Prayer-The Completing Piece

"Father, if this be you will take this cup from me, but not my will, but your will be done." " Our Father, who art in Heaven. Hallowed be thy name" 'Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory." "In my distress, I called out to you and you answered me. From deep in the realm of the dead, I called for help and you listened to me." These are just a few examples of prayer written throughout the scriptures. In times of distress or trial, the people prayed. After battle, the people prayed. When things were gathering around them, the people prayed. It is not hard to see that when we pray, things happen. I am not talking prayers of fear. These prayers are prayers of people who know that when they submit they request to God with an open heart, he will talk back to them his plan for the situation. Prayer is a solemn request of help or an expression of thanks addressed to God. Of all the pieces needed to complete a spiritual relationship with the Father of heaven, prayer is one of the pieces that pull everything together. When God's people pray, they are more than just reading some bible verses or going to church. They are declaring over their lives things promised over them, breaking negative things off of them, and aligning themselves right into the heart of the Father. Let me break this down.

Declaring promises- Sometimes, all it takes for a promise to come upon your life, is for you to speak it over yourself in prayer, coming to the truth that if God said it, nothing will come in its way.
Breaking off the negative- Whether intentional or unintentionally, people say things to other people that hurt. When we come to God in prayer, we have the power to break off "curses" that have taken residence in our minds and thoughts.
Getting aligned with the Heart of God- It is said in scripture that King David, even though he sinned, had the heart of God. This did not come overnight, but through a continual working of praying that we would see the world as God sees it and doing as he would do.

I feel like this is pivotal in a person's walk through life. We could read the scriptures till we're blue in the face, but if we don't pray through what we have read, it is merely words on a page. The word of God does not become hidden in our hearts, but rather it is pushed to the back of our minds and soon forgotten. We could be in church every time the doors are open, but if we don't come to the Father asking him to reveal his message behind the message, it just becomes a good word. One that is also shortly forgotten as soon as we leave the building. The power of prayer solidifies the word, whether spoken or read, in our hearts and minds. Then we can reflect on it throughout the week.
The puzzle of our life cannot be finished if we lose prayer. Without it, life is incomplete, and we can't see the whole picture of the way things are supposed to be.

Don't live life without prayer. Use it as the steering wheel of life, guiding you down the right path, and it will never let you down.

Adam Semple- A Young Man on a Mission  

Give Thanks

"Master, send these people away. For it is late, and they must go into the nearest village and buy some food. You feed them. But Master, we only have a few loaves and a couple fish. Bring them to me." This is roughly the conversation that took place between Jesus and his disciples before he feed the multitudes of people. Jesus had been teaching to the crowd and it had grown late. He knew that most would not have been able to get some food, so he had the disciples scrounge up whatever food they could find. Thankfully, a mother had made sure her little boy had some food, and the disciples brought to Jesus 5 loaves and 2 fish. He instructs the disciples to sit the people into groups of 50 and then the miracle happens. He takes the bread, gives thanks and blesses it, then he proceeds to distribute the bread to the people. After everyone ate enough to satisfy, the disciples gather the scraps left over and fill 12 baskets of food remaining. A little boy's lunch ends up feeding 5000+ people, with plenty of food remaining. How cool.

The season of giving thanks has come upon us once again. The time to gather together with family and loved ones and sit down to a nice spread of turkey, pie and all the fixings. In this time, let us not forget what we have to be thankful for. Let's look back on the first thanksgiving. The pilgrims had come from the oppression of England into a new world. The first couple of months were hard, but somehow, they managed to have a year of a successful harvest. To celebrate, they had a feast of Thanksgiving, gathering together with some 90 Indians joined with the pilgrims. Though we don't know for sure, it is safe to assume that William Bradford gave thanks and blessed the feast, as Jesus had done 1600 years earlier. He probably realized the significance of blessing God for his provision, as we should do today. Whenever Jesus broke bread in scripture, it is made clear that he gives thanks and blesses whatever they are eating. At the last supper, when Jesus introduced communion, He took the time to give thanks, " for this is my body, take and eat; for this is my blood, take and drink."

We should always give thanks for what we have. Just because there is an official day of Thanks, we should not go back to forgetting what we have been given to us just because the holiday is over and the pie is gone. Every day on this earth is a gift. And we should be thankful that he let us wake up each morning, with new mercies and grace for the new day. Don't let life get in the way of being thankful every day of the year.

"Give thanks, in all circumstances, for this is a God's will for you, in Christ Jesus."- 1 Thessalonians 5:18    

Happy Thanksgiving and God Bless.

Adam Semple- A young man on a mission from God

* photo credit- www.thebricktestament.com

Storms, We all got 'em.

Storms come in all types and in many different styles. However a storm comes, depending on the severity of the storm, damage is sure to ensue. But just because there is a storm surrounding you, it does not mean they have to overtake you. Many times in scripture, the heroes are surrounded on all sides by a fierce storm, and yet they come out the other side unharmed from the effects. Some examples of this include the times at sea with the disciples. There were several occurrences when the disciples were in a boat, and they came upon a great storm that made them fear for their lives. But each time, Jesus was there to rescue them. In one circumstance, Jesus was sleeping on the boat when the storm began. After panic arose from his followers, he was awoken from his slumber and the disciples were afraid they would drown. Jesus replies to them and says, "O, You of little faith." He then proceeds to calm the waters and the storm recedes. Everyone on board remarked that he must indeed be the Son of God. A few chapters later, Jesus has just fed the 5000 men plus women and children. He tells the disciples to get into a boat, for he was going up onto the mountain top to pray. At dawn on the next day, when the boat is already far out past land, another storm, not as big as the former, but a storm nonetheless, begins to rock the boat. The disciples look toward land and see a man, Jesus, walking on the water. Naturally, it terrifies them and they assume it is a ghost. But Jesus calms their fear and tells them it is He, and Peter then walks out on the water toward Jesus. But then, the wind picks up, the waves begin to rise, and so does the fear back into Peter's heart. He loses his focus on Jesus and begins to sink. He cries out for Jesus to save him and together they walk back to the boat. Again, Jesus says,"O, You of little Faith. Why did you doubt?" He calms the storm again and they return to land on the other side. In both of these occurrences, the disciples let the storms around them pierce through their faith, and panicked. Even when Jesus was right there the whole time, they doubted that they would come out of it alive.
Have things like these ever happen to you? When storms arise, how have you handled the situation? Storms in life are going to come. When they do, God is seeing how far we trust him and how big our faith in him is. The storms that arise will not always have the same outcome though. Not every storm will secede once we call for help. At times, God is trying to tell us that he will keep us safe in the storm, and he can't do that if the winds die down at the the first help cry. After some storms, we might come out a little scratched up or bruised, but we will be alive. Take the shipwreck that happened to Paul. The boat got too close to land and was completely destroyed, yet every person aboard, both slave and crewman, made it to land safely.

"And I will praise you in this storm, and I will lift my hands, You are who you are, No matter where I am, And every tear I cried, You hold in your hand, You never left my side, And though my heart is torn, I will praise you in this storm"-Casting Crowns, "Praise You In This Storm"

Adam Semple- A Young Man on a Mission

*Photo from globe-net.com

Point of View

An Optical Illusion is best described as an experience of seeing something that is not actually there, or seeing it in many different ways. A way to deceive the eye by appearing as something else. -google definition. For example, a picture of a black or white vase. At first glance, it looks like a vase, but as you continue to look, you end up seeing two faces close together. Same picture, different outlook. When we look at things one way, it is nothing but shapes, but when our perspective changes, the random shapes become an image and we can see things the way the artist intended. Our walk through this journey called life should be the same way. God has put in place a beautiful piece of art right before our eyes, but because we are looking with the wrong view, we do not see how the pieces will flow together. We need to change the way we look at things and once we get into this new position, everything about the picture makes sense. You may be walking through something where random things are happening all around you. This is the time that God is lining up all the pieces. Once you get to the end of this part of the journey, you see that everything you walked through has led you to this point. There is an interpretation of this kind of illusion of, from one angle, is just a bunch of various shapes and there appears to be no form to it. But when you walk to another side, you see that the random lines and shapes are strategically placed so that from the right angle, they all line up and form the shape of a bicycle. As long as you stay in the place where the lines don't fit, you will never see the finished product. Only when you shift into the intended position will you see what God was doing all along. Don't ignore the randomness of life, for in the end, they will work out to be a beautiful masterpiece from God's own hand. Do not be deceived when life does not appear to look like you wanted, but be excited for what your pieces will form.

Adam Semple- A Young Man on a Mission From God

Hello. Hello?

" Samuel, Samuel". "Samuel, Samuel". These are the words heard by a kid, no older than 10, one night in the temple. After each time, little Samuel ran to Eli the priest, assuming he had called him. And each time, Eli would tell him that he had not called and he should go back to bed. 3 times Samuel heard this voice and 2 times Eli sent him back to sleep, for the third time, Eli realized that Samuel was being called by God. So when he sent Samuel back to his room the third time, he told him that if he heard the voice again, to answer by saying,"Here I am Lord, your servant is listening". Then God calls the fourth time and Samuel answers in this way. Samuel grew to be one of the biggest prophets of the Old Testament. He was used powerfully by God because when God called, he answered and did as he was instructed. God wants to use us in the same way, he is just waiting for us to pick up the spiritual phone and say, "Hear I am Lord. I am listening." Would it not be awesome if once you became a Christian, a spiritual phone showed up on your counter and would ring anytime God wanted to give instructions to you? Even though there is not an actual phone for this purpose, God still talks to his children the same way now as he did back then. We only need to be open to hearing and leaving the phone on its base so that all calls can come through. For those of you born in my generation who don't know what I am talking about, let me explain. Back before cordless phones that could be carried around in our pockets, the was one. maybe two phones per household, and they were attached to a big base by a cord. When the phone rang, you would take it off its receiver and talk into the mouthpiece. Then once you were finished with the conversation, you would put the phone back on its receiver and it would hang up the call. If there were times when you did not want to be disturbed bu calls, you would take the phone off the base and put it to the side. God wants our phones to always be on the base so that whenever he calls, we are able to listen. You may be thinking,"I never hear from God, my phone must not be working." You don't always need to hear God to know that he has spoken. Picture a text message. No audible words were exchanged, yet the message still gets across. Sometimes, this is how God speaks. A passing piece of paper, or a advertisement for something might compel us to do something. These things are tactics used by God to direct us either away from something, or closer to something. These little tuggings in your spirit are how God talks to us. "What if I have been called somewhere, but don't know specifically what to do in that calling?" In times like these, I have to realize that my dreams and desires, (for the most part) have been place inside of me by the Father. With that being said, he will guide me down the path where I will be able to use my gifts and talents, also given by God, to accomplish my dreams and desires. I know that in some aspect, I have been called into the media industry. I like being on stage as much as I like being in the background. Right now, I don't know the specifics of my calling, but I know it will have something to do with both of those desires inside of me. Nothing in me is accidental, and everything in me was placed there by a Father who only wants the best for me, as well as all of you reading this blog. Until God guides me to my path, I must choose to learn all I can about the things that interest me, so that when the phone call comes in, I will be ready to go. This is what God wants all of us to do as well, whether you know God's plan for you in its entirety or only know pieces. Don't waste time trying to figure out your calling, for in God's perfect timing, he will reveal it to you. Just be sure that your phone is always on the base so that God can pick up his end of the line and dial in your number. It is alright if you don't know all the details to God's plan, as long as you trust him by knowing that when you need the answer, he will provide it in full color, so to speak. When the time comes, there will be no interference between you and God and you will hear him somehow crystal clear.

So get ready, plug in your phone and be prepared to answer when the time comes.

Adam semple- a young man on a mission from God.  

Who Am I?

"Who am I, that you are mindful of me? That you hear me, when I call? Is it true that you are thinking of me? How you love me, its amazing!"-Friend of God-Israel Houghton.

One of the biggest struggles in this generation is a sense of identity and purpose. What can I do? I am only a youth. Nobody cares about me or what I stand for. These are some of the things that go through everyone's head from time to time, sometimes on a daily basis. Culture tells us that if we don't wear a certain style of clothing or have the nicest car or live the rich life, we are not worth anything. And in order to "be anything" in the eyes of culture, we must conform to the ways that everyone is conformed to in order to be considered "cool". We don't realize that our value and our worth are not rooted in the flesh, but rather in spirit. Even before conception, God had a plan set in place for his people to do something big for his kingdom. Jeremiah 1:5 says that before we were formed in our mothers' womb, God knew us and consecrated us, setting us aside to be his people. Many times in life, people will devalue the life of an individual through their words and actions, this not always done with purposeful intent. When someone is devalued in the eyes of another, they begin to question if they have any worth at all. Unfortunately, the first place they look for it is not in the Father, but in other people. They begin to shift what makes them special in order to be liked or appreciated. They change who they are not because they want to, but because they think their uniqueness devalues, instead of enhances. In the book of Ephesians, chapter 2 verse 10, it says that we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which we are to walk in on this earth. This verse never mentions that we are made in the flesh, but the Son. We were created to use our special gifts and talents given to us by the Father to help bring the world back to the Father, yet we think that if we hide those talents to be like everyone else, we will be better off. Finding identity in the flesh can only satisfy ourselves for so long, before we completely forget who we are in Christ and continue down the path of conformity and complacency that the Devil tells us we must live. Turn on the TV, and you are likely to stumble upon some product that will make your life better, and the scary thing is that people fall prey to these traps of the enemy every day. When these things are promoted, it makes you look at your life and throw yourself a pity party, causing you to act without thinking and giving in to the lies. "But the Lord said to Samuel,'Do not look at his appearance, nor his height or stature, for man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart."-1 Samuel 16:7. Are you getting what I am saying here? In this passage of scripture, Samuel has come to anoint the next king of Israel from the house of Jesse, from the tribe of Judah. David had 7 older brothers who were strong, fit and handsome and Samuel assumed that God must want one of these because he was only looking at what man saw, yet God knew their hearts and they were not want he was after. After rejection of the other brothers, Samuel asks Jesse if there are any others. Jesse sends for shepherd boy David who is only on his late teens at the time, who probably didn't smell the best or look at the best, yet he was chosen as king, because his heart was in the right place.  God doesn't want to people who look good on the outside, but are ugly on the inside, he wants to one who don't need physical beauty to be spiritual beautiful.

So let us not value ourselves by what the world sees, but by what God sees. Our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, and we wouldn't want God's presence living in a dirty hut, but a beautiful palace. In order to do that, we must realize that living to worldly standards will never get us there, but only by surrendering ourselves to the Father, not caring how the world looks at us, but only about what God sees in us.

I want each of you reading this to change some words around from "Who am I?" to "Who I am!" We are Friends of God. He looks at us and sees a beautiful canvas ready to be painted on. We were made in his image and created for his purpose. "For I know the plans I have for you', declares the Lord,'plans to prosper you and not harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future"-Jeremiah 29:11

Adam Semple- a young man on a mission from God