Life on the Narrow Road

The Journey of a Christ Follower

Let Us Not Forget Friends : The Good News

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Let us not forget friends…The Good News!

I have absolutely no script for this blog, so please take this with a grain of salt. However, I want nothing more than for everyone to hear me out.

Have We Forgotten

We all see how this world is seemingly growing more and more evil. I watch as the Bible and its TRUTH’s are being forgotten! People all around the world are forgetting the foundations of history that once were treasured! We get more excited about our sports team winning than we do the Salvation of a new soul! Life has become selfish, and I am serious take a deeper look at your life and tell me it isn’t true. And for my sake don’t point out that one time you helped someone out. (As a quick reminder, there is nothing you or I could do to be saved, it is a gift of God. Read all of Ephesians 2!)

At what point do we remember?

When will our eyes be open again?

Right now, there are a lot of shut eyes and it is sad, and the truth is, to answer those questions above, for many NEVER! We read in Ephesians 4:18-19, how for many Gentiles they walked with a hard heart. The were ignorant, they ran after themselves, not the Goodness of Jesus! It should break the hearts of every believer to see so much evil everywhere, but what do we do? (this has been convicting for me a lot lately)

Let Us Not Forget this Christians, it is Good News

Christian, I make this plea to you today, don’t forget the firm foundation we are called to live on! (Matthew 7:24-27) We hear and read of the Truth’s of Scripture, yet we run from them in selfish ambition. God calls us to hear them and do them! We have the Assurance that one day, and oh how I long for that day, we will be with the Lord forever! That should bring a smile to your face. Rather than spending hours binge watching Netflix, we should desire to study the Glorious Truth’s of Scripture!

A Quick Story

Let me tell a true story really quick. There is this guy who grew up in the Church. He was a “Christ-Follower” and loved serving in his church. Like many people he was a lover of himself! As he grew older, into his teen years, he started to run after himself and the lustful desires of the flesh. So, he lived two lives, one on Sunday and Wednesday, where he seemed perfect. And then the other days the complete opposite. This guy soon started teaching Sunday school to first and second graders, not realizing that he would soon become oh so convicted! He walked into that classroom prepared, well at least he thought. What he soon realized is that he knew little about the very things of scripture he was asked to teach, and this HURT!

Ok, so spoiler that story was about me!

Why That Story

I don’t tell that story to puff myself up in any way, quite the opposite actually, but I share it to show and hopefully convict those who are reading this. Seriously, how many of you hurt inside when you realize that there are more first graders out there that know more about Bible stories than you or me? (yes, I praise the Lord that we have young children who know the Bible well) Have we forgotten who the Creator of this World is? (Just read all of Genesis 1 and 2) We serve a Mighty King Christ-followers, and we cannot turn our back on Him. I implore you to seek the truths of scripture. To desire to know Him better. It is the only thing that truly matters in life! I could have a great relationship with family and friends in this life, but if my relationship with Christ isn’t number 1 then I have no true life! And I believe we all would be remised if we forgot who gives us breathe in our lungs!

The Good News!

I pray that everyone would read this section of this blog more than any other part. This is the part that we all need to hear, all the time! It is simply, the Good News! The Good News that the Creator of this universe created everything. He created the animals, the plants and He created you and I. However, man chose to sin by eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. And so, sin entered this world. Now because of that we see sin everywhere! But as the prophets spoke in the old testament the coming of the Messiah would happen. The One who was our Savior! The only hope to free us from our sinful bondage. He did come! He took human form and was born of virgin (Mary). His name was Jesus, and He came into this world and for a time taught the people of the world as He lead His disciples. The hour came though for the spotless lamb to take on the penalty that WE ALL deserved! This He did, by laying down his own life for the lives of sinners. He died that day on a cross, he was buried and then he rose again, and He defeated death once and for all. He took on all our sin and CRUSHED it!

Grace

This is Good News friends, not that we did anything to deserve salvation, but that through Jesus’ death on that cross He offered the free gift of Grace to us. That we could hear it and receive it, not through our works, but by simply turning away from our wickedness and repenting. Then to believe in the Messiah! (Read Romans 10 and Matthew 4:17) Many will water down the Gospel and make you out as some hero, but that is not Good News. The Good News is that we aren’t good enough, that we aren’t worthy, but that King Jesus is! I beg of all of you to hear God’s Truth and to believe!

Don’t Forget

Friends, please don’t forget!

Forget not the glorious truth of the Gospel!

Don’t forget to read your Bible every day!

Don’t forget to love others even if they hate you! (Matthew 5:43-48)

Don’t forget to listen to the wise words of the scriptures and of those who are older than you! (Read Proverbs)

Don’t forget history and the time that has passed!

Again, I will say don’t forget who loves you the most! (Romans 5:8 and 1st John 4:7-11)

A Quick Reminder

If I may let me say these last things as a reminder for all of us as we live each day. (and I mean me most of all, because I write this of my own convictions)

Each day that you wake up, remember to preach the Gospel to yourself. Remember to read the Truth’s of Scripture every day. (2nd Timothy 3:16-17 and Psalm 119:105)

 May our days be filled with more Jesus. (Read all of Scripture and be filled with more Jesus everyday)

 Put your phone down, put your laptop away, turn your tv off and live for Jesus. (Matthew 22:37, Romans 12:2 and 2nd Corinthians 5:17)

 Put two feet down on the ground and walk out into the sunshine of a new day and preach the Gospel! (Romans 10)

Make time for it!

 Love others well. (John 13:34-35)

 Spend time with those around you. Build each other up always, in word and in deed. (1st Thessalonians 5:11 and Ephesians 4:29)

 Live each day for the Lord as if it were your last, because we aren’t guaranteed another day. (Proverbs 27:1)

 Live for God not for yourself, and I implore you to do this every day, again I say this to myself above anything, I want us all to live a Godly life, selfless and humble before the King of Kings!

God bless each one of you!

Choose Jesus : What a World We Live In

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The World we Live In

Will you choose Jesus? I say what a world we live in these days!

Honestly though, if we were to take a deeper dive into the times of old, we would probably be shocked to realize that evil still existed.

I want to take some time today to be real with you all. To remind every Christ Follower who walks this earth that God is Still Ruler! (Colossians 1:15-18)

As we enter into a time when everyone will cast a ballot and according to most people, choose a side. I want to remind us all of Matthew 12:30, we are either for God or we are against. And the hard truth that we all need to hear and have heard is that we all were against Christ at a point. That is why He sent His Son Jesus to die for all our iniquities. (Isaiah 53:5-6)

I want to do two things in this blog. First, I want to challenge each of us to really consider whether or not we are putting our hope and trust in Jesus or something else. Secondly, I want to encourage each and every one of you to take a step back. I know that is hard.

Is Your Trust in Jesus?

Ok let’s start with that first thing. Answer this, where is your trust? Do not just blindly answer that. Genuinely think about it and then answer. I can honestly say for the longest time I have put my trust in myself. I have pushed others and more importantly Christ to the side. Thinking that no one cares or trying to not put any burden on someone else. But the truth is God does care and He must be the one we trust above all other things. (Proverbs 3:5)

So maybe you are putting your trust in a person or a thing, or maybe like me, in yourself. But why? The simple answer is that we all are fleshly, sinful humans. We desire what we want, above the things Christ lays out for us. (ALL of Galatians 5, seriously read it all!) I look out and I see so much evil on every side of the playing field. I see Christians who forget that we serve ONE TRUE KING! And then there are other Christians who are trying to be accepting of everyone at the expense of truth. (Ephesians 2:1-10)

Look, more than anything I get that we can get irritated and frustrated at each other and our opinions, but when will we learn to listen to each other? And I say that truthfully, but never at the expense of truth. I mean when was the last time you disagreed with someone and sat down with them lovingly and talked it through? (Philippians 2:3)  And before you ask, yes I know some people are so stuck in their way that they won’t listen or be willing to sit down and talk….BE THE BIGGER PERSON STILL AND LOVE UNCONDITIONALLY! (1st Corinthians 13:4-13)

Entitlement

One thing I do need to add to this and it is convicting to the core. Anybody who is between the ages of 18 and 30 I want you to hear this. All of us have become ENTITLED! We think we can conquer this world and be the change. We think this world owes us something. All of this is false.

Words of wisdom from those older than me, take a step back and listen to the wisdom of those older than you.

No this doesn’t always mean they are right, but often times our young minds miss the big picture and get all caught up in everything that we miss the truth. In Job 12:12 he says, “Wisdom is with the aged, and understanding in length of days.” God is the beginning of all things and is the one from whom True Wisdom and understanding flow. Just open His Word!

Take a Step Back

Alright, let us hit the second thing. I want us all to take a step back. From our opinions and from ourselves. And I want to challenge each of us to lay it aside and get down on two knees and ask the Lord to realign our lives back to Him. Because the truth is, we have fallen away from that.

I want to make two pleas, one too Christ-Followers and the other to those who do not know Christ.

Plea to the Christian

Christ followers, where is your trust? Have you forgotten the one who saved you from your wickedness? (Philippians 2:5-11) When will we put this anger and entitlement aside and learn to walk in love? We are not a beacon of hope to the lost, when we are yelling and screaming at any who oppose us. Often, we forget that we need to share the Gospel with them, not our opinion. Truth matters above all things. So, when you see a fellow Christian or non-Christian who is walking in sin and flesh and not truth, then proclaim the truth of God’s Word! In Philippians 2:12-18 we see how the Philippians were called to be a light to the world. A world described as crooked and wicked, just like todays world. The call in these verses is to hold fast to the word of life (God’s Word) and do things without grumbling and disputing.

Will YOU do that? Will you trust God and obey His Word?

Plea to Non-Christians

Non-Christians, my plea to you is to hear the truth of the Gospel. Yes, you are loved beyond all understanding. Loved so much that King Jesus died on a cross for our sins. (Our sins, meaning all of us, because as Romans 3:23 says, “we all sin and fall short of the Glory of God”.) But I would not be very loving if I did not warn you of the truth that if you live in sin then you will be sentenced to eternal damnation. And I ABSOLUTELY don’t want that for anybody! I cannot bear the thought that so many people don’t have a relationship with Christ. That is all I want for you. The Hope that is found in God far exceeds anything that you or I have. We are called to let go of ourselves and turn to Jesus. Go read Romans 10:5-13 and chew on it. I beg you to accept the One who loves you more than anything. Turn away from your wickedness. Ask questions, be curious, because you are loved, and I refuse to lay down and give up. This truth is worth fighting for.

WILL YOU CHOOSE JESUS?

Alright so for now that is all I have, but I would encourage all of us to think about this stuff and read the scriptures. The reason I wrote this blog wasn’t to get my opinion across, but to express the convictions I have had in my life.

This world is going crazy, but will You Choose Jesus ABOVE all other names???

Guilty: A Call to True Repentance and Belief

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    I am GUILTY

  I am Guilty and that is the hard truth! If I were to stand in front of the Righteous Judge today, I would be sentenced to eternal damnation!

I am guilty of being an idolater!

I am guilty of lust and an addiction to porn!

I am guilty of lying!

I am guilty of cheating!

I am guilty of stealing!

I am guilty of hating and being angry!

I am guilty of envy and jealousy!

I am guilty of loving self over God!

I am guilty of hypocrisy!

Everything I wrote there is true and has brought so much shame and guilt into my life! Some of that stuff may genuinely shock you all, but don’t let it. There is a big reason why I share this stuff with you all today.

Why?

God has called you and I, sinners alike, to truly repent of our wicked ways and to believe in Him!

But why do I keep living my life for myself?

This is the question I have been asking for the past few years. And it has taken until now for me to understand the root answer.

It is because, and this is so hard for me to admit, but it is because I have never truly repented and given all control over to God!

This is a hard pill for me to swallow and hopefully it is for others as well. To have been living my life as a liar and hypocrite for the past ten or so years, and to be ok with it. This strikes every chord in my body. It makes my bones shiver to think I was a FAKE!

I claimed to be a Christian, but when faced with the choice to worship the Creator or my own desires and lusts, I chose my desires and lusts. There is a reason why for the past few years I have been in a spiritual and mental whirlwind. It is because I have been lukewarm, a lukewarm Christian who cares about his desires. God has been faithfully investing and pouring into my life. All the while I have betrayed and treated Him like a piece of trash.

But He has not stopped pursuing the wretch that is me!

The Worlds Repentance

One thing I need to make clear is that I write this not as a sob story, but as a reminder and eye opener that True repentance is vital.

 I will say it again, I am GUILTY!

I am writing this to proclaim the truth that is penetrating my soul, for what feels like the first ever!

This truth is that we are ALL guilty. Just as Romans 3:23 says, “all sin and fall short of the glory of God”. It is the next two verses that show us that it is the free gift of grace, by the blood of Jesus that we have redemption, faith and hope!

When we read about repentance throughout all the scriptures, we have taken it from true repentance to just repentance. Our culture has skewed what it truly means to repent, and I have admittingly fallen into the trap.

What is that trap?

Maybe this will convict you as it did me. This world (and I mean “Christian”) has made the act of true repentance weak. Today it is more about telling God you are sorry and moving on.

But this does not work!

Wicked and the Importance of True Repentance

This is hard for me to share, but like I stated at the beginning, I struggled with an addiction to porn. For years upon years I fought with it, and time after time I would go before the Lord and say I am sorry and ask for forgiveness. But the whole issue with this so-called act of repentance was that it failed over and over. If I were to have counted how many times, I did this it would be well over five hundred.

As I was reading an article about true repentance, I came to understand that it is a gift of God. Also, instead of a life that just makes us feel bad, we should be in awe! In awe of the Creator of this world, the Righteous Judge!

I implore each of you to truly examine what you think repentance is against what the Truth of the Word of God says!

I can’t stress enough to all of you today the importance of all of this. We all are so very wicked and desperately in need of a Savior! It doesn’t matter if you are here today and are a “Christian” or a non-Christian. All of us need to hear the Good News!

True Repentance

Before I finish this post up it is vital for me to, as accurately as I can, tell you what true repentance looks like.

It is, in very simple terms, a full 180!

Yes, that means you need to turn away, FULLY! From your wickedness and run to Jesus! You must rid your whole life of evil by giving it all to God and trusting and knowing that only He can cleanse you of that evil!

Here is the tricky part, and I have fallen captive to this, you cannot, I repeat, cannot do this on your own! Remember it is a gift of God. (2nd Timothy 2:25)

All I could ever ask of you all is to really think about your life. Where does God fit in or better yet where does God come in your life? Is it at the FRONT? Because, like me, you are guilty! One day you and I will be in front of the Righteous Judge who will judge each of us justly. If you have never truly repented and turned away from your wickedness then He will say I don’t know you. (Matthew 7:23)

The Gospel

I don’t want that for you. And I don’t want that either. I want you to know that you are a sinner. But God sent His Son Jesus to die in place of us for the forgiveness of our sins. So that we can be freed from the bondage of sin to have New life with Him at the center!

Today can be the day, you don’t have to wait!

I don’t come before you today as anything but a wretched sinner who has been freed of the guilt and shame. And I will boast in the Lord. Because it is in Him that I have Hope, Strength, Comfort and LIFE!

So please don’t let life slip away like I had for so long. But truly repent today and believe in the God who freely gives repentance and forgiveness!

Check out my video on this below.

It Has Been A Year

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It has been a year, a year since I last wrote on this site! A year of immense and overwhelming change. Time has seemed to move even faster than ever before and all I can think about is…well honestly, I don’t even know anymore. I am not even sure if anyone reads these things anymore. But I promised myself I would continue to write and even though I don’t write catchy stuff or have the best English skills, I want to write.

1 Year Ago

I started this website a few years ago with the sole intention of proclaiming the Gospel, but I can’t do that the way I thought I could. As we read in Hebrews 5:11-14, I am like the infant who still needs milk. I teach kids at Sunday school who know more about the Bible than I do, and yes that hurts me! I have lived the better half of my life proclaiming a truth that I didn’t invest my all in all in! God commands us to take up our cross daily, read that in Matthew 16:24, but I have lived my life doing that whenever I feel like it. I also haven’t once thought about denying myself, which is the first part of that verse. One of the scariest things is writing this knowing that anyone in the world can read this. There is so much I could flood out to you all right now, I mean it has been a year after all, but I want to key in on two things to tie this all together.

God is Faithful

The first thing is God’s Faithfulness, and if you know me then you know that this is a big deal in my life. For one I have seen how God has relentlessly pursued me even when I have run far from Him. Also, I have seen Him continuously at work in my life and even though it has taken me time to see it, He has always been there. I get choked up about all the time, because I don’t deserve to be loved and cared for the way He does, and that is ALL GLORY TO HIM! Even today, the day that I am writing this, has not been the best. I did not read His word once today, until I started writing this. I did my own thing today. Even though I chose my way He reminded me as I was out and about that my way is not sufficient and He will not leave me. We read all throughout scripture of men and women who God’s Faithfulness was displayed a hundred-fold in their lives, but can you name me one that He gave up on and didn’t pursue? The answer to that is NO! God pursued the men who lived for themselves and gave into sin, like David or Abraham. He pursued women who were prostitutes. He pursued and saved Paul who murdered those who were the body of Christ. It doesn’t matter who you are or what you have done, God’s Faithfulness and Power reach far beyond that. Which leads me into my second thing…

The Glorious Gospel

 I am not worthy; I am not good…but GOD IS! Many people would and will read this and try to say, Oh Zach, you are an amazing guy, don’t say those things about yourself. Didn’t you know God says you are worthy and you are good? That isn’t true though and we live in a society that says that and all it does is demean the Creator of this World and the Words He has Said. I have failed miserably at praising the Lord daily for who He is and all that He does. Because it wasn’t me that took on the sins of all and died on that cross, it was Jesus. I couldn’t do that, because I am the wretched, messed up sinner that He died for on that cross. Every single person who is reading this, hear that and if you don’t believe me go get a Bible and read all of Matthew 27 and 28. Jesus died for you and not because you are good or worthy, but because you are a sinner. There is hope in all of this though, because we don’t have to earn this, it is the free gift of grace that we receive this GOOD NEWS.  What Gods Word tells us to do, ( and hint, it isn’t some special prayer) is to repent and believe. Here are some scripture references for you.

( Mark 1:15; Matthew 4:17; Romans 10:9; Ephesians 2:8; John 3:16, I could go on and on, but you should start there.)

Where to Now, a New Year…Kind of

So all of this being said, and I didn’t even get into all the virus stuff. I want you all to know that I write not for my voice to be heard or for some pitty party. I write to Proclaim the Beautiful Truth of the Gospel. Maybe I am slow with it all and I know I have some spiritual maturing to undergo. But I will not stop telling of this Glorious Gospel. I won’t stop showing how God is Faithful. There will be ups and downs just like always as I write, but I understand that I can’t make those things the primary thing. The primary thing must always be God and His Word and the GOOD NEWS!

Journey to Positivity

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Summer Positivity Refresh

This summer God has taught me a lot, but none bigger than positivity. God has made it known to me through others that I have been very negative. First, I have been ultra-negative towards myself. Second, I have used this blog in the wrong way, seeking pity and ultimately becoming a little selfish. The reason I started this blog was to encourage others through my daily walk on the narrow road. So, from this point I first want to ask each of you for your forgiveness. Secondly, I want to invite you to join me in this journey to positivity. The road won’t be easy, but the payoff for seeking the Lord is worth it!

True Positivity

What do I mean when I say I am on a journey to positivity? One thing I have had to understand is that the positivity that others are trying to get me to seek, isn’t prideful. I have had a pretty messed up view of positivity and that contributes to why I have gone about this all the wrong way. The way I have seen it, is a boasting of self, but true positivity is not this. God has used people in my life to show me that true positivity is always putting Christ first! When the enemy speaks lies into your life, true positivity is found in what the Lord says. The lies mean nothing! Don’t let lies make you negative; don’t let the weight this world gives make you negative.

Faith, Family, Friends

The most convicting thing through all of this is faith! Through my negativity and pessimism, I have shown a lack of faith in Christ. No more my friends, God didn’t create me for that! Where do we start? We start by remembering that as Christians we don’t live for the next hour (future), we live for our King now! If you don’t believe I pray that you will and that this hope I have you will come to know. I can honestly say that I am scared and confused about a lot of things in my life. Guess what…I have some truly amazing family and friends who push me to be the man God intended me to be.

Join ME

Again, if you find yourself as someone who has been negative, don’t go at this alone! I want you to jump in this journey with me! Here is something for you to start with, each day find one way to be positive and GO FOR IT! Time to kick negativity out of our lives and say hello to positivity.

Your Voice: Will I Ever Stop Writing

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Your Voice in a Big World

Your voice, and I know you have one, because God has shown me that I have one! If you are like me, you often feel voiceless. It’s as if you literally can’t talk, but I am confident that God has given you a voice to proclaim His name. No matter what people have said to you or what lies the enemy has told you, no one can steal your way of communicating. We live in a world that is all about equality and yet we as Americans are failing to listen. People all over this great country are pleading and hoping that just one person will hear them. The question I ask myself and want to ask you is, when will we listen?

Writing is My Safe Haven

Before I get into the listening part, I want to explain what I mean by your voice. I don’t directly mean your voice, but I mean the way in which you communicate what’s going on! I have seen people communicate through sports, video, silence and even through their voice. My way of communicating is through writing! I have never personally been one for talking in front of people, but a place that I can clearly express what is going on is through writing! Some will say that you can’t hide behind your pen and paper, but the thing is, I’m not hiding! I’m pouring out everything to everyone, hoping that just one person will hear my voice!

Just Listen

Have you ever taken a little time out of your life to just listen to others? All to often I find myself to focused on myself that I forget to be mindful of those around me. Even though we all are wired different, one thing remains the same, we all have ears! So, being mindful and thoughtful of others is something we are all capable of. God has, at least in my life, time and time again shown me times that I need to be mindful and listen! Something simple you can do right now is pray about it. Ask God to show you times throughout your day that you should listen.  

Your Voice is Heard By God

Where are YOU today? Maybe, you have found your voice and you are doing great! Take some time to listen and be mindful of those around you today. Or maybe you are hoping someone will hear your voice! Don’t stop talking, however you do that! Someone is listening at all times and Jesus is His name! Let this be comforting for you today, God is always there for you! You can talk to Him ANYTIME! Use your voice to express what is going on and to tell others about Jesus! One of the scariest things is to tell others what is going on, but the payoff is out of this world, and even if they choose to not listen keep going! Will I ever give up on writing, NOPE, it is my voice!

BEhind Enemy Lines

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Behind Enemy Lines Why Am I A Target?

Behind enemy lines, is this a place you find yourself? If you were to ask me what it’s like to have the biggest target on my back, I would say bluntly, it sucks! Not only does Satan enjoy taking aim at my target, but it seems like “everyone” around me uses me as target practice! Honestly, most of the time I don’t blame them. I’m not fully confident how I created this target, but writing is the only way I know how to express what is happening! I have been trying so hard to smile and be joyful, but I constantly keep finding myself “behind enemy lines.”

Satan Lies and Warfare

What are the biggest lies the enemy or people have made you believe? This is hard to share, but I have a couple! First, Satan has continuously made me believe that God looks at me and sees a disgrace! I’m confident there is not one human who feels like a complete failure on the level in which I do. Secondly, (and this one has been eating me alive lately) is the lie that my friends are just my friends because they feel bad for me! I often wonder why any of them want me as their friend. Is it because everyone needs that one friend who is easy to make fun of, but who will seemingly never get angry about it? Or is it because I truly mean something to you? I long to be cared for as a friend, not used as a friend!

BE Just BE

I recently wrote this short blip called BE and would like to share it with you.

BE who God made you to be

BE the Man He calls you to be

BE the smile in the room

BE the Kind and Caring one

BE the thoughtful one

BE the Servant

BE the obedient child

BE the loving brother

BE the friend who is unlike any other friend

Always BE, don’t not be!

Time to Escape

How am I supposed to escape from behind enemy lines now? I’ve found myself in a place that feels like…well, a dark cold room, in an enemy camp! It really isn’t any fun and fighting against it with joy is mentally exhausting. Ultimately, I know I must trust Christ! He is able to destroy these lies, He is able to free me from behind enemy lines and without Him I don’t know where I would be. I don’t know where any of you are in life, but here is a simple yet profound reminder for you! Words affect more powerfully than you can ever possibly imagine, BE MINDFUL and BE CAREFUL!

A Second Chance

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A Second Chance, can you think of a time where you messed up or wronged someone and God gave you a second chance? Life is full of second chances and ultimately this in my life is a demonstration of God’s forgiveness! I can’t even begin to fathom the times God has given me a second chance even though I didn’t deserve it! Honestly, I have many times asked God why? Why God do You even give me a second chance? I don’t deserve it! I can’t claim to know how your story has unfolded. All I know to do is pour myself out so we all can grow.

The big question is, Zach how has God given you a second chance? I can’t get specific right now, but for me it has ranged from relationships to sin issues! What I can say about them is that God saw me in my darkest and most ugly moments and continually He said I FORGIVE you! We all have these personal things we hold close aka OUR SCARS! I don’t believe our scars define us, but I do believe they serve a purpose, for us to grow. Like all scars, they heal and that is where we must trust Jesus to heal! Thing is, I could regret all these things I have done, but truthfully, I wouldn’t change one of them. They have made me who I am today!

Where do we go from here? We have a couple choices! First, we can put our full trust in Jesus and embrace His good gift of forgiveness and a second chance! Or we can run from Jesus and decide to choose our own path! I can’t tell you which path to choose, it’s your choice, but I hope that you will think about it. Our first inclination is to run away in fear! I know this because I have done it over and over. I can guarantee you though that nothing feels quite as amazing as the forgiveness and second chance that King Jesus gives! Take it or leave it, it is your choice, but I serve a God who is Just, and He gives us a hope and ultimately a Second Chance! HE loves you and wants you to know Him!

Don’t Forget!

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I have countless times said how I don’t want to forget! I don’t want to forget who God made me to be or where I have come from! Seeing as I am writing about this you can probably figure out that the plan isn’t going great. I know many of you would think the opposite, but it is true I have forgotten who I am! I am writing this as a plea to all of you to not forget. There is a point in this journey where instead of joy you feel lost.

The other day I was looking at an old picture of my family. I looked deep into the eyes of my younger self and asked myself, where have you gone? Young Zach was full of life, he loved to learn, he wasn’t ever afraid of being himself! Now I’m in a battle each day, I forgot how to learn, and I’m terrified of being authentic! Those who have known me for the longest time wonder where that kid went. Don’t get me wrong there are flashes of that kid, but that is about it, JUST FLASHES. What is going on you may ask? The dumb answer would be life, but for me it is much deeper.

There is this thing called a brain, we all have one! Mine seems to be a little bit different then most. Now of course I could never factually blame my brain for what is going on. However, if you know me you know that there is a web of sensitive nerves everywhere in my head. Also, side note, I have become oddly curious about the time I cracked my head open…a little! I’m pretty sure it didn’t do anything, but who knows! All of this being said, the one thing that has greatly affected me are WORDS! Of the gazillion words I’ve heard, I have likely processed each one very different then you. What I can say is be careful what you say, because it can hurt more than you think.

Where is Christ in all of this? Well, He has faithfully stood by my side through everything! All the time He reminds me of who He is, which in turn reminds me who I am. I can’t say that tomorrow everything is going to be better, but what I can say is that God will never forget you. It is an uphill battle, life, and we must never forget our roots. Better yet we must never forget the ONE who loves us MOST! It is in Him that we can find our true rest!

My Child it Will Be Ok

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My child it will be OK, these are the words that the Lord reminds me of each day! As a follow up to my last post I wanted to write about the hope I have through everything. In a life full of confusion, hurt, anger and emotion we will often question God on why! I do it so much and that is why I am writing this. I’m reminded of Job in these times. A man who lost pretty much everything and was countlessly tried by the enemy. Through all of this though he remained faithful.

There is this thing called a dry season and if you are like me at all it feels like it is never going to end! It’s as if we just hopped on the world’s longest roller coaster! Oh yeah and it is still rolling.  Part of this long dry season is all the why’s we ask. Why do I think I’m not good enough? Why did God put this person in my life? Why can’t I do anything right? All these why’s do are tell me that it’s not going to be ok. Then on top of that I have the enemy behind in my ear telling me, “See Zach I told you no one cares about you!” I can say that of my roughly 7500 days on this earth, 5000 plus of them I have heard this lie being told into my life!

With all of this being said, how can I possibly believe that everything is going to be ok? Sure I could put on a smile and pretend that everything is fine, but what good would that do. It isn’t to hard to see through that mask on me anymore. Honestly, it is a challenge most of the time to trust God in these times. However, countless times I have opened His Word and right there in front of me is a verse that says I am with you or I won’t leave you. It is because of these reminders that I am reminded that I am going to be ok! I don’t know what you are going through or what people are telling you, but if I can tell you one thing it is this. GOD IS WITH YOU, HE WON’T LEAVE YOU, HE LOVES YOU!

WHY?

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I need people to understand the two whys in my life that have truthfully wreaked havoc! First, why am I so afraid? Secondly, why do I beat myself up so much? These two things have torn my life to pieces and have done it almost seamlessly. I’m writing this not for pity, but for understanding and context. Many of you probably can’t seem to put your thumb on why I won’t do something, and this is WHY!

Why am I so afraid? Do you ever feel as if everyone is watching you, just waiting to see you slip up and fail? Then you mess up and they go at you like wow, what a failure! I have found that when I care about someone, I put an extreme amount of pressure on myself. Always being careful to not get on their bad side or make them think, he’s a failure. It becomes so exhausting pursuing them and loving them, only to end up being afraid to lose them! So why am I so afraid? I am afraid because these situations I find myself in will require a leap!

Why do I beat myself up so much? This is one thing that I’m not proud to say that I’m the best at! There is a deeper reason and root to this why and I think that it spans over my twenty years of life. I have let just about every lie the enemy has invade my head! You aren’t good enough! You will always be a failure! No one loves you! And so on and so forth these lies keep going. So why do I beat myself up so much? Well, I know no other way! It has really turned into a coping mechanism for me!

I have absolutely no confidence and I know that my confidence should be in the Lord, but the enemy is having a “field day” with me! I’m tired of emotionally being beat up! My confidence has been drained because of words or actions said to or about me. I don’t want to be used as a pawn for your use. Being whipped from side to side only to find myself worn. I want to be encouraged and loved! Most of the time I am looking for a friend! Someone who is real with me and who challenges me, but who ultimately never gives up on me and who will pursue me even in my mess! That is WHY…friends!

The Gospel

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The Gospel is the Good News of Jesus Christ! God was, is and always will be and He created this world we live in, in six days, resting on the seventh day. In that time He made all that you see around you. Humans, animals, plants, the sun, the moon and the stars He created! Over the time that led up to Jesus’ birth God led His people out of the wilderness. He used ordinary men to do extraordinary things and He defeated armies! It was said through the prophets that God would one day send a Savior to defeat sin and become the ULTIMATE sacrifice for all sinners.

That’s when Jesus, who was born of a virgin came into this world. Jesus lived His life performing many miracles, eating with the despised and rejected and ultimately teaching all who would listen. Then that terrible hour came when Jesus would pay the bloody penalty we deserved. There Jesus was nailed, to that cross, beaten and bloody! There are Savior lay, dead on that cross, but it isn’t finished! Jesus arose from that grave, defeating death and showing all that He truly is the Son of God!

The hope we have now is that one day our King will return. And when He does all evil will be destroyed for good and every tear will be wiped away. Those who are written in the Book of Life will spend eternity with Christ in Heaven. Today I pray that no matter if you believe or don’t believe that you would hear this Hopeful message. I know I need to hear this message every day and it never gets old. As believers we must GO and tell people about this, because the true reality of it all is that this is Life and Death. I know that I am not the one saves so I pray that God today would transform your heart and you would believe!

Broken but Redeemed

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I come to you Lord broken and in need

Tears rolling like a stream

Begging like a beggar at the feet of the King

Hoping one day to hear You say Well Done

Longing to be forgiven for everything

I am broken but redeemed

Singing of His Victory

It was Christ in me

Who bore my sin on Calvary

And it is in His name that I shout Redeemed

My strength is found in You O Lord

I have none to give

As I lay on the ground with nothing left

Fighting for a chance

It is because of you that I choose to dance

I am broken but redeemed

Singing of His Victory

It was Christ in me

Who bore my sin on Calvary

And it is in His name that I shout, Redeemed

You pulled me out of darkness

You pulled me out of the pit

For I will praise You

It is to You that I say thank you

For never giving up on me

I am broken but redeemed

Singing of His Victory

It was Christ in me

Who bore my sin on Calvary

And it is in His name that I shout, Redeemed

I come to You Lord broken and ready to scream

Always hoping to live my dream

I can’t keep living this way

I’m tired, I’m worn, I’m exhausted

Close to saying I am done and living for myself

But today and forevermore I live for the King who Redeemed

The Whirlwind and the Light

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To those around me I say I am sorry! I realize that I have confused you all. You probably have forgotten who I really am. I have made you think I am nothing, by beating myself up and telling myself I am nothing. This isn’t me though, I am a super joyful, kind and caring person. (at least that is what people have affirmed in my life) I can say I am a mess, but that mess isn’t what defines me. Christ is who defines me, and it is in Him that I find my worth and my purpose! I will end up finding myself lost in the storm when I begin to look for answers and worth in places and in people other than Christ. Essentially that is why I am writing this, because I found myself lost and God said I am here Zach.

Over the past few whirlwind months, God has been teaching and showing me so much. For me to try and explain it all would be a challenge. The crazy thing is, is that my faith has grown exponentially stronger in these hard and confusing times. There is something to be said about times that are difficult. I believe it is in those times that we realize that we need Jesus MORE. This whirlwind that I find myself in has no hold on me. Even though I am in the middle of it, Gods light is shining brightly! God has made Himself more evident in these past few months then I can ever remember before.

This is more of a testimony that God isn’t finished! I hope that by reading this you all will be encouraged. Not by anything that I have done, but by what Christ is doing. It isn’t only in my life that Christ is working. He is at work in your life also! I’m human and I can claim that I don’t understand what you are going through. Christ on the other hand knows exactly what you are going through! I don’t know what whirlwind you find yourself in, but I hope you hear this and know these words are words I need to hear as well. God is LIGHT, and in this whirlwind or storm you find yourself in He will PREVAIL! Trust Him and know that He has a plan for life.

i AM a WRECK

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You know those moments where you are sitting and you think to yourself, I Am A Wreck? Over and over again I am finding myself in this place and I am exhausted! I really don’t get how anybody can look at me and think I have it all put together. I’m probably the most shattered piece of glass, the most confusing puzzle and overall the biggest mess this world has ever seen! I don’t think I can remember the last time I felt partially put together. What I can say about all of this is that no matter how much of a wreck I am, I serve a King who comforts me!

I want to be completely transparent and honest with anyone who will take the time to read this! When I say I am a wreck, I mean, I don’t know how not to be negative about myself. I don’t know why God brought certain people into my life. Why do I even try? The more I care about people the more they seem to push away from me, as if I am some terrible person. I get close to a breakthrough I get sent right back down into that deep, dark pit! I want to be happy and joyful but all I find is confusion and anger! I’m tired of feeling like I am surrounded by a bunch of people who pretend. Just be real! I am mostly exhausted from being trampled on. I’m tired of people taking one look at me and determining that I am going nowhere in life.

All of this being said, I think today (Tuesday March 5, 2019) I found a peace, A True Peace! I got on my knees and pleaded to the Lord to hear my cry for help! It was in that time where I realized rock bottom might be where I am, but God has a plan for my life. One of the hardest parts about sharing this is that I have never displayed this much anger and brokenness in a vulnerable way like this. Even harder though is the fact that most won’t read this at all, and it will just become buried away. For those of you that do read this, know, Yes, I am a Wreck! However, I truly believe God is going to take this wreck of life of mine and use it for His Glory! I may be a shattered piece of glass, but I know that each day the Lord is mending it back together!

Don’t Give Up

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Please don’t give up! These are words that many don’t get told. We live in a society where giving up is happening everywhere around us. Time for me to be fully honest, there have been many times in my life where giving up seems like the most plausible choice. Whether it be in relationships or career path, you name it, I have found a lot more discouragement than encouragement. I want to talk about why it is so important to keep moving forward. If we are all being honest we probably tear people down more than we build them up. We need to be encouraging others more than we do.

First things first, maybe you are asking yourself why should I keep going? This question should be simple to answer, but it isn’t. It’s a question I often find myself asking. Why would I keep going if something causes me this much pain, confusion, anger and weariness? Amidst all of this pain there is a Wonderful Hope! He is the One who has never left or forsaken us. For me this is the simple yet profound answer to that question. We should keep going and not give up because the God of the Universe is our strength. We no longer have to live by our own strength to carry on.

Secondly, have you ever wanted to give up on a relationship in your life? Maybe you don’t get the point of it or maybe like me you find yourself asking God Why! Why God, would you bring this person into my life? Truthfully, I find myself being “tortured” in these relationships. When you pour so much of yourself into a relationship only for the other person to forget or stomp on it, it gets exhausting. For me, I want to show the other person that they aren’t just a random pawn in my life. They are important and I REFUSE to stop loving them! This is something that I have found to be very challenging.

Thirdly, how about your career path choice? Do you ever find yourself asking, why am I doing this? Again, maybe you find that nothing is happening or maybe all you find is discouragement. Personally for me, I have found the one thing I love and want to do, but for me it seems that it is going nowhere. I am finding more weight on my shoulders now more than ever. I am hearing voices all around me saying give up and go get a normal job! One that will be steady and will help you not look so lazy.

Yeah, so I don’t know what is going on in your life, but I know something is. I am pleading for you to not give up. For me, I believe God in these situations is saying, “ Zach don’t give up, trust My plan for your life”. I can tell you, often this is the last thing I want to do. However, I’m reminded that none of this was meant to be done Alone! Christ calls us into a relationship with Him so that we will have the Hope that we aren’t alone! Please, please don’t give up!

Walking With Christ Alone

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All to often, as humans, we find ourselves alone! At least for some of us that is what it feels like. Is it true? Absolutely not, really we are never alone. In fact we have a loving Father who is walking with us through our daily life. This is why we can rejoice and be glad. However, I want to hit a couple points that I believe to be vitally important. First, we need to recognize the reality of loneliness. Secondly, we must speak truth and encouragement to those going through it.

The reason why I am writing this is because I have found myself at a lonely stage. For me it is very real and it has become harder each day. I honestly don’t find much encouragement in my life, more so I find myself being the target. That or I just decide to dig a hole so deep there is no escape. As someone who has gone through loneliness I want to write a letter from us (all those who battle loneliness) to those who we want to hear. Sometimes people don’t realize how hard it is for us to tell others, but I know God gave me a voice to speak and that’s what I will do.

Dear Everyone,

          Yes I am lonely. I don’t know why people choose to walk by me like I am not here. I need you to know that I am crying out and all I want is for one person to hear me and respond. If you haven’t gone through this you don’t understand what it is like, so let me help you. You don’t walk around feeling like an outcast. People seem to genuinely love you, they support you, they encourage you for real. For me, people trample over me, they doubt me ( better yet they doubt that God can do something through me), they give up on me, they make fun of me, they hide from me, they pretend around me and in the end they will always write me off. The point is you don’t understand the pain this world is causing me each day. I can only sit here and beg of you to be more mindful of what’s happening. There are way to many of us who are battling this disease every day. The problem is, there are way to few who are actually paying attention. Would you please just take a moment out of each day and look around, We Are Everywhere!

I hope that this strikes a cord in you. The thing we need isn’t more joking, we need the Gospel illuminated into this struggle. That is the reason I am still standing, because my Hope is in Christ. I have chosen to walk with Christ over the world. The only reason I am able to make it through the hard times is because God showed me through His Word that it won’t be easy, but He will never abandon us. So please, instead of trying to self-empower those who feel lonely, let the truth of the Gospel empower them. You never know who is feeling lonely, so all of us need to be doubly mindful. Love people, show them you actually care, be with them, don’t just say, do, pray for people and lastly don’t give up on the ones who feel lonely. Make sure they know God is their Rock!

The Meaning of Serving

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Serving was never meant for self-gain, but for the glory of Christ and the giving up of self. Through observation I have realized that the most amazing servants God has placed on this earth have served with John 3:30 in mind. They don’t serve for money, for attention or for no reason. The purpose of why they serve is Jesus! They want to see His Kingdom built, not their “kingdom”. Most people love the lights and want to be seen, but another observation is that true servants are the real daily warriors. If this hits you like it has hit me then we might just witness a large chain reaction. I have been the opposite of these things, but God has been teaching me through people and circumstances what a true servant looks like.

Something that I strive after is the quality of joy in serving. All to often people burn out from serving. It is because they lost the true joy in serving and also, they only did it for self-gain. Serving always starts with the Lord. If we choose to something or someone above the Lord, we will find ourselves burnt out. Serving will always be built on sacrificially giving up of self and choosing to live a life where each day is a battle. That is why I called true servants, real warriors. Each day they wake up to a new day, where people will walk all over them. Also, they will likely live a life of going unnoticed. This is why there is beginning to be less and less true servants. Many, as is human nature, aren’t willing to give up of self completely for the Lord. Until we, yes all of us including me, decide to let self go and give all control over to Christ, more and more true servants will vanish with a legacy that should be told but won’t.

All of these things have been convicting in my life as I so desirably want to be a true servant of Christ. I can say that I have started all my areas of serving with the sole intention of self-gain. It didn’t take me very long to ask myself why? Probably the greatest thing I have learned so far, and this also answers why, is that joy is found in self-sacrifice. I can’t tell you how many times I had to give up of self to go somewhere and it was in those moments that joy luminated. I don’t know about you all, but I am ready to leave the pain of serving for self-gain. I want to strive to live fully for Jesus and choose to serve fervently, even if people don’t understand.

All I Need Is You Lord

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All I need is the Lord, the Creator of All things, the Great I Am, My King. I have found myself becoming ungrateful of the Lord and of my life in general. I’ve been so blind to the truth that all I need is the Lord, but even in my blindness He provides for me. Sometimes I wonder why He has given me so much through my ungratefulness and it is in those moments that I know I need to praise Him. See the moment I choose to need something other than Jesus is a moment where I will be lost. I don’t want to be lost because far too often that is a place, I find myself.

People have told me that I need a job, I need my own car, I need a life, I need a perfect Christian girl or worse I need to get my priorities straight. You want to know what is wrong with this? It is usually based on confusion, a life lived in the motions and selfish pride. I don’t want that in these situations, I want the Lord. Maybe in my situations the Lord is saying Hey, I will provide for you, trust Me, GO and DO this. Or maybe He will put a girl in my life who is the opposite of perfection and who needs to hear the truth of His Word.

I don’t need a stable job, I Need Jesus and if this passion is real and from Him then I am confident that it will all work out and He will provide through it. I don’t need my own vehicle, I Need Jesus! Yes, I absolutely want my own vehicle and if the Lord wants me to have one, He will provide one for me, but I can’t worry that I don’t have one. Instead I must learn to be thankful for what I do have. I don’t need a perfect Christian girl, I Need Jesus! So, if He puts a girl into my life I refuse to look the other way even if she isn’t my quote on quote perfect match. No, I will choose to love her well and treat her with dignity and respect. See it isn’t about what I plan as my perfect life or perfect match it is what the Lord planned far before I was born.

All I need is You Jesus because I am broken. Many have of late, helped me to realize that I give off the body language of someone who is perfect and saint like. This statement has been so hard for me seeing as I and a couple other people are the only ones who know that isn’t true. I’m in a million pieces right now because of an absolutely heinous crime I committed against the Lord and others. I’m not fully ready yet to go into details about it, but I want all who read this to know that God broke a wall. Like a super large wall that I built, and thought would never be destroyed. I am not even remotely close to being even a quarter put back together again, but it was because of this moment in my life that I realized I need Jesus, ALWAYS. I only pray that we all will seek this daily. Personally, it is hard, I forget what He has done and choose to live for self. Let’s daily remind those around us that we ALL need More Jesus.

The Cultural Relater

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What is a cultural relater? Well, I came up with it like a few hours ago. However, I promise it makes sense. In order for me to make sense out of it I will need to break each word down, but before I do that I have realized that with this topic have come many challenges. All to often I find that those challenges turn into traps. I’m not one for traps, then again who really is, but I will plea to the Lord to guide me away from them because they are scary.

All right, cultural, what is that? Culture is all around us, it is diverse, and it is unique. I am finding that understanding cultures of all sorts is vitally important. The trap however with this is the truth that we (Christians) are in this world, but we are not supposed to be of this world. I ask myself, well then how can I better understand cultures without necessarily becoming of or like them? One of the easiest ways I do this is by simply observing. I like to say (at least to myself) that those observing from the outside know more than people think.

Relater, this is something by the Grace of God that I seem to do well, that is what people tell me at least. A relater relates. I know that might be the most profound statement you have ever heard. I’m a firm believer that relaters aren’t limited to things they have just gone through. They are absolutely stronger in those areas. I have seen God put people in my life that have gone through things I have never even begun to experience and yet somehow, I am able to find a way to relate with them. Something that will stick out about a relater or a relational person is that they are first, always mindful and aware of people and what is going on and they want to be there always if they are able. Secondly, a relater will never give up, no matter what.

What do we get when we combine these two things? A super relational person, but in all actuality,  you get for yourself someone who cares, A LOT. I want to tell you a true story about why I find these two things important. Today at church a new kid walked into class and he was not wanting to be in there. He sat on the ground next to the door the entire class and I was like, alright Lord, help me here. So I go sit by this kid and try to start a conversation with him, which leads to him asking a question…do you play Fortnite? It was from the point I said yes that this kid went from sad to happy. This is first All God and secondly the fact that I have chosen to understand something so large in this culture, helps me relate to many. I will say that yes, I do participate in this video game and I believe there is a healthy balance. Before I end, I need to say I am sorry. With this part of me I have realized that I look like a know it all. I never when I relate mean it that way and I pray you will forgive me.