A "Stone"

1 Samuel 7:12

Then Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpah and Shen, and called it Ebenezer, saying, hitherto hath the Lord helped us.

-The children of Israel were in Mizpah and the Philistines were coming from Shen to wage a war. The children of Israel were afraid for their lives and they asked Samuel to not stop crying out to God for help. God heard Samuel's prayers and the men of Israel went out and pursued and killed the Philistines. The men of Israel returned and Samuel made an example of God's faithfulness and protection. He placed a stone between Mizpah and Shen to say look at how God has protected us, and provided for us, and stayed with us all this time. He never leaves when it gets tough. He will always stick it out like nobody else will. He is always going to be here and He will always help us!  From the day on for the rest of Samuels life the Philistines never came across the coast line of Israel.

It's just the same now. Sure we probably don't have actual battles where we are fighting for our lives but we do have many spiritual battles. And we do have hard times. The devil trys to fill our minds with doubt through these hard times. He wants to break us down and keep us from going to God for our strength. That's when we can whip out our own "stone" and show the devil(and ourselves) how great our God is and how many hard and trying times He's has been with us. He has never left us. And He never will. He's as strong today as He was yesterday. Don't forget that.
I encourage you to maybe find something that you can count as your "stone" that will always signify how great God's endurance and loyalty is. It doesn't matter what it is. Just find your "stone" and let God remind you every day of His great mercies.

God Bless!

The Palm Project

Hello ya'll! :) A friend of mine has this really cool facebook page called The Palm Project. It's all about reminding girls about how they are beautiful because God made them. It's really wonderful. :) So if your on facebook, or maybe your parents are, or a sibling, go check it out. :) Here's the link. Facebook.com/thepalmproject <3SarahElisabeth

Scarred and Bruised

HURT.OFFENDED.MISTREATED.SCARRED.BRUISED. So many people are physically, emotionally, and/or mentally hurt, offended, mistreated, scarred, or bruised. So many bad things happen to so many people. Thousands of people walk around every day hurt and depressed. So many have been traumatized in more ways than we could imagine. These people have no hope. They don't know that nothing they do could ever change the depth of God's love for them. Many people think that God, Jesus, and Heaven are just feel-good words. They don't believe that God is real. They don't believe that He sent Jesus, to die for them. To bear their sins. To bring them comfort. They don't know the reality of God's love. The truth is, God has loved us with an everlasting love. Jeremiah 31:3- "Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love." His love for us will never end. He doesn't love you because of something good that you did, and He won't stop loving you because you do something bad. We can't gain His love, and we cant get away from His love. He has loved us since the beginning of time, and He will love us for all of eternity. To be completely honest, I believe that there is a special reward for the ones that have suffered through horrible things that they couldn't control. I don't know that for certain, but I just think that there are special rewards for those that endure their trials faithfully. God already loves you. He has done His part. Will you do your part now and love Him back? Will you realize that you are the one in need of a Savior? We are in need of Him. He doesn't NEED our love. He desires our love. Embrace God and His love. Watch miracles happen. So now, we know that God loves us. But what about all the other people in the world who are hurt and lost? Are we just going to let them keep walking down the path of regret and suffering? They are in need of a Savior just like we are. It's no different for them. They need to know of God's love. God loves them just as much as He loves us. John 3:16- "For God so loved the world..." He loves the world. That means everybody in the whole entire world. Not just me. Not just you. EVERYBODY needs to know God's love. Will you be the shining light to a lost and dying world? Matthew 5:14- "Ye are the light of the world...." Matthew 5:16- "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven." So, HURT.OFFENDED.MISTREATED.SCARRED.BRUISED. It doesn't matter. God will forgive you. He will wash away your sin's. He loves you. He loves the lost and dying world. Share His love. God Bless! SarahElisabeth

A Prayer Request

Hey ya'll! I just wanted to get a really important prayer request out to ya'll. A good friend of mine is going through a really hard time right now. The biggest problem she is facing is the thought that God doesn't love her, and that He doesn't want to hear from her. That shes not important, that the reason she is here was a mere accident. She's such a sweet girl and it breaks my heart to hear about everything she is going through, and struggling with. She really needs to feel God's love. She needs to know that she is here for a reason. That she is NOT an accident. She needs Jesus. so, if ya'll could remember her in your prayers i would appreciate it. thanks. :)

God Bless!

Preparation for SMITE

Well, it is that time of year again! SMITE! The long awaited week is finally upon us! To those of you that have never heard about SMITE, it is an absolutely wonderful week, filled with spiritual growth, challenges, and hard, firey preaching! It's absolutely incredible! The week starts on Sunday, and ends on Friday! :) And then for some, the daily 5-day clubs don't stop there! For all the BLITZ people, it continues for up to 2 months! Truly amazing! If you go to SMITE, and come back not changed in some way, then Satan was really working hard to keep you distracted.
So getting prepared for SMITE. Days and weeks in advance, there are people all over praying for safety, God-encounters, lives changed, salvations, and lots more! By the time we actually get there, Satan is already working overtime to confuse us, harden our hearts, make us bitter, and so on and so forth. One thing that is key to leaving SMITE changed, is to have a positive attitude the whole time. And of course, daily quiet times, and dependence on God.
And of course, theres always the curriculum that needs to be studied! getting a head start on the stories for Bible clubs is always a good idea! It never hurts to be prepared for sharing the gospel!
All of y'all's prayers would be very much appreciated! Thanks a million!
for more information about SMITE visit smitecamp.org

God Bless!