8 Steps To Your Survival

[LizzLeFoShizzLe]

Did you know that God loves you?

Did you know that God sees past your appearance and straight into your heart?

Did you know that God knows you better than you know yourself?

Did you know that God knows what you've done, and He loves you anyway?

Did you know that God wants to forgive your sins, the small ones and the BIG ones?

Did you know that God has huge plans for your life, and you are the only one who can do them?

Did you know that you CAN live free, even when it seems like there's no where to go?

[glow=maroon,2,300]STEP ONE: FOLLOW GOD[/glow]
Did you know that there is nothing you could possibly do that would make God hate you? Just as there's nothing you can do that'll make you good enough for Him to love you. God loves you because He made you; because you are His child. And nothing you could ever do is going to change that. His love doesn't depend on your actions. He loves you because Jesus died so that all of your sins could be forgiven. In you are a Christian, God doesn't see your guilt; He sees you as totally innocent because Jesus' blood has washed away all of your mistakes. All you have to do is accept His death as payment for you sins and want to follow Him. He'll help you all the rest!

[glow=maroon,2,300]STEP TWO: KEEP SHORT TABS WITH GOD[/glow]

Keeping short tabs with God means that you want to keep Him up-to-date in your life, and you want Him to communicate with you back. Read the Bible everday! The Bible simply never goes out of stYlE! It doesn't have an expiration date; it is called the LIVING word of God, because as you read it God makes it come alive in you. Confess your sins everyday Just ask for His forgiveness for the sins you know of, and of your secret ones that you don't see. Try to get to know Him better each day Pray to God everyday! It doesn't need to be fancy... Just tell Him what's on your mind! And ask Him to show you what's on His mind too. God has plenty of ways to talk to you: the Bible, through people, through a church, and through things that happen in your everyday life. It's amazing how easy it is to find God when your eyes are opened.

[glow=maroon,2,300]STEP THREE: GET UP WHEN YOU FALL BACK DOWN[/glow]
If you mess up or if you quit following God, just confess it and ask for His help! God loves you so much that even when you mess up, He wants you back! He will always take you back when you ask Him.

[glow=maroon,2,300]STEP FOUR: GROUP UP[/glow]

Don't try to be the last soldier. Don't try to lead the Christian life all by yourself! Get to know other Christians, and talk about spiritual, Jesus-stuff. Go to church when you can, hook up with a network of hardcore spiritual people. When you feel weak, when you feel weak, or when you feel doubt--you can share that with members of a church, or your Christian friends. They can help you.

[glow=maroon,2,300]STEP FIVE: THINK OUTSIDE YOURSELF[/glow]
Use this time to pray for others. Ask to receive newsletters or magazines about the lives and ministries of other Christians, and pray for them. Or ask people around you about their lives, and ask if there's anything they might need for you to pray about. Pray for your friends and family, your pastor, missionaries, politicians, people you loved...even people you hated! Especially pray for those who don't know the Lord.

[glow=maroon,2,300]STEP SIX: THINK FORWARD[/glow]

Negative feelings can only drag you down and make you think that you can't do what God has you called to do. But as His forgiven child, you can look to the future with confidence! Ask God what He wants you to do, and how He wants you to do it. Think beyond today and tomorrow, and look towards your bright future. Sometimes Christians need to go through hell so that someone else may be saved.

[glow=maroon,2,300]STEP SEVEN: WITNESS WITH YOUR ACTIONS FIRST, NOT YOUR MOUTH[/glow]
It's hard to share Jesus with someone you fought with the day before! Make sure the things you do are as good as the things you say. This is pretty darn hard--so remember these two things: You can't do it without God's hand, and if you do something that might ruin your witness... don't act like it didn't happen. Use it as a testimony of God's forgiveness and the strength He gave you. You don't need to be perfect, when you stumble you can show others how you can overcome it with God's help.

[glow=maroon,2,300]STEP EIGHT: THINK POSSITIVE[/glow]

The Bible says, "as a man thinks in his heart, so is he." So put away your thoughts of lust, jealousy, guilt, rage, and anything else that will come in between you and God. When you start to have a negative thought, ask God for something positive to dwell on.