In my sixteen years of life (I will be 16 in 3 weeks.) I've learned a very important thing: you cannot escape the love of God. His love for us is inevitable; it's so pure that man cannot even define it in words. To truly allow His love to run through our veins, we must humble ourselves and lay low so that His glories will be revealed in us. We are children of the highest and most exalted God, and because His love is so strong for us, we cannot run from it or hide from it. The only thing we can do is choose to believe or not to believe.
Faith in God is a mission that only the determined will pursue. If your faith lies on sheets of ice, then you will fall at your first test of faith, but if you are standing firm on your faith on solid ground, then you will be able to overcome your tests. The more firm you are in your faith, the more tactics the enemy will throw your way. 1 Peter 5:8-9 says "[9]Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. [9]Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings." In these scriptures Peter is giving us warning about the enemy's tactics. As believers, we need to understand that God isn't the only one who has a plan for our lives. Satan also has a plan for us. We need to recognize whose to embrace and whose to battle. Satan's plans are to get you as far away from the kingdom of God as possible and to guide you into darkness. My Nana always told me, "Don't let the devil use you." When I was young, I didn't understand what that fully meant, but being in the mindset that I am in today allows me to define what she meant. As believers, we need to stop being hypocrites. Yes, I said it; hypocrites. Hypocrites are people who pretend to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc., that he or she does not pursue or live out. Once we commit to God, we must strive to be more like Him. James 1:5-6 says, "[5] If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. [6] But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind." God tells us that we can ask for wisdom to push through our tough days and He will give it to us freely, but when we ask for wisdom of the mind, the next day we cannot drift back over to the enemy's ways. Being confused in your faith is a place you do not want to be. Either your faith lies in God or it lies in Satan. There is no such thing as being in the middle. "No shades of gray." -Jonathan McReynolds Being in a relationship with Christ means sacrificing your old ways to gain new ones. God forgives you of sin, but it's you who determines when you want to be forgiven. God will make himself known, but it's you who decides to let Him in or not. Honestly, we decide a lot in our lives. We decide if we believe or don't believe, if we follow or distance ourselves, if we allow God to come in or shut Him out, if we stand on shallow ice or solid ground, etc. We cover up the door when God wants to open it. We doubt the God who gives us breath. Why? God allows us to witness His presence and love but still we doubt. Enough is enough. We as believers must stop placing our faith in other places. It's time to get it together. Humbling Ourselves Once we begin believing and trusting in God's perfect plan, God will reveal things within us that will strengthen us in our walks, but we must remain low and humble so we can hear from Him. 1 Peter 5:6 says: "'God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.' [6] Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time." Staying humble is a huge part of our walk. If we portray ourselves to be high and mighty, then how will we hear from God on when to move and when to stay still? If God cannot speak to us, then what makes you think He will continue sending blessings our way? Don't put yourself before God. Remember who put you on, and recognize how easily He can take you off. Each day is another opportunity to seek God for who He truly is. Each day is a new learning experience. As we lay low, we grow. 16 years old being in a strong relationship with Christ can be difficult. It can be difficult when you have people who judge or distance themselves from you. But I've come to realize that they're not distancing themselves from me, but the God who lives in me. As long as I hear God's voice I know that I'm doing the right thing- the best thing. I may come off as someone who "loves Jesus too much", but it's those kind of people who God allows through the gates of His kingdom. Lastly, Don't put God off. Don't say, "I got plenty of time to get it right, but for now I'm going to 'turn up'". God can take you right now and there would be nothing you could do about it. We need to be ready at all times. Meditate on this: We, as believers, hold the torch, but it's God who lights the fire for us to see through our darkest moments. Will we allow Him to light the fire or continue to walk blindly? Being young and wise can be hard, but it's all worth it. Every single second of it.
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"She's a PK. She's forced to love Jesus."
"She's a PK. She may look innocent, but PK's are the worst!" "She's a PK. She has to go to bible study and church." "She's a PK. PK's will fool you!" Breaking Silence Stop putting a label and stereotype on my walk and love for God! I've been having to deal with these stereotypes since I began the mission that God has placed inside of me. I want people to understand that I'm not living for other people. i'm living for me. But I also understand that not everyone will understand that, and God has placed strength inside of me to push through the labeling and stereotypes. 1. "She's a PK. She's forced to love Jesus." My Dad was called into the ministry in 2010. He never forced Jesus on me. God designed my own path and battles that I had to conquer. I saw the presence of God for myself in 2012 when I began seeing the light inside of me glow. That's when I created Hello Fear, began writing more, and accepted God into my life. On the Sunday morning of December 8th, 2013, I felt that same presence come across me when the doors of a church my dad was a minister at opened. Without pressure or rush from my dad, I decided myself that I wouldn't go into 2014 without being baptized, so on December 15th, 2013 I was baptized. Having a dad for a preacher and a spiritually led mother truly helps me in my mission. If I didn't have spiritually led parents, then this mission I have accepted would not be easy. They understand me, and they give me guidance daily. I am not forced to love Jesus. Jesus came for me, and I couldn't run from His presence. 2."She's a PK. She may look innocent, but PK's are the worst!" I understand that this has been a stereotype for years, but this is not at all true for all PK's. What you see is honestly what you get. I am 100% committed to Jesus, and I am not afraid to say that. I will not deny that I've made mistakes, but never enough to live up to that stereotype. I'm not perfect, but I am also not "the worst". TV has made it hard for PK's to be themselves. The world has made PK's to seem like trouble-makers, and I despise that. Don't believe what you see on TV. Honestly, most of that is acting. But don't get me wrong, there are some PK's who are like that, but do not label all PK's the same. 3. "She's a PK. She has to go to bible study and church." I love my church! My dad is the lead preacher at BGICC, which stands for By God Inspired Community Church. It's a non-denominational and multi-cultural worship experience. But... I do not have to attend Wednesday night bible studies and Sunday morning worship services, but I have to be fed in this walk of mine. I am not objected to go. I go for me. It's my decision. Like I said, my dad forces me to do absolutely nothing. So when you see me attending worship services or post about reading the bible, I actually do it, and I do it for me and not for my daddy, my mother, or my church, but for me and my relationship with God. 4. "She's a PK. PK's will fool you!" What you see is truly what you get. I am not a false prophet or a wanna-be Joel Osteen, but I am Jasmine Rene' McCaskill, a worshipper of God. I give myself whole-heartedly to Him, and I die to myself daily so I can hear clearly from Him. I am not two faced, nor am I seeking attention. I love Jesus. No one will ever interfere with this relationship... not the labeling or the stereotypes. My dad won't get me into Heaven. I am not an angelic perfect being, nor am I a rebellious or a two-faced individual, but I am a child of God. I am a reflection of my Father. I am a vessel to His glory in this ministry He is shining through me. I understand that not all minds will understand me or my vision, for it was not given to them. I also understand that people will judge me until the day I die, so why should I pay attention to it? God knows my heart, and that's all that matters to me. I am not my dad, and I am not my church. But do you know what we have in common? Our mission. Why I Write
When I begin to experience struggle in my life, I always run to my escape. I believe everyone should have their escape. By escape, I mean not running from the issue, but yet finding a way to cope with the days of this chaotic world. What is my escape? I write. Writing is where I place all of my emotions in text form of the things I feel or am too afraid to say. When I write, it's truly and honestly not for man. It's for myself and my creator. I write to let go of whatever may be haunting me. It's my escape. When I write, I feel like the sea; free and full of imagination. I share with you my writings because maybe they can help you on your amazing journey with Christ. It's honestly not my writings because they're inspired by the spirit of God. Why do I write? I write because it is what I love and my heart finds peace within it. Ba-Boom. Ba-Boom. Ba-Boom. Making decisions is something we all partake in during life, but how we make the decisions is what makes them different. As a child, I "wore my heart on my sleeve". I was sensitive, indeed, but yet I did not know who I was and whose I belonged to. I trusted my heart and chased after things that were so far away from the love of God. It wasn't until I found myself, and I had a renewing of the heart and the mind, that I took my heart off of my sleeve and began placing boundaries around it. "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it." Proverbs 4:23 You must understand that your heart is flesh, and if you haven't had a renewing of your soul, then your decisions that you make from your heart is based on YOUR understanding. "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6 Your heart has a heartbeat, but you have to decide what it beats for. Does it beat for the people who talk about you who are honestly insecure about themselves? Does it beat for materialistic things that will soon fade away? Your heart should beat for the man who shed his blood for you to even hear that heart beat of yours. Once you have truly given your life to God, you love with your heart. God is in the center of my heart. Every decision I make is based on His word. My heart beats His love. His word flows through my body, my soul, and my mind. With my mind and heart, now spiritually influenced, I can make decisions because they are not based on my understanding, but His. With God in the center of my heart, I admire myself because I know that I am His. If you cannot love yourself, then how can you expect someone else to love you? There is a seed inside of you. You water that seed with admiration and respect for yourself, remaining in a humble position while not being prideful or egotistical. You must water that seed everyday, for it will bloom into a beautiful/handsome flower. Once it is blooming, God will send you someone who will help water your flower with you. If you don't find love in yourself, then one: your seed will die, and two: you will never be able to love anyone truly because you wouldn't have experienced true love for yourself. [reference: "Dear 'Singles'"] God is love. We love because He first loved us, but we have to accept that and believe that we are special and created by the hands of an artist who never makes a mistake. And please note, that before you give yourself to God and wave good-bye to your fleshy ways, your heart is dead. It beats, but not spiritually. It's dull; it beats pints of lies that take over your body. It isn't until you have given your life to Christ, that the beats of your heart mean something. With a renewed heart, it's alive and full of power to soar in a world who's still walking, to jump in a world who's still on the ground, and to live in a world who's spiritually dying. It's time to be spiritually resuscitated. Why does your heart beat and who does it beat for? This life is not yours. Your heart is not yours; It belongs to our Creator. It belongs to God. "God is within her, she will not fall;" Psalm 46:5 |
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