Go Tell It On The Mountain

“Go tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere. Go tell it on the mountain that Jesus Christ is born.”

This famous Sunday-school song is imprinted in the minds of many Christians. The song is not only catchy, but it teaches a good message- to tell about Jesus Christ. Psalm 96:3 states, “Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous works among all the peoples!”

God calls his children to share His word, and sometimes this calling can be difficult. In today’s world sharing the Christian faith is sometimes frowned upon. Regardless of today’s culture, spreading the good news of God’s love and grace should be heard from every mountaintop.

Christians can be a witness of the gospel through words and actions. As the Bible says, the tongue is extremely powerful, which is why sharing God’s word through social experiences is important when it comes to letting people know God’s grace.

His teachings can be spread not only by how Christians live their lives, but through conversations, community groups, church, blogs (ha!), and even by sharing testimony. Through these experiences Christians can be a witness to people who may have never experienced the gospel.

Sharing God’s word will never be easy for Christians. Trials and tribulations will arise in life that make it hard to declare His name. But His teachings are so essential in making life worth living. Not everyone who receives God’s Word will accept The Lord as their savior, but striving to share His grace to all nations is what Christians’ duty is on this earth. So go tell it on the mountain!

Stepping Away from the Real World

Today everyone is constantly checking their phones, emails, Facebook, Instagram, and trying to figure out when their favorite show comes on TV. Our society today spends so much time wrapped up in the virtual world that precious time just passes by.

God’s beauty lies in so much more than the IPhone. The average teenager lives for the amount of likes they can get on their Instagram post, instead of living for the beauty around them.

Stepping away from the “real” world is hard to do in a society that is so fast paced. Finding time to sit alone and rejoice in God’s abundance is difficult when everyone’s brain can’t find time just to relax.

However, sitting alone in God’s word, around the beauty of His creation is humbling. Putting down the IPhone and picking up the Bible can make the time that is spent aimlessly, into time that is spent productively.

Looking at the moon, sitting by the lakes, or even just closing your eyes and praying, can help you step away from the world and bask in His glory. After all, it is so comforting to know that we look at the same moon The Lord once looked at many years ago.

We spend so much time wrapped up in the real world that sometimes we forget that easy fixes to our everyday problems can be found in prayer. Learning to take yourself away from life’s crazy ride can help the stresses and anxieties that come along with it.

Oh, how sweet it is that we have a Lord that gives us such beauty in our world! It is time we look up from our screens and treasure it.

Forgiving

Jesus was nailed to a wooden cross. Thorns pierced into his head. And people beat him as his hands were pierced with nails.

Jesus did all of this for one reason-forgiveness. Jesus Christ hung on the cross to forgive us of our own sins. Ephesians 1:7 states, “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.”

Christians have a hard time wondering why Jesus gave up his life for their sins. Jesus forgives everyone’s sins no matter what sin is committed. As Christians, it is easy to accept God’s forgiveness; however, it is hard to give forgiveness.

Dealing with forgiving someone is probably the hardest thing a human has to endure. Whether it be a boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, wife, friend, or colleague, looking past their wrongdoing is difficult. Forgiving that certain person slips your mind and all you can think about is hate.

It is so easy to go through life holding on to the grudges that come with wrongdoing from someone. Disappointment stirs emotions and allows anger to fill the body with hate. The hate consumes your life, and you find yourself trapped in a never-ending spiral or sadness. Instead of looking at the situation through God’s eyes, we look at the situation through the eyes of our selfish selves. Instead of forgiveness, we act out in ways that make us selfishly feel better for the time being; however, the pain never seems to go away.

Until that is, you take the forgiveness that God gives you daily and channel it into giving back that forgiveness. The moment you release the anger and forgive the one who has done you wrong, joy overcomes your body. Forgiving is a difficult thing to do. It is something God calls us to do but we turn our heads from, thinking that maybe if we just keep putting it off, the hateful emotions towards the person that did us wrong will just go away. But can you imagine if Jesus did that to us?

Forgiving is something we as Christians need to value. Showing God’s love is easily achieved through forgiving others. Forgiving allows you as a person to use God as a light, as well as overcome the hate that builds up in your heart.

Podcast

Hi guys! I am so excited to take a little bit different approach from my typical blog posts and do a podcast for y’all! Today I am going to talk about how going away to college could not have been possible if it weren’t for my faith in God. So all you high schoolers that are listening, turn up the volume because this one is especially for y’all!

If many of you do not know, my name is Caroline Waller and I am currently junior at Louisiana State University. Coming to college is something that is scary for everyone, whether it be the student, or the parents dropping off their babies for a long four years. No matter how far away you are from home, it is hard to be out of the comfort of momma and daddy feeding you, washing your clothes, and being there when you need to cry.

Throughout my long 20 years on this earth, I have always been extremely close with my family. They have taught me right from wrong, how to selflessly love, and how to show God’s word. I am from a somewhat small town called College Station, Texas. Ok now, before all of you LSU fans turn off my podcast because I’m from Aggieland, hold your horses! Growing up in college station put a lot of pressure on me to attend Texas A&M University. When I started to apply my junior year of high school to college, Texas A&M was my number one choice, while LSU was my second. Going through the college applications was not fun and if it weren’t for my mom I probably wouldn’t be in college right now! I had good grades in high school but I was so scared of not getting in to A&M. LSU was not my first choice and I definitely did not want to end up there. After submitting all my applications, the only thing left for me to do was pray. My entire family prayed for me and where I needed to be. I think my mom spent half her days praying for God to put me at the school that He saw best fit. The decision was ultimately His but I thought I knew better. I believed that A&M was obviously the best fit for me for so many reasons-I mean, all of my friends were going there, it was close to home, I could see my two brothers grow up, and hey if I needed my laundry done, my parents were right down the road.

Now obviously we all know where God decided I needed to be but at the time of finding out I was not going to be attending A&M I was crushed. A&M offered me a dual enrollment program where I would be student at a community college as well as A&M. Although this is a wonderful program, I felt in my heart that God was pulling me towards LSU instead of A&M, for some reason.

After all the prayers God showed me LSU was supposed to be my home, but I was not happy. I kept questioning why God would want me to go somewhere where I did not want to be.

Going into my freshman year I had a bad attitude about God’s decision to send me to LSU. I contemplated many times transferring back home. All of my friends from high school were together at A&M and I was so disappointed I was not there with them. I prayed every day in my dorm room for God to show me His reasoning’s as to why I needed to be in Baton Rouge.

It wasn’t until my sophomore year that God answered my prayers. Going into this year I still was unhappy about attending LSU. I felt as if it was not the perfect fit for me. The first week of this year, I prayed more than I ever have in my life. I asked for God to show me what my purpose was here at LSU.

And just as God does, He answers your prayers. God put Godly friends into my life here at LSU that have made me never want to look back again. Going away to college has become the biggest blessing God has ever showed me. Over the past two and a half years, The Lord has showed me endless love and I have learned to put my whole faith into Him. Coming from a town where most people do not go away to school, which is totally fine, I cannot stress enough how amazing it is when you do. The lessons God has showed me here at LSU are amazing and I know there are more to come. Thank you so much for tuning and I can’t wait for y’all to hear my next post!

Sharing God’s Mercy

What is mercy? According to Merriam-Webster’s definition, mercy is, “kindness or help given to people who are in a very bad or desperate situation.” When being a Christian, showing God’s mercy is something all should strive to give; however, it tends to be what is forgotten the most.

God is so powerful and so merciful to His children. His children fail him every day, but He always shows kindness and always prevails. God’s love and mercy are something people have a hard time understanding, which is why mercy is so hard to give.

Kindness is a word that is taught, but many people do not show. The world today is a product of the devil’s work. People forget the love God has for them and have turned to what can selfishly benefit themselves. However, God sent His only son to die for everyone’s sins. Like Merriam Webster’s definition said, mercy is kindness or help given to people who are in a very bad or desperate situation. God’s love is forever glorified through the death of His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ’s death is the ultimate testimony of mercy.

Learning from God’s scripture and everyday blessings can help people show mercy to the people that need it the most. Jesus himself had people who did not show him love or mercy; however, no matter how many people turned their cheeks from him, he showed them God’s mercy and grace through his actions. As hard as it is as Christians to show kindness, it is important to remember what God did for his own children.

The gift to give and receive mercy is one of the greatest blessings God has given. Thanks be to God.

How to deal with struggles in keeping your faith

Everyone struggles with their faith in different ways. Some people struggle with temptation, some with lying, some with cheating, and some with deceiving. In a world filled with sin, it is easy to get swept away by the temptations of life.

Struggling to keep a healthy relationship with God is hard no matter what age. So many people have turned their heads from God that is hard to find an outlet of where to turn and whom to talk to. People nowadays view the Church as condemning, instead of accepting and forgiving, or maybe they just don’t have time to go to church. In a world that has turned their eyes from God, it is easy to question one’s faith. Is God real? If God is real, then why is he putting people in such terrible situations? Why are innocent people dying? Does God actually love people who do not love him back? It is easy to put a strong relationship with God on the back burner because of the pressures of everyday life.

When questions and struggles arise in people’s faith there is one thing that is so humbling: no matter how many times one may turn their head, God is holding their hand the whole way. It is hard to imagine why a God who is so forgiving could forgive His unworthy children who fail him every day

Hebrews 11:1 states, “faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Questions in faith are normal. By human nature, it is hard to believe in something that cannot be seen or touched. Though some may believe that struggles and questions are sinful, they are actually a blessing. Being able to reach deeper into a relationship with God is exactly what He wants.

How it is “uncool” to praise God in college

Church on Sunday morning, youth group on Sunday evenings, and Bible study on Wednesdays is the routine of many Christian families around the world. Mom and dad taking their kids to church every Sunday, or reminding their kids to pray before bedtime is the comfort many children have while living at home. Oftentimes when these kids grow up and move onto their college campus, this spiritual routine is interrupted.

Spiritual discipline is something many college students lose sight of when embarking on their college career. College is a time of learning, growing and figuring out what life is all about, but unfortunately, spiritual growth may take a backseat to the newfound freedom that accompanies college life. Instead of continuing a walk with The Lord, students replace their once known Wednesday night Bible studies with 50 cents shot night at the local bar.

Many college students succumb to peer pressure during college. The Lord’s path is not necessarily the coolest thing anymore, and the idea of sex, drugs and alcohol are. Students may believe that declaring God’s love is something that can be put on hold for these four short years of fun. Keeping the faith becomes irrelevant. Students replace their spiritual journey, with things that give them temporary happiness.

1 Timothy 4:12 states, “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.” Praising God in college can be a difficult thing to do; however, sharing God’s word was never easy. As easy as it is to be swept away by what many think are the “cool” things of the world, The Lord says it is just as easy to be swept by His mercy and for his children to show His love and faith.

College is a time for growing. No matter what age a college student is, they may be lead astray. However, no matter how many times we turn our head from God, He is always right behind us when we fall. That is the beauty of Jesus Christ.