blog – Counted Faithful

Abound In Hope

In this hopeless time, we can abound in hope of our hope is in the God of hope!

“Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭15:13‬ ‭KJV‬‬

In this crazy time we live in, it is important that we live a life that abounds in hope.

“My hope is built on nothing less,
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest fram
But wholly lean on Jesus name

On Christ the solid rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand
All other ground is sinking sand.

The above song lyrics have been playing on repeat in my head! I woke up one morning this past week, singing this song on repeat in my head.

I’m so thankful that my hope isn’t in a man. I’m so thankful that my hope isn’t in politics. I’m so thankful that my hope isn’t in the dollar bill.

My hope is in Jesus Christ and Him alone!

Where’s your hope at? Who is your hope in? If your hope isn’t in Jesus Christ, you will end up discouraged, disappointed and defeated!

The verse at the beginning of this post states the “God of hope.” If we are to have hope, we need to go to the one who is hope, and that’s God.

When you place your hope in God, He will fill you with joy AND peace! Hope in the right Person will bring happiness in the other areas of your life. Hope in the right Person will bring calm to the trouble in your life.

Too many Christians have placed their hope in the President, in politics, in the pulpit of their church, in their preacher, etc. but we need to return to the God of hope and be filled with joy and peace!

Once you put your hope in God, you will abound in hope! It’s amazing how your outlook on life changes when your hope is in Jesus Christ!

Hey Christian, where is your hope? Is it in the God of hope or in something else?

We need to abound in hope so that we can help those around us!

You’re In The Way

Sometimes you’re biggest obstacle to achieving opportunities is yourself!

As I was talking to a friend the other day about life and what I believed the Lord had in store for myself and my family, I was telling him how I felt about a couple things. During this conversation, he just looked at me and said “you’re in the way.”

That phrase has stuck in my head for some time now and I have realized how much truth was in the statement.

You see, he made that statement in reference to why I believe I’m not in God’s perfect will for my life. I’m in the way of being where I should be, doing what I should do.

“Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?”
‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5:7‬ ‭KJV‬‬

As I was thinking about the phrase “you’re in the way, I thought about the verse above, Galatians 5:7. Paul is asking the church of Galatia who hindered them from obeying the truth. Paul was asking who slowed you down? Who held you back? Who made it difficult for you to obey the truth?

When I read this verse, I think of many different things, many different people who have slowed myself and others down in the Christian life? So much work for Christ has been left undone and unfinished because Christians have been hindered from obeying the truth and following after Christ.

When I read that word “who” in Galatians 5:7, almost always, the first “who” I think about is myself. The person who hinders me from obeying the truth and doing what I should and need to be doing is myself! I’m in my own way!!

When I start to think of how I hinder myself, I think of three things. These three things, I think are a common problem among many Christians. If we are all honest with ourselves, we can all probably say that we hinder ourselves in some way.

The first thing that I get in my own way is my lack of trust in Christ. Yes, I trusted Christ as my Saviour and I trust that I’m always saved through Him. Yes, I trust Him with different aspects in life…but that’s the problem, I need to trust Him in ALL things! When I try to figure out life and do it my own way, I’m just proving that I lack trust in Christ to lead me and guide me where I should go.

The second way I see how I get in my own way is through the time that I waste on a regular basis. When I think of all the time I waste doing things that have no impact on eternity makes me sick! Playing games, sleeping, watching tv, just generally being lazy has put me in a spot where it’s time to kick it in to high gear if I’m ever going to accomplish anything for Christ!

Lastly, one of the main areas I see where I hinder myself, is that of living in the past. I always think about what I used to do for Christ and the success and blessings I’ve seen. I also think about the times where I have failed my Heavenly Father and have let Him down. If I’m always focused on the past, I’ll never be able to see what the Lord has for me in the future!

Here are a few verses I have been using to encourage myself in each one of these areas.

Trust in the Lord

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭3:5-6‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Redeeming the time

“Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” Ephesians‬ ‭5:16‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.”
‭‭Colossians‬ ‭4:5‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Looking ahead to the future

“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 ‭KJV‬‬

Although I wrote this from a spiritual aspect in fulfilling God’s will for your life. You can take these points and use them in your life to achieve whatever goals and dreams you have.

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Blogging Thoughts

About a eighteen months ago, I really started focusing on my website and this thing called blogging. There were times that I was all in and there were times where I struggled to stay focused.

Blogging is work, it is hard work sometimes. Writing, putting out good, quality content isn’t always easy. Than on top of that, if you want to be successful, you have to put out a lot of content.

Sometimes, when I tell people that I have a blog they say ‘Oh that’s cool’ but their look says ‘Oh sounds stupid and a waste of time.’ I have learned to ignore them and keep moving on.

There are others, that when I tell them, encourage me and tell me to keep writing and putting out content. For those, I am thankful!

I have one friend who is a game streamer and has channels on YouTube and Twitch that encourages me, motivates me, pushes me to do more and work harder. Sometimes I think to myself that, that is easy for him to say because he has no wife, no kids and his job is what he loves and enjoys doing! But than I look at him and realize that he has put in work to get to where he is at and that it didn’t happen overnight. He is loving what he is doing!

A few weeks ago at camp, I spent quite a bit of time with some of the other counsellors, who happen to be good friends. One is the pastor of a church down in Alabama, one is the youth pastor at the church I attend and the other is also on staff at the same church. Each one of these young men (and I say that as two of them are my age and I consider myself young) are totally loving and enjoying their life and what they are doing.

I started this blog as a way to put some of my thoughts down and just put good stuff out there, especially on social media. Social media is a dangerous place for anyone. There is all kinds of things that we shouldn’t partake in that are now so prevalent on social media. Social media isn’t going away any time soon. If it isn’t one platform that’s popular, it is another. Since there is so much bad on social media, I want to put some good out there on social media.

My first attempt at blogging was under the name Church Pew Motivation. I put a few blogs on that site and I let it sit, I didn’t do much with it. I came across WordPress and decided to start again. When I was thinking of a name for this site, I kept thinking about my life verse, I Timothy 1:12. In this verse there is a phrase that says, “…for that he counted me faithful…” Paul was counted faithful by Christ, therefore he was placed in the ministry. As a Christian, I too want to be counted faithful by Christ. I want Christ to look at me one day and say “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.” From that thought, that verse, that motivation I found in that verse came the title of the site, Counted Faithful.

I always dream of what my site can do and achieve and the reach that it COULD have. I have big dreams but does my work equal my dreams? If I were to answer honestly, I would have to say no. I do put in work, but I am only getting out what I put in. When I think of dreams and what it takes to accomplish them and make them reality, I think of a verse from the Bible. “For a dream cometh through a multitude of business; and a fool’s voice is known by multitude of words.” Ecclesiastes 5:3 Even the Bible tells us that a dream is only accomplished by much business or work.

Last month was the best month that I have had on my site. The success that I had didn’t come from sitting and doing nothing, it came from working and putting in time and putting in effort to make it happen. I keep telling myself that there is nowhere to go from here but up!

My biggest problem with achieving and accomplishing my dream is myself. I have all the tools necessary to do something great, I just haven’t been putting any of those tools to use. I don’t want to do or be something great just to make a name for myself, I want everything I do to uplift and glorify God and to encourage and inspire Christians to live a successful Christian life.

As I have journeyed along this quest of blogging, I have learned a few things…

First, I have learned that the easiest way of accomplishing something is just to do it. You aren’t ever going to accomplish anything if you sit there and do nothing. You have to start somewhere at sometime to get to where you want to get to. I thought blogging was easy before I started, but now I know that it takes a lot of work and the best way to blog is to just start and to do it.
Second, I have learned that you need to surround yourself with people who push you to do more. Like I mentioned above, I have one friend who is always pushing me to do more than I have done. If we surround ourselves with people who are complacent with where they are at, soon we will become like them and never go anywhere.
Third, I learned to always have a goal. It is always easier to accomplish something if you know what you’re aiming at. Each month, I set a goal in whether its views or visitors or posts that I put out, it gives me something to work towards.
Fourth, I learned that if you don’t hit your goal, to get back up and try again. Thirty-two teams start a football season, only one is left standing at the end. What happens the next year, the same thirty-two teams try again to win that championship. If I fail to hit a goal that I set, I just have to try again and again and again until I hit it.
Lastly, I have learned that even though it isn’t easy, stick at it because this is something that I love doing. I have enjoyed every bit of writing blogs and posting content. Sometimes it is hard, sometimes it does take some extra effort to get content out. But what do they say, If you love what you do, you will never work a day in your life. That is where I want to be one day!

Thanks for reading, liking, and leaving comments as each one of those things encourages and motivates me to do more!