Hope

I haven't written a poem/prose (not to be confused with a song) in a long long time. Mainly for spiritual reasons, but I wanted to wait until I felt that it would be glorifying God and not myself. So, this is the first poem/prose I've written in a long time, its honest, it doesn't rhyme (sorry folks), and I pray that God is glorified and sin is recognized. I love all of you. God bless.

-Hannah

Today, I'm going to be as transparent as possible.... today, this week, this month, has been one of spiritual struggle as I see the way I used to be contend with who I am today in Christ... More often than not, I have lost the battle against my "old man" and I have no one to blame but myself. 

Today, I'm going to be as transparent as possible.... I believe in a risen Savior who commands me to be transformed by the renewing of my mind. If He has commanded me to change, then it is He who has already given me the strength and the will to do so. I have but to surrender that will, that control which I so desperately think I have.

Today, I'm going to be as transparent as possible.... there's a part of me that doesn't want to let go of the world, and its the part of me that leads to behaving shamefully, thinking horribly, and desiring aggressively. To use other words would not show the true face of what lies in store  for us when we do as we wilt.

Today, I'm going to be as transparent as possible.... I hate where my old life would lead me, as desperate as apart of me craves to go back, I hate knowing that that's not me. It is some manifestation of media, influence, confusion, and temptation mixed in one deceitfully beautiful package. Try as I might to lie to myself, I know that I would never be satisfied by that life, if you would call it that.

Today, I'm going to be as transparent as possible.... Honestly, all I want is to be gone from this sinful world, full of lies, full of selfishness and cruelty, and have my Redeemer come in the clouds to take me home. I desire nothing else than to see the face of my Heavenly Father and hold on in tight embrace to my Savior Jesus Christ. I long for Heaven, I long to be with my Lord. I long to love them more than I love anything else, and it still would not be what they deserve.

Today, I'm going to be as transparent as possible.... I no longer want to battle. I want to surrender. By God's grace, by God's strength, by God's love alone will I do so. Because though I long for Heaven, like Enoch, the Lord can put a love in my heart for solely Him now, and keep Heaven on my mind today and everyday.

Praise God, for He is giver and completer of Hope. So, to be transparent, I have nothing to fear as I surrender it all to Him. 

Heavenly Song - "Wedding Day" by Acappella

This song always brings me to tears, its just such a lovely song of the hope that we have in Christ Jesus. Can't wait to see you there. 


ps I'm a deep believer in prayer and the power of it, and if anyone has a prayer request, let me know. I would be honored to pray for you and anything that is going on in your life. 

Wedding Day

Grace.Faith.Works.

So many times, we become confused with what the Bible says and certain terminology that is used over and over yet is failed to be explained good and properly. So today, we're going to talk about being Saved by Grace, Saved by Faith, or Saved by Works. As a Seventh-Day Adventist Christian, I cannot help but be saddened when I hear people who are not SDA say that we are a cult that solely believe in works. I cannot express how further from the truth that can be. As an SDA, we are taught to follow what the Bible says, and that is that we are saved by grace (praise God!), but that faith and works do play a vital part in our approach to that grace and our relationship with God. As you go through this study, I pray that you have not only a better understanding of my church and where it stands, but more importantly, on what God teaches in His lovely Bible.

Salvation/ Growing in Christ

• The first step to understanding salvation, is understanding redemption
• 2 Corinthians 5:17-21  There are two concepts: one, is this concept of Christ taking on our sin and the work God is doing for us, and secondly, this concept of dying to self

God’s Part

• Romans 3:21-26  For all have sinned, but notice that last part – there is redemption
• So the question remains: what is redemption?
• 1 Peter 2:21, 22; Gal. 1:4; 4:4-7- through His sufferings, we are made whole, we are made part of the genealogy of God!!! Do you see that? Now what does that mean?
• Illustration: I am the daughter of M and R – physically, I look like both of them, mainly my mom. In character, however, I’ve taken the loud social traits of my dad, and the artistic introverted side of my mom, and I battle with myself everyday, but that’s the character that I have through them. Now understand what God is saying is that like His Son, we can be heirs of His! So, putting traits and inheritance together, God’s character can be manifested in us.

• Sanctification: Hebrews 13:20-21 It is God’s will to begin a good work in you -- God is giving us grace by His Son – sanctify means to make holy. So when we are redeemed, giving our lives to Christ, He begins a sanctifying process in you.
• God is a true forgiver isn't He!
• Hebrews 8:7-12   God wants to make a covenant, a bond, a promise with us. Physical Israel wouldn’t do it, now God is looking at His spiritual Israel and saying I will write My character on your hearts and minds – the Law = the Character – sanctification is having the character of God

• Jesus – going to learn about His work in the Sanctuary later – reconciled us through His sufferings! – John 16:8-11, Col 1:13,14 Helps us to see our need for a Savior and for a relationship with God unaffected by the world around us. Does that make sense?
• So that we can begin to establish our characters with God

• Holy Spirit – 1 Peter 1:22, 1 John 3:24, Romans 8:14-17
• Through the Spirit we are born again and sanctified; the Spirit renews our minds, writes God's law of love in our hearts, and we are given the power to live a holy life.
• The Holy Spirit is like our care giver, until Jesus comes He is here interceding in our hearts to give God our entire being, and be servants one to another

• Us – in Romans 3:24, we saw that we were saved by the grace of God,
• This faith – Galatians 3:26– saved by faith (faith is the activator of the grace)
• Illustration: Blender and power chord – I am into natural medicines and I know that the shake I would make with the blender would make me feel better, make me feel healthier, lighter, save my body in a sense – but if I don’t turn that blender on, what happens? Nothing. Same thing here. God gives us that grace, but if we don’t believe Him, then your basically calling Him a liar, and pretty much saying that He can’t help you. So God’s grace is given to those who believe (who have faith) in that saving grace. If I don’t believe that Christ’s grace can save me, will it? No, because I’m doubting that God can have an active part in my life. Now where does works fit into all this?

• Works -- Romans 10:17; James 2:18,20,26
• we are not saved by works, but what we do directly affects us, and gives a reflection of faith.
• When you read a great book, you have a reaction and you tell people about. Reading God’s love letter and the best reaction is what we see in our lives – do, say, feel, etc.
• When I began to believe in the saving grace of God and realized just how much I love Him, I couldn’t help making changes in my life that glorified Him and not me. I went from eating meat to going vegan so I can be healthy and glorify God through my health (it was a slow, careful process though), I truly started to keep the Ten Commandments which God does ask us to keep if we love Him, and I began to dress more modestly because I wanted to respect my body and how I presented it to others. Plus, music, movies, don’t really care for anymore, because (for the most part) they do not glorify my Father in Heaven. Now do all those things save me, NO! We’re not saved by digestion, or by fashion, but what I do affects my faith and my relationship with God. 
• By giving up meat and go towards a vegan diet, I have faith that Christ is going to provide for my nutrition, sustenance, etc - God cares about your body and your health, but we'll go over that later. My faith grows in knowing my God supplies my physical needs
• What about entertainment. In letting them go, I have faith that God will satisfy me beyond what media or culture can offer. Honestly though, to think that the entertainment industry doesn't affect your spiritual walk is putting yourself on dangerous ground. I know so many people that have a hard time even thinking about picking up and reading their Bible's because its not as exciting as movies or music. Honestly, it won't be as exciting unless you get to know Jesus and what Jesus, God, and the Holy Spirit are doing for you right now. 

• World and Me: We’ll go over more on this later– hit on relationships, music, movies, entertainment, words, dress, everything that we know what God has in store for us – which is ten times better than anything we can want
• Phillipians 3:7-14 – Paul counted everything dung that had to do with his life before Christ. Nothing in this life is worth anything more than a saving relationship with Jesus Christ.

• End Justified – Titus 3:1-7 through the Trinity we can have the victory

1 Thess 5:23 Can we allow God to sanctify us wholly and make us heirs of His kingdom? We battle against flesh and blood but in Luke 17 God says He will guide in treading on serpents so nothing can harm us, and we can take on divine nature. Can we start walking by faith in grace?

Our God is Greater

Honestly, my music preference of choice is not the popular praise songs that we hear most often, only because I feel that they are too repetitious and should seriously try to give a little more to the listener, but something about the lyrics in the song "Our God is Greater" really sparks a note in my heart and in my mind, especially the chorus. Our God is Greater than anything, anyone, any obstacle, any enemy, any distractions, even our own desires and what we consider right and wrong. God is greater than all. That I just think is so powerful, i feel like leaving  blank there: Our God is Greater than ____(blank)____ and if you could think of some great things to put into that blank that applies to you and you feel like sharing, then leave a comment.  =)  God bless friends..

CAPO 4

.
VERSE 1:
Em                  C                    G
Water you turned into wine
Em                 C                       G
opened the eyes of the blind
Am
there’s no one like you
D
none like you
VERSE 2:
Em              C                         G
Into the darkness you shine
Em                C              G
out of the ashes we rise
Am
there is no one like you
D
none like you
CHORUS:
Em
Our God is greater
C
Our God is stronger
G                                              D
God you are higher than any other
Em
Our God is Healer
C
Awesome in power
G                         D
Our God, Our God


Em
and if our God is for us
C
then who could ever stop us
G
and if our God is with us
D
then what could stand against

Em
Our God is greater
C
Our God is stronger
G                                              D
God you are higher than any other
Em
Our God is Healer
C
Awesome in power
G                         D
Our God, Our God