
I’m Alesia and I am a home schooled Christian teen trying to adapt to today’s crazy society.
Welcome to my blog!
My blog name means several things: By Reaching Higher I am challenging myself to Do and Be better in all that I am.
Instead of settling for the normal, I’ll Reach Higher by setting goals to grow strong in both my personal life and my spiritual life with God.
Instead of setting for the normal, I’ll Reach Higher by setting goals to grow strong in both my personal life and my spiritual life with God.
In this blog, I will post about My Spiritual Journey and the discoveries I make as I learn more about God and all the amazing things He's done!
"Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity." 1 Timothy 4:12
Proverbs 25:28
“Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control.”
Its a tradition. Every new years, we all make a list of things we would like to accomplish or change in the upcoming year.
I make this list every year. The problem is, I never stick to it for more then a few days, maybe a week if I'm lucky.
Most of the things on my list are things such as, Clean up after myself, be nicer to sisters, read the Bible every day and night and write in my journal every day.
Well that list never lasts long, and I soon find myself back in my old routine.
The problem is, trying to find a way to stay on track.
Well this past June, I decided I was going to be much stronger Christian. Pray everyday, read my bible everyday, and talk to God more, and actually listen to Him.
When I first started that I worried. "What if it's just like all my other resolutions and I cant do it for more then a few days or weeks?"
Well that thought stuck in my head, so every night, I prayed. I prayed that God would help me stay on track and not go back to my old ways.
And guess what? Five months later, I'm still right on path. God's helped to keep me going where I should, and I'm hearing Him louder and more clear then ever now.
I have never heard God speak to me more then I have in the past five months
I'm learning things about Him that I never knew. Learning to pray in ways I never thought of.
I am ecstatic that I have managed to stay on track so long with this, but I know, if it weren't for God. I would have lost my way a hundred times in the past five months.
Now I may not be a pro at keeping my new years resolutions list, but that something I'm still working on.
I'm jut happy to be at this point in life, where I've never felt closer to God!
Ever feel like when you pray, God must not hear them, because nothing seems to change?
Well, it has seemed to be that way in my life allot lately.
That doesn’t mean that God isn't listening, or He doesn’t hear our prayers, most of the time, there is so much more going on behind the scenes. Things that must happen before our prayers can be answered.
When times get hard, we have to remember to keep faith and trust God to help us get through the hard times.
Many times in my life, I am reminded of Job.
A man in the bible who loved and worshiped God greatly.
Even when he lost everything, his family, his servants, his animals and even his health, every day he would kneel down to thank God.
Yes, thank God. though he was going through so much pain and suffering in his life, he still thanked God!
Hearing that story makes me realized that my life is so much better then that, yet I am so easily angered when things go wrong! Why?
I have my health, I have my family and a home, what more do I need?
Sure, there are my earthly needs, but we’ll never have all of those!
When Job lost everything, he still worshiped God, yet when I simply loose something, I find myself getting upset with God for not telling me where it is.
I can be so easily angered to God, thinking He is the cause of the problems in my life, when actually, I am!
I cause any and all problems in my life. If something bad happens, why do I blame God instead of myself? Surely I am the one that lost that item, not God, right?
Then why do I get mad at God, saying “Why will you not show me where that item is lost? Help me find it! I know that you know where it is, not help me!” instead of saying “Why am I so careless, why did I loose that?”
We all know that when we are going through hard times in our life, we are more likely to blame God. But when we are having a good day, and things seem to be going our way, we are thanking Him?
If we have a good day, it's because we have set our minds on having a good day. We have a cheerful attitude and a joyful heart, so there for, we have a good day.
I try to live happily everyday, but it can be very hard!
Trying not to snap at siblings or parents is hard. Thanking God and admitting my mistakes instead of blaming Him.
Admit when I have been wrong with my parents or siblings, and get rid of my prideful spirit.
Once we have all learned that God is not the cause for misery in our life, we can learn to ask His help, instead of demanding it, and we can learn to have patience with Him, cause one thing I know for sure, He definitely has allot of patience with us!
What makes a little girl beautiful? To get to the true definition of beauty, we have to start off where we left: childhood.
I am fascinated with the beauty of children. There is just something about them that shines. They don’t meet the “expectations” of the culture. They don’t always have perfect skin, perfect hair, or the perfect body; however, no one could deny that the face of a child is beautiful.
Why?
I”m convinced it’s love. When a little girl knows that she is love, she exudes confidence and beauty. She’s comfortable in her own skin. In fact, she could not even imagine being someone else. She is true to herself because she knows that no matter what, there will always be someone who loves her.
Have you ever seen a little girl who doesn’t believe she is loved? She’s the girl whose eyes are downcast. She’s the girl who stands at a distance. She’s the one who doesn’t believe that she is beautiful.
To be loved is more than a gushy feeling; to be loved means to be beautiful. Love IS beautiful. It transforms. It builds up. It gives confidence to face life. When love is absent, beauty is absent.
Christ’s love for us is what makes us beautiful; it’s what makes us shine. It is the transforming power that creates beauty…even when we don’t look like the pictures in the magazines.
Most of us, though, don’t live as though we are loved. We don’t believe that a love like that exists.
Let me tell you, it does exist.
I used to think the same way you probably think now. I used to believe that no one loved me. They may have said it, but I didn’t believe it. The “love of Jesus” was preached at me time and time again, but I reacted with disdain. Yes, the idea sounded good. The concept was encouraging. But was it truth?
I was not convinced.
Yes, I knew God so loved the world. I knew that He sent His son to die in my place. But that wasn’t enough. I wanted to know that He loved me. I didn’t want to be one of many…I wanted to be the one. The one whom He loved. The one whom He saw. The one whom He sacrificed His son.
I didn’t want the “whole world” kind of love; I just wanted to know that He loved me.
It took a long time, but here is what I found out: He loves me. Not because I am one of many, but because I am me. He made me. He sees me. He knows me by name. He sent His son to die for me, despite my past (in spite of my past, actually!).
And He loves you. Not because you are included in the census of the world. Not because you just “happen” to be here. Not because He has to love you.
He loves you because He made you, and He would love you if you were the only person walking this earth.
That is truth. That is transforming. That is beautiful.
Today’s challenge is to search for truth. Search for love because without it, beauty is only a replica that will fade. True beauty is not physical perfection; it is knowing that you are completely and divinely loved by the One who created the world.
Verse: “…May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” (John 17:23)
For as long as I can remember, I have always loved thinking about how Christ will one day come back for us.
We will then go up to heven to be with Him for eternity.
Doesn't that seem hard to believe? That such an amazing, perfect place as Heaven exists?
For me the most amazing part is trying to grasp that we will live forever! Forever is such a long time, forever is forever.
There is no end to forever, and just writting this is giving my goosbumps.
Heaven is such a wonderful place, it's thrilling to think about the day we will al go there to live, FOREVER!
Though, as thrilled as I am to go to Heaven, I have to be honest, it scares me.
I'm not sure why, but it does. Maybe it's because I will be there forever, and maybe the thought of infinity scares me? I don't know.
I am excited to go to heaven, but I feel like there is so much I want to acomplish first, before we are taken up.
If Christ is going to return during my lifetime, I dont want it to be untill I am about 50.
It may sound silly to say that, but I want to be able to live most of my life before being taken up.
Maybe you may feel the same, maybe not.
I know it is kind of silly to want that, considering once we go to heaven, anything we have acomplished on earth will no longer matter.
I know I have mentioned this verse in a previous blog post, but I still love to re-read it over and over again.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
16: For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
17: After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.
Some people predict that Christ will return in 2012, but I dont believe that the date of Christs second coming is something that can be predicted.
At times I think His coming wont be for another hundred to thousand years, then at other times I think it could be during my life time.
No one can be sure, all we can be sure of is that He is coming.
He promised His descpiles after He had risen from the dead, and we know that He is preparing a place for us.
In Revelations, we can find a list of events that will occur before He comes back.
Some of the things on that list have already occured, and now that there is talk of a one world currency, people are considering that Christs return is closer then we thought.
As I said, we will never know when He will return, untill the clear signs, such as a trumpet blow that all of earth will hear and when it happens, we will all know it, even those who did not believe.
His followers and believers, both dead and alive will kneel down to worship Him, but those who did not believe or aski Him into their hearts, will be terrified.
If Christ does return during my life time, whether it be tomorrow or in fifty years, I want to be ready!
Being home schooled and raised in a Christian family, I’ve probably got slightly different morals then most non-Christian teens my age.
For example, I don’t agree with dating, abortion or slavery and I wear a purity ring (Which, I’m pretty sure not many non-Christian teens my age do!)
I am not tempted by the same things most teens are probably tempted with, such as, drugs, alcohol, smoking etc.
I’m not saying I am not tempted to sin, of course I am, I don’t know anyone that isn’t tempted to sin!
There are even times when I find myself blaming God because my life isn't going the way I want it to.
I’m not proud of it, and I know that everything happens for a reason.
Even if at times it seems like something awful has just happened, I’ve learned (and still am learning) to wait it out, God never gives me more then I can handle!
I’ve had many experiences where I’ve almost even wondered if there truly was a God!
Things hadn’t seemed to be going very well and no matter how hard I’d prayed, they never got any better.
I began thinking things like “If God really cares, why is he not fixing this?” and “If there really is a God, why is he ignoring me?!”
I soon learned after that that he was listening, and he did/does care.
He’s not our servant, we can’t command him to do something and actually expect him to do it!
He doesn’t work like that.
Yes, He will bless you and answer your prayers, but He does it when He thinks the time is right, not when you want Him to.
I’ve had to learn not to question God’s choices, He knows what’s going to happen, if He wanted me to know what was going to happen, He’d find some way of telling me.
Another thing I’ve learned over the past few years is, you can never hide anything from God!
He knows all, He sees all and it doesn’t matter what you do, if it's wrong, whether you in your heart know it’s wrong or not, He’ll always make sure you are accountable for your actions!
1 corinthians 10:13
"No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it."
I'm pretty sure that no one wants to die, I know I don’t, not yet anyways, but I do look forward to life after death.
As a Christian, I know I am going to be in heaven with God and Jesus, so I have no reason to fear dying.
When I was about twelve, I had to memorize this scripture for my Sunday school, it was long and I was the only one to memorize the whole thing, but ever since then I've loved this verse and I can never forget it.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
16: For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
17: After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.
That is my all time favorite verse.
Sometimes it begins to feel like Heaven is too good to be true, and I have to read this verse over and over again to realize that Heaven is real!
Unfortunately, those who have not accepted Christ into their hearts, will go to a much different place.
It saddens me very much to think of anyone going to hell, but I know that it's what God has planned, even though He too does not want anyone to suffer in hell.
I find this an awful, but true verse, and when I read it, I wish I could go into all the world and bring everyone to Christ.
Revelation 20:9-15"And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them, and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire."
In my life I have brought three people to Christ, and I am very proud of that, but I want to bring more people to Him.
I want more people to have the comfort of knowing they will be going to Heaven and not Hell.
Two books I read once really opened my eyes to how amazing heaven is, and how awful hell is.
90 Minutes in Heaven is about a man who is in a car accident and spends 90 minutes in heaven.
23 Minutes in Hell is about a man, who one night in his sleep, is taken to hell by God. God lets him experience all the pain and torment of hell, but after 23 minutes, he is pulled out of hell and taken up high with Christ. Christ tells him how He doesn't want anyone to go through what that man went through. The man then begins to preach and share his story, bringing thousands of people to Christ.
This next verse describes heaven, and each time I read it, I get more and more excited.
It's long, but definitely worth it!
Revelation 1-27
The New Jerusalem
1: Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.
2: I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
3: And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.
4: He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
5: He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."
6: He said to me: "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life.
7: He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son.
8: But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death."
9: One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, "Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb."
10: And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.
11: It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.
12: It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel.
13: There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west.
14: The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
15: The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls.
16: The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia in length, and as wide and high as it is long.
17: He measured its wall and it was 144 cubits thick, by man's measurement, which the angel was using.
18: The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass.
19: The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald,
20: the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.
21: The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass.
22: I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.
23: The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.
24: The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it.
25: On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there.
26: The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it.
27: Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.
If you are a non-Christian, reading this, I hope this post speaks to you.
If you are interested in becoming a Christian, PLEASE talk to a minister or someone you know that is a Christian.
Read the Bible and ask Christ to come into your heart, you WON'T regret it!
When we pray, it's like a direct connection to God. We can guarantee that the line won't be busy, and it will never be out of service.
We can use this line whenever we want, however we want. We can pray for anything, big or small. We can thank Him for our blessings, tell Him how we feel. Share our worries and fears, hopes and dreams with Him, and we know He will always listen to us.
I pray allot, but it's more like I'm having a conversation with Him rather then just asking for stuff.
I ask Him to forgive my sins and I thank Him for all the blessings in my life, big or small, I count them all.
I pray about everything, how I would like things in my life to go and I ask for His guidance in everything I do.
But where do we draw the line between asking for His help, and being selfish with what we pray for?
When I pray, asking God to help sell our house, am I being selfish?
What if I pray that God helps me to win the lottery?
Asking God to help with problems in our life is not being selfish, but to ask Him for things such as winning a lottery, I do find that a bit selfish.
But what if the things we are praying for are of less importance then the prayers of someone who is praying for food, shelter or clothing? Should we still be praying for the less important things?
Psalm 55:22 says "Give your burdens to the Lord, and He will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall"
So the Bible does not say that we should only pray in case of emergencies. God clearly tells us to give all our burdens to Him, not just the urgent ones.
We still have to be careful not to be selfish in our prayers.
Many times I have found myself asking God to answer my prayers of selfish wants.
I've learned now to stop asking God for selfish things I want from Him, but focusing more on asking Him what He wants from me.
"Lord, forgive my sins of asking for selfish things. I know you hear my prayers and care about them, big or small. Help me to not ask what you can give me in my life, but what I can give you through my life."
Q- Do you think it is wrong to expect God to listen to our less urgent prayers when someone out there is praying for things like food or shelter?