It was one of those well planned out Saturdays. I had a photo shoot arranged for the day and a studio rented out to take pictures. Everything seemed to be perfectly planned until I hit black ice on my way to the studio and my car took me where I never thought it would.

I woke up that morning and the day started out as usual. After quickly reading the Word on my phone, I headed out the door. It was there I made my mistake; I left my room without a prayer. That was a standard I set for myself, to always pray before heading out of my room door. I knew if I didn’t pray then, I would forget to later on. I tossed my things into the car and a brief thought came over me, what would happen to my camera if I was to get into a car accident? I ignored the thought and pulled out of my driveway. At 9:25, I had already filled up my car and started to pull out of Chevron in route to taking a left on 119^th as my navigation had suggested. Turning on a yellow light, I had missed my turn for 70^th avenue; I proceeded to gain speed knowing that I needed to turn on the next available street. Before I knew it, my car began to lose control and swerved me to the left and right. At the same time, I was frantically trying to hold the wheel to keep me going straight. Suddenly, the left side of my car slipped onto the side of the road and began skidding on the edge of the ditch. Then, after hitting a dip, my car lost complete control and flipped upside down. The only thing that saved me from being tossed out the window or hitting anything at all was my seatbelt and the mercy of God.

My first instinct upon flipping over was to find my phone and call my dad. While being held upside down by my seatbelt, I screamed into the phone telling my dad that I had flipped over and I was sure that the car was going to blow up. As I panicked on the phone, out of nowhere a lady called out to me from the right side of the window and asked me if I could unbuckle myself. I told her that I couldn’t because I would fall down on the glass in front of me. I looked over to my right where her husband stood on his knees and told me he would help me out. At this point in time, I cannot recall exactly what happened next. I vaguely remember that the man held me while I unbuckled and climbed out of my car. As soon as I crawled out, the couple informed me that help was on the way and that everything would be fine. However, after that, I don’t remember the couple at all. They simply disappeared. I had no time to realize that the couple had vanished because everything was happening too fast. I didn’t even have a moment to notice the other witness who had stopped by; she wrapped me in a blanket and handed me a water bottle. Everything in me tells me that the young couple who had noticed me first were angels. No one else had seen them and they hadn’t even said goodbye to me or waited until help arrived. I had come to realization of this after the accident because there was no possible way the young woman could have talked to me through the passenger window, considering the fact that it was completely crushed and there was no way to look into the car through it. Yet, somehow I had spoken to her through the window as if the car had been whole in that moment.

I was able to walk away from the accident without any signs of bleeding or serious injuries. For that, I completely give glory to God. With this accident, I realized how short life is. Every day, as the imagery of the accident repeats in my mind, I realize how much I am thankful to be completely and perfectly unscathed with no symptoms or evidence that I was even in an accident. Even my materialistic possessions were left unbroken. What I realized most was to never ask God “why” ever again. He has everything in control and everything that happens in our life, although we may never understand it, He has a distinct plan for. He knows exactly what he wants to do with you, your life, and the testimony that you bring to the people around you. Now I definitely know I still have work to do. God left me here for a reason and he is not finished with me yet.

So I went up again and this time I landed but my board ended up slipping out from under me at a high speed. I rolled over as I fell and slammed my shoulder into the snow. I quickly stood up and slid to the slide to avoid getting hit by the other snowboarders. Then I slowly made my way down to the bottom of the hill. George and Illiya were waiting on the bottom and they decided to go up again and ride down through the forest. I, on the other hand, didn’t want to because my shoulder was aching. For a moment, I leaned over and put my hands on my knees to rest. George became concerned and asked if something was wrong. I said no and we got on the lift to go up. When we reached the top, I told them know I was going back down to sleep in the car because I didn’t want to snowboard anymore.

As I was getting off the lift, I gained speed and went over a small hill, as I was supposed to, however my board went too far right. I hit a deep patch of powder snow and, because I was looking at my arm, I wasn’t watching where I was going. As soon as I hit the powder, the nose of my board went into the snow and flipped me over and I landed hard on my shoulder. Pain shot through my arm and I think that’s where I actually broke my shoulder. For a few minutes, I just laid there in the snow because I thought my shoulder would hurt if I stood up. As I was lying there, a patrol man on a snowmobile rode by, carrying an injured person in the back, and asked if I was okay. I assured him I was so he left. A few moments later, once he dropped off the other person, he drove up to me again. He asked me if I needed a ride and asked what the problem was. I told him my arm aches and said I could use a ride down to the car. So he helped me take off my board and took me down to our car. In the car, I slept and waited for George and Illiya.

When they finally came, they asked if I was alright and again, I assured them I was. On our way home, we stopped by a gas station and bought some pain pills for me because my shoulder was hurting. As we continued driving, George and Illiya prayed for me and George proclaimed quick healing upon my shoulder and told me everything will be fine. A few days after being home, I went to the urgent care with my mom. After getting my X-Rays done, the technician who took my X-Rays was shocked; his eyes widened when he saw them. He looked at me and said “bro, I’m not supposed to tell you this but it looks bad!” He showed me where I broke it and I myself got very scared.

. Later, the doctor came in with even more bad news; I needed to get surgery. He gave me a splint and I wore it for a few days in much pain. Every night for a few days, I woke up during the night needing a pain pill and couldn’t sleep. A couple days later, I had an appointment to discuss my surgery and possibly get it then too. After getting my X-Rays done again, the technician widened her eyes when she saw the results; immediately, I thought my shoulder had gotten worse. She, however, didn’t tell me anything. After a while of waiting and worrying, the doctor came in and explained to me that my bone had lined up perfectly and I didn’t need a surgery!

Not only that, I also didn’t need to wear any cast. I was only required to wear a splint for 6 weeks. At the end of it all, George was right. I realized that in hard circumstances like mine, when everything seems to be going wrong and is hard, it is important to have faith and never doubt God. No matter how impossible and hopeless the situation may seem, it is not too difficult for God to do a miracle!

p.s. Do you want to share your testimony? Please contact us at media@generation4truth.com

(those outfits are ONLY for girls, guys can get inspired by the promo clip, we explained it there)

We hope that will help, but please remember, we don’t want you to stress out about it! Take it easy, research 90th (but keep in mind modesty) and find something what will work for You!

We hope to see you soon!!!

After we finished listing the fears, the youth pastor folding his hands and asked us a question. “Do you think that these fears can be healthy fears?” he asked. We exchanged glances around the group, unsure of the correct answer. After a few moments, he nodded and said “yes”. He then went on to tell us that the fear of not knowing the Bible can be turned into our motivation for reading more of the Word and memorizing verses. The fear of not knowing what to say can encourage us to pray for the Holy Spirit to lead us to say the right words. It is not our words that change a person, but rather God’s words; we are simply a tool for Him to speak through. Furthermore, the fear of misunderstanding should have no power in our lives because it is not our responsibility to bring a person to Christ. It is, however, our responsibility to tell them about Him. We cannot force someone to understand what we are telling them; that is the Lord’s work. We simply must plant the seed and then pray for their hearts to be opened to acceptance. Although the fear of embarrassment is so common, we must ask ourselves: is our embarrassment or discomfort more important than one’s soul? Our comfort should not matter to us that much.

Finally, it slowly dawned upon us what the youth pastor had explained and we knew that being silent was not an option. We must remember that no matter how uncomfortable and awkward the situation may have seemed, the seed was planted and God can now water and nourish it, in hopes that it will sprout and produce life. When we are led by the Holy Spirit, it is our ultimate responsibility to share Jesus with those around us, regardless the discomfort and embarrassment we may feel. Starting today, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, let’s proclaim Jesus to those around us and not be silent!

Many of us are familiar with the term “Dedication and “Commitment,” but how many of us really have the knowledge of its meaning?

If someone were to question you about what Dedication means to you personally, what would you say?!

There are three elements and important factors to be completely dedicated to something. Often, being dedicated to a ministry sounds so great to everyone of us, but not everyone pulls through,

showing how committed they are to what they forsay are “passionate” about. So lets see what needs to be maintained in us in order to succeed in our Commitment. ..

• A Personal Dedication Requires A Primary Decision-

Before a person agrees and makes an oath to be dedicated to  some sort of commitment or dedication, they NEED to make a primary decision in their hearts and agree to stick to it until the very end; Wheather is is to engage in a lifetime marriage, enroll in student University, or to join a Church Ministry. It is something that requires your time, effort and investment; without that, there is no guarantee in how far you can go.

• A Personal Dedication/Commitment Requires Self- Discipline-

” We must allow God to prune and clean us with his word. We must pray to God and ask him to bless our efforts. ” John 15:2

I believe that when we make the decision to dedicate ourselves to something, we will not follow through if self discipline is not emphasized to its maximum. I know even for myself, this plays a big role in my commitment to anything. Many of us have the tendency to procrastinate and fall behind but if we put our priorities straight and discipline ourselves to what needs to be done and how important it is that someone out there might be relying on us- this part of dedication is crucial. You might only be involved in a small portion that might not seem like a big deal, but look on the other hand- there are probably many individuals that depend on you rely on you.

Set your priorities. Organize yourself. Know your limits.

• A Personal Commitment Requires your Devotion To God

Have you ever felt like you’re doing so much for God and your schedule is so packed that you don’t have time to spend time one on one with him? You go to Church because you are part of a ministry and you come out dry and you feel like there is something missing?  Sometimes we get carried away with the load that is on our back because we are relying so much on ourselves. I say, let it all go and Trust God! Don’t rely on yourself because you have a God who is always by your side. God is crying out for a relationship with everyone one us. He wants you to be devoted to him and to have a personal relationship with you. Often, some things dont go right because in your dedicational walk with him, the biggest priority is to be devoted to him. Live everyday in him. Pray for his wisdom in whatever you do in life, and he will bring you more joy and success than you can ever imagine. Devote to him and he will surround you with his wisdom!

We, the body of Christ work like a big factory- with each individual peice depending on each other. Although every division has its own part and responsibility, they all work together to carry out the many tasks it all requires. Even if one part of the body would be unusable, everyone is affected. Just like our own body. Often we don’t value all 206 bones we have in our body, but as soon as one of them becomes fractured or broken, our entire body is affected by the tear.

Same goes with Body of Christ. We are all one family, whom depend and need each other so much.

“Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body- whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free- and we were all given the one spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many. 1 Corinthians 12:12

Sometimes, we come across difficult situations in life where we  feel like were going through the biggest storm and nobody knows or understands. And this is when our cell groups become so effective. I personally have been through a rough season where everything seems to go wrong but we have brothers and sisters and Christ who are always there for us in prayer and support. We are one big family and our job is to work together. I strongly believe that walking a journey all alone would be an impossible mission to complete. So lets stand strong together, in prayer and fellowship and allow the spirit of God to flow over our lives.

Hi, my name is Sophia and I’m 18 years old. About 3 months ago my family and I moved to the states from St. Petersburg,Russia. This was probably the most scary & unbelievable thing that has happened in my entire life!

My family was moving a lot from place to place, city to city, but this time, it was different. Maybe because I’m the youngest in the family and I didn’t really care where we were going this time. We were preparing for this move for 2 years. I really thought that I was ready for anything and that it would be pretty easy to transition; no worries or depression. I was sure that I’m a strong person andsomething like this move wouldn’t change me much. But everything happened totally differently.

Very soon I figured that I was unprepared. It was very hard in the beginning. The hardest part was to get out of the comfort zone and leave everything behind and go to a place where I don’t have anything: no friends or even people I know; no work or typical life rhythm. Everything I loved or earned for years disappeared in one day. One day- that’s how long it took us to move. St. Petersburg – Moscow – New York – Portland – Vancouver (WA). 24 hours is enough to change your life forever.

I liked my life in Petersburg. It was not unusual or full of extraordinary events, but I was satisfied with what I had. The only thing I didn’t have – relationships with God. Even though I grew up in Christian family and went to church regularly, it was only because my parents have made me. I though it was just waste of time and would prefer to go walk with friends or chill at home after a long day at work. But I still had to go to church.

I had faith, but it was different. I prayed and sang songs, but rarely. I would read the Bible, but didn’t like going to church for some reason. At that time I had a strange position in faith. I told God: “If You’ll allow anything bad in the lives of my family, relatives or friends – I’ll leave you! I’ll leave and will never come back. So if You need me, You’ll keep everybody who I care about safe.” I knew in advance what I will be doing when I will leave Him. I knew where I will be and with who. Such audacity! But that’s how I lived. And it’s the grace of God that nothing happened with anybody in my family.

In August I went to the Generation4Truth Summer Camp and on the second day my life got changed completely! God touched me so strongly. He talked to me and showed me everything I had been, what I’ve been doing, and my state of mind. But then He changed my mindset! I repented and promised that no matter what, I won’t turn away from Him! And as soon as I did that I felt that from then on, I have a new life. The life which He prepared for me!

Now I feel so sorry for trying to dictate the rules to God. And looking back I’m honestly shocked that all those years God had being protecting every single person I cared for and I can truly say that it’s ONLY by His grace and mercy. He proved to me again that He loves and values me. Even after so many mistakes,He still accepted me as His own. He teaches me how to live. He helps and gives all the love, care, and attention I need. His presence is the most pure, gentle & incredible thing that can be in people’s lives.

I wish for everyone to taste His love and sweet presence. In this world,everything is changing: people, friends, fashion, government, even each one of us. But there is nobody who can love as He loves! He gave out what was most precious to Him so you can live. I my opinion, it’s enough to believe that He treasures you!

По русски можно скачать здесь Sophia-blog-rus!
 
p.s. Do you want to share your testimony? Please contact us at media@generation4truth.com
 

The app description reads: “Podcasts app is the easiest way to discover, subscribe to and play your favorite podcasts on your iPhone , iPad, and iPod touch.” You can organize them by topic, with the all new Top Stations feature. Although you could previously find Podcasts from specific companies, web-sites, authors, etc. on iTunes, this app will make the process a lot easier and definitely worth checking out. Like most podcasts, themes, the app is also FREE courtesy of Apple!

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We must first bring all our hurts, pains, and soul wounds to God and allow him to heal and cleanse us before rushing into marriage. When your spiritually and emotionally stable, your able to pit your focus on God and serve your spouse. If you’ve got wounds buried deep down, the’ll eventually comp up and will stand in the way of whole heartedly serving your husband/wife.

One lie the devil’s been selling is that without a spouse you’re not complete. Wrong. Without God you’re not complete. “nowhere in the bible does it say “a married person is a new creation in Christ” No. it says anyone who believes. You, just the way you are, are completely whole. You’re not “missing something” your COMPLETELY whole as you are, in Christ.

Seek first the kingdom and if it’s part of God’s will, in His timing you’ll get married.

Get married in the kingdom of God, and in the will of God.

Food for thought:

The temple in the old testament is a portrayal of a woman. Only one man was ever allowed in the holy of holies. Likewise, only One man should be permitted to enter the holy of holies of a woman’s mind, heart, and body.