Sunday, March 13, 2011

Just take the time to LISTEN, i know sometimes that's hard to do

There are so many issues that are out there that have more complex truths to them than what we think. I learn so much and you know something? As Christians, we don't have to force the truth on people. If we are willing to just listen to them before we open our mouths and put our opinions in, just maybe would people begin to hear what we have to say and maybe we will get the opportunity to pour into other people's lives!

A lot of times as Christians we are so quick to judge and have a certain perception of people and then we wonder why non-Christians look at us and think that we are hypocrites and judgemental. We shouldn't have to be known as hypocrites and judgemental and etc., we should be known by what we stand for. Why aren't we looking at the potential that people have instead of their flaws. It's not our place to judge and we need to start seeing other people with potential.
Every person has potential and i think sometimes we tend to foget that and especially if you don't like that person it's easy to look at their flaws and all they do wrong instead of looking at their potential and what God has for them.

     I know there was this one guy that was in my class and we would always argue back and forth sometimes on religious views and i never liked him and i always looked at all the bad that he did and judged him for the things that he did and how he acted when i could have been looking at the potential that he had, the influence that he could have had if i just would have taken a little more time to listen to him and what his views were. We never got along in school and we were always in the same class because of our last names. This guy's name is Brian O'handley. The summer before my senior year, i had found out that he had passed away in a deadly car accident. At first, it didn't phase me and all i thought was, "wow, that doesn't surprise me." A few minutes later it hit me, i asked myself, "What are you thinking, your classmate just died in a car accident and you didn't do anything to see him saved!" I felt very guilty for a few days that all i did was absolutely nothing besides judge him and argue with him on certain religious issues. I then came to realize that maybe if i would have taken the time to just sit and listen to his view that maybe he would have listened to my view and just maybe i could have poured into his life. Just maybe there is a glimpse of hope that he is with Jesus and i don't know it.


Here is a challenge that i will take part in,

          When will we start just listening and not being so quick to put in our opinions on certain issues? Why don't we just start listening to what others have to say?

Maybe then, God will open up the door for us and people will be willing to listen to what we have to say.

Friday, March 11, 2011

STIR IT UP! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

This past Sunday my Pastor was talking about stirring it up. I really like how he put this and how he talked about it. He talked from the passage 2 Timothy 1:6-7 NKJV.....which says,
     "6 Therefore i remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."

God wants us to start stirring up the gift that he has given us and he wants us to have a spirit of power, of love, and a sound mind. Three options of what God may be saying to you personally....
  1. Maybe God is saying for you to stir it up and put into action what you believe God has imparted to you. There is a gift in you and you need to stir it up, so step out in Faith and do it!
  2. Maybe God is saying that you know, you have exercised the gift i've given you for a little while, but now you just put it on the shelf and haven't touched it or tried exercising it. Now is your time to take it off the shelf and to start it up again! Start stirring it back up again!
  3. Maybe God is saying i want you to take your gifting up a notch. You are doing well with the gifting i have given you and you are exercising it, but now i want you to take it a step up. Stir it up even more than what you have!
When you stir it up, you are able to have even more strength, more zeal, and you are able to set your mind to do something and do it without fear (being timid or cowardly). In this context that is what fear means and this is not how God created us to be. He did not create us to be timid or cowardly, he created us to stir it up and to step out in Faith and to start taking things up a notch and stirring it up even more!

     For me personally, number 3 is what i feel that God is saying to me. I feel like God is telling me that, "Kriston, you have the gifting that i have given you, speaking in tongues, but now i want you to take it up a notch and to start stirring it up even more. I have also given you the gifting of encouragement and i want you to start stirring that up even more and take it a step farther by encouraging everyone around you as much as you can even when you don't want to or don't feel like it." That was totally God that just said that, i just typed that....haha. So this is what God wants me to do.
    
     Now it's time for me to start looking for ways to stir up my gifts and how to use them more.

WHAT GIFT HAS GOD GIVEN YOU AND WHAT IS HE SAYING TO YOU PERSONALLY? HOW ARE YOU GOING TO STIR IT UP?!!!

Thursday, March 10, 2011

A bit about what's going on this year in Master's Commission for me...

Wow! Well to be honest, Master's has been great! I've learned a lot and i've definitely enjoyed helping in The Edge Youth Group. I have also been learning a lot in my classes with all of my awesome teachers!

One question that i was asked about this year is "What have I received so far out of this year?" Honestly, i'm not really quite sure what i've received. I came into Master's Commission program with a calling in Missions, not sure where i'm going and not sure what i'll be doing specifically..i just know that missions is what i am called to do.

One of the things that i have asked for while being here in Master's Commission is for direction of where God wants me in the mission field and what i can do specifically within the mission field. I still have yet to figure out what quite is but i know that God has so much in store for me. When i leave this program, i want to contine seeking after what God has for me and i want to know who i am, what i have gotten out of this year, and what i can get out of my last 3 months here.

I want to shoot for being above average in this world and i want to go after what is real and what is bigger that i know God has for me! God has a heritage for me and within these next three months that heritage will be opened up. I will be waiting God for what you have to reveal to me and i want to seek after that more than anything. God i want to hear your voice and i want to see what your will for my life is! Please reveal it to me in your time and i ask that you just work through me and in me! Thank you Jesus for everything that you have done. Amen.