Cracking Xmas - In Search of Stars - Stargazers

Ok time for the rest of my readers to have a post addressed to them. I have already done a post for the Christian readers but this one is for those of you who are interested in understanding more about Christianity but you don't want a one sided  approach to the topic.

Firstly to get this started, I am a Christian, but that doesn't mean I have to write a post that is designed to get you to convert so before I even start let me explain why I am doing this. 

I believe that faith is only real when you have found it for yourself. No one can push faith on anyone else, no one can convert anyone no matter what tactics it just doesn't work. If you decide to come to decide Christianity is for you, then I want you to be able to do so knowing that it was your choice no one pushed you into it or scared you into it or the like. I know I have people reading this that have no interest in choosing Christianity as a walk of life but you are interested in knowing more about Christianity in terms of what Christians actually believe and the way in which we think. Some people just genuinely have an interest in understanding other people from all walks of life, some of those people sent me messages asking for this post so here it is. 

Side note, I am very interested in making posts that my readers actually want to read, I will interact with tweets, messages, comments and the questions of my readers to the best of my ability because I want everyone who reads my blog to know they are valued. 

Anyway, getting back on topic

So you want to know about Christianity? 

Well the first thing you need to understand is that you can learn about Christianity regardless of your life choices and views and most of us will actually be more then happy to answer your questions with a fairly open mind and without judging you. It is only the minority of quite frankly religious nuts that let down the rest of us. 

Second thing to know, we are human too. Although are way of doing things may seem strange to you as may are thoughts and convictions, we all have our own minds. Christianity has many different groups within the church structure, all of which have different interpretations and ways of expressing their faith. We all have a very basic foundation in common though which is made up of 3 things.

We all believe in God 

We all have our own way of expressing worship for God and/or serving Him.

We all believe in Jesus as the son of God and that he died on the cross for our sins so we can be reconciled to God. Most of us believe Jesus is now alive, but some groups do not. 

Christianity is like other religions in that all religions have their own practices and ways of living and basic moral framework.

Christianity is not like in other religions in that Christianity is the only religion that believes in only one God and that this God is alive today. The religion of Christianity is dead without the living person of Jesus Christ who we believe we have a relationship with, which sounds strange I know but its about faith. 

Regardless of your faith there is no way of proving faith. You either believe or you don't. Even if there is all the evidence in the world, if someone chooses not to believe in something then they just won't. So faith is a choice and it is the choice to believe in Jesus and the choice to have faith in Christianity aswell as the Christ of the Christianity that is what this life style is about. 

We believe God is a God of love and He loves you. However, if you don't believe in Him that statement will mean nothing to you which is why I am stating it is what we believe not what is the case. 

Many intellectuals were/are also Christian.

Intellect and logic can work with Christianity but it is not something that can be explained only experienced, which is where faith comes in and may seem like the biggest cop out ever, but that really is how it works.

Christianity is about hope, faith love and peace but it is certainly not by any means an easy life choice. 

Throughout history Christians have been persecuted and there is still persecution going on today, although in most cases it is in a far more subtle form. 

The reason that we put up with that though is because we  believe what we experience and have with Jesus in the picture is so amazing that it is worth it no matter what. 

On the flip side of this, we do also believe in the devil, we believe in a spirit world and that there is a war going on.

 I know I am being very brief here but all I aim to do in this post is give you some thoughts to help you get started/continue on your quest to find out more about this religion/faith. If you want to know more about the dark side though, you can find that in my devils tool box series on this blog. 

The bottom line of what we believe is that Jesus is the light that overcomes the darkness of this world, He is the star that leads you home.

At this point I am going to leave it there, although I have only scratched the surface. 

Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have,

but until next time.

Take care,

Love Hayley 

xXx 

Cracking Xmas - In Search of Stars - Star Keepers

This post is a real treat for me. I don't think I've ever had a reason to just address my fellow brothers and sister in Christ. If you are reading this and you don't believe in it, then you are very welcome to stick around if you want but for this post I am going to address other believers in Jesus, just like myself. I do call non-believers " the world" in this post, I am sorry if that offends anyone it is not my intention, but I just really want to make this letter that I am about to write be as true to how many believers would speak to each other as possible. 

Dear brothers and sisters,

This is an open letter regarding the issue of relating to what we would call the world when it comes to talking about our faith and/or religion. There are a few things I would really like to bring to your attention, all of which I have learned from experience and are very much my own opinion and observations, but since the bible does say that we as believers are suppose to encourage each other in the faith, I feel justified in sharing my thoughts. 

Firstly, please understand that all of these observations come from a genuine desire to see the kingdom of God grow and a heart of humility and love, but also a genuine concern that so often, we as Christians tend to come across as crazy, heartless or completely miss-guided. As well meaning as we are, many of us fall in to some common traps when attempting to communicate our faith to others. This is very damaging as it usually causes people to write us off and the God we claim to stand for as complete rubbish. Sometimes guys, we just need to get out of the way and let God do the work, He is more then capable of reaching people if He chooses to, and while it is our mission to preach the gospel to all, we must remember that what we carry is very precious and we need to be careful with our conduct for sharing the gospel for it to be effective. 

Here are some common mistakes that we make, I know that I myself have made these mistakes in the past and so again, this comes from a heart that seeks to help further the gospel. I don't claim to know everything but this is what I have learned via life experiences. 

Mistake 1 - Pushing the message

As well meaning as we are, many times because of our frustration that so many of our loved ones, may well be heading to hell, we become self-appointed crusaders and may even make certain people are assignment to get them saved.  This may be done through badgering of  Christian material, questions, insisting the person comes to church with you or by telling the person that what they believe is wrong and treating them like they know nothing. Although it doesn't apply to all of us, the term "bible bashing" had to come from somewhere. 

The truth is, we can not convert anyone, it is only our job to share the gospel, if people wish to explore it, but pushing the message causes people to just put walls up and dismiss what we have to say. In other-words, by doing this, we are helping the devil with his mission and hurting the very God we serve. 

Mistake 2 - Using Christian Jargon. 

The world is not familiar  with allot of the terms we use when we talk to each other. The average non-believer will look at you like you are from another planet if you start to talk about "being saved" asking Jesus in to your heart" or "being born again" just to name a few. We need to try and speak in terms that the person you are speaking to will understand, however if you really must use typical Christian terminology, please explain it first in simple terms. 

Mistake 3 - Insisting Christianity is a relationship NOT a religion

To us, our relationship with Jesus is very precious and something we want to share with anyone who will listen because we know how amazing life with Jesus in the picture really is, so yes to us it is about relationship. However, the world views Christianity as a religion, partly because of history and partly because that is how it is portrayed by main-stream media, especially when you have people saying that they are a Christian and God hates X,Y,Z which always comes across as very law based and condemning. I know many Christians will not like what I am about to say, but guys we are apart of a religion, church is a religious institution especially in the many strains of denominations, tithing, communion, baptism, marriage and even prayer and fasting are all typical religious acts, some of which are practiced by other religions, not just us, to deny that when talking to the world, is only going to result in them thinking we are closed minded, ignorant  and arrogant. When you explain your relationship with Jesus, do it in the manner of explaining how it enhances those seemingly religious practices to be more about relationship and doing it because of love and walking with a living God as appose to trying to state you believe in God but you don't see yourself a religious. Many people do believe in God, even if they are not a Christian, but the real difference is knowing Christ. Please try to keep that your focus when addressing this issue. 

Mistake 4 - Getting into depth with social issues.

Paul warns about the dangers of getting into fruitless debates with the world. Remember they don't see any better because they have yet to have their eyes opened by Jesus. It is not their fault they don't know any better, the god of this world has blinded many. Politely direct the conversation in a different direction if you get these questions. Saying plainly not talking about that because the person won't understand will make that person think your calling them stupid. It would be better to say, that it's an interesting question but in order to answer that you need to explain the basics first, because the philosophy behind what we believe will not make the blind bit of sense to anyone if you don't first lay the foundations. There is a time and place for addressing these issues but if you don't feel confident that you can do it with a focus on grace and love and without coming across as condemning or judgmental then don't feel like you have to answer these questions. Remember you are only one of many sources this person may have found for finding out more about our faith it is often a team effort that gets people to the point where they decide to consider inviting Jesus into their lives for themselves and this team effort can be spread through the persons life. Don't feel like you have to do everything, just do your part. 

Mistake 5 - Being known by what we believe not who we are.

We as believer need to be known more for what we are for then what we are against. No one wants to listen to people that tell them that can't do this, that and the next thing. God is love, we are his Children so spread the love! 

Above all else, remember you  are a beacon and carry the light to the world in darkness, shine bright.

Take care & God bless

Love Hayley 

xXx

The Devils Tool Box - The Hammer of Fear

The next tool the devil likes to use to distract us from moving forward in life is the hammer of fear. 

Fear can come in many different forms. 

It can come in the obvious form of worry, anxiety, paranoia or even the not so obvious little worries we get about the smaller things.

I'm not going to say too much about this one because if I got into this topic to deeply, I don't think I would know where to stop, so rather then going into detail about how fear works and what we can do about it.

I'm just going to state the 3 main lessons I have learnt about fear and then give a source list so that if you want to do further study you are aware of some of the resources available.

Please note these lessons are about fear in a negative sense.

I know that fear can still be good and even protect us sometimes, but I am talking about the unhelpful side of fear in these lessons.

 Lesson 1 - If you give fear space to grow it will.

Fear usually starts out as a thought in your head, the more you think on it the more it grows, before you know it a small worry has turned into something much bigger and in some cases, it can leave you paranoid and terrified, even sometimes for your very life.

 Lesson 2- The best way to get over your fear is to face it.

Fear is a tricky one, if you don't deal with it then it holds power over you.

There is that age-old decision between fight or flight, and in most cases, the flight is the best option.

If you are in danger then yes you should get out of that situation and in that regard, yes flight is the best option.

However if you're not in danger and the fear is of something else like for example, fear of being rejected for the job so you just don't try in the first place, then that is not helping you in the long run.

The main fear that most people have to deal with is the fear of the unknown.I'm not going to elaborate on this point any more but once again, I do suggest Susan Jefers Book, Feel The Fear and Do it anyway.

 Lesson 3- Fear is usually just a shadow.

Joyce Meyer, a New York Times bestseller and excellent teacher, has a very tragic story. She has suffered abuse and in many cases, had the right to be afraid, but she had learnt that Fear is only a shadow and often states that Fear is easily explained by this False Evidence Appearing Real.

The fact is, half the things we are afraid of will never actually happen. Our minds are battle Fields and if the devil can get us to be paralysed by fear then he can get us to accept his lies as we looked at in the previous post.

 Lesson 4- Fear never works alone.

Fear has a little brother that it likes to take everywhere it goes.

This little brother's name is doubt.

Together with fear and doubt, climb into your mind and batter your brain with the constant chatter of "what if" and "why you can't" they sit there to hit your head, just like a hammer hitting a nail.

 Recommended  Resources ( Doubles as the source material for the last few posts)

Joyce Meyer - Battlefield of the Mind

http://www.joycemeyer.org/ProductDetail.aspx?id=000159

Susan Jeffers - Feel the Fear and do it Anyway

http://www.susanjeffers.com/home/detailtemplate.cfm?catID=2234

John 14 : 27 "I am leaving you with a gift--peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don't be troubled or afraid". - Jesus Christ ( NLT) 

The Devils Tool Box - The Nails of Acceptance

It may seem strange that I'm starting this series by talking about acceptance as a tool used in the devil's toolbox but it does have a good reason for being the first topic looked at in this teaching. 

Accepting things, in general, is not a bad thing, in fact, it is important to accept certain things in order to move forward in personal growth and there are things the devil will try to stop us from accepting. 

However, there are things that if we accept too easily, they will actually stunt our personal growth.

We are going to look at 2 of those things that can cause us to stay stuck by accepting them.

In order to explain this, I'm going to start out by looking at it from the viewpoint of the thoughts attached to each of these things, then explain why and how it is dangerous to think this way and how to move from a negative viewpoint to a positive.

What is important to remember is that the devil is a liar and so each of these thoughts is a lie.

Let's now look at the evidence for that statement, in each of the thoughts we have that keep us nailed where we are in a negative way. 

Let's begin,

Thought that is a Lie 1. Things will never change. - Hopelessness

When things have been the same way for a long time, we often get it stuck in our head that things will never change. 

This is because it is hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel when you're in the middle of it. 

It is very easy to lose hope and just accept that this is our lot in life and nothing is ever going to change so we may as well accept it and deal with it. 

Why is this dangerous? 

This is a dangerous thing to think because it completely limits your mind in terms of thinking of options to getting out of a situation, this can and usually does lead to worry and depression. 

Depression is like quicksand, it will just suck you in further and further if you allow it to do so.

The result of thinking a situation is hopeless is despair. 

As soon as you hit that lower level of despair, it opens the door for the devil to start whispering more lies to you and you are far more likely to believe them. 

It is a long journey to get out of depression and despair and one that often involves a roller-coaster of emotions that are very hard to deal with alone. 

Please don't try to do this alone. If you are struggling, click here. 

How can we change this thought into a positive?

We can change this thought of things will never change into a positive by refusing to believe that this is all life has to offer.

The fact is no matter how hopeless a situation may seem, there are always choices even if the only choice you have is to change your attitude towards the situation your in. 

By choosing to believe that life has more to offer and then committing to doing whatever you can in order to make your life better, one small step at a time, you will start to see little changes. 

The best way to get unstuck when your in a rut, (which is basically another way of staying stuck in the mud or stuck going through the motions) is to change something. 

Even if the something you change is only small, if the routine is really that much of a pain to you, then even a small change will be welcomed.

As you start to make small changes you will start empowering yourself to create the life you want, which in turn will help with convincing yourself that the next statement the devil loves to whisper to you to keep you stuck, is also a lie. 

Thought that is a lie 2. I can't do this because of _______ - Lack of confidence 

If we believe the lie that nothing will ever change, we often also believe that we will never change. This then gives way for this second lie to come in to play.

We magnify all the bad points about ourselves and decide that because of all these negative traits, habits or attributes in us, or any number of external circumstances or factors that somehow we are not going to be able to cope with the situation.

The truth is, under it all. Fear has us under the thumb. 

Why this is dangerous?

Our natural instinct when it comes to feeling uncomfortable is to avoid the thing making us feel that way and so we stay stuck.

Fear keeps us paralyzed and so we wind up overthinking everything and worrying excessively, which has a negative effect on many areas of our lives including our health.

In other words, staying stuck can cause so much destruction that is can actually put your life at risk. 

How can we turn this into a positive? 

In my own life, I can honestly say the only way to deal with fear is to face it. I am sure you have heard that before. It is a tried and tested fact that works in a whole host of situations.

The best thing to do when it comes to dealing with fear is to educate yourself and then face it. 

When you educate yourself on something you don't understand or are afraid of it can make you feel more confident to actually face the fear. Sometimes educating yourself is enough, but that is very rare. 

 An amazing, life-changing book I would recommend if you are wanting to learn how to deal with fear is Feel the Fear and do it anyway, by Susan Jeffers. 

There are plenty of resources out there, you need only do your research, however, no amount of research is going to compensate for the freedom that can only come through facing your fear.

Of course, there are things that you don't have face if you don't want to, not all fear is bad and not all fears need to be addressed immediately.

The question to ask when deciding if this certain fear needs to be addressed is simply how is this fear impacting my life? 

If it is affecting you in a negative way and you could actually say that the fear in one way or another is controlling your life or how you feel about yourself then it is probably best to face it and sort it out. 

Disclaimer- Don't be stupid, use your head, don't break the law to face a fear and always remember to stay safe. Remember that professional help is available if you're dealing with an irrational fear that controls you and it never makes you weak to get help if you need it. 

There is a positive side to acceptance that can actually help with moving forward and the devil will do everything to keep you from accepting 5 simple truths because he knows that if you accept them, you will empower yourself to move forward. 

If you don't accept these three simple truths, you will be equally as stuck as you will be by accepting the negative thoughts already explained. 

5 Truths that we need to accept in order to move forward in life 

1. I may not like where I am now, but I don't have to stay stuck, things can change.

2. I am responsible for my own happiness. Even if I don't have control over my situation, I can still have control over how I react to it. 

3. I am worthy of good things to happen to me. 

4. I don't have to do/face this alone. 

5. My attitude has a direct effect on my result. 

Recap 

• The two thoughts that the devil likes to get us to accept in order to keep us from moving forward in life are Things will never change and that you can't do this. 
• Both of these are not true because of it down to choice. Even if the only thing you have control over is your attitude towards a situation. The devil is a liar. 
• By making small changes, you will start to gain the confidence you need to believe that you can do anything you need to do and begin to see that you don't have to stay stuck. 

For those of you wanting to know where I get my information to write this, a source list will be available at the end of this series. 

The Devils Tool Box - Introduction

Back in January, my new years' resolution this year was to raise the standard. 

I felt like my life really needed an upgrade. 

Life was okay, but I was fed up of never having time, feeling down and just not being as organised and productive as I would like.

Seven months into 2013 and I'm still not where I want to be, but I am content with starting right where I am at and taking the next step to continue to raise the standard. 

I made a point of really applying myself to learn as much as I could in order to help with the rising standard thing.

By far the most important lesson I have learnt this year is that that other guy, Satan, the devil, the force of evil, or whatever else you want to call it..exists and he loves to play games!

I personally, choose to call him the devil, and so that is what I am going to refer to him as for the duration of these posts. 

I'm not going to preach here, you may see the odd scripture in this series, but even if your not of  a religious background, you know that evil exists. 

That age-old battle between good and evil is everywhere. Films, games, books, music..you name it, it's there.

In the next few posts, I am going to unpack some of the more subtle tools that the devil likes to use. 

Raising the standard of your life is difficult when you don't even know where you have set the bar for what you will and won't accept in your life.

This one is about personal growth.

They say that the best way to learn something is to teach it and so I'm going to put myself out there a bit and actually set this whole series up as teaching.

One of the things in the raise, the standard new years' resolution was to build confidence and try new things..so here goes. I'm not even sure I can do this but I will give it a shot.

The first teaching will start on a slightly lighter subject, but something that still needs to be addressed if you are serious about personal growth.

Acceptance.