"But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up." 2 Peter 3:10

"Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee." Revelation 3:3

"Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame." Revelation 16:15

"And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." Luke 9:62

"Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father." 1 John 2:24

"And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming." 1 John 2:28

I find that many think it easy to perform good works in spurts, but very few think it easy to abide in them. Do you study enough? Do you pray enough? Do you genuinely listen? Are you even a believer? What's stopping you?

This post has been edited by Rayn: Nov 5 2009, 02:03 PM

oh yes!

I am ready!
May Jesus come and take me!

These are some of the scriptures that keep me striving for perfection. Sometimes I feel lazy and want to just sit back and take my time, and twiddle my thumbs, but then I think "What if Jesus came back right now?" or "How does He feel about me putting Him second instead of first?" and with that, the Holy Spirit touches my heart and gets me moving. I know right now I'm surely not ready, because I'm still in the fire. There's still some stuff God has to burn out of me, until I become like pure gold, and He can see His reflection in me. I'm trying to get where Jesus wants me to be, and then learn how to maintain that person.

Dude, I would be lying if I said I was... :/

I'm excited to meet Jesus. But that doesn't mean there won't be loads I'll be ashamed of...

Same. So lately, I've been trying to identify the things that make Jesus less eminent in my life and take them out of it. Tough thing to do, but so gratifying and helpful. I recently threw all of my CD's away (lots of worldly junk, and personally, took up way too much of my time). Music used to be my life, but I want to follow the example of Paul, who directed his attention off of self and sin, and rather faced in the opposite direction towards Christ.

There are other things that are much more subtle. And of course my weighty, dreadful flesh is always going to be a burden to drag along, but I can be sanctified much quicker if the objects I so worship aren't available to sap my time, effort, energy, and quench the Holy Spirit as He tries to tell me something new about God.

I used to try to explain away a lot of the things God was convicting me to get rid of. I'd say I was just being ridiculous, or I'd say that stuff didn't matter, but now I've decided I'm just going to submit it all to Him. I want to be satisfied with Christ alone. I'm sure He'll give me a book or two, a song to lift me up, and spare time to rest and do whatever, but I'm seeking Him first and foremost. I'll let Him plan everything out, rather than trying to just please God on my own.

Haha, and of course the flesh loves to focus your attention on others. I don't know how many times I've said, "This person does that and he's fine, so I should be too." Thing is, God's calling me to be holy as he is holy, so that's supposed to be my standard.

This post has been edited by Rayn: Nov 14 2009, 01:21 AM

I know im Saved and i know if God came back and took the believers i would be taken. But as for being ready, ill never be ready persay because there will always be something that i want to change b4 i meet God, and of course i know i have more than my share of sins and short comings to answer for. I cant wait to meet Jesus but im not ready to leave on the next boat load either. But as for salvation, Im saved and ready to go.

sadly to say i dont think i am ready,

it's been a long journey but i know i'm still not ready
i've thrown out items that pull me away from God.
but. i know my hardest is the one tempation that will always be there.
internet. i know i can throw that out..but since it's there it's hard to ignore it...
i've closed down my fb;s and other stuff that i used to be obsessed with.
but i always end up finding other things to do ..
but those things take away time when i should be reading the bible
which i'm trying to get better at.
God's told me many times.. that if i wanna have that relationship with him
i need to dive deep into his word. I'm supposed to be constant!
not look right or left!
But this lazyness. GAHHH this lazyness is taking a toll on me
sorry i'm rambling...
it scares me to know...it makes me so mad at myself
that if God came right now! i wouldn't be ready..
i tell my friends, i encourage others.. i KNOW What to do.
but i dont'd flipping do it! .
everything in my real llife thinks it's easy gfor me, and that i'm i dunno good?
but gahh i feel like a hypocrite at those times!

Revelation 21: 27
"And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life."

that means we have to be clean. i have to be clean. spotless of sin.

we are supposed to strive for perfection! jesus he was a man! he didnt' sin! .he had the same temptations..
most christians say, you can't be perfect...but the bible says we can! .
"
Matthew 5:48 "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect."

but the bible also says
I Jn. 1:8 - "if we say we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves"

but the thing is who makes us perfect?
Jesus
Heb. 10:14 - "He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified"

if we. live with Christ in us, son, father and the holy spirit.
we can be perfect. we can strive for perfection.
like u said. God wants us to be HOly. like him.
holy perfect,. sinless
i know all this. and
i still get lazy!
what is wrong with me?

You could use a schedule. Internet distracts me from reading and praying too, so I've dedicated certain times of the day to prayer and study. I'd say you need at least an hour for study and another hour to pray for what's on your heart before your day ever begins, and another one at night. You may have things to do, but God requires eminence if we're ever to be holy.

Note that this is Biblical, not just my wisdom. Daniel had three prayer devotionals a day, which I'm sure lasted about an hour. If you take a moment to consider all the things in your life you need to pray about, all the people who need your prayers, and all the things you need to thank God for, I'm sure you'll find yourself overwhelmed and incapable of doing anything worthwhile on your own.

Also, if laziness is your problem, it's probably just that you have too much spare time. I wrote something about healthy activities you can be doing for that:
http://www.christianteenforums.com/Pure-Re...led-t66265.html

I hope you'll find it encouraging.

Remember, and I love saying this, we have a responsibility to our brothers first.

And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith. Gal 6:9-10

It may not be possible for you to give everything you have away for the benefit of others, but this much you can do:

Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein. Heb 13:9

Very clearly, my suggestion is this: plan time to get away from your computer somewhere and study. Focus on God. Pray that God would seal your focus upon Him. Meditate on the words and internalize scripture everyday. Write scripture on cards and place them all over your house. Read over them frequently and memorize them. Once you've studied, edify and encourage others with what you've learned. Be there for anyone who is discouraged, and even for those who appear to be doing fine, knowing they could very well think they're a "burden". And finally, begin now. Pray about it, then read, then apply it to your life.

This post has been edited by Rayn: Nov 24 2009, 04:51 PM

i read your other post thing, and it was encouraging.. on here. i haven't met. a lot of people that encouraging ..(not trying to diss anyone.. i hardly get on here that much anyways so i dont know everyone..like that. ) when i say lazy it's not that i dont have enough to do. i have plenty. it's just. then when instead i know i have time to read the bible, and focus my tme on God, instead of that i end up getting on the computer. like i know what to do.
and sometimes i even do it. and i feel awsome and great after spending time wiht God.
but then there are those days for some reason where it's like
blahness. somtimes. i dont evn know
where to being reading.. like i've read the the whole bible before.
esp the new testament many times.. but. i still feel like i KNOW nothing.
and then i end up wasting so much time watching movies and such
that. the memory space for the scriptires that i used to know by memory are gone.
the thing i wish is i could drive so i could find that place where i could go and not be botherd by people
cause at my house.. it's not like even 5 min..nd i hear my name. and my mom always has something for me to do.
anyways. i dunno. thanks for your words. i need to learn to really start donig that constantly. .daily..
somehow

^I know, girl. It's the same here, with the old homestead being noisy, and distractions and such.
I actually felt like I could have written that up there.

One thing that I have been learning (and I'm by no means a pro at this stuff- I fail just as much as the next person), even though you feel like going and watching something, go pick up your Bible, maybe a few other Christian books focusing on some aspect of your Christian walk and/or a biography of Christian men and/or women, find a quiet spot, curl up with a blanket and some tea/hot chocolate/coffee (whatever you like) and read them instead.
Even though the last thing you want to do is read... it is sooo rewarding.
Seriously, I can easily say that when I take the time to learn about my Lord- those are some of the best nights ever. The more time that you spend with Him, the more time you'll want to spend with Him, so it gets easier.

-Oh, and it really helps to keep a folder for your notes.
Any thoughts, Bible verses that stand out, quotes, memorization verses, notes from any other Christian type books you might be reading, a journaling section-the journaling section is win by the way- etc, can go in there, as well as anything else you feel is relevant.
I have been helped tremendously by just flipping through, and reading a note that maybe wasn't relevant to me at the time, but it completely hits the nail on the head when I read it over again.
There is so much dirt on me in my devo folder... haha.

-Try and find the quietest parts of your day and then try to read then- my days are always shot because they're so busy, but nights work well for me because the littler kids/parents are usually all in bed when I'm still up.
The best way to learn something is by persevering with it, and prayer.
I learn the most when I fall, and then I know exactly what to pinpoint and ask for my Lord's deliverance from that.
He always comes through, when it's in His will to.

Oh, and then just remember to see God in the little things as well. Whether it's walking outside for a minute, and just seeing His creation, an answered prayer, or just because you had a good day.
Praise Him for it, because He is the reason for all of it.
Praise also helps build up love for God because you get to reflect on His awesomeness, by the way.

Also, just serve Him in all that you do(even obeying the parents- believe me- I get stuck on this one a lot too), and even what you hate doing will be more enjoyable.

Sorry, this is a ramble of just what I've been learning-and I just noticed that I'm basically restating what Rayn's advice- but I figured our situations seemed about the same, so I thought that you might be able to get something out of it.

Let me know if you want to talk at all about any of it! =]

I'm glad. Praise God.



This is one of the presumptuous sins that even David, a man after God's own heart, prayed God would keep him from committing.

Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression. Psalms 19:13

Follow the example of David. Prayer is great, and certainly any time temptation arises you should fall on your knees. However, this was not what David prayed in the heat of temptation. Before the temptation ever arose, He was asking God to keep him from this sin. He sought God early.

My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise. Awake up, my glory; awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early. I will praise thee, O Lord, among the people: I will sing unto thee among the nations. For thy mercy is great unto the heavens, and thy truth unto the clouds. Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: let thy glory be above all the earth. Psalms 57:7-11

This is a tough thing to do, I know, but holiness requires commitment. Ask yourself how much Jesus is worth to you, count the cost of discipleship. Pray about it earnestly. We know that if we ask anything according to His will, He will grant it to us.



It's the flesh. I don't think it's even possible for me to stress just how weak our flesh is. It lusts after sin. It craves it, and it will swallow it up. It wants to separate you eternally from God, and had not God provoked you unto grace, it would have happily went on its way to hell, dragging you kicking and screaming along with it. It is enmity against God, meaning the opposite. As much as God is eternally holy, the carnal mind is infinitely wicked. Paul spent three years tearfully warning of the sin which lurked in Acts 20:28-32, but commended them to God and the word of his grace which is ablet o build you up.



Well, like John the Baptist, this is our job:

And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways; To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins, Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us, To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace. Luke 1:76-79

So my best advice is to just be sure you are built up very well in knowledge of the plan of salvation. Also note that giving light to those in darkness is reproving things which are sinful:

And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light. Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Eph 5:11-16


Here's something you may consider: study one book from the new testament and one book from the old testament a month. Try to read over them as many times as possible by dividing them into chapters (not always necessarily meditating) and begin to ask, like the Ethiopian Eunuch, "What does this mean?" Consider who it was written to and for what purpose (commentary may be needed, but always try to restate it in your own words). Write down what you believe to be the concept of each chapter, or each group of verses, etc. and try to keep your ideas on them very organized. Write down passages, words, or phrases you don't understand, research them, talk about them, and definitely pray about them.

You might want to begin with the small epistles that you could even read in one sitting (like 1 & 2 Peter, James, 1 John, etc.) and go from there. Just try out a couple of different methods and see what works for you. I personally don't like going through the Bible with just one or two chapters a day, I get more out of it if I read a book numerous times and meditate on the things that stick with me.



I understand your situation is difficult. As I've said, a schedule is the best way to go about this. Try and work it out with your mom if possible. Let her know you have a certain time(s) that you want to get alone and seek God, and that you need as few disturbances as possible. I'll pray for you. You can do this. I can only speak so much about it because I've been there, so don't worry, just pray and seek. When you mess up, don't let the devil beat you up over it. Just repent, confess, and move on. You'll get it.

God bless.

This post has been edited by Rayn: Dec 1 2009, 12:17 PM

*gets ready to meet Jesus*

I have to agree.... No human is ever going to be 'ready' to meet Jesus, although we may try to be.

Thank you both Rayn and Lydia for your suggestion advice, help and prayers. May God bless you both,
and yes Lydia i would love to talk about some of the things with you.

hopefully i'm going ot go to Tennessee this weekend, it's just this youth thing.. in the mountains.. time to Praise God...
and pray constantly .. i dont know exactly what i'm hoping for.. not that feeling.. but to be overfilled with God's presence with his HOly spirit. . .there i wont ahve any distractions.. (hopefully)..

Well Valechka, the Tennessee mountains are definitely a good place to do that! It is soo beautiful and peaceful out there!
(Haha, I love TN.)
And yes! Just leave me a comment/PM sometime and we'll talk.