Striving to Thrive...

(the beautiful sunrise I saw Sunday morning ^)

Hey! I was wondering today what I would write about... so I'm just going to let God take the lead.

Have you ever wanted to change the world?

I know I have. I still do. But I don't want to in the way most people may expect. I want to change the world one person at a time.

Jesus taught a lot of people... but He invested His life especially into twelve men. He discipled them, taught them, lived life with them.

Think about the people God has surrounded you with... maybe friends from church, or from some sports you do, or maybe from school. What does your life reflect to them? Go beyond that... think about the people you pass on the street, or in the store, or your waiter or waitress in a restaurant... what do your actions and words reflect to them?

To be honest I just want to live my life for Jesus. Completely and whole heartedly. It's hard. I fail all the time. I'm not even sure how to do that. But I rely on God.



What does your life reflect? Do you want to change the world? Do you want to live for Christ and Him alone?

Well then if you want to change the world, for Jesus, if you want to live for Christ, let's start now. It's not going to be easy but is following Jesus easy? No.

Let's strive not to just live, but to thrive. Thrive for Him.

Let's invest our lives into those around us, let's smile at a stranger because maybe they're having a bad day, let's let our words and actions reflect Him.


I'm still not sure how to do all of this. But I'm going to try day by day to do so while trusting in God to take the lead.

What about you?

Jesus Paid it All

This past Sunday God convicted me about something in my life.

In church some of the songs were about Jesus breaking chains, about Him still loving me, that He is for me, and that He paid it all.

In the sermon it was mentioned how we aren't to turn back to our past, that we are to forget our sins because they have been covered by Jesus's blood.

I was convicted. I realized... as I have before... that I've still held on to chains that used to bind me. That I've held onto past sins. That I haven't surrendered it all to Jesus.

But then as the song lyrics reminded me, Jesus still loves me. He is for me. No matter my sins, no matter the dirty parts of me, no matter what I've done, He still loves me.

And I was also reminded that I can't cleanse myself. Only Jesus can.

1 John 1:7, "But if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin."

Jesus has forgiven me.

Matthew 26:28, "For this is My blood that establishes the covenant; it is shed for many for the forgiveness of sins."

Jesus has broken your chains, He still loves you, He is for you. No matter your sins, no matter the dirty parts of you, no matter what you've done, He still loves you. He has forgiven you.


Do you hold on to past sins? Do you still cling to chains that bound you? Have you surrendered everything to Jesus? Laid it at His feet?

Let's surrender everything to Jesus.

After church on Sunday I wrote down all the sins I could think of that I've committed. Then I wrote in big letters across it COVERED BY JESUS' BLOOD. Then, as I torn the paper to small pieces, I confessed to God. I confessed more sins I thought of. I laid it at Jesus' feet.

It's hard to surrender. To surrender everything. It's hard to remember God still loves us. That He cares about it. But know that He does.

Remember, if you've surrendered to Jesus and accepted Him into your heart... then you're FREE. Free from the bondage of sin, from the chains of slavery, from the darkness that holds tight.
So don't try to hold on. Let it all go.

Let's give it to God and let go. Let's live for God today.

Let's be Praying

Earthquakes, hurricanes, fires, droughts, famine, mudslides, floods......

Sin, darkness, Christians persecuted, sickness, lies.....

The list goes on. We live in a dark, broken world.

It reminds me of in the garden of Eden when sin first entered the world, mankind's relationship with God was broken. But God sent His Son Jesus to die on a cross to heal that relationship.

1 Timothy 2:5-6, "For there is one God and one mediator between God and humanity,
Christ Jesus, Himself human, who gave Himself—a ransom for all, a testimony at the proper time."

As I was reminded recently  (http://paigespages4thelord.blogspot.com/) then Jesus could come back at anytime. And when that time comes then Jesus will heal our broken world.

But for the time being then we still live in a broken world. What are we going to do about it? We need to share the gospel.

Another thing is to pray. Let's all be praying. Praying for those effected by hurricane Harvey in Texas, those who have been and will be effected by hurricane Irma. Praying for those who have been caught up in fires, droughts, earthquakes, mudslides, floods... let's be praying. Not only for our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ around the globe, but to be praying that God would draw the nations to Himself.

And even in dark times never forget that God is good, no matter what. Sometimes all we can do is trust Him and pray.


Matthew 9:38, "Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”

Matthew 18:19, "Again, I assure you: If two of you on earth agree about any matter that you pray for, it will be done for you by My Father in heaven."


Acts 1:14, "All these were continually united in prayer,"

Let's be united through praying. Be praying.

Truth or Lies?...

In this world... sometimes it's hard to tell what is truth and what is false....

There are false teachers out there.

1 Peter 2:1 says, "But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you."

But sometimes it's hard to tell if they are false teachers or not. Some can claim to be Christians, they can claim any denomination... but that doesn't mean they teach truth.

It's easy to wander over the internet or another blog or hear a speaker... but you need to make sure you see if it lines up with truth. The Truth.

We can do that by knowing the Bible and studying it. By spending time in the Word, in the Truth. That way we can see what are lies.

John 3:21, "But anyone who lives by the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be shown to be accomplished by God."

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Also, Satan, who is the father of lies, tells us lies all the time. He whispers doubt into our ears, he tells us things to discourage us. But we can tell what are lies by spending time in the Truth, in the Bible.

John 8:44, "When he tells a lie, he speaks from his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of liars."

John 8:32, "You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

Never fall for Satan's lies, don't believe them. And sometimes he simply tries to distract us from the Truth.

Stay focused on God, and on His Truth.

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This world is full of lies. There are false teachers, Satan tells you lies, he tries blocking truth. You will read, see, and hear lies. Always be on guard.

1 Peter 5:8-9 says, "Be serious! Be alert! Your adversary the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour. Resist him and be firm in faith, knowing that the same sufferings are being experienced by your fellow believers throughout the world."


John 14:6, "Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.""