With our U.S. Economy headed down and people on the brinks of bankruptcy, seems like the seeker sensitive “gospel” is now being widely accepted and Joel is the new Face of the Prosperity gospel and not Christianity. The prosperity Gospel is a false gospel and not a biblical one. To claim that God wants everyone to be healthy and rich is a lie and must be denied by all Christian’s.

God has lots of promises for us in His Mighty Word but being rich and driving a million dollar car is not one. I would earnestly ask Joel Osteen and his followers to take head to the Word of the Living God and stay away from dangerous doctrines. Remain in the Word and do not seek riches. God is great and gives to each as much as He desires and not what we want.

The first time I really remember struggling with finding my own purpose was when I was in the ninth grade. My life had taken a lot of turns. I was not sure about my faith, friendships, relationships with family members and significant others, or even my values anymore. Nothing was “black and white” but many different shades of grey.

Have you ever felt that way? Like nothing really made sense? Getting through the day was the toughest chore you had ever been assigned? What about feeling like you had no one to lean on? That was me. I mean do not get me wrong, but I still have my moments. That is all they are though, just moments instead of an entire year spent in such a messy state of mind.

“The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever. He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve. For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him. For he knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust. Our days on earth are like grass; like wildflowers, we bloom and die. The wind blows, and we are gone—as though we had never been here. But the love of the Lord remains forever with those who fear him. His salvation extends to the children’s children..” – Psalm 103:8-17

That verse says a lot about God. I cannot help but wonder if I have heard it before and not realized what it meant. During my ninth grade year I turned from God. I started reading books on Wicca, got on Google and look up various other beliefs. I even became friends with someone who was a pronounced Satanist that went to rituals and everything. I shiver at the thought now, but it is true. At the time I was angry at God. I felt like nothing was going my way; I would pray and nothing would happen, I would try to talk to my friends but no one wanted to listen, I kept getting into various arguments with my family that led them to not even want to see me. I spent hours in my room, and outside trying to figure things out. I decided I would do whatever the heck I wanted without any remorse. HUGE mistake, but I was young and naïve.

The farther I got away from God, the farther into depression I got. I went to a Christian school so I spent every day arguing with my Bible teacher that God did not exist, that the Bible contradicted itself, and that pastors were full of crap. I even got a few of my other friends to follow my lead and get themselves into a “spiritual black hole.” It was not until I convinced myself to commit suicide that I had “hit rock bottom.”

I locked myself in my room. My grandmother was in the kitchen, making dinner. I lit a few candles and stared at the wall across from, crying. No sound came out of my mouth. I just sat there with tears streaming down my face. I searched my brain for almost an hour trying to figure out what reasons I had to live. Honestly, I could not think of any. I had turned from everything and everyone I ever loved.

I grabbed a knife my father had bought me at an Army Surplus store. It was really cool; bent blade like a saber, intricate artwork on the sheath and handle, and a blood groove on the blade. I held it for a while before taking it out of its sheath. I took a deep breath and decided this had to be my end. I had no purpose, therefore no reason to stay alive. Really weird how fast things happened. It felt like slow motion but it was not. I held it in the air like I had seen on television and started the plunge.

Last second… “Stop. Your life is precious.”

I heard those words loud and clear, even over the intense beating of my heart as I was about to take my life. It was not like anything I heard before. It was a voice without human quality. Not frightening nor soothing. I put my softball arm to the test throwing the knife across my room. It was within an inch of my skin when I propelled it away from. I hid the knife from site later on, but at that moment I turned into my pillow and began screaming. I knew it was God pulling me from my delusions of being alone and into the reality that I am loved and that my life is precious. I still did not understand how that could be, but I knew I had to find out and trust that I did have one. I kept asking Him why He would want me alive.

Two weeks later I got my answer. I said earlier that I felt like my friends had turned their backs on me, which was true, but that did not mean that I would turn my backs on them. I wanted them to live and thrive, and always wished them the best no matter what. I tore me apart when someone I considered a best friend told me he just wanted to end his life and gave me his final farewell. God was on his side too, because my friend actually listened to me that day. I screamed at him through messages on Myspace, telling him that his life was precious too and that though he felt alone he was truly loved.

I realized at that moment that life was worth living. That our purposes are all different and change in value. I do not think that I have fulfilled my purpose by any means. I do not believe any of us have for that matter. My purpose was not just to save my best friend’s life, but to love those I am surrounded by. I help in any way I can, and that is my way of “giving back” and “contributing” to the blessing of life that God has so mercifully bestowed upon me. It does not mean that every person has to do that, though. Like I said, it changes to fit everyone. We are like fingerprints, every one of them unique and a beautiful rarity to identity.

I was brought up in church, going to many different locations and hearing different “interpretations” of the Bible. It was interesting, but for the first few years I did not understand the true meaning. I generally just looked forward to services so I could see fellow classmates, eat cinnamon graham crackers and drink apple juice, all while playing games that have something to do with Jesus. It was such a fun time that I did not pay attention to the real meaning behind it; but that does not mean I did not pick up on it in my subconscious.

“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. – Matthew 6:5-8

My grandmother use to pray with me before bed, every night. She would clasp my hands and lead the prayer, always asking me to say my part until I was old enough to lead it myself. For a long time I looked at it as more of a chore than anything. Anytime my grandmother was mad at me she would give a whole speech about it in our prayers. I felt like I had to re-live the fights from earlier; but it was usually a great experience that I still cherish.

Those prayers were not anything too serious or personal, however. It was “babbling” as the verse says above. Now, even if you are babbling God hears you; but He focuses on the true prayers in your heart. Not the ones that you say just for the sake of praying. My first true, real, however you want to put it, prayer happened when I was around six or seven years of age. My family use to go through little stints of drinking alcohol. Whenever they did drink the amount of alcohol would always increase until none of them could handle it anymore and they would stop until the next.

I hated it because I felt alone. I did not see how drinking was fun because all it did was make the house smell horrible, them sleep, laugh, and fight a lot, and I found myself wishing for the day to end. As a child you should be enjoying the daytime, playing and learning new things. Instead I listened to arguments and got yelled at when I begged for attention. Then one day my family locked themselves together in the same room and all I could hear was raised voices. I got incredibly scared that something bad would happen. I cannot really remember how long this stint had lasted but I knew it was a little too long for my liking. I was scared that someone was going to get hurt, aside from myself. Luckily no one ever took out their drunken anger on me, but they would on each other and I hated seeing it. I was taught to love my family and stick by them always. I did not really feel like it this time; but I did not want to say anything either. I knew they would get angry and probably ground me or something or just laugh it off which at the time was just as bad.

I remember standing outside. It was a really sunny day with just a few clouds in the distance. A cold breeze was blowing outside, but I wore shorts and a tank top anyway. I always loved that chill of the wind while the sun was shining, so I stayed outside. I looked up at the smoggy blue sky and started shouting in my mind. I wanted to cry, but a part of me would not allow that. Instead, I started to pray. But it was not just filler words or anything. I needed help and I realized the ONLY help I would get was from God. It was at that moment that I realized God was not just a part of my family’s culture or way of life. That He was not some superhero created by an author in a random basement or something like John the comic writer in that “Garfield” cartoon.

I did not really realize the significance of that moment until a little while later. At that moment all I was concerned about was crying out to God and making sure He heard my plea. I did not want my family to continue hurting our ties because of one of man’s inventions. I think it was few weeks later that things changed and I noticed my prayers being answered. I then realized what had happened and that I could rely on God to listen to me any time I needed Him. My prayers from that moment on were no longer a chore or something I had to do. They were therapeutic in a way. I could not explain them or the release they gave me; but I can tell you now that without that experience I probably would not have gotten far in my faith at all.

It is because of God that we are even alive. He planted the seed that brought us to life, and with this life we are given hope to keep us strong and mercy to forgive our wrongs. God has lain many roads for us so that we could choose where to roam. We are individual and the paths we take will never be the same. Endless roads with a lot of possibilities are before us.

But have you thought about where the possibilities came from instead of just what they are? With everything there is a birth. Even the computer you may read this off of. Someone had to come up with the technology. In this day and age technology has grown to new heights never seen before. We are the age of it, yet there is still plenty more to come because we are always growing. The possibilities are growing and building with every new invention.

God gave us possibilities; it is one of the many blessings He bestows.. Now that does not mean that every possibility is the greatest; but it is our freedom to choose which way we want to go and what the resulting factors will be. The positives of the unknown is that there is always hope. With possibilities faith is applied and we are often hanging onto small threads of hope in order to survive while we’re waiting for our answers.

He continually opens the door for us. We find new adventures and ways of life. Sometimes we delve into things because there is always the possibility of finding something amazing in the unfamiliar. As long as you carry God in your heart and not lose sight of Him, you’ll be able to experience the right things and find joy; but following down the wrong path could be disastrous. Just make sure that you keep God with you and that if you are not sure about something that you should pray over it, asking for the wisdom and guidance you need to make the right decision. And don’t forget to thank Him for the wonders that He has bestowed upon us so graciously, especially in those times when we are faltering whilst on the path to righteousness.

“Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” – Psalm 16:5-8

It is hard staying on the “righteous path.” We have one of those “God moments” where our hearts are so full of Him that we feel like we’re about to burst and on the edge of heaven already! It’s an amazing feeling; but its usually fleeting. We get caught up in the things of everyday life. Going to school, work, grocery store, repair shop, recitals and practices, etcetera. All those things stem into different things like worry about deadlines. We also get caught up in the dramas of life. A partner cheats, a kid breaks their leg, a paycheck got docked and bills went unpaid.

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand..” -Isaiah 41:10

We forget that God is with us, making sure we’ll be okay. Sometimes we even blame Him for our transgressions. We cry and scream and fight Him, asking why He’d let us get so deep into our troubles. It is hard for us to realize that it is not His fault we are suffering; nor most of the time ours either. Remember that God doesn’t want us to suffer. We are his children, and a part of him and when we hurt so does He.

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” – Psalm 23

Stay strong in the Lord. Do not let your sufferings cloud your feelings towards Him. Instead of asking why He lets you suffer, ask Him to help you get out of your sufferings. He does not “let” any of us suffer, because He loves us; but the wicked are cruel and are allowed their choices as are we. Take the path to glory, though it is a hard road to travel. The outcome will be all the better. And keep in mind that tomorrow is always a better day. Even if you’re still suffering then it just means you’re one more day closer to happiness!

Sometimes it is hard choosing friends while other times we don’t choose at all. Anytime someone walks into our life we may invite them to be friends. If that’s the case we end up with a lot of friends; and we may not be able to see who is truly a friend to those who only pose as friends and rip us down as our backs are turned. It is a hard concept to face sometimes. We want to think that our friends would be true to us no matter what, but sometimes even small groups of friends could be untrustworthy.

People always say “well they’re a true friend if…” and go on to fill in the blank in numerous different ways. There is no way of knowing for sure someone is a true friend by testing them or laying out the pros and cons. We have to pray and see it for ourselves. If we have doubts about something, don’t let it fester in your soul.

“Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.” – Proverbs 27:5-6

Love your true friends as God has put them in your life only to bless you. Friendship is a stronger bond than any other in our world today. You are supposed to be able to trust your friends and lean on them when you need a physical support. Don’t forget God is always with you and supports you, of course; but even He realizes you need someone physically in this life to share your woes with. You just have to be careful of who that person is. Trust in the wrong person can be dangerous.

‘Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” – Eccl 4:9-12

If you’re doubting a friendship, pray. Do not quiz your friends or start pestering them for their loyalty. A loyal friend may lose trust in you if you are doubting them. Just know that a bad friend is a friend that doesn’t do anything to improve your life. If they are negative or get you to do wrong things, they are not true; but if they remain positive and teach you good ways they are a true friend. For a friend who lives in sin and tells you to do the same is not a friend but an enemy of the Word. Be glad you are God’s friend first.



It seems easy, stepping into the pool of water where believers are baptized. Or saying the Lord’s prayer, accepting Him into your heart. It becomes a trial when we realize that even though we’ve accepted His eternal love, we will suffer. We are told beforehand, but it really doesn’t seem plausible until we get sideswiped with some kind of catastrophe.

Sometimes it is really hard for us to realize that following the righteous path is not easy. It is a part of true faith – continuing to believe through every trial that crosses your path. God is our stronghold, though. We are never alone in our troubles, even when we don’t take the time to call on His name.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” – Psalm 3:5,6

We need a little help, and God is our best shot at getting it. Of course, He’ll put people in our paths sometimes as a physical representation of help, but other times He’ll give the strength to endure on your own. If we trust Him we will be guided; never alone for a second and continually held up by strong hands. Even when we feel incomplete and utterly weak.

The best choice when struggling and in need of help is to cry out to God. Either physically which sometimes relieves stress, or quietly. Prayer is always available throughout the day. Whether you are walking down the hall to ordering food in the drive thru, you can always pray and God will always hear you. Though sometimes the best prayer is when you are surrounded by silence and able to control your thoughts and actions is usually best so you can focus fully on Him, He does not require it.

God never takes what you say with a “grain of salt.” Your words are just as powerful as any human being. You will be heard, and loudly.

“But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him.” – Jeremiah 17:7

Confide and trust in the Lord, for He is strong and unconditionally loving. He will hear your plea and give you what help He knows is necessary. Sometimes it seems that we are not heard because we are left to do everything ourselves; but it is the will to do it and get it done that He has given us. After all, what kind of Father would He be if He did everything for us? Children have to learn how to do some things on their own. He is our guide and help when needed!

Ever had to write down what you needed to do? Use a journal or maybe just a scratch of paper you found lying around? We have to sometimes just so we don’t forget “important” things. Such as getting milk from the store so you can have cereal in the morning, or getting to an important date or meeting on time. If we don’t write those things down we may forget, which could potentially be a disaster for some.

A wonderful thing about God, He NEVER forgets. He always remembers what is “important” to Him. Know what that is? YOU. He doesn’t need a planner to remind Him that you are here. He watches over you constantly, never forgetting to listen to your prayers and help you through any storms that cross your sky.

Now about the future. Have you ever written down your hopes and dreams? We usually do, no matter the age. Or maybe not exactly write them down, but memorize them like a silent mantra. We want to graduate, strike it big in the lottery, quit smoking, lose weight, get a good job and a big house, etcetera. Those things are forever changing. Sometimes we find ourselves just wishing that we’ll make it through to the end of the week, while other times instead of wanting to go to Italy, we want to go to France. We’ll get lost in some of the hopes for the future; sometimes we’ll even give up on everything just to reach them or because we feel like we never will.

It’s a hopeless situation in many different ways. We can’t see the future, so we try to predict it. We aren’t always right and that may drag us down. We’ll feel insecure; but we don’t have to. God has a definite plan for us. Though it may not be what we’re expecting, it is a purpose that He wants us to live out.

We are God’s children, and He has everything mapped out for us. Of course He can’t control our choices, but He’ll make sure that important things FOR your life will happen, whatever path you choose to take. We can’t know what He wants for sure, but if we pray and trust in Him we’ll find our way. It may take a very long time, and we may not totally understand what it is we’re supposed to achieve, but there is something. There always will be because God is great and He would never put us here for no reason at all.

We all have some kind of enemy in our lives. Whether it’s the girl or guy that stole your high school sweetheart away from you, to the boss that you let you for a younger employee with less experience in the business. Sometimes it is even a neighbor whose lawn looks better than yours! An enemy doesn’t mean that you want to start a war with them. They are the people you feel resentment or even envy towards.

It’s hard not hating people sometimes. We feel entitled to a certain degree of respect, and other just don’t get that. Especially in school or the workplace. There is probably going to always be that person who scratches at your nerves constantly; but you cannot hate them. God tells us to love our enemies.

He loves every being, no matter the size of their wrongdoings. He doesn’t like it when someone antagonizes you! But He also doesn’t like it when his children hate each other either. The golden rule of loving your neighbor as yourself comes into play here..

“The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” -Mark 12:31

We need to realize that hate is the BAD type of four letter word. It is the antagonist while love is the protagonist. Make love your hero! Without love we wouldn’t have even been born. It doesn’t mean you have to hug that person and be overly friendly. Just rid yourself of resentment. And don’t forget to pray! Tell God your troubles and ask that peace be settled over your heart.

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails…” -1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Most people think love is complicated and cannot be defined; but God lays it out for us His Word. Of course there are different types of love, such as the love you have for a friend, family member, and partner. But the general meaning of it is right there. It NEVER fails, but always perseveres. As being a part of the body of Christ we should strive to do as our Father asks and does Himself. It won’t be easy, but being a Christian isn’t easy. There are always antagonists who are going to try to put us down; but it is our duty to push past the evil against us and fight for our Lord – with love.

We cannot possibly count all of the moments when we’ve felt alone in this world. Our hearts have ached while our tears seemed to bounce off of empty walls. There was a pit in our stomachs, and sometimes we couldn’t really figure out why. To be frank, it really sucks feeling that way. Yet we all do, and more than once in our lifetimes.

Sometimes we get comfort knowing that others have gone through the same situations as us, while other times we think that no one has experienced the turmoil we are going through. It is true that all situations are different because every individual is different; but it doesn’t mean your situation is understood or sympathized with.

God is our best supporter when we’re struggling. Just because He’s is in heaven it doesn’t mean He isn’t here too. He is omnipotent and omniscient which means He is with us always, no matter where we are, and He knows what we’re going through. When everyone else’s door is closed to you, His will be open. He is always open to us; though sometimes we feel He is far away, He really isn’t.

Just because we can’t see Him doesn’t mean He isn’t there. When you go to bed tonight do you believe you’ll wake up in the morning? Why? You can’t see tomorrow, so why do you believe it is there? It’s just something to consider when you’re having doubts. God is always available; He never changes His mind that.

In our toughest times we are held up by God. The fact that we are alive when we feel beaten down is a blessing. He is our hope, even though sometimes we don’t see it that way. We are given grace and mercy under His love, and He makes sure to let us know throughout His Word.

The next time you feel discouraged turn your head to the Father. He is with you always, and is waiting for you call on His aid. He loves us more than any human ever could, including our earthly parents. Just imagining a love like that is still beyond our complete comprehension, but it is there and it is strong. We are safe and well in God’s arm; just don’t let others tell you otherwise and keep your head towards the hope, love, peace, and beauty of heaven.