If you haven't already noticed, our world is slowly pulling closer and closer to the "dark side", to the end times. There are hostile groups out there that existed since the 20th century, crime, immorality... the list goes on. What I have been seeing nowadays in this world is a lot of people that are taking lives out of pure hatred. We see so much of it on the news: Columbine, Virginia Tech, what went down in Charleston, and so much more. When you think about it, it is insane how much shootings you see in our nation.

Now, I never thought about writing about this, but what recently sparked my interest is what happened in Oregon this week. A gunman opened fire at a community college, killing several people in his wake. What really shocked me was the fact that he reportedly asked people if they believed in God, and shot them on the spot if they said yes. I know that this has happened before, such as it was rumored to be in Columbine. It just pains me to see not just innocent lives being taken from a lost, dark individual, but a Christ follower losing his/her life for not denying his love for the Lord in the face of death.

I was reading the last chapter in 1 Peter today, and it inspired me to write about this. I was just doing my daily reading, when I stumbled upon this verse, which says,

This verse really stood out to me because we as Christ followers have the tendency to think that everything is fine and dandy, that everything is perfect. Yes, Christ provides a head of protection over us, but, just as he tested Peter, he will test you to see how deep your love is for him. What actually is coming to mind as I write this is Pastor Saeed. He is a missionary who was arrested by the Iranian government for "charges of undermining national security gatherings in Christian homes in Iran"(1). He is just a follower of His word, doing the great work, and was arrested for it. Right now, he is sitting in prison for trying to help bring more people to Christ, trying to show how wonderful our Lord and Savior is. He is just an example of how Christ followers all over the world are being slandered. We see countries slaughtering people who convert over to Christianity, imprisoning them like Pastor Saeed, and they show no mercy. 

In regards to the Oregon shooting, those victims were just standing firm in the midst of trial, standing firm in their faith, just as it talks about in 1 Peter 5. I feel as though we Christians say that we will never deny him, but we need to really stand firm in our relationship with Christ. Peter said he would never deny Jesus, and when he was bombarded with questions asking him if he was one of Jesus' disciples, he denied Jesus three times. We as Christ followers should never forget what Jesus did for us on that cross, and that he paid the ultimate price for us. 

No one said that being a follower of Christ was going to be a walk in the park. It is going to be a tough journey, with people everyday slandering the name of Jesus, with all of the temptations and peer pressures we face in life. Remember, the devil is only here for three things: to kill, steal, and destroy. He is using these lost people's lives for his work. There will come a day that we have to answer to those people, to answer the question, "Do you believe in God". What will you say when that day comes, the day that your faith is tested? My prayer is that we stand firm in our faith, and answer that question with the boldest "yes" we will ever say. Don't forget the ultimate price that was paid for us, and always remember that, 

Yours truly,

Leighan 

Hello, friends! I am so sorry it has been so long since I've been on here! Life got the hold of me, both for the better and the worse. There have been so much going on that I have lost a lot of focus and energy to write anything. Also, I was fresh out of ideas as well.

However, something came to me recently (aka, about 5 minutes ago). I have had a lot of things going on in my life, unfortunately not all that great. I'm struggling financially, productively, and emotionally. I cannot really accurately describe what exactly has been going on, but so many things have hit the fan that I felt like I was slowly losing control. I felt like all of a sudden, this massive storm cloud just came over my life, with one little one hanging over my head. 

Most people didn't really see it, but those close to me really noticed it. I am usually not very open when it comes to things going on in my life, but I do turn to my sister. She is younger than me, but she is wise beyond her years. She and I talked, and she instilled in me something that I knew I was struggling with, but didn't want to admit: I wasn't fully committing myself to God, only focusing on letting myself handle everything in my life and not giving it all to Him.

I was trusting myself and others to get whatever I needed done, and I wasn't letting God handle it. I was somewhat slipping, and God was taking things away from me and putting me through this hardship in order for me to fully recommit my life. Now, this was not like when I officially recommitted to God back in my freshman year of college, but this was more of a, "stop thinking you're gonna have everything handled out your way, let me do what I have planned for you". 

So, that night, I sat in my room, and cried out to God, asking him to take full control of everything going on in my life. I asked him to build in me strength to face my struggles, and to let me not forget that He will always be there for me, and that these trials are here for a reason that I do not even fully comprehend why yet. I promise you, I felt God's hand of protection over me that night, comforting me, letting me know that He wasn't going anywhere. 

This season in my life has taught me so much. What can really be summed up by my experience these past few weeks is in 1 Peter. It says,

I have so many trials that I have faced in this short period of time, but I know now that: 1)  I have to fully let go of trials in my life and let God take the reigns, and 2) God has put these trials in my life for a reason. He knows what's going to happen tomorrow, next week, and within these next years of my life. I just have to stop being a stubborn bum and just let God work in my life.

Have you guys ever let God handle a situation you originally wanted to on your own? How did that turn out? I love hearing about how God is working through people's lives! It's such a blessing!

Yours truly,

Leighan