Thoughts for the new year

As we're coming to the end of the year, alot of people are talking about their New Years Resolution, something the want to do in 2008. The things I'm blogging about today, are things Christians need to battle and guard against not just in '08, but every year and every day.

My family recently received a catalog from a Christian bookstore, and as I looked through and saw all the Christian music arists, read about the books they were selling, and saw the movies the were advertizing and selling, I thought " what's happened?"
The Christian artists look just like the mainstream artists. By looking at them you would NEVER guess they were Christians. We've bought several books from a CHRISTIAN bookstore that were written by CHRISTIAN authors that we've had to throw away because of bad language, bad scenes, etc. Same thing with movies: bad language, bad scenes, immodest clothing.
CHRISRTIAN bookstores are advertizing and selling all this filthy junk!!
And what's worse is that we CHRISTIANS are buying that filthy junk.


There are people in the Church who, if you passed them on the street you would think they were anything but a Christian. Wearing tight, immodest clothes, and heay dark make-up.
They're watching all the same movies that their non-Christian friends watch, listening to the same music, and reading the same non-Christian, athiestic books. They're not doing what Romans 12:2 says: "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."

Christians are conforming!!!!!!
We keep allowing a little more sin into our lives, and a little more, and a little more, and we think it won't have any affect on us! Proverbs 4:23 says "keep you heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life." The Hebrew word for diligence is mishmar, meaning guard and watch. So, if we fill our hearts with sin, then what will flow from our hearts are things that God hates. But. if we fill our Hearts with God's word and things that are pure, then things that are pleasing to God will flow from our hearts.

Christians are not supposed to blend in with the world. We're suppose to be the light of the world! Our lives are supposed to reflect the Good News about Christ (phillipians 1:27).
But, instead of being lights and reflecting the Good News, we try to "sugar coat" everything. We try to be Christians AND please the world at the same time. Matthew 6:24 says "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other...."


We can't stradle the fence! We need to love and serve God whole heartedly.
Titus 1:16 says "They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work."
We're supposed to reflect God in all that that we do, from the inside out, in every area of our lives, all the time!

My family is very careful about what we watch, read, listen to, and wear.
But, sometime I find myself trying to please God AND the world, and I also see that I'm not always reflecting the Good News in every area of my life.
These are things that, with God's help I'm working on and battling every-single-day.
It's easy to go with the flow of the world, but it's hard to do what God wants and what is pleasing to Him, when the whole world is telling you to do something different.



We need to strive to please God and not the world, and we're going to have to stuggle with this every day because satan is prowling around like a roaring lion, waiting for someone to devour and he will do anything to make us serve him and not God, he will use things in this world to lure us away from God, so we need to ask God to guard our hearts and help us say "no" to the world.

I know this is a long post and I'm sorry if it's too confusing, if you have a question about something I said please feel free ask me in a comment.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!


God Bless,
Jade

A break for Christmas

Hey everybody!

We're going to take a break from blogging until after Christmas, and then we'll try to get on a more regular blogging schedule, I posted this video to hold you over 'til then.

Merry Christmas!

Autumn & jade

Making Good Choices

A few days ago my friend sent me this email and I thought it would be good to post it.

MOVIE ALERT!!!!!

Today, on December 7th, a new movie has been released. It looks cool, and harmless enough, but it is BAD.
It is called "The Golden Compass", and it is against God and the church, and it is atheistic,
and the guy who wrote it said that its purpose is to plant in the hearts of children that there is no God.
We know better, but many others will not.
"The Golden Compass" is the first part of a trilogy, which ends in a boy and a girl "killing God".
The movie was purposefully released at the beginning of the Christmas season, which is Christ's birthday. It is also the exact opposite of "The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe", with the opening scene of a 12-year-old girl hiding in a wardrobe and going into a different world.
In this movie demons and witches are the good guys and the church is represented as evil.
It points to The Fall as redemption of mankind, instead of its downfall.

Help let Hollywood know that we will not stand up to this.
Forward this to everyone in your address book.
Hopefully, this boycott might be heard.

"GOLDEN COMPASS" POINTS IN THE WRONG DIRECTION!!!!!!

We need to guard against things like this and avoid them like Paul told Timothy in

1 Timothy 6:20. This movie does point in the wrong direction and the sad thing is that there are alot of other things that point in the wrong direction like bad movies, games, music, ect., that "Christians" are watching, playing, and listening to! Some of the very things we need to guard against!

In James 5:16b it says that "The effective , fervant prayer of a righteous man avails much."

We need to fervantly pray that they won't meet the goals they have for this film, and others like it.

Joy to the world the Lord has come!

Every time I think about Jesus coming to earth I'm amazed at His love for us and amazed at all He did for us.

He is the Son of God yet He came not to be served, but to serve as it says matthew 20:28"Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

He is the King of kings yet He wasn't born in a palace but a stable! He didn't have all the riches of the world. God's Son was rejected by many! And even though He knew He would be rejected and crucified (luke 17:25) He still came and died for our sins. John 3:16 says "For God so loved the world He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." Isn't that beautiful? God loved us enough to send His only Son to die for us!

Another thing that that amazes me is Mary's response after the angel Gabriel told her she was going to have a son in luke 1:38 Then Mary said "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word." She could've been worried about what other people might think think, but she wasn't. She submitted to God's will and rejoiced that God had chosen her (luke 1:46-55)

So for this christmas season (and all year round!) let's focus on serving others like Jesus, not on things we want. Let's work on submitting to our Heavenly Father's will, giving up our desires and rejoicing in His!

First christmas pics

We started deccorating for christmas yesterday, but, we didn't get very far because we somehow lost some of our christmas stuff in the move. So, here are a few of the pics we took the other night.


Me and Jade in our cool shades

Amber(our older sis) and Tiara

Ashton the official light fixer
Jade and Ashton



Ain't I pretty?

Me and Ashton (he is getting so tall)

I thought this picture of Jade and Tiara was just too cute

Happy holidays from our house to yours!

><>Autumn<><

This video is absolutely precious! It's so wonderful to see that a little girl is memorizing scripture at such a young age.



Hope ya'll have a Blessed weekend!

><>Jade<><

"Let your light shine"

You lived next door to me for years;

We shared our dreams, our joys and tears.

A friend to me you were indeed,

A friend who helped me when in need.

My faith in you was strong and sure.

We had such trust as should endure.

No "words" between us could impose;

Our friends were like - and so our foes.

What sadness, then, my friend, to find

That after all, you weren't so kind;

The day my life on earth did end,

I found you weren't a faithful friend.

For all those years we spent on earth,

You never talked of second birth.

You never talked of my lost soul

And of the Christ Who'd make me whole.

I'm lost today eternally

And tell you now my earnest plea.

You cannot do a thing for me -

No words today my bonds will free.

But do not err, my friend, again -

Do all you can for souls of men.

Plead with them now quite earnestly,

Lest they be cast in hell with me.

Doesn't that make you stop and think "Am I being a good christian example to my friends, neighbors, and relatives? Jesus told the demon-possessed (after he cast the demon out) to "...Go home to your friends, and tell them the great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you." (mark 5:19) Are we telling our friends, family and neighbors about all the wonderful things the Lord has done for us? Or about the compassion He has shown us?

Jesus also said in matthew 5:14-16 "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket , but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that thay may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." We Christians are the light of the world and we can't hide it and keep all to ourselves! we have to share the good news with everyone so that we may glorify our heavenly Father.

Now, all this said I just want to point out that I am in no way saying that I have been good in this area. But the more I read the Bible the more I see how much I'm not doing and the more I see how important it is to "let my light shine". The poem and verses have challenged me and I hope they will challenge you also.

Jade

Precious in God's eyes

"Do you think I'm pretty?" is the question thousands of girls are asking. And the world tells them that beauty is something external. By wearing the latest fashions (which are usually immodest),you have to be extremely skinny,wear lots of make-up, ect. because this is what makes you pretty. And the sad thing is most of the girls today are believing this lie.


But in 1 Peter 3:3-4 says that beauty is internal not external, "Do not let your beauty be that outward adorning of arrangingthe hair, of wearing gold, or of putting on of fine apperal; but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible ornament of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.


I'm not saying that we should not wear make-up or nice clothes (that are modest) or fix our hair. I don't see anything wrong with taking care of what God gave us as long as we're not focusing on our outward beauty, instead we should focus on our inward beauty, by having a gentle and quiet spirit which is very precious in God's eyes.

><>Autumn<><

A thankful heart!

I know we just started but we're going to take a break for thanksgiving and see you back here monday! But, because it's thanksgiving I'm going to leave you with this adorable video of a little girl with a very thankful heart!

see ya back here monday!

Jade

Why study?

It's important that as Christians we study God's word. It doesn't matter if you're old, young, new christian, or an old christian, there is always something new to learn. Although there are many reasons we should study I'm only going to go over a few.

First, I think a lot of times we Christians get to where we just listen to a sermon or someone’s view on something and they make it sound so good that we don't even check and see if it lines up with what the Bible says. The Bible warns us about false prophets in Matthew 7:15 "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves."How are we going to know if what they're teaching is false or true if we don't study God's word?

Second, In 1 Peter 3:15 it says "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear." So we need to prepare ourselves so we can answer anyone who asks us why we believe what we believe.

Thirdly, because Deuteronomy 4:29 says "But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul." Where will we find Him? Where will learn about Him? John 1:1 says "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." So we get to know him through his Word. By studying His Word. Recently I've gotten to where I just read the Bible everyday and I wasn't studying it like I should. I'm not saying only study your Bible and don't read it. I think it's wonderful to read it and I know you learn a lot that way but I've recently learned that's not always enough, that's not searching for God with all my heart and soul.

Like I said before, these are just a few of the many reasons we should study and I hope they gave you at least a little glimpse of how important it is.



Jade

welcome to our new blog

First of all, we would like to welcome you to our blog Handmaidens with a Mission.

We hope and pray that this will be an encouragement to young ladies who are also striving to be godly women and to fulfill the role that God has called. Please feel free to leave comments. We will try to blog at least a couple of times a week. So lets see how that goes.:)

Blessings to all,

Autumn & Jade