Program For Teen Ladies! :)

BREAKING THE CYCLE

Christian based group for teen ladies ages 12 and up

SATURDAY APRIL 16TH

NOON -3:00p 2717 West 12TH ST. LITTLE ROCK AR 72205

Topic: Loving Yourself; Mind, Body and Soul

Guest Speaker

KENDRA GLASPER

WRITER OF CHRISTIAN WEB BLOG: http://www.ylforchrist-kendra.blogspot.com/

Lunch will be served

Chairman: Yolanda Burdette-Newman

Program Coordinator: Dee Foy

Coordinator: JD Holloman

What limits our relationship to Christ?

"Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent" John 17:3

The past few days I have pondered on the importance of having an intimate relationship with Christ, having a relationship with Christ can change your life completely. It brings true fulfillment and contentment in the midst of all the worries and cares of this life. I also began to wonder why it is sometimes so hard to have this relationship, why does it often seem impossible to really be intimate with our Heavenly Father. Then as I was listening to a program God spoke to my heart, there are barriers in this world that limit our relationship with Christ. I will discuss those barriers below.

Barriers to Intimacy with Christ:

1. The World System
"Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. ¹⁶ For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. ¹⁷ The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever. " 1 John 2:15-17

This world's system is designed to pull us away from God in every way. The pull of the world is so strong and if we are not careful we will be completely drawn away from our God. There are 3 things that this world offers that can lead us to destruction:
1.) Lust of the eyes
2.) Lust of the flesh
3) Pride of life

The World's Deception
The deception of this world is what pulls us in, the world makes sin look good, feel good and taste good. Everything in this world is pleasing to our flesh, it deceives us into thinking that it is where true fulfillment can be found when fulfillment can only come  through a relationship with Christ.

*The worries of this world
*The deceitfulness of riches
*The desire for other things

The purpose of this post is to remind you that it is easy for you and I to drift, we have to remember that we have an enemy and he wants to destroy our relationship with Christ. This walk is not always easy and we all fall short and get weary, but whatever you do, do not forget their is a God who longs and desires to have an intimate relationship with you, He loves you unconditionally.

I love you and God loves you,

Kendra G.

Are you Serious?

"And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked."

—1 John 2:3-6

 

First, I would like to apologize because I know it has been a while since I posted a blog. School has started again and life has been pretty busy. I thank each and everyone of you who read my blog. I love you with the love of Christ.

 

 

In this blog post I would like to share a video with you guys that I watched. This video brought tears to my eyes and really made me examine my walk with Christ.

 

We can look at our world and see that we are living in the end times, we may not know the day or hour,but, the signs of God's return is evident everywhere. This is the time for us to look at our lives and strive to be where we need to be in Christ. I think it is important for us to continually do a self-check of where we are in our relationship with God. The time has come for us to be serious about God and about doing what He has called and purposed us to do. It is time for us to think about our eternal life and be ready to see our King.

 

This video is not meant to scare you but to propel you into a deeper relationship with Christ. Be Prepared:Only watch this video if you are ready to examine your life.

If after watching this video you feel guilty or convicted, just confess whatever sin is in your life, repent and give your life to God. As long as your heart is still beating, you still have time. God loves you and wants you to give your all to Him.

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9

I love you and God loves you,

Kendra G

Are you the "ONE"?

What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbors, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance"—Luke 15:4-7.

*First I would like to apologize because I know it has been a while since I have posted a blog. School has started again and life has been kind of busy. I thank each and every one of you who read my blog, I love you all*              

The inspiration for this post comes from a message that I was blessed to hear on Sunday. My pastor took our church on a journey about the heart of God and the awesome love that He has for us. Listening to him explain the love of God brought tears to my eyes, I mean I always knew that God loved me, but, I never really understood the depth of his unconditional love. It has always been so easy for me to understand the wrath and judgment of God (which is very real), but I have never really grasped the love that God has for me and how it is his love that motivates everything that He does. I have begun a study on the love of God and I will be sharing these things with you.

I think that in order for us to live a successful Christian life it is important for us to understand the awesome love that God has for. The scripture above demonstrates this love, in this parable about the lost sheep God shows us  how when just “one” of us is lost He goes out and searches for us. It doesn’t matter where we are or how deep the mess is that we are in, God goes out and looks to bring us back home to Him. When He finds us he rejoices that he has found the “one”. In my life I know I have been that “one” that God searched for and brought back to Him, he cleaned me up, forgave me, washed me and rejoiced because He found me.  Just the thought of this fills me with excitement and sincere gratitude towards God.

Maybe today you are that “one” which is lost, maybe you have strayed away from God or feel that no one loves you. I want to tell you today that God loves you and that you are the apple of his eye. Right now as you read this, God is speaking to YOU, He is searching for YOU, he wants YOU to come back home. He is ready to rejoice on behalf of the “one” coming back to him! I encourage you today to listen to the voice of a God who loves you more than words can explain. Can you hear Him calling? “Where are you?” Why have you abandoned your first love? 

*Take a moment today and reflect on the love of God*I love you and God loves you,

Kendra G.



Have you done an Examination?

Test me, LORD, and try me, examine my heart and my mind.” Psalms 26:2 (NIV)
 God has been dealing with me lately about examining the heart and I would like to share some things with you.

We all get busy and overwhelmed with the cares of this life, we go days and even weeks without taking time to examine ourselves and see where are hearts are. We often times spend so much time focused on the people around us that we forget to take a careful and contemplative look at ourselves.


The purpose of this post is to encourage you to take a look at your heart. The heart is that part of us that no one can see but God, it is that part of us that is so easy to hide. Lately, God has impressed upon me the need to take some time to ask him to search my heart and to make sure that my heart is in good condition (motives, desires, and sins).

God cares about our hearts and he wants our hearts to be pure.  Everything in our lives flow out of our hearts, every word we speak comes from our hearts. (”You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks”. Matthew 12:34). It is important that we examine our hearts.

 None of us are perfect and we all are here because of the grace and mercy of God. God is full of unconditional love for his children and it is safe for us to allow Him to face our “ugly spots”. He wants us to acknowledge and confess even small areas of sin in our lives. He wants us to allow Him to cleanse and refine our hearts. When we allow him to do this we can experience freedom in every area of our lives.

Remember to guard the most precious thing about you-your HEART.

“Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” Proverbs 4:23 (NIV)
I love you and God loves you,

Kendra G.

Where is your Confidence?

I shared this with co-workers at work a while ago and I felt inclined to share this with you. I hope you are blessed by this.

        And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him” 1 John 5:14-15

This verse can give us all confidence when we approach God because it reminds us that anytime we ask anything according to God’s will we already have whatever that we ask of him. The enemy wants us to believe that we have to beg and plead for something that already belongs to us. Healing, deliverance, blessing, peace and prosperity are all a part of God’s will for us, therefore when we ask God for those we already HAVE those things. He has already given them to us, we just have to receive it. I looked up some definitions for the main words in this passage and this is what I found:

Confidence- Full trust and certainty
Ask- to inquire of or request
Anything- to any degree or extent
According- agreeing or in harmony
Hear- to perceive or to apprehend

This scripture really encouraged me and hope it does the same for you. 

I love you and God loves you,

Kendra G 

Its a New Year, Are you still holding on to the Past?

Are you still holding on to the past?

Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14 

I am thankful that God has blessed us to see a New Year; I am excited about what God is going to do in our lives this year and the fresh start that he has given us. This is the year of INCREDIBLE OPPRUTUNITIES!
    
 I must admit that as I was reflecting on 2010 I began to see how in many areas of my life past issues held me back from receiving all that that God had for me and everything that he wanted to do through me. It is a trick of the enemy to make us dwell on the past and miss the new thing that God wants to do in us. Satan likes to put those little thoughts into our minds…..
“God can’t use you in that way.”  
 “You’ll never be good enough.”  
”After what you did?
I’ve had to learn a hard lesson……Don’t dwell on the past.   When you dwell on the past, it’s never really your past life, is it?  When you continually think about something, it becomes your world, your reality.  Satan knows this, and likes nothing better than to throw things up in our faces to discourage us, and to keep us from doing what we should be doing for God. This year I have made up in my mind to let go of the past and walk in the newness of life.

The purpose of this post is to encourage you as we began a new year to let go of anything from your past that can hinder you from being everything God has designed you to be. You will not be able to take hold of the incredible opportunities that God has for you until you release your past. Everything that God has for you will be ahead of you. Let go of that old mindset and those old habits that keep you stuck in the same place year after year. Do whatever it takes to the reach a new level in your life.

I want to encourage you to give your all to Christ and allow him to change every area of your life. I must tell you that there will be challenges along the way; the enemy will not make this easy for you. You will have to FIGHT to stay focused on what is ahead of you. Place your confidence in Christ and allow him to lead you into a new place in your life. Speak and declare victory over your life! This is your year and this is your season! I am so excited about God is going to do through you and I this year! Stay encouraged and keep your trust in God.

I love you and God loves you,

Kendra G.