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.

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.

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!

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!

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!

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!

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.

An Unlikely Friend

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No, this isn’t about a person, but it probably could be in many ways. Since I have so many amazing people in my life that mean the world to me. However, this is all about driving and running. I am laughing a little as I write this, because a few years ago these two were not my thing at all. It baffles me that the Lord uses the unlikely as a way for me to find some peace in my life. I believe that I have learned more in my time of feeling lost than I have in any other situation before. What I have learned through these moments in time have all been in my time of need.

So why am I writing about this now? Well, over the past year or so I have found myself in some serious mental warfare. Especially over the past few months, it has felt like a serious bombardment in my life. This is the part that gets me, I was exceedingly frightened of driving and way to lazy to even think of running. Now suddenly it is those two very things that I find a mysterious peace from God in. I will hop into the car, roll the windows down, turn the music up and then just GO! This morning I woke up with some extreme mental warfare and so when I got home, I put in the earbuds and went running. I don’t think I once got lost, in the head that is, all I did was keep running.

I asked myself before writing this, what is it about these two things that make me want to do them more? The obvious is the fact that the Lord is using them as a way for peace. Secondly, I find so much freedom in them. In the car I will sing with all I have got, without a single care of what people might think. Running might become a big deal to me. Often I want to run, run from people, run from fear and run from whatever seems to be chasing me. Now I can go run where the only thing running after me is Christ and the fact that He is with me through everything and that He won’t stop running after us is AWEMAZING! The thing is God is to work in each of our lives differently, but to us ALL He will be the true Peace Giver.

Ahead to Now

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Ahead I will move and ahead I shall go. Way to often I find that instead of running my life looking ahead I run my life always looking behind me. As I enter a new year I realize that I have been running from many different things for the past twenty years. So instead of looking ahead I have been looking behind. Watching as my fears, sins, pains and struggles and lies all chase after me with relentless pursuit. It feels as if I am running in the dark, where all I know how to do is look back for the “monsters”.  Each of these “monsters” have played a role in my life that has caused me to live my life scared and protected by my bubble.

Fear has caused me so many problems over my entire life. Has there been One day where I haven’t seen fear on my tail? Nope! Whether it be small things or big things, I find that I spend half my life fearing. Sin, the dark and scary “monster”, it is the one that frightens me the most. If it catches me, I feel as if I have failed and let Christ down and also others around me. It has caught up to me way too many times and all it does is hurt and weigh me down. Pains and struggles, the one that hurts and causes so much confusion. To me it’s not even that it catches up to me, but that they seem to capture everyone around me and I don’t know what to do. I watch as people around me get “caught” yet run the race with great faith and perseverance.

Then I look at my life, what I see is someone who is living their life in the comfortable bubble, running a race the opposite of the others all while never seeming to be caught by this “monster” called pain and struggle. Oh, the cunning and most frightening “monster” of them all, LIES! Lies are the reason I pursue most things with fear attached or why I do things half mass. You’re not good enough! (Christ is though) You will never amount to anything! (Christ says otherwise) You aren’t smart! (Christ says otherwise) You are a joke! (Christ says otherwise) Not one person has ever directly said these lies to me, but the thing is, they have said them just with a few word changes and some actions. What have I done in turn? I Believed.

As I go into this new year I am reminded of two things. First, these “monsters” will stop at nothing to catch me and snatch me up. They will continuously call out my name, looking for me to turn my head around, just so that they can capture me. Secondly, I am reminded of God’s Faithfulness through ALL twenty years of my life. He hasn’t once left me, even as I sit in my comfort bubble or when I curl up in fear. The Lord has never forsaken, nor will He ever forsake. I can choose to go into this new year continuing to look behind me and worrying about the future, but my plea first to myself and also to you all is, let’s look ahead to now. Now, where Christ has placed us, where we must Always Glorify Him and tell of His Wondrous Deeds. Ahead to Now is about living our life where we are, not where we have been or where we might be.

Hope In the Darkness

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May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

Romans 15:13

 

Yeah, so darkness I have found out lately is not much fun. I don’t even know how people enjoy the dark honestly. Now, let’s clarify something here real quick, I understand that mentally speaking, occasionally our eyes need rest from all the lights and exhaustion. What I am trying to say is, how can someone say they love darkness? One of my favorite things to do is walk out on a sixty degree day when there is a slight breeze and just breath in and out and let the crisp air hit my face. ( you should try this) It’s in these moments that I am reminded of all the hope I have in Christ. Too most people this is the craziest thing someone can say and I am ok with that, but I want everyone to know and have this same hope.

 

Why is it that someone can have any hope when life is hitting you hard and all it seems like your life is about is hurting, pain and darkness? Honestly, in my life and my whole belief in Christ, it’s in those moments and days that I realize all I have is Christ. My life is incomplete without God. As Christians ALL our hope must be found in Christ. For those who don’t believe, you might be wondering how does this have anything to do with me since I don’t have the same hope as you? I would love for you to hear me out for a moment. Ask yourself, when you are going through a hard time in life, where do you find hope or look for hope? What does that hope of yours offer you? Just think about those two questions for a moment. Even those who do believe in Christ and like me would say they put there hope in Christ, please think about these two questions, DEEPLY. Now do those things that bring you “hope” actually bring you any hope?

 

Personally, I fail at this way to often, I have put my hope in things other than God and have only found a dark pit calling my name. I could write on and on about the many things I have looked too for hope and only one of them prevails and gives me a hope that often times I can’t begin to even explain. His name is Jesus. I want us all to think about what it gains us in life when we put our hope in something other than Christ? Honestly, I get it, my first human instinct when I find myself hurting is to run to what the world quote on quote has to offer me. It has taken me twenty years to realize that when I do that, I end up in a deeper hole than before. I have absolutely no idea what anyone is going through, but what I do know is that each and everyone of us is loved deeply by God and it is when we look to Him when we will find True Hope.  Their have been many, many days where life is just hard and I wonder why? It’s the hope I have in Christ that prevails through the darkness.

 

Okay, I have gone this far through and haven’t even told you all what my hope even means. The hope and truth I have and hold is knowing that one day Christ will come back and I will get to spend eternity with the Glorious King. The hope I have is that one day I will get to hear the two words I always imagined hearing, WELL DONE. The hope I find in Christ is that He sent His son Jesus to Die for you and I, because He loves us that much and wants us to have this hope. YES! All I have is Christ, All I want is Christ, and because of the hope I have I want All to know this very same hope.