Something Different

I  usually post on wordpress when I’m at a great point in life and when nothing is bothering me. Well today I am at one of my lowest points that I’ve been in a while. I decided to share with you guys what’s on my heart and bothering me today. I am always in an argument with one of my brothers, always verbally abusing each other back and forth. I’m always arguing with my dad and always butting heads with him. I don’t know why, but the hardest place for me to be a Christian is in my own home. It’s so hard to tame my tongue when my brothers or dad bother me. It’s so hard to refrain from fighting with my brothers when they do something to tick me off. I really don’t know why but it is. I guess devil will work in the places where you probably find yourself the most, in my case at home. I do my best just to fall harder the next time around. It’s really something, God’s grace. It really is. That He could love someone that’s always messing up and bringing Him shame. That whatever we do, is covered by the death of His own Son….Thats phenomenal.

I am really down right now, but I need to do this. I would rather blog while at my lowest, than go smoke a pack of cigarettes, or drink some liquor, or smoke some weed because I’m upset at my brothers.

Going back to Philippians 1:27, I memorized this verse so that I could refer to it when i would be brought down and my character would become opposite of Christs. Today I ignored this verse and went crazy. Details aren’t important, however it is important that I share this: We need to act like Christ. I feel like a hypocrite saying that at the same time as knowing how I acted earlier today. I say this with confidence however, because the Word of God says that no man is without sin and if someone claims to be without sin, he is a liar. So in other words I am not afraid to share my short comings because you are not better than me and I no better than you. We are all in the same race, we are just moving at different speeds.

Let’s do our best to remember this verse. Philippians 1:27 ” Above all, you must act as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good news of Christ.” Be blessed and thanks for sharing your time with me.

Todays Devotional – Christ Character

After I came back from WIU, I think my biggest struggle was acting like Christ, being a Christian in all aspects of my life, not just at my church services and youth services. I struggle with being peaceful in my household. I struggle with anger towards anyone that bothers me. I struggle with pride towards my father. I have a hard time being humble towards my brothers. I struggle with many other things that if you looked at me, you wouldn’t have the slightest clue if I was Christian or if I was just a lost soul.

This has made me desire Christ even more recently, to desire Him with a spirit that’s unashamed to seek His help for my imperfections and to ask Him to use me to help anyone with the same issues.

I thought that if I went back to college, I could get away from my problems and stress that I accumulate in my home with my parents and siblings. But i realized going away isn’t going to help solve the problem. Rather it’s only going to postpone it for a later time. 

Today I read from Philippians and Christ gave me peace and strength once again as I decided to study this book again. As I read chapter 1, I got to verse 11 which says

“May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation – the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ – for this will bring much glory and praise to God.” Philippians 1:11

In this verse alone, God opened my eyes, mind, and spirit, to just be more reverent on this idea and this message and theme of righteous character. This is the thing we need in our life more than anything as followers of Christ; a CHRIST-LIKE character!

Later on in the passage we come to verse 27 which says in the beginning of it

“Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good news about Christ.” Philippians 1:27a

Just in this part alone we are reminded once again of the character we must have and obtain. I do believe repetition is a strong emphasis in the Bible whenever an important theme, message, word, or idea was to be delivered, repetition was the tool in which that sense of importance was delivered by. Here in this chapter 1 alone we see this message and theme of having righteous character appear twice.

Lets ask the Lord to reveal to us in which ways we are faulting and messing up and ask Him to help us realize these mistakes and change them. Let’s ask Christ to mold us as He wishes for His divine plan because we are never truly done growing in Him.

Thank you for reading my message today, and I hope Christ works in you as He is in me. Praise His holy name. Peace and Love!

Just a Quick Thought

For such a long time I was afraid to post up again because I didn’t want to post anything without being “good” in my own eyes. I wanted to be the perfect human and Christian before I posted again. But i realized this a long time ago, and I’m realizing this again right now: that we are all imperfect and none of us deserve anything. But there are people out there that can use us even as imperfect as we may be. They might be weaker than us and we may not even realize, how much they need us. To ourselves we may be so weak and useless, but to that person, you might be stronger than a ton of bricks. (sorry I didn’t have a better analogy haha) But anyways. We should not stop ourselves from doing the work of Christ. That if anything, is the least Christ-like thing to do. We must continue on strong and not look behind us.

I personally still cant full grasp how or why God has such amazing grace towards us, but I can say that no matter how lowly you may see yourself, God doesn’t see that which you see. He sees Jesus Christ and His sacrifice for you, for me, and for each ad every one of us “lowly humans”

It’s funny because last year I started this blog not knowing in which direction I was headed in with it. Not knowing what would turn out from it. All I wanted to do was make time and post everyday. I almost cant believe it, but I did so successfully for a very long period of time; maybe about 4 or 5 months (which by the way for me to do something that long is an achievement). I just wanted to help people out. Hoping that if just one person read my blog they would get something out of it and that I myself could grow closer to Christ as I did so. 

This blog was a blessing and encouragement for many including my very self. Im thankful for the time I spent investing in it, and I pray I can continue to do so now as well as in the future.

I ask you though, please, please, give me feedback. Message me, email me, do something, I just want more interaction with you who read my blog. I don’t want to feel like I am just talking to a computer screen. So if I can ask you to please communicate with me, I hope it isn’t too much and I hope it doesn’t send out the wrong idea.

Thank you so much for the support you do give me, all those of you that do, and I pray that God may continue to bless us all and help us be fruitful and praise His holy name in all we do.

A Little Something For Now

I know I’ve been off this for too long. I almost forgot how to write. Anyhow, I just wanted to say a little something:

First, God is so good. In this long period of time I haven’t posted, I went through a bunch of small ups and ginormous downs. Reason being, my eyes weren’t focused on Christ the whole time. However God is good. He reminded me about a month ago what my purpose is here on this planet. I had a strange feeling in my heart to go to church this one thursday, so i did. From the moment I walked into the sanctuary, it took but 10 seconds for the brother to come and speak what the Lord wanted to tell me, that my life in the community I have been born and raised in isn’t meaningless and that there is a leader waiting to be born in me. I need to allow God to work in and around me and to wash me of my ridiculous old/current self. He needs to increase and i must decrease. Please take Him seriously. Fear Christ the right way. Not in a shivering, hiding under the bed kind of way. Rather in a way that you would fear your very own father at one time in your life if you showed up 2 hours late home. In a respectful way.

Second, we need revival. Revival is so crucial to us and to our generation. Especially now that we are surrounded by the worst of the worst from the world, especially now that for us men to live is lust, sex, and drugs, especially for you women that to live is beauty, or should i say unrealistic goals of beauty, materializing your body’s, and degrading yourself. We need to ask Christ to intervene in our lives and to make us new in Him. We need to have the Holy Spirit reign in our lives and control us fully. And when i say control, I mean drive, motivate, and guide us. I mean that we need to be constantly fighting on our knees, constantly asking the Lord to perfect our ways of living through circumstances and dealing with struggles and temptations. We need to be more seeking of Him in order for Him to come to us and be in us and for us. We CANNOT expect something to happen out of nothing; after all, that’s why the big bang theory is discredited. SOMETHING CANNOT COME OUT OF NOTHING. A revival WILL NOT sweep us if we don’t dive in wholly and fully. 

We need to give God everything! Not a little bit of us and a little bit of facebook. Not a little bit of us and a little bit of Big Sean. Not a little bit of us and a little bit of a dirty mouth. Look I know I’m not perfect, but each day i acknowledge that and ask God to start me fresh so that I can do His work. I dont know when i will get a chance to post again. I dont know how often i will be posting, all i know now, is that it’s time for a revival and you’re either in or out. You’re either a follower of Christ and a leader for Him, or you’re a cheerleader/spectator who does nothing and will go nowhere in life. Please take this life seriously. Why is it that people have to die for us to realize how short life is? Why is it that someone has to leave our midst in order for us to realize that not only are they missing, but that God is too? 

Let’s live new lives. Let’s be holy. That’s all God wants from us. Sincere holiness. From that everything else comes.

Remember these passages:

Ecclesiastes 3:20 “All go to one place: all are from dust, and return to dust.”

Ecclesiastes 3:14 “I know that whatever God does, It shall be forever. Nothing can be added to it. And nothing can be taken from it. God does it, that men should fear before Him.

God bless you all and Godspeed. ❤ 🙂

Humbleness: Knowing You’re In The Wrong

Hey y’all! I just wanted to let you know what’s been on my heart. So recently I’ve had a bunch of ups and downs with someone that I hold dearly to my heart. I have always wanted to be close to her and be friends with her so that we could help build each other up. At times I would try to get close to her and I’d feel her distance, other times she may have tried to be nicer and get closer to me and I might have been bogus to her. With all of this back and forth that I was pushing on her, she really built up walls towards me. I kept on trying to break these walls down by talking and being friendly and showing her that I care. But unfortunately, she had already categorized me with the rest of the people around her and I was in a place I really didn’t want to be in.

I really care about her because I know that she’s hurting and struggling in certain ways and I feel bad that I’ve pushed her away. I know that she really wants genuine friends and people she can trust, but it’s hard for her to be able to do that when all the people she trusts end up hurting her.

I didn’t want to be one of those people that hurt her anymore. So I took a step back and asked God for wisdom and help. Sure enough I prayed and fasted for her and the Lord revealed to me something that I had no idea was so crucial. Forgiveness from her. God showed me that I need to humble myself and truly let her know that I’ve seen my wrongs and mistakes and that I really care about her friendship. That I really want her best interest and that I will not do anything to hurt her.

Now I await the opportunity to arise so that I may be able to pull her aside and let her know the truth (the thing we all dread telling the most) and just letting her know what God placed on my heart about being wrong and pushing her away. 

What does this have to do with you? Well, we all have relationships with people that are more or less than developed and we’d like them to be better. However, we cannot move forward in a relationship with someone unless all the barriers are down. And yes, it’s true that you cannot break down all the barriers and the person needs to meet you half way, but you have to take that first step.

Humbleness is something that we as Christians need to have. If you read Philippians 2:3-4 it says:

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking into your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”

With this passage in mind, we need to see and realize that what we want, is less important than what the other person wants; if we are true Christians and believers in Christ that is. Humility. We need to be humble and put aside what we want from that person or relationship, and realize what they need and how God can work in the relationship to bring that person up from the lower place they find themselves in.

We are all supposed to be uplifting and beneficial to each other. How can we be that if all we want is to make that person ours, if we want to just tend to our desires? We can’t. Let’s ask God to help us lay down our desires so that we can be the men and women God calls us to be in each and every aspect of our lives, especially our friendships and relationships with others!

Thanks for reading. Have blessed day!

Encouragement Through Trials

I didnt know why for a time i have really been going through A LOT. I didnt know whether it was because i was doing something wrong in God’s eyes or what. I spoke to a friend yesterday and her really encouraged me by telling me that it’s not about what you did wrong in God’s eyes, it’s what you’re doing right in the enemy’s eyes. Remember he will always try to bring you down, especially when you’re doing the right thing.
Today i read from Philippians 1:14 which says

And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.

In this passage we see Paul telling us that as he’s imprisoned, that’s helping others around him to grow a d be more confident in the gospel. He’s saying that we might be going through some tough times that feel like imprisonment and that we cant get out, but remember this passage. Paul’s saying that although we may be suffering, it can be used for someone else to get picked up and encouraged. Remember that your struggle could be the one thing that brings someone closet to God. So be as godly through your trial as you can.

Thanks for reading today, even though i wrote from my phone. i hope you have a blessed day and are able to bring the Lord thanks and glory in all you do!

A Scary Truth

Proverbs 26:7 says:

“A proverb in the mouth of a fool is as useless as a paralyzed leg.”  (NLT)

With this verse in mind, let’s look at our own lives. Are we people that talk a wonderful talk but walk only a quarter or half of the walk? Are we hypocrites? Do we live up to what we believe in? Do we just preach the good news and walk the other way?

Let’s do our best in practicing what we preach. Let’s do our best in being real. Let’s not be fools! I have struggled greatly with this in my life and I know that it’s not over yet. I will still struggle with this probably for a long time. It’s not something you can just be perfect at. Our walk with Christ is a constant battle, struggle, and fight. If we fall we need to get up. We need to reset our feet and get back into the battle. Let’s not let anything bring us down. If we find ourselves being hypocrites, let’s ask God for forgiveness and repent of it. Let’s move away from this sin. It is one of the hardest things to deal with as Christians because if we are hypocrites, we can very well be stumbling blocks.

Thanks for reading. I also want to address the fact that I don’t do this to impress anyone, I don’t do it for credibility because I alone have none, I don’t do it because I have to. I do it to encourage you to be stronger in your walk with Christ as well as myself. I want to be the best Christian in this life that I can be. It’s not about length, it’s not about making it easy to read for your heart, it’s not about pleasing your heart or anyone’s particular beliefs, but rather I want these devotions to help you as they help me; to analyze our lives and see where we need to make changes, and then to reevaluate ourselves and see the changes, if any. Don’t worry, I DO NOT have all the answers. I am NOT perfect at all….pretty far from it if anything. I still have my struggles and battles, but I do not let them bring me down anymore. Christ dies for my battles as well, not only my sins.

God bless you and may the Lord strengthen you in all you do. Much peace and love as always! 🙂 

If you need someone to talk to in confidence that what you say will stay between only us, than you may contact me at jasondumitru@gmail.com or text me at 847-322-0518. Don’t worry, don’t be shy, God can strengthen us both through our conversation! ❤

Falling and Rising

Today I read a wonderful verse from the book of Proverbs. Verse 16 of chapter 21 says this:

“for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes.”

With that passage in mind, know that we will fall. Notice that is says “for though the righteous fall…” Not “if the righteous will fall…” This is because we are being told clearly that we are not perfect. Even us who believe and are saved are not perfect. We need to constantly be picking ourselves up when we fall, not if we fall!

Dont be discouraged by your mistakes. Be encouraged not to make them again. Dont turn away from God’s grace when you’re down. Run to it. Remember to pick yourself up when you fall. Thats what the righteous do!

Thanks for reading and may God bless you!

Be Cheery! :D

Today I want to encourage you guys in a way that I don’t think I’ve encouraged people before. I know recently and for the past few months I have been complaining to God and a wreck. I in general am a pessimistic person. I always see the bad in something before I see the good or any good for that matter. If this is you, even if you’re not pessimistic, try to be cheerful and positive. Lets change this. Today I want to change that about me.

Lets look in the living Word of God in the book of Proverbs 17:22 where it says 

“A cheerful heart is good medicine,

but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.”

With this passage in mind, I give you my first reason. I want to be a joyous, non-pessimistic person from now on because the Bible tells us that a cheerful heart is GOOD medicine. Isn’t that awesome?! Isn’t it cool to know that the living book tells us basically that there’s no point to be sad and crushed and down because if cheerfulness is good medicine, than the opposite must be poison!

It’s normal to be sad and down as a human, but let’s not allow ourselves as saints of Christ who have His Spirit in us to be in this state of negativity. After all the Spirit that is within us isn’t that way! God gave His son to die for our problems, our sins, our sadness, so let’s be rejoicing in Him. Let’s always do our best to look up and be positive. Even Paul teaches us to look always be focused on heavenly things. Well guess what!? If we are focused on heavenly things, I’m sure they don’t lead us to sadness or a crushed spirit! Im sure thinking about the music we will sing, the glory we will see, the fellowship we will have, the food we will eat, that we will want to be sad or crushed!

We all have problems and issues, some greater or smaller than others, but nonetheless they are there. Just look at it in this way, that God gives the strongest battles to warriors who He knows can handle them. Be optimistic in your troubles and even in your day by day activities.

Thanks for reading today’s encouraging words. God bless you and keep me in your prayers as I work on becoming a new me through the help of God the father, Christ the son, and the Holy Spirit who is within me! Again God bless!!

Words of Wisdom from Proverbs

These past months I’ve been seeking God. But the problem in my life didn’t come from seeking Him, it came from seeking Him in the wrong ways. I constantly kept trying to bargain with God and make Him give me the things I desired and I kept trying to convince Him (the one who already knows everything) and myself that I was ready for these things and that I had pure motives. Maybe through all this I did have pure motives, but honestly, God knows me (and you) better than we know ourselves, because He can see the past, present, and future, as clear as crystal. I cannot tell you enough how small and puny and unworthy of a human I am. But I thank God that He finds a way to open my eyes to many things in my life, sometimes a little too late (not in the sense that His timing was off, but in the sense that He let me go through something that I created for myself a little too long). I thank God that although so many times I felt as if He wasn’t watching, not caring, and just letting me fail, fall, and get hurt, He was actually right there and I was just stepping on Him.

Anyways, recently I have been reading from Proverbs because I have seen the need and importance for wisdom and Proverbs is the gem of wisdom! Today I read a few Proverbs but for me, chapter 16 verses 1-4 really stuck out to me and got me because of where I find myself in life. It says:

“To humans belong the plans of the heart,
but from the Lord comes the proper answer of the tongue.

2 All a person’s ways seem pure to them,
but motives are weighed by the Lord.

3 Commit to the Lord whatever you do,
and he will establish your plans.

4 The Lord works out everything to its proper end—
even the wicked for a day of disaster.”

A very true to life passage. Like verse 1 says, we humans always have plans, but God’s is the best and He leads the way with his. We always have plans to do something or become someone in a certain field or the possibilities are endless. But to know that God has the final say and ultimate call, for me at least is comforting.

In verse 2 it tells us that many times we think we are doing something or want something out of “pure” motives, but remember we are sinful humans and to us what might seem pure, is rather dirty before God. We need to realize that God judges our motives and only He can say whether they are pure or not. But in order to know what he thinks about them, we must seek His face.

In verse 3 scripture tells us, to commit to the Lord in anything we do and He will make out our plans. This verse ties in really wonderfully with my favorite verse Matthew 6:33. We need to understand that if we seek God and devote ourselves to Him, He will straighten out our paths for us and lead us.

Verse 4 tells us that God will make everything work out in its own time. With this being said, I will repeat myself and say, that it is extremely comforting knowing that the Lord holds my life and the plans for my life in his hands, and that no matter what I may do, He will still work everything out for me for His Glory.

I don’t know where you all stand or what you are struggling with, but if any of you have been struggling as much as I have been these past couple months, than my prayers really go out to you and I really  hope that you seek God to a whole new level of “a lot”. I really hope this devotional touched you in any way and really pray for God to continue to change my heart as well as yours and to mold us into the men and women He wants us to be in His army. Remember that although God is love and peace and comfort and joy and He brings those things, there is also an enemy who hates us, our Lord, and His work, and will do anything to stop us. Remember that although God wants our lives to be happy, the devil fights against us and tries to show us how weak we are and how dirty we are and tries to drag us into his hell hole. This fight isn’t easy at all and thats the main thing you need to remember about this. You will try to  follow God in all your ways, but you will fall along the way. Just remember to pick yourself up and follow the Lord and ask Him to continue to bring you down His road and will no matter the circumstances.

Thanks for reading the post today and God bless you. If you need someone to talk to, cry to, or even relate to, hit me up at 847 322 0518 or email me at jasondumitru@gmail.com