP our lust. But here's the TRUTH: LUST is LIE!

If we're going to live up to God's best, we have to stop making excuses and rationalizing the things that the enemy wants to bring into our lives. The reason pornography is such an epidemic in the church and society today is because we haven't put a STOP to the lies of lust.

Don't you see? When we (you or I or anyone else for that matter) allow lustful thoughts to enter our mind, or we look at sexual images, or we allow ourselves to dwell on "romantic" thoughts, or we are constantly remarking on girls/guys bodies we are GIVING VICTORY TO THE ENEMY!

Whew. That's some crazy business.

I don't know about you... but that's just the beginning for me. It's the beginning of something new... new thoughts, new words, a new focus.

Who's gonna rise up? Who's gonna go beyond status quo? Who's gonna change this generation one pure thought at a time?

Demons

2011-04-30T14:48:00.000-07:00

Demons are real...
and they are alive, and they come to steal, kill, and destroy...
Because they are of the devil. It's totally Biblical, and legit. Look it up.

I have come into contact with several of these demonic specimens recently, and I have come to the very certain conclusion that they bring NOTHING good or uplifting.

They oppress the people around me, they oppress the people of God-
And the church RATIONALIZES the things they bring:
Sickness, disease, mental insanity, confusion, depression, lust, sexual desire, apathy, religiousness, lies, manipulation, to name a few.

It's time for the people of God to STEP UP and FIGHT for the TRUTH!
The enemies of darkness SHALL NOT WIN.

Paul tells us to be a "soldier of Christ Jesus" (2 Tim. 2:4), and yet very few of us actually FIGHT the spiritual battles that are plaguing our society all around us. We turn to pills, or doctors, or counseling instead of recognizing the DECEPTIVE LIES of the enemy for WHAT THEY ARE.

Jesus came to bring FREEDOM- and that's the lifestyle and calling I am going to walk in.
So devil and all your cohorts, LISTEN UP~ you better WATCH OUT, because I am going to be a woman of DELIVERANCE wherever I go.

If I died today...

2010-10-05T12:07:00.000-07:00

Over this past summer, I went through a very low point in both my life and my walk with the Lord. My grandmother was diagnosed with stage four advanced cancer, and then died within weeks. I felt broken. I had seen a life taken from this earth in a matter of days... and it shocked me.

How could that happen?

In a journal entry I wrote right after her death, I asked God so many questions. I felt like during this last summer, God used that situation with my grandmother to bring me to a new place of broken-ness and surrender. It made me consider my own life... and how much time I waste on things that are totally meaningless.

Here is an exerpt from my journal that was written during that time:

"... I want to know. I want to understand.
What is the meaning of life? I have many questions, but very few answers...
If I died TODAY, would I be at peace with my life?
Would I know that in every area of my life things were in correct alignment?
Would I somehow feel robbed because I had such a short life?
Would I have unexpressed love, forgiveness, words, and encouragement that would never have been given?
Would I feel the reassurance that I had lived the past 18 years to the fullest and best extent that God had for me?
Would I have regrets?
What kind of impression would I have left?
How would I be remembered?..."

I still don't have all the answers, but I know that I have the power to change some of those answers through the way I live my life everyday.
Am I a person of everlasting joy, or a person known to be negative and cynical?
I, Jasmine Johnson, have to push past the standards of my flesh and set a NEW standard with my Spirit that will cause me to "rise above and live for love."

I can honestly say that I have wrestled with God.
And I have come to a place of peace, of rest, and of joy.
Because I know death has no hold over me anymore, and I am free from it's grip of fear.

I'm okay with death. May both my life and death bring glory to God in the most beautiful way possible, that I may be a fragrant sacrifice!

Procrastination=FAIL

2010-09-12T21:16:00.000-07:00

I recently heard a quote:
"Delayed obedience is disobedience...".

Hmm.
Pretty self explanatory....
But quite life changing if you ask me.
What if more Christians obeyed God with IMMEDIATE obedience?

American Christianity today would look much different, talk much different, and sound much different if we would stop procrastinating in our obedience.

Change... is HARD!

2010-09-10T22:37:00.000-07:00

So I decide to change the layout of this blog... because it was time for a new look, plus Blogger introduced some new layout options, and I took advantage. As I was changing the look, however, I was reminded of how many changes have been happening in my own life recently...
You see, I have graduated high school, and I am now an adult, and attending college!
It's absolutely crazy how fast life passes by.
So anyways... back to my point. :)
Change tends to come rather unexpectedly at times, or like in my case, it comes with expectation and anticipation. At first I was completely gung-ho about this whole "adult" business, but after a few months in the "real world" my ecstasy for the change I anticipated has fizzled. At first I felt rather in the dumps about the whole thing... I felt like an idiot for being so un-excited about the transition from "child" to "adult" that was supposed to be the turning moment of my life! After some time had passed, and my excitement didn't return, I started feeling a bit worried. Did this happen to everyone? Did everyone hate the process of becoming an adult, like I now did?
And then it really hit me--- like we're talkin' full force.

I didn't like change.
Period.

It wasn't the fact that I wasn't excited to move on with my life, it was more of a hard reality check that change CHANGES things! The child I once was was now gone, and in it's place my 18 year old shell was left to become a now mature individual known as an "adult". I had finally comes to terms with the fact that what I had looked forward to for so long (that official adult status) was finally within reach, and what was holding me back was the fear of what that change would mean for my life. Now you might think that sounds rather simple, and overly-simplified, but in the mind of an 18 year old adolescent, that was the breakthrough of a lifetime.
Just some food for thought:)

Job-like Faithfulness

2010-08-27T10:00:00.000-07:00

So... right now I'm in the process of reading Job. It's a pretty long book, and there is a lot packed into each chapter! So far I have read mostly the beginning chapters... and it's ALREADY challenging me! So, if you don't know the story of Job, let me fill you in!

--So first off, Job is stinkin' rich! He has a huge family, and tons of sheep and cattle (like nowadays it would be money of investments) and such. He was the most blessed and righteous man that had ever been around. He really loved God, and did things the right way, and God and Job were pretty tight. So then one day, Satan comes along and asks God to take the good things from Job's life away... and see if Job still loves and praises God. So the testing starts. First his livestock (remember it's his riches!) all dies... then all his kids...etc, etc. You get the idea. Finally, he's all alone... and from there he begins to call out to God in distress. But NEVER does Job curse God, or turn his back on God. NEVER. At the end of the book (I'm not there yet;) God rewards Job with his faithfulness by giving him back what he had... x10! :)

Job's faithfulness to love God regardless of circumstances is a thing many of us American Christians lackkkk... we are completely content with loving God when he blesses us, but when things go bad, we are more than ready to take over the wheel and be in charge.

So I'm challenging you... as well as myself to be like Job! What would our nation look like if we were all able to just trust God, and continue loving him regardless of circumstances?
I have to say, I think it would look a whole lot different.

Are YOU A Good CHRIST?

2010-04-19T13:40:00.000-07:00

I found this story on The Rebelution Blog... and its really challenging. Read it, and then if you have any thoughts, please add them below.

I think it’s time we stop asking ourselves the question: “Am I a good Christian?” We live in a time when the term “Christian” has been so diluted that millions of immoral but nice people genuinely consider themselves “good Christians.” We have reduced the idea of a good Christian to someone who believes in Jesus, loves his or her family, and attends church regularly. Others will label you a good Christian even though your life has no semblance to the way Christ spent His days on earth. Perhaps we should start asking the question: “Am I a good Christ?” In other words, do I look anything like Jesus? This question never even entered my mind until a friend of mine made a passing comment to me one day.

Dan is a long time friend of mine. In fact, he’s the pastor who performed my wedding. He was talking to me about a pastor named Von. Von has been working with youth in the San Diego area for decades. Many of his students have gone on to become amazing missionaries and powerful servants of God. Dan described a trip to Tijuana, Mexico with Pastor Von. (Von has been ministering to the poor in the dumps of Tijuana for years). Dan didn’t speak of the awful living conditions of those who made their homes amidst the rubbish. What impacted Dan the most was the relationship he saw between Von and the people of this community. He spoke of the compassion, sacrifice, and love that he witnessed in Von’s words and actions as he held these malnourished and un-bathed children. Then he made the statement that sent me reeling:

“The day I spent with Von was the closest thing I’ve ever experienced to walking with Jesus.”

Dan explained that the whole experience was so eerie because he kept thinking to himself: “If Jesus were still walking on earth in the flesh, this is what it would feel like to walk alongside of Him!” After that discussion, I kept wondering if anyone had ever said that about me: “The day I spent with Francis was the closest thing I’ve ever experienced to walking with Jesus.” The answer was an obvious “no.” Would any honest person say that about you?

What bothered me was not that I hadn’t “arrived,” but that I wasn’t even heading in the right direction. I hadn’t made it my goal to resemble Christ. I wasn’t striving to become the kind of person who could be mistaken for Jesus Christ. Isn’t it ironic that a man can be known as a successful pastor, speaker, and CHRISTian even if his life doesn’t resemble Christ’s?

This story was very powerful for me... because it is so true that our generation is caught up in calling themselves Christians, but the real question is then: Are YOU a good Christ... everyday, all the time?

Worry... not?

2010-04-13T12:59:00.000-07:00

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or about your body, what you will wear..."

Sometimes I tend to be a worrier. I worry about what will happen in the future, and what will happen with my day... I justify it most of the time by telling myself that its CARING and not WORRYING. That's a lie.

Gosh, if I were really not to worry, what would my life look like? Jesus tells us that we shouldn't worry about ANYTHING. Golly, that's hard.

This year is my senior year of high school, and somehow people expect you have your whole life plan figured out... and sometimes I ask God to show me that big picture. But ultimately, its His grace that keeps things from me, because He knows that I will worry and stress about the plans that He has for me. His grace is what really keeps me from knowing the road ahead.

So is it okay then for me to just say that I don't know? Like when people (possibly even you) ask me what I am planning on doing with my life, can the new acceptable answer be "I don't know!"? Could it really be that is the right answer after all? That we would just lean on God in such a way that we wouldn't have the opportunity to manufacture an answer?

Society needs to stop pressuring people to worry about their lives...
"Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?"

THE Cause

2010-03-18T13:02:00.000-07:00

THE Cause started long ago... maybe you have heard about it. Maybe you have read about it in the Bible. THE Cause is the MOST IMPORTANT Cause you could EVER be a part of.

Stumped?

Its THE Cause of sharing Jesus.
http://www.dare2share.org/thecause
Its a commitment to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Its a commitment to transform your school.

We need Disciples to go out and make MORE Disciples... and start some fire in someone else's life!

Does My Heart Need New EYES?

2009-12-28T00:31:00.000-08:00

The simple words of the traditional song "Open the Eyes of My Heart, Lord" struck me with new depth and meaning today at church. What does it look like to have the "Eyes of Your Heart Opened"? Does it simply mean that your heart needs to sprout a pair of eyes? No, I think the meaning might go deeper.

If the eyes of your heart were to be opened as the song explains, wouldn't that be speaking of our spiritual eyes and heart rather than the physical? So in other words... this song is suggesting that we tune our heart into the plans of God by opening our eyes to the Holy Spirit and the work he is doing. Maybe its also suggesting that through our eyes being opened, we can see Jesus and what He has done for us more clearly...?

Anyone have any other ideas on what the "Eyes of Our Hearts" being opened might look like?

Heavenly Hunger

2009-09-20T21:07:00.000-07:00

So I have been doing some fasting, and it makes me feel very hungry. My body urges me to eat food. I have pangs of hunger where it seems that food is calling my name. Being without food made me ponder the following questions....

What does it mean to be hungry?

Websters dictionary defines "hunger" as something that is: "strongly motivating (as by ambition)"

So... with that line of thinking...what would it mean if we were hungry for God?
What would that look like? What would a person who is hungry for God look like, talk like, walk like?
How can you tell when someone is spiritually hungry?

I have been challenged today to be more hungry for God- and not to be so hungry for the things of this world. We constantly try to fill our spiritual stomachs with things that will not fill us- movies, videogames, boyfriends, girlfriends, school, drama, etc. What if God became MORE important than any of those other things?

God wants us to hunger for more of Him! He promises to fill whoever is hungry... and c'mon, lets get real- nothing can replace the life of God's Spirit! God never runs out of filling, only people to fill. I think that it SHOULD be natural for us to have hunger pangs for God's touch and healing. We should feel the ambition and motivation to be nourished by Him and Him alone. Jesus says that he is the "bread of life" meaning that only He can fill us with heavenly food. I want to yearn after God's heart and be hungry for His Word.

Let's starve for MORE of God!
Are ya hungry? :)

Life is good... so live it... WITH GOD!

2009-08-04T22:21:00.000-07:00

Hmmm... so sometimes it seems like life sucks. You are depressed and down and tired of living. Then there are times where life is full of... well LIFE! It seems like nothing could be better and you're on top of the world.

Ever felt like either of these, or maybe both?

Well I have come to the conclusion (childish as it sounds) that during these time God has something he wants to speak to in our lives. Yet during the hard/happy times it seems the easiest to live life on our own and ignore God. Why is it that when life is extreme (good or bad) our human instinct is to do life on our own when its completely obvious that we should be turning to the ONE that will balance our lives and make us whole...?

Humans are weird creatures. Sometimes I wonder how God can love us... in all of our stupidity. :)

So hmmm....

The more I seek You

2009-06-05T16:50:00.000-07:00

Hey so this song called The More I Seek You has been getting stuck in my head, and I'm starting to wonder if there's a reason for it. Here are the lyrics to the song so you can get it says...

The more I seek you 
The more I find you
The more I find you
The more I love you

I want to sit at your feet
Drink from the cup in your hand
Lay back against you and breath
Feel your heartbeat
This love is so deep 
It's more than I can stand
I melt in your peace 
It's overwhelming

Maybe its something to keep on my mind. So right as I am getting this song stuck in my head, God totally just shows me this awesome scripture. I can totally relate when people say that the Word is ALIVE because it just shows you the right stuff at the right time.

Here is the scripture that practically leapt off the page at me the other night. Its Proverbs 8:33-36...

"Listen to my instruction and be wise; do not ignore it. Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway. For whoever finds me finds life and receives favor from the LORD. But whoever fails to find me harms himself;..."

Why oh why?

2009-05-24T15:25:00.000-07:00

I have questions that need answers!

Why are kids who have grown up in Christian homes, with Christian parents, the ones who sometimes have THE most problems with their passion for God?
It does not make sense to me!
We are the ones who have had all the advantage in the world, and yet we allow ourselves to become lukewarm and complacent!

I dont understand it...
:) These are the things I spend long hours contemplating...

God's Gym

2009-05-01T18:36:00.000-07:00

"For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come." 1 Timothy 4:8

I had never thought about this scripture until recently. It's SO cool though, because it totally talks about how we should be "working out" in God's Word. Its so important to be strong in the ways and teachings of God. We need to be making goals and ambitions that will reach for things with eternal value rather than physical. I love this because it makes it totally clear what we should value first and foremost- righteousness! Because ultimately that's what really matters.

Have you been to the "gym" lately??

"Copy Cat"

2009-04-27T16:48:00.000-07:00

So I was just reading my Bible the other night, just musing over some scriptures when God just clearly led me to a scripture that really got me thinking (and you know He is cool like that). Here is the scripture:

"Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. " Ephesians 5:1-2

I was so excited about the thoughts and ideas that were popping in my head that I was just dying to journal about the meaning of the scripture and what it meant to me. Here is a excerpt from my journal...

"Everyone is trying to imitate someone or something (whether consciously or not). Our ure today says that you have to be skinny enough, pretty enough, popular enough, etc. What this scripture is saying though is that we are supposed to IMITATE God. Well, what would that look like then in our everyday lives? This scripture says that we are supposed to imitate Him in the way He lived a life of love.It goes on to say that He died and offered Himself as THE sacrifice because He loved us so much. Are you getting the picture? That means then that as "imitators of Christ", we are expected to live ALL of our life for Him. That means that each day I need to surrender my life, my wants and desires, and my choices/actions.

Wow!
That's pretty powerful.

As dearly loved children, then, we should "copy cat" the One true dude; Jesus!"

I need to be more like a kid again!

2009-04-19T16:37:00.000-07:00

So this last week, my youth pastor really challenged us about memorizing scripture. I realized that although I had learned quite a few scripture verses when I was younger (at summer camp, vbs, etc.) Over the past few years I have become stagnant in my fervor for memorizing scripture. I realized that if I were to apply as much time and energy now on memorization as when I was a kid, then I could possibly ALREADY have whole books of the New Testament hidden in my heart through memorization.

This realization was really quite an awakening for me. Anyobody with me?

Honestly, I am understanding more why Jesus tells us to be like little children. Read this article by the Rebolutionaries to further understand what I mean...

http://www.therebelution.com/blog/2009/04/do-hard-things-the-national-bible-bee/

Do I Dare 2 Share?

2009-03-24T21:20:00.000-07:00

So this last weekend (March 20-22) I went to a conference in Seattle put on by a ministry called Dare 2 Share. It is a conference based on sharing your faith with your unsaved friends. It really challenged me to reach out even when it seems scary or unpopular. I was able to talk to one of my friends about God and share my testimony with him during the weekend as well. It was a great reminder of the fact that I should love my friends enough to share my love for Jesus with them and not be afraid of PU (Persecution University). It was very inspiring. :)

Her Story...

2009-03-16T21:35:00.000-07:00

So I ran across this really rockin article recently in the March 2009 addition of Linn and Benton Counties Christian Monthly. It really resonated with me and what I have been writing about. Here it is... hopefully you'll dig it like I did. Leave a comment and tell me what you think!

18: Really Ministering

and Breaking Molds

Growing up in churches, I was always known as a “good ” and was content with wearing the “Christian mask,” also known as respectability. I was prepared to graduate high school, go to college and be trained to minister as a musician. But, God has a way of shaking things up.
Just before I graduated from high school, one of my church friends began to question the roots of his faith. He too had been raised in the churches, but was now wondering if going to church, attending Christian rock concerts and wearing T-shirts with cute Christian slogans on them was all there was to following Jesus. I was getting a little nervous about his desire to dig deeper into real Christian faith. Then my friend asked me if I could really be happy with a lukewarm life.
At that point, I realized that I had to be honest with myself and with God. I either had to stop using God and church as an excuse to live for myself by no longer calling myself a Christian, or I needed to find out what being a Christian really meant. I had to learn that going to college to make a career out of singing songs about God was probably not what Jesus meant when he said “Take up your cross and follow me.”

I hadn’t previously considered doing the more radical things that Jesus said because I didn’t think that anyone was doing them anymore, because the days of the first century church had passed. Besides, I thought, “going out into the world to preach the Gospel” without a college degree and funding from a big church was impossible!

But God showed me, right when I needed, that there are people who try to live the simple life of faith and love that Jesus taught, and there are people who believe Jesus when He says that God will provide for us without the support of a religious or governmental institution. True faith means reaching out and knowing that God is on your side without having to trust a paycheck or a church to keep you safe.

Jesus said that you need to give up everything, spiritually and materially, to be a disciple of His. I had always been taught that I must be willing to do that, but I now wondered, “If I am really willing to do it, why don’t I just do it?”

God gives back in unpredictable blessings when we give to Him what was His in the first place. I had grown up thinking that I was poor, but when I took Jesus seriously about selling my possessions and truly trusting in His provision, I saw how rich I was and still am. I am learning how it is more blessed to be giving my life instead of always being the one receiving.

I began to see that there was much more to life than my sterile little church mold, as I have been learning true faith from former atheists, former addicts and even other former luke-warm churchgoers. I was amazed at the diversity of backgrounds and nationalities of people who are now working together to serve God.

We all had one thing in common to bring us here: God had showed us all that Jesus was not what we had expected Him to be and that His words rang true where nothing else fulfilled. For me, it was that Jesus’ life and teachings were and are not conventional and definitely not mediocre. I am learning to break out of the mold.

Love this song...

2009-03-04T14:41:00.000-08:00

Listen to this You Tube. This song is amazing (by Matthew West) and it really captures the heart of what I have been saying...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaHmiFaX_pk&feature=related

You know what I mean!

2009-03-02T21:23:00.000-08:00

So I don't know if you have ever encountered a problem like this, but I find it happens very often. It has happened to me many times, and I think its very aggravating...

When alot of older people or grown-ups hear about what you do at church or how committed you are to God, act like your beliefs are based out of being naive and that once you come to grips with "the real world" you will drop your "fantasy filled faith" called Christianity. I have had people act like they are "playing along" with my so-called game. They say they know that one day I will grow out of my goody-two-shoes, Sunday school fase and realize that religion is for little kids or people who are weak.

Well, if you have never had this happen to you, let me tell you it is very frustrating and somewhat patronizing. But let me get to my point...
The reason most unsaved people have this view is because this scenario is very common among the young people of our generation. Young people are graduating high school or moving onto life on their own, and they let themselves be drawn into what the world offers. They let themselves be allured into tantalizing sinful desires. They forget or forsake their faith and then belittle you for "still needing religion". Unfortunately this happens to many more teenagers and young people than those who stay loyal to Jesus. So what can we do?

Well, for starters, we need to be one of those committed people who looks into their own life and makes sure that we are not just doing "the church thing", or "the youth group thing", but that we are really grounded in our love for Jesus. Only after that can you really try to talk to your friends about it. That is why it is so important that you love Jesus or are a Christian for the right reasons and that its Not Your Parent's Faith, but your own.
You have to own it or you'll never be able to spread it!

Where I'm going...

2009-02-19T17:57:00.001-08:00

So to continue... I want this blog to be for a community of young people who own their faith in Jesus Christ. Too many young people these days just allow themselves to be swept away with the crowd. I have realized that for a long time, I allowed myself to think that because my parent's were Pastors that I would like automatically go to heaven or something. Well, needless to say that's not how it works. I love the quote that says:

"There are no such thing as grandchildren in the Kingdom of God".

This is something that alot of teenagers forget though. They think that if they can be a "good person" and "live a good life" then everything will be ok. Well, I beg to differ. Lets look at what Jesus has to say...

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6

How this all got started

2009-02-08T14:43:00.000-08:00

Hi, my name is Jasmine Johnson. I have a vision. This whole idea to have a blog called "Not My Parent's Faith" started when I went to the Rebelution conference in Portland, OR (www.therebelution.com) called "Do Hard Things". I am a young person who loves Jesus like so many other young people in the U.S. I have grown up all my life as a PK. For those of you who don't know what that is... it means that I am a Pastor's Kid. Recently God has placed the idea in my heart to start a blog for teens who want people to know that they choose Jesus not because of their parent's faith, but because they have found life abundantly in Him. We need to be a generation that does not settle for lukewarm faith... haha, I'm already getting ahead of myself. I won't go into that just yet, but we will get there in time.