I'm a living vapor...

I don't like it. Living for God is a constant struggle because there is a war that exists between the spirit and the flesh. In Matthew 26:41, it says, " Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The   spirit   is willing, but the   flesh   is weak." And in Galatians 5:16 it says, " So I say, walk by the   Spirit , and you will not gratify the desires of the   flesh ." So what is the difference between the flesh and the spirit? I'm glad you ask. Well, when we get into a relationship with God, the choices and decisions we make are no longer based on what we think or feel. Rather, it is God's Spirit moving in us and convicting us of things that either please or displease Him. The flesh is really focused on self--what pleases me...because it's all about me, me,  me . Now, as I go through my daily routine and something occurs that gets me into this war between my flesh and spirit, I need to choose whether or not I go with what makes ...

As a growing Christian, an area in my life that I tend to struggle with is the area of sexual purity. Living in such an adulterated society, we are constantly being bombarded with profound and explicit sexual innuendos. We see it on TV commercials, movies, television shows, the internet, billboards, art; we hear them on the radio, music; and we read about them in magazines and books. It is such a constant battle because as a Christian, it is God's will that we pursue a life that grows in the love and knowledge of our Lord & Savior, Jesus Christ. God calls us, believers, to be holy and set apart (Lev. 20:26). To put it plainly, to be "set apart" would mean that there is a clear distinction between people who love God and those who don't. To view my life as  holy and set apart , it would mean that I do things much differently than how the world lives. Consider 1 Corinthians 10:23 when it says we can do virtually anything, but everything we do is not beneficial ...

I usually try to avoid this day for many years because I always seem to feel awkward around the whole pink-red-hearts-candy-chocolates...and so on. I believe part (or most) of the reason is that I have never been a boy/girl relationship before. And for some reason, and I'm totally being honest, I'd hope that someone would surprise me this day...which is pretty selfish of me, if you think about it. I have experienced over 20 Valentine's Day in my life and it has been the same thing over and over again. However, after recalling a slight promise I made this year, I thought about wanting to do something new/different/out-of-the-ordinary. I'm really trying to do things a lot different this year...which really means I want to try new things. Last night, I made brownies to bring to my internship. I made 128 Valentine cards (or rather, written some "love" Bible verses on them) and had given them out to random people on campus. I also had several bags of candy, whic...

As graduation is looming overhead, I've been trying to savor every moment of every day because I don't want to miss a single thing. It's been great because I've been able to go places, do things, and meet people almost every single day. I love how I have something to do. However, sometimes busyness becomes this distraction that keeps me from focusing on my real purpose and mission in life--to honor, glorify, and magnify God's name. This past week, I've been able to spend some real quality time with God. It so happened that I had made plans to study around 8pm, but ended up sitting at this swinging booth by the fountain at FIU. It. Was. Gorgeous. Hanging out with God has been a big refresher, for me. These pictures were taken at different times (except the 2nd and 3rd pics) because the moment I took these pics, I though of how wonderful the view was, wherever I was at the time. I'm looking forward for more dates with God like the ones I...