At the beginning of 2019, I took a trip to Washington D.C. to go to the Passion Conference. The Passion Conference is a conference specifically for college aged students to learn more about Christ. I went to Passion with my church. It was a great experience for me. I definitely learned a lot, and I believe my relationship with Christ grew during and after going to this conference.

The most powerful thing I realize while I was on this trip was to not doubt God. In the last session that was taught by Louie Giglio, he was mentioning the story of Thomas doubting. This is the story where  Jesus walked through the wall, and Thomas wanted Jesus to show him his wounds. This story is found in John 20. After hearing this I realized that I sometimes I doubt God as well. I know that God has great plans for my future, and I have seen God do better than I could imagine in the past. Though I sometimes doubt if God will continue to show up in my future.

I sometimes think that I am on a dock about to get on a boat. I question if I should take the first step into that boat. I think this is rooted in fear and uncertainty. I might ask God, “Should I really get into the boat?”. Other times I realize that I just jump in the boat without hesitation, but then I question God if he’ll actually keep the boat afloat or if he’s about to sink the boat that I am on. I realized that I shouldn’t question God, and trust that even if He sinks this boat then that is a part of his plan.

On this trip I built relationships that could be lasting. When I bought my ticket to go to Passion the only person I knew that was going on the trip was my brother. Prior to leaving for the trip I knew my brother and two other friends that were going on the trip. Those three people were the only ones I knew out of the 30+ people that went on the trip. I now probably know about 20-25 people that were on the trip, and most of these people I would now call friends. There wasn’t one person that I met on the trip that I couldn’t see myself getting to know better in the future.

Overall, this was a great trip for me and I am extremely thankful that I had the opportunity to go. I’ll hopefully remember this trip for a long time, and I hope that I have the opportunity to go to Passion again next year.

Scripture References:

• “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones” ~Proverbs 3:5-8 ESV
• “But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind” ~James 1:6 ESV
• “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” ~Matthew 18:20 KJV

I would Love to hear from you!

Feel free to Comment below, or email me at:  matthew712girl@gmail.com

Want to know when a new blog is posted? Email me at: matthew712girl@gmail.com, or if you have a WordPress account, follow!

Lastly, feel free to Share on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram! Use the hashtag: #matthew712girl to let me know you are viewing it!

When going into 2019 I was thinking about what my word of the year would be. I had a few good words that I was thinking would be my word, but I decided to go with “Pray” as my word for the year. I think out of the words I was thinking about this one is the one that I could work on the most, and it’s the word that I think could impact me more in the long run than some of the other words I was thinking of.

I think that I can grow in the power of prayer. I cognitively know that prayer is a crucial part of the Christian Faith, but sometimes I don’t take full advantage of the access to God we have through prayer. I want to become a prayer warrior that surrenders my desires to God through prayer.

I also want to pray for others more often as well. Sometimes I realize that when I pray I tend to be self-focused and don’t take the time to pray for other people as much as I should. I want to see God move in other people’s lives as well, and I should be spending time to pray for their needs also.

I know that I never object to someone praying for me, though I have a hard time doing the same thing for other people. I also want to be better at when someone asks for prayer stopping immediately to pray for their needs. People don’t come to you for prayer unless they legitimately want you to pray for them, so why should I be hesitant to do what they have asked me to do.

I am far from having this Christian life figured out, and I pray that this year God shows up more than I can imagine. I hope to see some of the prayers I am pray for now answered in the future.

I have already seen God grow me in the power of prayer this year. I have noticed that God has given me opportunities to pray for others more. I also have noticed that God has answered one or two of my prayers already for this year as well. I can’t wait to see how God will move even more in my life and in other people’s lives through me focusing on prayer.

Scripture References:

• “In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly” ~Psalm 5:3 NIV
• “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.” ~1 John 5:14 NIV
• “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” ~James 5:16 NIV

I would Love to hear from you!

Feel free to Comment below, or email me at:  matthew712girl@gmail.com

Want to know when a new blog is posted? Email me at: matthew712girl@gmail.com, or if you have a WordPress account, follow!

Lastly, feel free to Share on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram! Use the hashtag: #matthew712girl to let me know you are viewing it!

My pastor challenged the congregation to read the whole Bible in a year. I have come close to reading the whole Bible in a year, but I have never been able to do it completely. I was one book away from finishing the Bible one year in the past though.

Yesterday I was reading 2 Peter 3, and there was a part that really stuck out to me. The thing that stuck out to me was about how God is patient with us. In 2 Peter 3:9 it says that God doesn’t want anyone to perish, but instead He wants everyone to come to repentance. This made me rethink patience. I have a hard time with patience.

Last year I really tried to focus on patience, which God greatly taught me more about last year and into this year. I went into last year praying for certain things, and ironically after the year only 1 or 2 of those handful of prayers were answered. I’m still waiting on the other prayers of last year to happen. Well after reading 2 Peter 3:9 I realized that God wants us to be patient, but that He is even more patient with us than I have realized prior to reading this scripture. This changes my perspective on patience. I realized that God’s character is patient.

To Him time is different than we can start to imagine. In 2 Peter 3:8 it says that to God a day is like 1000 years and 1000 years are like a day to Him. To me this is hard to comprehend. So even though in my perspective certain prayers are taking forever, but to God they are not taking forever. I have prayed multiple times in the past for things to come in God’s timing instead of mine, but tonight this prayer took a whole new meaning. Reading this chapter tonight gives me new hope and encourages me to be more patient with my prayers.

Recently, I have been discouraged about some of the prayers that I have been praying for years haven’t been answered yet. I have always been a planner, and I have noticed that I have put time tables on what my future looks like. Well, God is definitely not following my plans or time tables. I am now surrendering my plans and time tables to God. I know that God’s plan is better than mine, but I have had a hard time trusting this. Now I have a renewed faith in God where I am trusting He knows better than me when it comes to my future. He has constantly showed His blessings in my life, so I shouldn’t doubt that God will continue to bless me in the future.

 

Scripture Reference:

• “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 NIV
• “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” ~Jeremiah 29:11 NIV
• “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.” ~2 Peter 3:8 NIV
• “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” ~Philippians 4:6 NIV

I would Love to hear from you!

Feel free to Comment below, or email me at:  matthew712girl@gmail.com

Want to know when a new blog is posted? Email me at: matthew712girl@gmail.com, or if you have a WordPress account, follow!

Lastly, feel free to Share on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram! Use the hashtag: #matthew712girl to let me know you are viewing it!