As followers of Christ, you are called to make disciples, but how can you do that if you keep saying you “hate” people.

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20

The bible clearly states that it is important for you to love God and love people. This is repeated multiple times throughout scripture. In Matthew 22: 36-40, Jesus speaks of the love, not hate, that you should show those around you.

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:36-40

If you “hate people,” you are also saying that you hate yourself because guess what guys, you are a person. More than that, God created you and everyone around you. By hating people, you hate God’s creation.

Hatred is defined as ‘intense dislike or ill will.’ Do you have ill will for God’s creation? As a child of God, you are His creation that He has commanded to love others as you love yourself. He doesn’t specify certain people or give you characteristics of the people you and shouldn’t like; instead, He commands you to love others as you love yourself. No one is excluded from His command. Jesus shared His love by dying on the cross for the sins of the whole world. Why is it that it is so hard for believers today to simply love others just by being kind?

I can guarantee you that there will be people that you cannot get along with no matter how hard you try. There will be people that love you no matter what, and then there will be people that refuse to like you no matter what. Life is not easy and we are all imperfect people, but the Jesus still commands us to love one another. How can you love someone that is not easy to love? What about your enemies or evil people in this world?

 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighborand hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Matthew 5:43-48

Despite how hard it may be, the Lord says we are to pray for our enemies. More than that, we are called to step out of our comfort zone and love those that are not in our circle of friends. If Christians only made friends with other Christians and never spoke to nonbelievers, how would people come to know Christ? What would unbelievers think about Christians if they never spoke to them? Christians, it’s time to step up and show the love others through the love of Christ.

I know that not everyone will get along in this world, but it is important for you and I both to realize that God is greater than any hate in this world. God can settle the hatred that boils under your skin if you will just turn it over to Him, ask for forgiveness, and let Him fill you with the love that only He can provide.  

From now on, before you use the word hate, remember that hate is not just a word you are using against another person or thing; it is a word that you are using against God.

When you say, “I hate that person.” You are saying, “I hate who God created!” Do you really mean that? Would you look up to God and tell Him you hate His creation?

Remind yourself daily of God’s great love and the love that you are to mimic to others.

Show love by living like Christ.

Make disciples by devoting your life to being different.

Stop the hate, turn to Christ, and trust His guidance.

May God bless you and show you His grace every day!

Christian testimonials have become predictable in the church today. It seems as though every testimony that I have heard in my past, including my own, has had a prodigal child element. Most testimonies go a little something like this, “I once was a child that grew up in or around church but one day rebelled against God. After a spout of rebellion, maybe drugs and alcohol or even worse, I hit rock bottom and realized that I needed God in my life. From that moment on, I let God into my heart and started living for Him.” The end. Others start out with “I never knew God as a child or cared to know Him, but one day after living in sin for many years, I turned to God and surrendered my life to Him.

The prodigal son was a character in a parable Jesus told to illustrate how generous God is in forgiving sinners who repent. The prodigal son was a young man who asked his father for his inheritance and then left home for “a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.” Later on, he realized his mistake, hit rock bottom, and returned to his father. Upon arrival, his father welcomed him with open arms and even threw a party on his behalf. The parable of the prodigal son is a moving example of the Father’s love and forgiveness for His children. Too many people today are taking this parable as a detour required for salvation instead of an example of God’s forgiveness when a person turns astray.  

It’s not often that you hear a testimony about someone that was born, accepted Christ at a young age maybe at vacation bible school or somewhere like that, and then they lived for Christ for the rest of their life.

More often than not, it seems as though struggles must come before salvation can occur.

Too many testimonies revolve around the person and their struggles and not the purpose and the plan that God had for them. For about 30 minutes a person will talk about their wild rebellious attitudes, near death experiences, drug and alcohol abuse, and maybe even jail time or worse, then spend a brief 5 minutes telling the audience about how they accepted Christ and changed their lives. They never go into detail about the transformation or what happened after the fact, but instead they spend the majority of their time talking about them and not about Him.

Don’t get me wrong when I talk about this subject, testimonies are great when they are shared in the right way. Sharing your testimony with others is important because you can relate to other people in a way that not every person can; however, it is very important that your testimony is not mainly about you but its main focus is on Jesus Christ.

The bible says in Colossians 3:17, “And whatever you do, whether in word or in deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”

There is a false belief going around that you must struggle tremendously before you can get saved. It is almost like being a ‘prodigal child’ is required for the Christian life. I have sat in bible studies with friends of all ages discussing their testimonies and the majority of them had a “prodigal son” element. In addition to that, I have sat in bible studies where I’ve heard others say, “I don’t really have a testimony because I was saved at a young age and didn’t go through a hard time, struggle with drugs, or rebel against God before getting saved.” In youth ministry multiple students implied that their testimony hadn’t been written yet because they still had to live before they could learn from their mistakes. They felt that without a rock bottom story they didn’t have a salvation story worth sharing. The sad part of that story is that some people won’t live through the trial they think they need to endure to make a good “God story” to tell others.

Living in sin and learning from your mistakes before getting saved is NOT a requirement for following God. Loving God and believing in Him is what is required.

“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” 1 Corinthians 15:3-4

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” Matthew 22:37

Testimonies aren’t always about a person that ran from God, hit rock bottom, or struggled through a hard time before they got saved. Your personal “God story” can simply be, “I knew I was lost and I needed Jesus in my heart, so I prayed and became a child of God.” You don’t have to be an adult to tell your testimony after all the trials you have been through. Instead, you can be a youth, or even a young child, and share with others your love for Christ. Every testimony is important in the eyes of the Lord. Share your story and let God use you for His glory.

To those of you that have prodigal child testimonies just like me, I am not condemning you at all. Every testimony is important. Instead, I am sharing with you that we need to be careful when we present our testimonies to younger generations. This hits home with me, and I’ll be honest, when God gave me these words to write, I really felt Him stepping on my toes. There have been times where I have told my testimony and focused more on myself and my struggles than the One that held my hand through it all. The very first time I told my testimony I know I spent more time on me than telling others about Him. I learned from that experience and have made a point to let others know that all testimonies don’t have to be the same. It is a major lesson I had to learn but I don’t want people to think that salvation cannot occur without a struggle. When I finish telling my testimony, I don’t want people to remember me and my pain, I want them to remember God and His power, His plan, and His purpose.

The parable of the prodigal son in the bible was not meant to be an example of how your testimony should be; however, it was meant to show you that your Father will always be waiting for you with open arms. It is not a story that exemplifies that you should go out, live a little, then run back to your Father when you have nothing left; instead, it is an example of God’s love. We are not called to play tag with God and keep running back and forth until we finally feel that we need Him the most. We are called to follow Him, always.

When a child gets saved at a young age, adults often question if they are truly believers or not because they haven’t experienced enough to understand the depths of Christ’s love. However, the bible says in Matthew 18:2-4, “And He called to Himself and set him before them, and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom.” The faith of a child is strong because it has not been corrupted by the world. A child doesn’t have to go through hard times or experience pain to realize that he or she needs Christ; they just know and believe that they need Him in their heart. As simple as learning John 3:16 can teach a child that God’s love is stronger than any love we can ever imagine. It doesn’t take a tragedy to make John 3:16 real.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

The bible says in Romans 10:11-13, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” It doesn’t give you an age or a scenario of what you have to go through before you get saved, it only says ‘call on the name of the Lord and you will be saved.”

Romans 3:23 states, “For everyone has sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” Again, it doesn’t state the extent of each person’s sin; it simply says ‘everyone has sinned.” No person is without blame before coming to know Christ as their Savior. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, death and sin entered the world. While teaching about Adam and Eve, I simplified the birth of sin by asking my class, “What type of babies do cats have? Of course they said kittens.” Then I followed up with “What type of babies do dogs have? As expected, they said puppies.” Lastly, I asked, “What types of babies do sinners have?” They sat there quietly for a minute then responded reluctantly, “sinners.” It is hard to imagine a tiny little baby being a sinner, but when sin entered the world, sinners began to birth sinners. Every person on this earth is born into a sinful nature with the ability to choose to stay in that position and live in sin or to turn from their sins and follow God.

Each person is given a chance to follow God, but if we are constantly bombarding people around us with prodigal child testimonies, eventually generations to come will believe that they can’t become followers of Christ without first experiencing a major struggle with addiction, near death experiences, or jail time. It is important for us to share Christ and the story He gave us, but more than that, He wants us to use our testimonies to lead others to Him and not mislead them with what their lives should look like prior to getting saved.

A child that gets saved at a young age may one day go through hard times and move away from God, but that does not make their salvation void. The bible says in Romans 8:38-39, “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today not our worries for tomorrow – not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below – indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old is gone, the new has come.” When a person is saved, their old self is washed away by the blood of Christ and they become a new creation. A new creation can slip and fall away from Christ but His love will never leave them. This is not a free pass to do whatever you want and ask for forgiveness later, but it is a chance to realize that God is a forgiving God but expects His children to live for Him. As a parent loves their child, they want them to listen and obey, but at times they know their children will mess up. When the child disobeys the parent, they are disciplined in a way that gets their attention and hopefully prevents them from disobeying them again. God is the same way with His children. He knows you aren’t perfect but He expects you to try to be like His Son. When you fall away, He is still there waiting from you to return. He never stops caring for you, and He will discipline you when needed. As a follower of Christ, you will go through trials and mess up at times, but when you do, you will know that you have sinned and you will either return to your Father or live with your bad decisions and discipline that comes with it.

No one is perfect, not even a beautiful baby born in a corrupt world, but the Lord our God is waiting for you to hear His voice and run to Him.

If you were a young child that knew the truth in John 3:16 and got saved because you knew your God loves you, your testimony matters.

If you are an adult that has struggled through a life of addiction and sin, hit rock bottom, and finally ran back to God, your testimony matters.

To the youth that said they don’t have a testimony yet because they haven’t lived and learned, God is waiting on you to run to His arms.

Your testimony does not have to be a broken road. It is not a requirement to struggle immensely before getting saved. Whatever your testimony may be, let it shine for God’s glory.

Let your testimony be truth.

Let your testimony be a Light to others.

And let your testimony lead others to Him.

May God bless you and show you His grace every day!

-Kayla Rampey

 It’s time to eliminate the insignificant drama that fills your mind, and refill it with the love of Christ and His commands for His children.

There is no doubt that people are constantly comparing themselves to those around them. Adults compare themselves to other married couples and start to gradually see their faults and where they fall short of other couples. They see the outside images of “perfect” marriages and feel as if they are missing out or lesser than the others that they see around them. Marriage after marriage is being destroyed by a false mentality that perfection is the only way to peace in the home.

“It is dangerous to be concerned with what others think of you, but if you trust the Lord, you are safe.” Proverbs 29:25

Mothers often get depressed because they are constantly bombarded with the image of perfect moms that keep their houses clean, always have dinner on the table when their husband gets home, and have children that respect them daily.

As teenagers, adults, and even young children, we should not subject ourselves to such scrutiny in comparing ourselves to so many people that we don’t even really know. A picture may look like a background set in heaven when in reality that person is living in the midst of a breakdown. If scroll through the “perfect” lives of past friends and peers, you are bound to get discouraged when you see others than seem to have it so much better than you.

It is so easy to get focused on the things in life that don’t matter that we often forget about the one and only reason we exist in the first place. We were not made to constantly worry about ourselves and how much better off other people are; we were made to see those in need, open our hearts to them, and share Christ with those around us. If we are constantly comparing ourselves to false projections of people we don’t even know, do you think we’ll ever get up the boldness to ask them how they truly feel? If we think a person “looks” ok, then why would we ever check on them and see if they needed anything? The false interpretation of a life that someone claims to live is blocking Christians from the boldness that Christ has given them to share with those around them. Don’t let the “picture perfect” world that we live in fool you into believing you are less than anyone else and no one needs your help. You are needed just as much if not even more to help the ones that you know are in need as well as the ones that “look like” they have it all together.

Why do we spend so much time worrying about what others think about us when all we really need to be worried about is what God thinks about us?

The bible makes it clear about what we should focus on in our lives.

In Philippians 4:8, the bible states, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

Nowhere in that scripture does it say for a believer to spend time worrying about what someone else is wearing or how someone else is succeeding more than you. The bible says for us to focus on what is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, and worthy of praise. When your mind is focused on those things and your heart is focused on the love of Christ, there isn’t room for unneeded worries in life.

Make it your goal to cleanse your mind of the unnecessary worries that this world throws at you every day. Write them down as they cross your mind and read over them at the end of the week. When the week is done and you start to look at the worries you struggled with, you’ll realize how insignificant they were then and they are now.

 Eliminate the insignificant drama that fills your mind, and refill it with the love of Christ and His commands for His children.

May God bless you and show you His grace every day!

-Kayla Rampey

Anxiety has become an epidemic that is spreading every day. It’s as if the entire world has forgotten what it’s like to be at peace, calm, comfortable with their surroundings.

When you are walking down the aisle at a store and someone starts to slow down to speak to you, do you look down and avoid eye contact or do you greet them with a smile? When you are standing in line, do you make conversation with those around you, or do you lose yourself in your phone to avoid awkwardness? What are you afraid of? Are you being Christ to others by secluding yourself from the world around you? How can we expect to share Jesus with others if we can’t even share a smile?

Anxiety is a tool that the devil uses to control our minds and keep us preoccupied and distant from our Lord and Savior. It can come in many forms, be seen in different ways, and affect those around you without you even knowing it.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.” Proverbs 3:5-7

When Eve was first tempted in the garden to take of the forbidden fruit, Satan asked her, “why would God not want you to have wisdom like Him?” In a split second, she started to doubt God. Shortly afterwards, she took of a bite of the fruit and gave some to her husband as well. Sin and death entered the world the minute Eve let her mind, filled with a Satan’s deception, talk her into to taking the fruit she was told not to touch by God Himself.

“Now the serpent was craftier than any other beast of the field that the Lord had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree of the garden.” Genesis 3:1

“..the serpent said, ‘You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was a delight to the eyes, and the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband.” Genesis 3:4-7

In a split second, your mind can ruin your life and the lives of others around you.

The signs of anxiety are not always clear, but I can guarantee you that someone you know is suffering on the inside from this unruly epidemic. Someone you know is controlled by the worried thoughts of their mind and searching for a way out of the cage they have created for themselves.

Someone that suffers from anxiety is most often described as a person that worries about almost everything, but there are so many other signs that are overlooked and left unnoticed in today’s society.

An anxious person struggles to accept that God is in control and tries to handle everything on their own.  They don’t even realize that they are trying to be ‘more powerful’ than God, but every day that they choose to try to handle things themselves without God, they are basically telling God they don’t need Him. They like to fix things, people included. They are often leaders and strong willed in their opinions. You would never know that they are struggling because they look like they have it all together every time you see them. They are usually extroverted and outgoing just to cover up that their inner worries. The outgoing person sitting beside you is broken on the inside. Can you see it?

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be known to the Lord.” Philippians 4:6

The silent student in class, at work, or even sitting beside you at your house, that person could be screaming on the inside. Do you really know what is going on in their head? What are their thoughts? Where do they come from? Are they begging you talk to them in their heads but too afraid to even say hello? What holds us back from speaking to these people?

“Since we have such hope, we are very bold.” 2 Corinthians 3:12

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes…” Romans 1:16

The one with dark circles under their eyes, sleep deprived and always drinking coffee to try to stay awake; have you ever tried to talk to them? As you walk by them, you notice their Starbucks coffee and maybe even cringe at the price the cost, but did you notice the hurt in the person’s eyes? Could you see more than just a cool coffee cup with a big price tag?

“I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

When a business man gets out of his nice new car with a briefcase and perfectly pressed suit deep in a conversation on his high dollar phone; can you tell that his finances are the only family he has? Can you see that he is overwhelmed with debt, working overtime every chance he gets just to get by, and completely alone when he walks in the door at night? His greed drove his family away, and he is alone, tired, and just trying to get through each day. On the outside his success shines and causes others to covet everything about him, but in reality he stays busy just to avoid the loneliness he feels inside.

“For the love of money is the root of all evil…” 1 Timothy 6:10

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?” Matthew 6:25

The party girl that posts pictures all over social media of her nights out and life of luxury will never tell you that every smile in her pictures is only there because of alcohol. She seems happy and looks like she is living the dream, but she uses alcohol to cover up the fact that she is terrified of slowing down, afraid to give up her lifestyle and move on as a single young mother. She fears reality and avoids it by “looking like” she has it all together.

To the extroverts, the control freaks, the ones that can handle it all, seek the Lord for your peace, let Him be your guide.

“You will seek Me and you will find Me, when you seek with all of your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13

“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:7

To the tired and exhausted, you can find rest in the arms of Christ.

“Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28

To the successful, the wealthy, and the lonely, God can give you all that you need.

“…My grace is sufficient for you, for My power, is made perfect in weakness…” 2 Corinthians 12:9

To the party girl that lives for the day and survives by masking her anxieties with alcohol and adrenaline, remember that you are not promised tomorrow.

“All flesh is like grass and its glory like the flower of the grass. The grass withers and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.” 1 Peter 1:24-25

“Cast all your cares on Him, because He cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7

To the worriers, the everyday fake smilers, and the anti-social avoiders of society, it’s time to step up, look away from your phones, and feel the meaning of living like Christ.

“The Lord is my Light and my Salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” Psalm 27:1

The signs of anxiety may not always be clear, but the devil will do whatever it takes to gain control over your thoughts, take away your peace, your calm, and your joy in life.

Fill your mind with Christ and He will filter the things of this world that are constantly bringing you down. Let go of yourself and give your whole self, mind, body, and soul to the One that loves you most.

“My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments, for length of days and years of life they will add to you. Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart.” Proverbs 3:1-3

“Set your mind on things above, not on things of this earth.” Colossians 3:2

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent and praiseworthy – think about such things.” Philippians 4:8

May God bless you and show you His grace every day!