Eyes of Clarity

1 Peter 4:7 “But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers.” Honesty is the foundation of our relationship with the Lord. Being honest allows us to go deep, and the deeper we go with the Lord, the deeper He is able to go with us. It is only when we stop being honest that we begin to suffer the repercussions of falling short of His truth and allow the enemy to creep in. How often do we seek the Lord only for what He can provide for us instead of seeking Him for who He is and the wise counsel He offers to those who love Him? There is so much more that the Lord has to offer us in this life if only we are willing to go deep which begins with prayer, with being in constant communication with the Lord. These past few weeks have been filled with trials and tribulations in which the Lord has revealed to me the importance of being honest with Him, praying prayers with meaning rather than just spouting empty words. He has proven to me that when I am

2 Samuel 11:11-13 “And Uriah said to David, “The ark and Israel and Judah are dwelling in tents, and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are encamped in the open fields. Shall I then go to my house to eat and drink, and to lie with my wife? As you live, and as your soul lives, I will not do this thing.” Then David said to Uriah, “Wait here today also, and tomorrow I will let you depart.” So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next. Now when David called him, he ate and drank before him; and he made him drunk. And at evening he went out to lie on his bed with the servants of his lord, but he did not go down to his house.” David knew that he was returning to war soon and during his time home, he felt convicted to not return to his life before he left for war. If the soldiers he was fighting with were still in battle, sleeping in tents and open fields, then what right did he have to return to his house to eat and drink and lie with his wife? Similarly, in less than a we

Mark 1:35 “Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.” The importance of solitary prayer remains a critical aspect of the Christian life. Especially when it comes to morning prayer, there is no better way to begin our day than by being in quiet conversation with the Lord. Besides, what a privilege that we, who have absolutely nothing to offer, have the ability to converse with our Creator and even more, that He genuinely longs to hear from us. However, prayer is only as powerful as we believe it to be and praying empty prayers does not please the Lord. He wants our honesty and all of our brokenness. He most definitely wants us at our best, even when His blessings are overflowing and we feel as though we do not need to be as intimate. We need the Lord sometimes even more during these times as these are the times that the Lord is able to use to prepare us for our upcoming battles. I want to be str

1 Corinthians 9:24-27 “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore, I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: Not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.” “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run such a way that you may obtain it.” Matthew 22:14 sheds light on these verses as it states that, “Many are called but few are chosen.” Many are called to know Christ but few will choose the narrow path to follow HIm. The Christian life is difficult and being disciplined in the Lord can oftentimes give people a twisted perspective regarding who He really is. The Bible to some can seem like a

1 Timothy 4:8 “For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.” To be disciplined in exercising our physical bodies, we must push ourselves everyday to do more, to be better. We must endure the pain that follows if we want to remain fit but after a while, it becomes routine and though the pain might still be evident, it is no longer bothersome. It becomes so routine that it feels odd when we do not do it, as if we are breaking a law that we ourselves have put in place. In the same way, we must exercise our faith in the Lord on a daily basis to remain in His will for our lives. Our Father strives to have that personal relationship with us, but like any earthly relationship, it takes effort; it takes prayer, reading, and listening to what the Father is conveying to us. Though exercising our physical bodies may give us relief for a short while, spending quality time with the Lord is

Philippians 3:12-13 “Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead.”   We will never reach perfection but we must strive to become more like Jesus everyday. In that, we must accept that we are not our own, laying down our life to live out His. We are oftentimes forgetful of what Christ has sacrificed for us and that in His sacrifice there is nothing too mighty for Him to overcome. Once we truly understand this, we are able to surrender our struggles to Him and allow Him to fight for us. Thus, the more we are able to surrender thoughts, feelings, emotions, circumstances, and situations to the Lord, the more we become like Paul who says in Acts 20:24, “But none of these things move me.” Maturity in Christ arises wh

Philippians 3:11 “if by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.” Everyday is victorious in the Lord because of the ultimate sacrifice of His dying on the cross for my sins. Because of the love He has shown me, there is no length I should not be willing to go to achieve dying to myself, being risen up a new creation in Christ. There are thousands of opportunities presented throughout the day to choose the Lord, but yet, I constantly choose myself. Of course, it is more convenient for me to ignore my teammate in the morning because I woke up aggravated than put my own feelings aside and love her the way Christ has loved me. Of course, it is more convenient for me to hide away in my room after breakfast and place the responsibility of doing dishes onto someone else, but the Lord has called me to be a bondservant. Although acting in anger, selfishness, and the many other sins I have fallen into is not of the Lord, I do not have to walk in defeat because He has alrea

Philippians 3:10 “I want to know Christ - yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,” What greater act of love has any other man ever committed than Christ sacrificing His life so that we may have ours? There is certainly an abundance of power in His resurrection because of the fact that He never deserved it to begin with; He never deserved anything He endured in the perfection that was His life. However, the verse does not intend for the resurrection of Christ to be a one-time event, but rather the continuous experience that is held in walking with the Lord. The significance of the resurrection is that because of what He did for us, we are now able to walk in victory, fighting a battle that has already been won. Of course, walking with the Lord comes with its fair share of ridicule that to an extent could cause us to fall short of His truth. However, there is no amount of ridicule in which we could encounter on

Philippians 3:9 “And be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ - the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.” Many people assume they can get into heaven on good deeds alone. That if they are a good person and follow the lay of the land, then they have a free pass into eternal paradise. What they do not understand is that the Lord does not operate in that fashion. James chapter 2:24 states that, “a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.” If we have good deeds and no faith, where is the Lord? To walk with the Lord is to live by His righteousness, by His law. It is to walk humbly, completing the task before you with steadfastness. When we do not walk by faith but instead in what we consider our own “righteousness” we have the choice to reject or to walk away. However, in Christ, we know that dead men have no rights and that whatever is asked of us we no lon

Philippians 3:8 “What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ.” Nothing is more precious than the intimate relationship one forms with the Lord. There is no drug, material, or relationship that could ever amount to the eternal value of knowing the One who gave His life so that we may have ours. Of course, choosing to live a life for the Lord is never easy as the enemy will attempt to throw any discouragement he can towards the faithful Christian. However, we must stand firm on the promises of Christ and realize that this life is but a stepping stone towards the realm in which we will reside for eternity. To walk with the Lord is to walk in the light of His truth, removing any and all barriers that prevent us from becoming more like Him. Though oftentimes this is a difficult process, overtime we are able to realize that His ways are a

Amos 3:3 “Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so?” When the Lord gave us our ability to choose, He gave us the ability to choose our friends, too. Often times, we choose friends whose company in which we enjoy and who share similar interests as us. When I decided to come to IGNITE, I knew that I was going to be with a group of people in which I would spend the next three months with, and depending on field assignments, the next ten. I was also aware that I knew nothing about these people and they knew nothing about me and the concerning question of, “will they like me?” crossed my mind more than once. Though we brought many differences to the table, I began growing close to these people within the first week of meeting them. A few weeks into our training, we were walking together down the street when Pastor Mike passed us and began to laugh. He soon told us that he thought it was humorous the very fact that had we not come to IGNITE, we would never be seen hanging o

Matthew 18:15 “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over.” Hebrews 12:10-11 says, “God disciplines us for our own good, in order that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” What better way to love a brother or sister in Christ than to redirect them onto the road less traveled? There have been many times in my life where I have been confronted. As the receiver, I had the ability of reacting in one of two ways: I could continue in my sin or I could respect that what I was doing was sinful and change. As I look back, I ponder in thought about how grateful I am for those who loved me so much as to sit me down and point out to me that what I was doing was against the Word of God. Of course, there were many other times where I chose to ignore

2 Corinthians 13:11 “Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.” Acts 14:22 says, “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.” My sweet, sweet pupup recently passed away and it has been a challenging time for my family and I. Before I left for home, I was so encouraged by my classmates who showed me an abundance of love and sorrow for my loss. I had never experienced love in a way and manner that I had with them just a few days ago and even now, the leaders of IGNITE and the staff of Potter’s Field Ministries continue to send me their sincerest condolences, reminding me that I have an army praying for me back in Montana. The Lord never ceases to amaze me with the small, yet big ways He shows His love through others. Often times, when we face hardships, we tend to forget that our Heavenly Father is always with us and He is for us. Afte

Romans 12:6 “We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.  How absolutely amazing that each one of us in IGNITE class 14 brings something entirely different to the table? We all have a variety of different backgrounds, upbringings, personalities, and gifts. But yet, the Lord has called us together in accordance to fulfill a specific purpose for His glory and with such a variety, He is able to accomplish incredible works through us. The things that I excel in, others may be weak in, whereas where I am weak, others may excel. Where someone has a gift of leadership, another has a gift of hospitality. Similarly, when we attempt to force a calling on our own life that the Lord has simply not called us to to, things are bound to get messy. I love nursing, I love every aspect that nursing has to offer, but I have not always enjoyed working in health care. I have so often found myself looking into a different career path because of the attitude I had towards the po

1 John 1:5-7 “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 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.” There was a quote on the wall of my church before we moved into our new building that said, “Loving God, loving people.” Without the Lord, I am incapable of fellowshipping with His people because if I am not capable of understanding His grace and mercy for myself, how am I able to pour into others especially when we as people are so different? I can’t. When we walk with the Lord, we are called to pour into His people the way He does. When we walk with the Lord, we are called to pour into everyone the way He does. It can be so challenging to fellowship with someone which whom we have absolutely nothing

Luke 12:37-40 “It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. It will be good for those servants who master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let the house be broken into. You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him.” Would you be satisfied with your life in Christ if He were to return today? Did you detour to encourage your friend in need with the Word of God or did you simply carry on with your day because you had somewhere you needed to be? Did you love today? Did you confront that boy in your class about the harsh comments he made toward you or did you simply let his words brew in your heart and cause you to become bitte

John 15:15 “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” A friend is a person whom one knows and with whom one has a bond of mutual affection. Friends are those who know each other, love each other, and help each other during times of need. Jesus called us, His chosen people, His friends because we are more than simply servants to Him. Jesus longs to have eternal relationships with us, but like with friends, we are able to choose how deep our relationship with Him is. The deeper a friendship, the more walls fall and the more gruesome parts of personal lives are revealed that otherwise would not be. Such is like Jesus, who the more we spend time with, the more we learn about Him and the more we are willing to tell Him about us. When we learn about the Lord and the reckless love He has for us, why would we not want to be friends with Hi

Matthew 20:26-28 “Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave - just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give him his life as a ransom for many.” The Son of Man came to serve…what a thought to ponder. Our God, our Heavenly Father sent His only Son to save us, and not only did He die on the cross, but He did so, so much more. Christ was the perfect example in everything He came to accomplish including leading, discipling, and serving. But we must not forget about those disciples who followed Jesus until He was crucified and continued to spread the Good News of the Gospel thereafter. Those great leaders came from being great followers. Peter, one of Jesus’ twelve disciples, faithfully followed Jesus through the hardships and victories while Jesus was alive and became a great leader after He ascended into Heaven. Peter was a great leader because not only was he a

Luke 17:7-10 “Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? Won’t he rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’? Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.” We as humans are always seeking praise for the things that are expected of us, as if praise is due. As a bondservant of Christ, we are required to complete whatever is asked of us to our utmost capability and complete it without the need to be recognized because often times, we will not be. We are always seeking for the approval of others, anything that will feed our pride and make us seem as though we are better than we truly are. Of course, a pat on the back is always appreciate