Verse by Verse Breakdown- Matthew 10:28-32

So this was something I typed up for one of the S.W.A.G kids. She had a question about some scripture that comes out of the New Testimant book of Matthew. I just wanted to share this with you guys. Chances are if she had that question there are more of you out there who have it to.

Heaven Slaughter

April 29, 2013

Matthew 19:28-32

Verse by Verse Breakdown

“Do not fear those who can kill the body and can not kill the soul.” (28A)

-         The world and the devil can both kill our body. Do not fear them because they do not have the ability to kill our souls.

“ Rather be afraid of the one who can destroy both the body and the soul in hell.” (28B)

-         God is the only one with the power to condemn us to hell and to destroy our soul. We are told to fear God. Fearing God is mentioned many times such as in Ecclesiastes 12:13 , Luke 1:50 and Psalms 33:8.

“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?” (29A)

-         This is just stating that sparrows were not worth very much.

“Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care.” (29B)

-         Even though they were not worth much value God still never let them fall to the ground and away from His care.

“And even the vary hairs of your head are all numbered.” (30)

-         God knows everything about us. Down to the number of hairs on our heads.

“So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” (31)

-         God values sparrows that are of little value in the world. He will not let them fall. It is stated that we are worth more than the sparrows. That means God values us immensely and will not let us fall before him.

“Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my father in Heaven.” (32)

-         Its simple. Accept Jesus and acknowledge him now and he will acknowledge us when the time of is His father is to come.

“But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in Heaven.” (33)

-         If we disown Jesus right now before our peers and friend he will disown us when the time comes for His father to bring judgment upon us.

If you look in Luke 12 you will also find this same scripture. Its worded a little differently but the exact same thing is being expressed.

Basically Fear God not the devil or world. We are very valuable to God and he will protect us. :) 

Hope this helps explain things a little better! :)

 God Bless <3 

Love, 

Heaven April 

Do not worry

Therefor do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry 

about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Matthew 6:34

The book of Matthew chapter 6: 25-34 deals with worrying and overcoming this worry. As the days continue to grow more and more stress full I find this chapter comforting. My biggest problem is worrying and stressing over things, instead of just putting it into the hands of God. 

I worry for the days ahead, just as I am sure many others do. But it states it black and white in Matthew 6, Do not worry for tomorrow. God is already in your tomorrow. He is there waiting for you to call upon Him and give your worry, stress, fear, grief, and everything else to Him. Each day will bring a new trouble to your life. In that trouble is a reward. When we overcome that worry and truly give it to God, He gives us joy, happiness, peace, hope and Love. 

That is not to say that there wont still be struggle and worry in your life if you give it all to God. I will not give you that false hope of total joy and happiness all the days of your life. God never promised us that this life would be easy. He promised that it would be possible. 

Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, 

but with God all things are possible."
Matthew 19:26

Trying to handle everything on our own is an impossible task. Putting all that stress, worry and fear on our own shoulders is impossible. But if we give that to God, it is made possible. We are able to endure all that life throws at it and we can overcome the world! We can face tomorrow and grow in our strength with God.

I can do all things through Christ who Strengthens me! 

Philippians 4:13

God gives us strength to face another day. Even when it feels like the stress and worry is consuming you, God builds that fire in your heart and gives you the perseverance to continue on. Do not let that worry become your life. Do not let that fear become your story of regret.. Give it to God. Let Him be what consumes your life. Let Him take the fear and worry and throw it in the pit of fire. 

Anything is possible with God. The strength to face a new day comes from Him. He can be that rock you stand upon. If you only let Him in. Give it to God! 

God bless <3 

Heaven April

Are you prepared?

This past week I attended the first ever Spring Break Seek Week at camp Buckner. It was intense, emotional, amazing, life changing and left me in awe. It was a great experience where God really spoke to me. 

The first day there we got into groups called D- Teams, where it was two rec team members, and various sponsors and kids from other churches. This was the group that we spent most of the time with. We did games with them as well as D-Team time where we reflected on what we learned and how God spoke to us throughout the day. 

There was one ques ion asked by a leader that has stuck with me all week long. It was not until the last day of camp that I could truthfully answer. The question is as follows. 

If God called you right now to go do His will. Would you be prepared?

This question seems simple but you really have to think about it. If God said, "Hey drop your whole life, family, friends, boyfriend, schooling, everything and go spread my word in a 3rd world country;" Could you? Could you risk your whole life and change everything you have planned to follow Gods plan? 

Now we know that in the book of Jeremiah it states that God has a plan for our life. This plan is not always the one we planned. Just a year ago I had no plans to attend a christian university, to major in a biblical major, or to strive to be a youth pastor. My plan was to attend Sam Houston State University and get my degree in psychology. Plans Change, God changes them. Now God has put it on my heart to be His disciple. 

So I ask again are you prepared? Think hard and pray about this one. Like I said it wasn't until the last day of camp that I answered. 

During worship time on Wednesday, God spoke to me through a song and He said, "Come, Heaven, Follow me." I said "Here I am, God, Take me." I mean that. I'm prepared to lose everything and follow him. Its one thing to say that I am prepared and its another when the time really comes. I would like to think that I am in a place where I full heartily trust in God and follow Him. Now this is not to say that I wont mess up, or that the road will be easy. But I know that God is with me always. He never leaves me. 

So......
         If God called you right now to do His will. Would you be prepared?? 

Love <3 

Heaven April

John 13:16

Wow... So it has been a really long time since I sat here updating this blog. I've been sidetracked and life has been hectic lately. That's no excuse though.. For those of you who keep up with this blog, I am very sorry. 

What I want to share today comes from John 13:16 which says, Very truly I tell you no servant is greater than their master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 

When I heard this verse it really got me to thinking. So often we try to act as though we are higher than one another. In Gods eyes we are all the same. We are equal. None of us is greater than the one who sent us, the one who gave us the very breath we are breathing right now. 

Its easy to get caught up in this world. Its easy for us to act as though were better than one another. Take racism as an example, one race believes they are better than the other. Is that true? No! God made us all equal and he tells us to love one another just as He has loved us. 

That's something the world is lacking. Instead of love they hate. Did God have that hate when he sent his son to die on the cross for us? No, He had love.. He is love. I believe that if the world would take a step back and truly understand that we are equal and decide to love instead of fight, we would all be better off. 

I walk through the halls at my school everyday, and I see the love and family feeling between some students, then again I see the hate and outcast by others. I'm guilty of this. I have been the outcast that feels she doesn't belong, but, even though its wrong, I have also been the one who was not very accepting. I guess we are all guilty of this though. No matter how much we feel like an outcast, we have also been the one making someone else feel the same way. 

So very truly I tell you no servant is greater than their master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. God is our master, God is the one who sent us. Share a smile today, share love, don't share hatred and bitterness. Show that kid that feels like they don't belong that we are equal and that God is waiting to make them feel like they belong. Be that strength that someone is searching for. 

God bless <3

Heaven April

P.S. Once again I am very sorry for not updating. There is no excuse. I just got caught up in the schemes of this world. 

This to shall pass

Seeing your best friend crying out for help and guidance and feeling useless is a tough feeling to have. No matter how much pain I am in or how I am feeling, seeing my friends hurt, tears me apart. I saw that tonight. I saw that cry for help and I felt helpless. 

I found out that I was not completely helpless and in helping her I helped myself. Well.... actually God helped us we had nothing to do with it. He worked through us to help one another. I just want to share a verse of scripture from youth group tonight that I think really helped us both regain that hope and patience we cried out for. 

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 

Romans 12:12

This scripture brought me that peace, and hope, and joy that I have been longing for all week. Be joyful in hope. Be joyful in God and in his miracles and blessings. Rejoice that we get to spend eternity with Him and that our days of suffering and fearing are numbered. He restores us and makes us whole and He never gives up on us. 

Be patient in affliction or tribulations. Trouble times come. God never promised there wouldn't be storms. But at the end of the storm a beautiful rainbow will shine for us. Patience produces endurance and we need to be patient during these hard times. They will pass and better ones are yet to come. 

Be faithful in prayer or another translation I have is be constant in prayer. Pray to God in your struggles and in your joy. Talking one on one with God is amazing and He listens even when we feel no one else will. God longs to talk with us and to have our hearts. He already knows us better then we know us. He created all that we are and He will help us through those hard times. Pray to Him. Talk to Him. Let Him in and He will give you the desires of your heart. 

For myself to be hurt, angry, or just on the verge of falling apart is one thing, but to see my best friend who I love is another. I came to the realization that we can be there for each other and we can hold one another when we cry. We can talk and encourage, build another up but only God can heal us. We need him in our lives. We need to put our faith in Him and give Him our all. God will calm the storms and produce a beautiful sunlight. We just need to believe and to never lose hope in His plan. Never lose hope in His strength, His might, His love, His mercy, and His love for us. 

For those of you who are still crying out and starching for a life greater then your own. Come to God. Give Him your heart and your troubles. Sometimes life seems like its to much to handle, it is during those times that God will hold you and get you through the roller coaster. Trust in Him. Believe in Him. If you are searching for that way out of this life then search no further. God is always near, with open arms. He will give you a life worth living. God is the breath you are breathing so be the light He is shining. 

God bless <3

Love, 

Heaven April 

New Blog

Hey guys, so I have created a new blog! (: But don't worry! I will still be updating this one and sharing God's word! <3

This new blog is called Heavenshareshislove and It's kind of like a journal that I am writing. Everyone who knows me, knows that its not the easiest thing in the world for me to open up to others. Holding everything inside, I have noticed, is beginning to affect me in a negative way. So this new blog is me letting everything out and opening up to all of you! Ha. 

I am not using this new blog to complain or be emotional. While I will be letting some built up pain out I will also be sharing God's blessings and Love with all of you. I will let ya'll know how during my darkest times God is near. 

I want to show all of you, that you are not alone. That we all have pain and struggle but God will build us up. He will be that strength when we are at our weakest. God is bigger then our problems and that is something I am learning as the days go on. 

So If you would like to check that out the link is below! (:

I also wanted to thank all of you for your support and love during the process of my blogging experience! I'm just a 17 year old girl who loves God and has a burning passion to spread His word and share His love. Thank you for taking this journey with me! Its been a blessing! 

Here is that link to my new blog! (: Check it out and let me know what ya'll think! 

heavenshareshislove.blogspot.com

God bless <3

Love,

Heaven April

Armor of God

Armor of God 

Ephesians 6:10-13

"Put on the full armor of God that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil."

*Ephesians 6:11*

          The Devil will attack you when you are at your weakest. He will attack you when you are at your strongest. The devil tries to turn us against our God. There are ways to stand against all his games and schemes. God gives us direction in which we should follow when the devil is attacking us. 

1. Vs. 10: Be strong. Sometimes it gets tough to stay strong, especially when you fell that your world is falling apart. We are told to stay strong in the Lord, and He will help us through. He will be the strength that we need. 
2. Vs. 11: Put on the Armor or God. If we have the armor of God on ,we will be able to stand against the devil and his schemes. We will be able to fight though what  we are going through. 

               The Armor of God is not your normal kind of armor. You can have the armor of God on, but that does not mean that you need to go and let your best friend stab you in the gut and say "oh God will protect me!" don't do that..... The armor of God contains what normal armors contain. Including a very powerful weapon that is sharper then any two edged sword. 

Contents of the Armor of God

Ephesians 6:14-18

1. Belt of Truth- The devil tries to deceive us and that is one of his greatest schemes. He will try to tell us lies and his goal is to get us to turn from God. The belt of truth protects us from those lies. It gives us the knowledge to know what God's truth is and what the Devils lies are. It gives us the ability to see the difference between the two. 
2. Breastplate of Righteousness- Righteousness means being in right standing with God. Righteousness is something that we are given for free. Its a free gift from God. Righteousness is also something that Christ works in us with our cooperation. So putting on the breastplate of righteousness is like putting a guard around your heart and letting God work through you. 
3. The shoes readiness by the Gospel of Peace- The Gospel is God's word, its the bible. To put on the shoes of readiness means to be in the word and to have peace with Jesus Christ. Just as the breastplate was to be right with God, the Shoes ensure that we have peace with God and walk according to His word. 
4. Shield of Faith- The shield of faith defends not only us but our armor as well. We put on the shield of faith to extinguish or dodge all the flaming arrows the evil one throws at us. The shield of faith puts that guard up that protects us against whatever the devil throws our way. 
5. Helmet of Salvation- The helmet protects our head. Just as a warrior has a helmet to protect their head we are called to have one as well. We have to protect ourselves from the devil trying to tell us that our faith and belief in God is wrong and untruthful. We also need to protect ourselves from the world who hates God therefore hats us, His disciples. The world will tell you that your beliefs are wrong so put on the Helmet of Salvation and know that God's word is truth. 
6. Sword of the Spirit- The sword of the spirit is the word of God. It is the most powerful weapon we have, because it is the truth. The devil and world try to make us believe that His word is not truth, but the sword of the Spirit tells us that it is. 

          We need to wear the full armor of God and pray that we can stay strong against the schemes of the devil. The armor of God is for our protection. So put on the full armor of God and stand against the devil. Don't let his schemes, tricks, games, and lies separate you from the Grace, love , peace and truth of God. 

God bless <3 

Love, 

 Heaven April