GET CLOSE TO HIM !!!!!

Okay so there's this girl, and she is planning a surprise birthday for her best friend, she decides it might mean more if more people help out. So she's thinking about who to talk to… Shall she talk to a girl who speaks to her best friend every now and again , or should she speak to a girl that's practically another best friend of the birthday girl , who knows better ? --- listen, it’s a no-brainer . When you get close to God and He is the centre of your world (because your His;) things get a lot easier, you understand His will a lot better , you are able to hear His directions with ease . Why is this ?

 Think about talking to your mum in the car, can you hear her better when the radio is blasting ?! Of course not !!! 

Get rid of distractions and you will be able to hear the voice of God . 

He is always speaking to you , but sometimes :/ you don't hear Him !!

I love this verse : 'delight yourself in The Lord and He will give you the desire of your heart' -- okay so , you are going to go to Paris for spring break , that guy is totally going to speak to you today , and the dream car is coming your way !!!

 - No, just no .

When you get close to God , and I mean really close ... His heart beats with yours and suddenly, you realise that things that seemed so important fly out of the window . His desires for your life become your desires. And voila !

Those desires will become realities because God knows your needs more than you do ! 

So ... What does getting close to God mean ??

 - 'now each to his own' but I've definitely found what has worked for me . - dedicating time in the morning to read His word - praying - absolutely no secular music (just sayin') - little secular television (don't think it can't be done:) - noting thought patterns - noting social interactions --- just to mention the basics . Now I’m not saying  you go and throw away your television . But I'm very visual , a couple of episodes of the real housewives and my mind can't get off it !! I detest being a slave to anything . So test yourself . Can you go a week without your favourite show ? If you can't then I'm afraid you have the mini-god complex . Things you can't live without . I had to make up my mind to stop watching certain shows completely, because sometimes I would be in church , and suddenly a scene from the last episode pops up in my head - it was just getting too much . But I found that when I drew away from the distractions my mind had more time and space for the things of God more than ever before .

Keep your mind on God = better relationship with God = Knowing the will of God .

FINAL BIT …

 Keep calm and Trust God

Ever hear of the phrase : ‘let go and let God’ ?

Now Sometimes we say things -- phrases like that , but we forget what it actually means ... 

God is in charge of our lives and once you give your desires to Him and let Him drive - all you need to do is enjoy the ride !!

Now that's easier said than done . This past year for me has been a whirlwind of emotions. Ups and downs.

 I made mistakes that I thought could ruin Gods plan for my life . But you see - nothing takes Him by surprise. You've got to remember according to the Bible , the VERY FIRST thing that God did was : take something miss-formed and turn it into something beautiful (credit #touchedbyanangel ) ~ Genesis 1"2-3 ' The earth was empty ... Then GOD said : "Let there be light ,"

God put talents, likes and skills in you to equip you for your future. Everything that you've been through will be a testimony to someone someday IF you stay in the hands of God. He'll never let you fall :)

Trust Him . 

God knows what will make you the happiest long-term. 

He understands your frustrations and hurts . Don't get dazzled by what you think is best .

 You don't see what's coming round the corner , but God does and if you wrap yourself in Him , you can rest assured that the storms won't break you and your future will 'shine brighter and brighter (even) until the perfect day ' ~PROV4"18

Hope you've enjoyed this series , I felt like someone needed to hear it . 

Message me for any preferences :) 

God Bless ! 

IMTAPA

(In my thoughts and prayers always :) Xx

Hey guys !

--- Here's a series God laid on my heart. It was a series  on 'How to find God's will'. And it was aimed at my follower-friends (who are mostly girls) - So sorry if Its slightly subsided ...

enjoy and I hope The Holy Spirit will minister to you while you read :) 

Hi everyone !

We all know that God has had a plan for us from the very beginning ~ from before we even entered the world !

Jeremiah 1"5: 

" I knew you before I formed you in your mothers womb. Before you we're born I set you apart and appointed you as my spokesman ( or woman ;) to the world ."

But how do we find out what it is  ? 

I don't know about you, but I have grown up dreaming of what my life could be like (in the future) . And outing all those dreams into the hands of God can initially seem like a scary ordeal ! 

But I was a while ago, I decided – ‘hey I’ve only got one life to live, and when I get to heaven, I want to know that I did everything God wanted - because THAT is where our reward lies . 

Think about Jesus - He didn't want to suffer the pain of death !!

The garden of Gethsemane were some of the darkest moments of His entire existence.

 Luke 22"44 says , " ... He was in such agony of Spirit that His sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood ."

Jesus even asked God to take away the cross if it was possible

: "Father if You are willing please take this cup of suffering away from me ." 

It was hard , it was more than hard but Jesus (being the amazing God that He is ;) gave Himself to God the Father’s plan because He knew that Gods will was best . It's like a parent ... I remember being seven and crying at the table because I didn't want to eat broccoli . I didn't know how much it would benefit me in the long run ... And the truth is : God's will is what will make you happy , your dream job , Prince Charming, perfect hair and makeup will NOT make you feel the way Jesus' accomplished plan will . So what do you do?

Just say " God I lay down my plan for what I think is best for me and I choose to accept Your  will because 

You are my loving Father and I want my life to be a demonstration of Your goodness . I want to serve others and serve them with my whole heart , just like You did . Please give me the humility to accept that I do not know what's best . But You do. Amen"

Lets look at Romans 12"2 ~ which says : " Don't copy the behaviour and customs of this world, but let Him transform you by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect His will really is" (NLT;)

Okay , let's stop here and rewind , so to find out what God wants you to do:

- don't copy the world’s behaviours 

-LET HIM transform you (via changing the way you think)

= all meaning two steps - make the conscious effort not to copy the ways of the world. ie: girls , the way we dress , present ourselves to others, what we watch , what we spend our time doing , the places we go and the friends we have should really be foreign to those who do not have Jesus as their no.1.

We need to separate ourselves from the world . You can't go to every party , you can't stay out as late as your friends , you can't get drunk and expect to be okay spiritually. Because (and I'll put it bluntly) you won't .

Look at all the amazing people in the Bible , everyone who had great futures were not 'with the crowd'. They stood out . Always sometimes not for a good reason , but they did . Joseph was more intelligent than his brothers , and had his 'quiet time' in pits , prisons and eventually palaces.

Samson couldn't cut his hair . David was out on the fields all the time. Esther was a virgin. John the Baptist - well he was very different . And Jesus always had His time on the mount of olives and His alone time . It's like going to school . You need time to prepare before setting out into your destiny.

 Ask God to help make you 'set apart' . It can be kinda weird especially when you are abit of a  people person , but it's worth it . God can do a quick work  ~

Romans9"28“For the LORD will carry out his sentence upon the earth quickly and with finality."

 And secondly, ask God to transform the way you think . Your own pride and ambitions , are insignificant in the big scheme of things. But , let God lead you ;

and voila !

Yield to every small thought change that comes up . eg: your doing your hair extra special because a really nice guy is in your class today . And suddenly you think : 'really ? Are you trying to attract him?'   - that's not you , it's God transforming the way you think . Yield and obey and honour God by obeying the little things, because when you do , He will give you big destinies to fulfil . ~ Luke 16"10 " Unless you are faithful in small matters you won't be faithful in large ones . If you cheat even a little, you won't be honest with greater responsibilities"

- so be faithful girls, and don't cheat God and yourself . 

I choose Jesus ...

Today was amazing
I had about an hour discussion with a girl about her eternal salvation.
It was epic.
When we were talking I remember feeling the presence of God right there, as we were talking, she started tearing up, and I don't even remember thinking about anything. 
I was just speaking and speaking.
I came back into my room dropped everything on the floor and just melted.
I couldn't believe it . 
I'm the sort of girl that watches 'The Way of The Master' in complete awe at how many lives are touched through that show. - including mine, all the time .

From talking to the girl today , I was reminded of an article I wrote on the student room a couple of months ago on one of the 'Does God Exist' threads.

I wrote a relatively long post on why I believe people should look to Jesus (from a sceptic's view) ...
As you can imagine, I got alot of hate-responses from my post, it was king of exciting -MATT 5"10 
'Blessed are those who are persecuted because they live for God, for the Kingdom Of Heaven is theirs' (yipee !)
And there was one muslim lad who I talked to the entire night, he had vast amounts of sceptical questions and what not. I'll put one of them below.

Anyway it was exciting to share my faith online like that, and it was from the following post that I realised my passion for God-writing.
Hope you are able to enjoy the post, 

IMTAPA
Lakechia

Listen here guys .

I am 17 . I go to a school that is largely atheist. I studied philosophy and religion - where both teachers were atheist . The simple fact that the debate of God is still running high after more than 4000 years is because it is something that is a mystery to man in his own mind.

You know what ? Fine . Don't believe in God . Spend your whole life in the mindset of 'there is no God'

BUT

What if there is ? What if . Two words that may haunt you for the rest of eternity . Don't stop reading , this will make more sense ...

If you do believe in God , what the worst that could happen, you live your life of meaning in a constant state of hope, even for death . And if you die ,and there is nothing afterwards - then boo hoo . But if God does exist : you get to spend eternity with Him !

But if you don't believe God , you live a life only waiting to die - don't get me wrong , you can enjoy it  for the odd 70 years ( more or less)you might have. And if you die, and there's just nothing . Then 'fine'.
BUT what if . What if there was something after death - an eternity of painful regret .
"If only I had listened"
-- would you risk not wearing a seatbelt just because your only driving to the corner shop ?
--- then why risk the fact that you might - just might have to spend eternity in hell just because you didn't want to believe in a God that had been their all along .

If you read this thinking 'this person is insane... doesn't she know science - hasn't she seen all the theories ? ' - well actually I do, and I have. I know science well enough to know that it makes mistakes . Scientist used to think the earth was flat for crying out loud !! It was scientists that tried to disprove the BIBLE when it clearly says " He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth" (Isaiah40v22)
Scientist used to 'bleed people' to make them better when the BIBLE clearly says , that blood is one of the key components of the bodies ability to function (Leviticus 17v11)
Scientist thought the ocean floor was flat , when the BIBLE clearly states that it has valleys and mountains (2Samuel22v16)- ever heard of King David scuber diving ? - how could they have known these things.

Face it . scientists have made mistakes in the past , and they will in the future. In fact many scientists have stopped trying to disprove God because it's just too hard.Don't believe me ?
Ask a scientist . 

Let's see ... who was one  of the most intelligent scientists to walk the modern , intellectually superior scientific world . Einstein ? - that's who I was thinking of . Look what He said :

"Every one who is seriously involved in the pursuit of science becomes convinced that a spirit is manifest in the laws of the Universe-a spirit vastly superior to that of man, and one in the face of which we with our modest powers must feel humble."

Have you ever had 'the annoying friend' that looks at what you brought for lunch (ie : your favourite snack) -- and says
"that must taste disgusting I would never eat that"
And you snap back at them and say:
"Dude have you even tried it !?" -- because surely you can only say something is complete rubbish if you've tried it with sincere intentions and hated it . Right ?

So I want to ask you right now .
Have you tried God ?

Forget what 'Christians' have said that may have hurt you . Forget how hypocritical they might be. Not giving God a chance because of Christians' bad example is like not going to the gym because there are 'out of shape people' there. Why Christianity ? And why JESUS ? Because no other 'god' has such a personal and understanding relationship with people who simply ask (hint hint). No other 'god' has the most multicultural group of people following Him  without any 'majority race' . No other 'god' has become human and experienced the same things of pain as we have . No other 'god' has had a best selling book for the past 2000 years ( people must be reading it for some reason right ?). No other 'god' has made a promise to be with you always, every single second of everyday. And no other 'god' has loved his followers somuch that he would die for them.

I know what you feel like , is it really worth it ?
The answer is yes . The 12 disciples did not lie when they wrote accounts of Jesus . Who would ever lie for a cause that would cost them their lives ?

You know, believing in God is a 'leap of faith' . Its like riding a bicycle, or walking for the first time . You could fall . But what if you don't, what if you keep trying ? Who ever succeeded at something  without taking a risk ?

I am a Christian and sincerely proud to say it .
I am a teenager , and I have found hope in every situation . Courage in every challenge . And a best friend who has never let me down. My best friend is Jesus - I know it sounds kinda cheesy , but no matter what anyone thinks or says this truth will remain with me forever . Until the grave .
And no one knows when they will die . You could go any day . Anytime . You are human after all.
So don't wait . All you need to say ( and it won't hurt) is :

"God . Jesus . If You exist, please help me to know it . There are so many things that go against You even being real. But if you are there , help me to understand.

You don't have to listen to me .
You don't have to remember anything I just wrote .
But please keep in mind these two words ...

What if .

-------

[QUOTE=sjaan]The same thing can be said to you.

Why don't you buy a Quran and read it for yourself and see what Islam says?[/QUOTE]

I am so delighted that you took your time to read my 'long post' -- it was long wasn't it :) if I could say all that I said in 1 sentence , I would .
But let me give you an example :

If I had spent 4 hours constantly looking outside in the cold for an iPod that I had accidentally dropped. And then I suddenly find it (and am incredibly happy !!)
- why would I carry on staying outside in the cold when I have already found what I was looking for ?

In the same way . I have found Jesus . He is not my prophet . But my God and saviour and most of all, my personal friend. I would not trade Him for my life.

However I also believe in freewill - and so does God  - but freewill is only evident when options are considered and a choice is made. I have considered my options, and I have made my choice.

I choose JESUS.

Going after JESUS ...

This entire blog's concept is based completely over the second chapter of Acts .

Acts , probably the most ACT-tion (see what I did there ?) packed book in the Bible when it comes to the movement and manifestations of the Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit.

I want to look at the character of Peter, an amazing individual who had his life turned around when He met Jesus one day.

Mark 1"16&17 ' Jesus said unto them, "Come be my disciples, and I will show you how to fish for people !"

- or for the more traditional ones of us ...

'And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.'

(Good old King James)

To put it bluntly, Peter (or Simon at the time) was called by Jesus to enter His kingdom and change the world.

Looking at this verse more carefully is amazing. You see that Jesus says COME - this word in Greek is 'deute', now I'm not going to get all technical on you but looking at this translation brings a breeze and almost whimsical feeling to the scene. Deute can be : come away. - Almost as if Jesus is inviting Peter (and his brother Andrew) to enter off into a new wonderful world. His Kingdom. Which He (kind of) was.

The second (of many) translations for the word Deute is FOLLOW. Now , for those of you who have twitter, that sort of 'following' is extremely different from the one I'll be sharing with you.

I think that for the most part, the culture and society that we live in. The term : to follow someone has been cheapened. First thing that may come to mind when following someone is : liking their pictures, commenting on their captions. And for those very, very sad ones (no offense) envying the food-pics that are posted. 

But it's so , so much more ...

Peter had no idea of what he was getting himself into, but hats off to him and all respect. He had a family and a lively hood. But he left that all behind.

Q1. Why did God call fishers ?

Lets just say : fishermen were not the most respected people in Galilee- or anywhere for that matter. They were the men that smelled like fish. And although they had to be intelligent, and reasonably advanced in mathematics to sort out their market shares and stocks when it came to selling ; in no way was their brain as intellectually challenged on a daily basis as the day's doctors or teachers of the religious law. ie Pharisees (boo...hiss). 

But they were patient men, they would spend hours waiting for fish. They knew endurance, they were strong and were not fearful of the challenges that sea-storms would bring.

They were perfect.

And in fact Jesus caught Peter and Andrew, and no doubt a couple of other boats with them just coming in from a long hard night of nada. 

No fish at all.

'Master,' Simon replied 'we have worked hard all last night and didn't catch a thing

NEVERTHELESS

we will try again.
~ Luke 5v5

- So why have I highlighted the 'nevertheless' in that verse ?

Because we need that same nevertheless attitude! When we are willing to follow the will of God nomatter how little sense it may seem to our tiny peanut brains, then , and only then are we able to see the full glory of God in our lives for ourselves. Peter, Andrew, James and John all caught more fish then they ever had before that day. Why ?

Because they were obedient to God . And I just feel that obedience to the Holy Spirit and His directions in our lives is absolutely more than we could ever ask or think or imagine. Because that obedience will lead us into:  divine happiness and peace , divine health and most of all, divine character, and righteousness  because we will be walking in the will of God !

Now I haven't got this figured out yet, and I do not obey God all the time. But I yearn to .
If your like me in that , you really want your heart to be opened more and more to the amazing blessings of God. Then your in good company, because according to His word, they that hunger and thirst for righteousness shall be filled -MATT5"6

Now lets get back to Peter - great guy, good guy.

He is called the Rock of the Church (serious business) - MATT16"18

He witnesses the transfiguration - MATT17"1-7

And he stays with Jesus from day one.

However ... 

-He tries to build an alter (ie: worship) Elijah and Moses  -MATT17"4

-He doubts God -MATT14"30

-And he denies Jesus 3 times. -LUKE22"54

So how can a guy like this saves 3000 souls in one sermon .

Millions in His life time .

And even billions of souls after He died ?

Don't get me wrong - Jesus saves souls, but He uses His vessels , people like PETER to manifest and show His love here on earth by spreading the gospel.

Peter was ordinary .

But there was something very extra-ordinary in Him that made all the difference.

LUKE24"49 says :

'And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.'

The only way Peter could change from the character that He was into the man that God had put in Him from the beginning ... the only refining One that could make Peter the Peter we know today is ...

The Holy Spirit !!

It was right after Pentecost when, like a mighty rushing wind , the Holy Spirit came down to earth , and for the first time entered INTO the individual. You see , before the Holy Spirit came UPON people - Samson, David , even Elijah and Elisha - But He never entered into people.

But of course, at this point He did enter Peter - the 120 people with him (or I guess 119) and it worked wonders. Timid, denying Peter turned into bold, anointed Peter who pointed his fingers directly at the Pharisees and said ' ...you nailed Him to the cross and murdered Him. 
However , God released Him from the horrors of death and raised Him back to life ...' 

~Acts 2v14
- transformation or what ? - this was no small talk.
Peter with the power of the Holy Spirit went all-out and saved 3000SOULS.

This thought really touched me. With God power , Peter brought 3000 to Christ in perhaps not more than 2 hours. 

That's more than epic. That's a mega-huge-big-deal.

Now I know you're saying, that was Bible times , I could never do something like that . 

But please, don't limit God with your thinking. Don't stop Him by stopping His vessel = YOU.

In a time where so many people are crying out, so desperate for answers,  hope and safety. Who says you cant save 3000SOULS - or more ?

Just ask God for help to accomplish a dream only He can fulfil.

Will you join me ?

IMTAPA

Lakechia

A little story about my disobedience ...

So its the startup ...

Its been a long while God has put on my heart to start writing on this online journal : 3000SOULS. Beilieve or not it has perhaps been about a quarter of the year since The Lord put this in my heart. It is presently 01:09 in the morning and I felt like I was about to burst . I just had to write my first post.

This one is an introduction to what 3000SOULS is all about . And that is one thing . JESUS.

- need I say more ?

I believe in my heart that 3000 souls and lives will be touched in some great way from the power of God through the ministry God has placed in my hands . I pray for this in His name alone.

This online journal/blog will basically be a Bible Study based around an array of topics that God has laid on my heart.  I aslo intend for it to be inculsive of topics you would likle to hear more about.

I'd like to openly ask God for forgivness for putting this off for so long. I love sharing my heart with people. And I hope you can be a part of this journey with me.

IMTAPA (In my thoughts and prayers always)

Lakechia