God Has Plans for Me?

                                                                                 God Has Plans for Me?

              Jacob left a great comment. Do you ever wonder if God       has plans for you? Please leave your own comment.

“For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD.
"They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”
Jeremiah 29:11 NLT

 David wasn't very important.  Today as every day, He was taking good care of a few of his father's sheep. But his brothers, impressive and muscle bound,  were parading before the great prophet Samuel. One of them would be hailed king before Samuel left the little town of Bethlehem. David’s brothers looked like kings: tall, virile, handsome. Their father beamed too…yet the Lord rejected all seven of them.
 
   “Do you have any other boys?” asked Samuel.

      His father spoke reluctantly, “Well—there's David—but he's just watching a few sheep.”
 

     Samuel's voice boomed with authority, “Bring him to me! I’ll not rest until I have done the Lord’s business.”

What about you?

     Perhaps you know the story of how this wimpy, underestimated brother got the prize and became Israel’s most famous king. God had a plan for David that blew his brothers away.

    
 Not only are you chosen, but you are picked for a purpose.

Could it be that the Almighty has plans that will amaze me, my friends,

 and even my teachers and parents?

Yes!

"I knew you before I formed you in your mother's womb. Before you were born I set you apart and

 appointed you as my spokesman to the world." Jeremiah 1:5 NLT
God calling
 “Do you hear me now? Are you ready to put on your boots and follow the passion I have given you?” says the Lord who formed you, chose you, and called you for purpose.
  

Dear Lord,
  Show me the path—Show me the passion—Show me—and 
  I will put on my boots and follow.

God doesn't look for beauty, intelligence or money.
He looks for those who truly love Him and want to serve Him.

Say No to the Jabs

                                                                                          Say No to the Jabs
  

        Leave your own comment after reading Jacob’s.

You're blessed for believing that the Lord would keep his promise to you."
                                         Luke 1:45 GW                                                                        

                    Two gossips
 
Mary – “Did you hear about Renee?”

 Judy -   “No. What going on with her?”
 
Mary– “She was accepted at Dream University! Can you believe it.?”

Judy – “Are you sure? Not just anybody gets in there.   
 
Mary   - “I was right there when it happened. She got a phone call from her mother.
 
Judy – “Renee is such a scatter brain. She’s very blond, you know.”
 
Mary –“Oh, yeah. Do I ever!”   
 
Judy –“She’s always wanted to teach children.”         
 
Mary – “Well, I guess we should be happy for her but …well…go figure?”
 
                                                                             Who cares what they think?
     Don’t let what people think keep you in a box. God has given you a dream. Come out of the box, dream big and take steps toward the goal. The enemy wants you to compare yourself with others and feel bad. You look at air brushed pictures of models and muscle bound heroes and feel ugly and puny. Stop it!
    Others may poke fun at your dream. Don’t listen to them. There are always going to be naysayers. They’re a dime a dozen. There’s something better going on for you. You’ve got the whole cheering section in heaven shouting your name!
 
What really counts? God has the final word.
 
                                                                    “… If God is for us, who can be against us?”
                                                                                        Romans 8:31 NIV
        Dear Lord, I only care what you think. Thank you!

Don't let others put you down or tell you, you aren't good enough. 
Don't compare yourself to people in the media. 
It will only lower your self-esteem. 
Don't let it distort your view of what "good" is.

He Sees You

He Sees You
Emma has a great review at the end. She would love to hear your story.

"'How do you know about me?’" Nathanael asked. And Jesus replied, ‘I could see you under the fig tree before Philip found you.’" 

John 1:48 NLT
  

  “You knew me? You saw me? Awesome! You must be the Son of God. You’ve got to be the King of Israel!” Nathanael was shocked that Jesus would even notice him. But He did. Jesus saw Nathanael while he was sitting under a tree.
    If you’re sitting under a tree right now, Jesus sees you too and He thinks you’re amazing.
Yes, Jesus sees you. He knows exactly where you are.  He walks with you now—right now. He will walk anywhere with you—today. He will help you find a good friend—He will help you excel in school—He will help you with anything. Just ask.  He cares about every detail of your life.

                                               How do I know? The Bible tells me so.

                                     “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God    has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you’ Hebrews 13:5 NIV

 Does the enemy try to slap a label on your back? Are any of the following familiar?
    NI -  Not Important                    SC -  Sports Klutz
    S – Stupid                                    NC–  Not cool
    NAGA – Not as good as……       O  –  Overlooked
    NGL – Not good looking                BC -  Bad clothes

 Rip off that label. Walk with confidence. King Jesus walks with you. He sees you. He chooses you. He knows you’re cool because He made you. He’s looking at you—watching you. You are in His heart forever!
“I will give thanks to you because I have been so amazingly and miraculously made. Your works 
                                     are  miraculous, and my soul is fully aware of this.”
                                                                Psalm 139:14 GW

        Dear Lord,
        Thank you for seeing me. Please walk with me today. Thank you.

                                                                                  Emma's Review

People have said rude things to me in the past but I should not let those words get to me because God made me who I am. I am a daughter of The Lord. God knows everything about me. He knows my past and my future but His main thing is where I am right now--the way everything just is. He knows when I sit and when I rise, when a sparrow falls. He loves everyone even the foul mouthed and unworthy.
Lord, your love is beyond my understanding and I am not worthy of it, but still, You love me always.

Just Believe

God's Given You a Dream - Just Believe!
***Please share your dreams with Hannah after you read her story.

“Ignoring what they said, Jesus told the synagogue ruler, ‘Don't be afraid; just believe.’"
Mark 5:36

     What will happen—really, if I don’t believe God has great plans for me? Won’t life go on as planned anyway? Isn’t luck a big part of the picture?  Just because I believe something won’t make it happen.
   
     But we’re talking about God’s Word. The Bible says  His thoughts for you are as many as the sand on the seashore  You are always on His mind.

      The Lord has given you dreams. You have an enemy who wants to take them away. His name is Satan. He wants you to feel small and insignificant. When you start believing that you’re a King’s kid and acting like one the devil gets running scared.

     Go in the direction of the dream God has placed in your heart.  Don’t be shy. If you like to sing, join the chorus group. If you like the theater, try out for a play. Even if you stink at what you want to do, do your best If you don’t get the part you want be good at the one you do get.Even if you stink at what you want to do, do your best. Try out for track or football or become part of a chess team.

     The sky is the limit. If you’re on the wrong track, don’t worry. The Lord will help you.
Take the plunge. Just believe!

                                           “See, I have placed before you an open door.”
                                                                 Revelation 3:8   
   
Dear Lord,
        I like being your kid. Let’s go places together. Let’s just do it, Lord!

Hannah’s story:

     I recently decided that I want to become a professional clarinetist. I just attended my second year at the Stetson University Clarinet Clinic. The first year, I was amazed at how many other people were just like me! I was inspired and worked to be a better player. This year was even more amazing. There were kids my age and younger who were so much more advanced. Now, I’m determined to do whatever it takes to flourish with the wonderful talent God has given me. I don’t care if people at my school call me nerdy or a band geek. That’s just the devil trying to discourage me from reaching my goal. With God on my side, I know I have the power to accomplish anything. You can have that power too - just ask the Lord to guide you. “Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” -Matthew 7:7

Turn It Off!

 Turn It Off!

***Be sure to read Emma's review before leaving your own comment.

“Commit everything you do to the LORD. Trust him, and he will help you.”

Psalm 37:5 NLT

  

           Jessica was being tortured. The disturbing words of the music bombarded her mind. Negative doubts  screamed louder and louder. "You're not this and you're not that...you have no friends...time to eat worms."

“I should turn off the music,” she thought.

            What do you open your mind to? What music? What movies? What books? What words of cruel “friends”? What messages play in your head each day?

     Jessica’s messengers brought fear...condemnation.  She was sad and depressed.  She had no peace. She didn’t expect anything good to happen. She was doomed if she continued on this path of poison. She had a choice to make. Believe God or believe lies. Believe that God loved her or believe her thoughts...feelings.

            A worried heart is not the heart you follow. This is not from the God who adores you! You already know He has awesome plans for you (Jeremiah 29:11).

Turn off the music.

                               Sit still.

                                               Be quiet.

                                                                Get away from all distractions. 

                                                                                                     Get you pen and journal

                Ask God to speak to you. 

 

  Tell Jesus  all that’s in your heart. Then share with a good Christian friend who loves you.

“Before you know it, a sense of God's, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when

 Christ displaces wholeness worry at the center of your life.”

Philippians 4:7 MSG

                        Dear Lord,     

                        I belong to You. I will trust. I will relax

                        

  God knows what is right for me. He will show you what's the good and bad in life.

                           "For I am fearfully and wonderfully made." I will not let any bad music or anything

                             else of the sort, get in the way of my worshiping the Lord.

What If I Stumble?

What If I Stumble?

    “Peter replied, ‘Man, I don't know what you're talking about!’ Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him:
‘Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times.’
And he went outside and wept bitterly.”
Luke 22:60-62 NIV

   
    “Never, Lord! Never will I desert you. Even if everyone else does, I won’t.
 I’m your man.”

    Those were the words spoken by Peter before the handcuffs were slapped on Jesus and He was dragged away. Jesus knew. He knew that Peter would fail. He knew this disciple, whose feet He’d washed, would run like fire and ditch Him for his own selfish reasons. Three times, Peter swore “@#&*, I don’t know this Jesus!” Fleeing from the courtyard and the accusing faces, Peter crumbled to the ground and sobbed. He could never take back his words. How could he ever face Jesus again?

     But Jesus had a plan. “Do you love Me, Peter? Are you sure you do? I’ll ask again.
     Do you love Me?—Then feed my sheep.”

    Three times, the Lord cancelled Peter’s sin. Three times, He gave direction. Three times, a new beginning was offered. All Peter had to do was say yes. And he did. Peter became a powerful leader in the early church. His very shadow brought healing. He didn’t stay stuck in his failure. He was forgiven and moved forward. The scripture below was written by Peter. Take it from one who knew!

“Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.”

 Acts 3:19 NIV

   

      Dear Lord,
        Forgive me for ________________. I will follow You.



Review by Macy-

"We all make mistakes. But God forgives us. He does not hold a grudge on us when we mess up. We sin all the time, but it helps us grow in our faith."

What If People Hate Me?

Day Three - What If People Hate Me?

“’Here comes that dreamer!’ they exclaimed. ‘Come on, let's kill him...We can tell our father that a wild animal has eaten him.

Then we'll see what becomes of all his dreams!’"

Genesis 37:19-20 (NLT)

***Don't miss Hannah's review before posting your own comment!

   
    Joseph: You wouldn’t believe the dreams God gave me. I saw your wheat sheaves bowing to mine. I saw the moon, sun and eleven stars bow also. And don’t you love the coat Father gave me?

    Brothers: You’re not our boss. You’re just a little boy. You’ll never amount to anything. Bow down to you? Never!

    Misunderstood by Jacob, his father, and rejected by his brothers, Joseph was sold into slavery and taken to a far off land—Egypt.  The jealous brothers lied to Jacob, their father.  “Oh Dad, doesn’t this bloody coat belong to Joseph?” For the next seventeen years, Jacob cried himself to sleep. 

    But Joseph’s dreams did come true. His brothers bowed, Joseph forgave, and the nation of Israel was saved. How could it be? God was with Joseph and Joseph honored God.

    This is the key. He never forgot his God-given dreams. He could have gotten even; he could have gotten mad at God. But Joseph let God take care of him. In the far off land of Egypt, God lifted Joseph to unbelievable majestic power. Did God take care of him? Oh…yeah!

    You have dreams and hopes. They are from God. Don’t hang out with those who jeer at your dream. Hang with the people who believe in God and believe in you!

“So don't be intimidated by all this bully talk. You're worth

more than a million canaries.”

Matthew 10:31 (MSG)

       
        Dear Lord, I choose to believe that Your plans for me are greater than I know. What the bullies say won’t change Your mind. I won’t change mine either.       

Review by Hannah- 

"A great example of what Satan is trying to do to us every day just happened recently. My friend, who is in ninth grade, told me that she wants to graduate high school a year early. She said she is willing to take online courses over the summer and during the school year. When my other friends heard about it, they laughed and looked at her like she was crazy. No one thinks she can do it, but that just gave her more determination. I know my friend has the capability, but she's got to give it all she's got. I'm confident in my friend and with God on her side, I believe she will graduate with flying colors."