Worth The Wait Part 2

Sometimes when God gives us choices we make the wrong one. Since my last blog I have had people ask me how do you know if you are choosing wisely? This of course is a loaded question that I could write a book on but for time sake I can tell you how I chose wisely.

As humans we are conditioned to be desired. From the minute we pick our first crush in middle school or in my case first grade, we long for acceptance and to be in relationship. Unfortunately, along the winding road to marriage we get mixed up with emotions, hurt, cheated or stepped on and we often end up with a bruised heart. I have made many mistakes while dating. I haven't always had pure intentions and treated women with the respect they deserve but then God got a hold of my heart and I started reading what His word said about relationships. He started showing me that I had to hold myself to a higher standard than I was letting myself. God also began showing me that I had been holding on to my past. Every time I would start to feel like I was turning a page, satan was in my ear whispering...."remember when you did that, you'll always be that person". I would sadly agree. I remember one time in church I heard a message on dating and purity and listening to people talk about their conviction and how they were thankful they were virgins when they married and my only question was what if you weren't? Would someone be real enough to tell you how to heal from those regrets? Not in church, not on a blog..... why not? Could God still bless a screw up like me with a Godly wife?

As I prayed about this struggling thought, God began to tell me I was a new creation in Christ Jesus. He spoke to my heart that when I gave my life to Jesus I was no longer the same person. My old ways are dead and gone, my old identity was to be left at the foot of the cross. Scripture says there is no condemnation in Christ Jesus and I stood on that truth. I asked God for his forgiveness and then I learned I had to forgive myself. I then did something that was even harder. I began praying and asking my future wife to forgive me. The pain was almost overwhelming until one day I felt the Holy Spirit tell me to stop praying this prayer and that I have been forgiven. We always want to define ourselves by our past, and if we are truthful, our past relationships usually end in pain, otherwise they wouldn't have ended. So now I began asking myself, "Lord, how do I avoid the pain?"

First I had to establish my worth as a person. I also had to make up a list of things that were non-negotiables, meaning there were going to be things in my future wife that I was unwilling to compromise on. The first priority was that she had to be a Christian. I've had people give me some pretty weird looks when I tell them this but it make sense for many reasons. The first being that it is in the Bible. 2 Corinthians says "Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?" To be unequally yoked in my faith would mean more than not going to church together on Sundays. A Yoke is a harness around two mules that allows them to plow a field in sync with one another. If I were to marry someone who was not passionate about the same things that I was passionate about then I would not be able to live out the calling God has placed on my life. This made me think of a few years ago when I asked a devout 86 year old christian that lived in the nursing home I worked at if she had any regrets about who she married, she said "I was married 52 years and was faithful to my husband but if I could go back I would have chose a Christian....like a real Christian."

If choosing a life partner is the most important decision of my life than I need to make sure I choose someone who has the same fundamental belief that I do. Someone who can push me closer to God rather than steer me away. Someone who can encourage me when I am struggling in my walk.  Nowadays it's easy to peg anyone as acceptable. We give up too easily and lower our standards. We compromise. That doesn't mean every person I dated in my past is a bad person. If i'm being honest, every single woman I have ever been in a relationship with was an amazing person with a good heart. But just because they have these great qualities does not make them the right person to be my wife.

God sees years into your future, He knows what your going to be like as a father, a mother, a grandparent  and He has a purpose and plan for your life and so often we try to see what fits in the present not knowing it won't fit into our future. One thing I strongly believe is the idea that if you have a strong faith in Jesus, then you need to find someone with a strong faith in Jesus. Perhaps you are reading this and you don't even have a relationship with God but would love the qualities that a Godly man or woman can bring into your life. Or you are finding yourself dating the wrong type of man or woman all the time and it's time to try a different way. Perhaps it's time to let the one who created you pick your mate. Would you be willing to let go and let God take control of this area of your life? I did, and it paid off.

To be continued....

Worth The Wait - Part 1

A few weeks ago my best friend texted me a song he wanted me to listen to before my wedding called Death of a Bachelor by Panic at the Disco. While listening to the song it finally hit me that I will never again be single, no more dating and that this part of my life will forever be behind me. I started to remember all the conversations I had with my friends over the years about dating and all the women that have come in and out of my life. I had flashbacks of all the heartache, excitement and nervousness that went into the dating life style. My mind began to think about all the books I had read on dating, blogs and dating sites that I dabbled in and I couldn't help but wish someone would be honest with me. I remember wishing someone would sit me down and tell me the best path to finding the perfect someone for me. Now that I am happily married, I felt like I needed to share my journey in hopes to inspire, encourage or influence others to help find someone who is worth the wait.

Five years ago I began walking out my faith with the Lord when I committed my life to follow Jesus Christ. This meant I could no longer do things my way and that included dating. I remember the first time I took a Christian girl on a date I leaned in to kiss her goodnight and she turned and gave me the cheek. I was disappointed to say the least. I spent some time that evening asking God to help me in the dating process when I heard him impress on my heart that I have no clue how to date. I had been dating for 10 years now, what do you mean I have no clue on how to date. Then I heard a powerful message on dating by Andy Stanley which challenged those who are single to not go on a date for an entire year. He promised at the end it would you make you a better husband and a better person.

So I took a year off dating. In that year I turned down multiple dates, refused to be set up on blind dates and didn't entertain the idea of a relationship with anyone. It was hard at first but then I felt relieved from all the pressure that society puts on you. People have the idea that if you don't have a significant other than there must be something wrong with you. In that year, God shaped my heart into a better man. I focused on loving those around me well. I read books on how to be a better husband and how to set boundaries. It finally dawned on me that being a great husband and father doesn't start once I have a wife or kids but it starts with building Godly character in the present. I needed something to help keep my mind occupied on who I wanted to be so I started a journal that I would dedicate to my wife. I dreamed of giving it to her the day we got married. If there were nights where I felt alone or upset, I would write to her, not even knowing who she would be or what she would be like. Sometimes months would go by before I remembered to write her but when I took the time to journal, it reminded me that she is real, she is out there, breathing, living and that one day I would say "I Do". I am thankful for this journal because God always reminded me that I had to fight for her, that many people and things were going to come into my path to try to distract me, change me or influence me away from the Godly man that she deserved.

Friends I know many of you are single right now wondering when Mr. Right or Mrs. Perfect is going to cross your path. I know the feeling of making every person who walks into the coffee shop a contender for your heart.This thought process is a distraction. As a single person I urge you to become the right person rather than look for the right person. You may only be single for a season but that is the time you need to be working on yourself and who that person deserves. My pastor said something during a sermon that stuck with me in my dating process. He said  "God gives you a choice, choose wisely". It never dawned on me that I could choose wrong and that it might not be the person I wasn't supposed to end up with. I felt if I lived a life pursing God, and chose someone, God would ultimately just bless the relationship. This is not true and can lead to a lot of hurt. But I knew after he said that I needed to forfeit my right to choose and not compromise my choice due to time, loneliness or inconvenience. If the red flags are there, I promise you they will only get bigger in marriage. If you are being pressured to compromise your convictions or character for the sake of someone else gain then I ask you to take a long hard look at the life and ask yourself if that is what you want for the rest of your life. You get a choice to be single, who you date and you want to marry. Choose wisely.

To be continued..

Thank you for reading my blog. If you have any questions, comments or need prayer for anything please email me at zachary.tyler.white@gmail.com or comment below. Thank you and God Bless!

Do you believe in the Resurrection?

A few years ago I walked into a classroom, "Mr. White we need you to break the news to the 2nd grade class that their classmate was shot and murdered over the weekend".... there is no counseling course or book to read on how to break this kind of news to anyone. All I could do was ask God to guide my words and let me grieve with those who are hurting most. I asked the students to have a seat and be quiet while I stood silently in front of them, gathering my thoughts. The room became quiet and my heart began to pound. "Children I have some sad news today..." As I began to share what happened some students began to cry uncontrollably, while others looked around the room in confusion. Me and our principal did our best to explain the tragedy to these young ones. Parents stood in the room in utter shock, teachers stepped out in the hall to gather themselves. After speaking with the class and answering questions for over an hour I began to leave the room to go speak to other classes. As I was walking out I had a little girl raise her hand and ask in a sincere voice..."so when is he coming back?" My heart broke.

Death and dying is never easy to discuss with those grieving but in a school setting, it's different. We have restricted the freedom to talk about God in our schools and I was fully aware of that and did my best to respect the law. I was also struggling to rationalize death so that I could comfort others yet still give them hope to want to live in this world. My mind began going other places. I began to ask myself, what would someone who doesn't believe in God tell these children. How would they be able to break this down in a way where a child would not be afraid to walk around the same streets their classmate was shot and killed by gang members. What comfort does this world provide? The truth is, this world does not provide any comfort, it only provides pain.

I was told a few other classes were struggling so I walked down the hall to our 3rd grade class and allowed the students to ask questions. One boy raised his hand "Do you believe he is in heaven....." The room became still and the sniffling stopped. All eyes began to look up waiting for an answer... I did the only thing I could think of and put the question back on them. "What do you think little boy? Did he go to heaven?" He smiled at me "yes I believe he did.... me too" I added. Almost immediately I had another boy raise his hand in anticipation, "yes go ahead" I said to the eager student in the back. "Do you believe we are resurrected like Jesus?" Once again the room became quiet and all eyes were on me. I will leave it up to your imagination as to how you think I answered that question.

That day rocked me. Many people have asked me questions about God over the years but how profound in the midst of suffering and pain for a third grader to ask me about the Resurrection. It has become a common phrase to tell others "they are in a better place" or "rest in heaven". How can we be sure? Death is inevitable for us all, it does not play favorites and it comes at all ages.

We all hope that death is not the end, that we will get to see loved ones again, that our souls will go on to a better place but what does your hope hang on? The hope of following Jesus is that you will not have pain in this life but that you will one day be with the one who can remove all pain and suffering. Jesus life on earth was a living example of what His Kingdom will be like. While on this earth he healed every sickness, he raised the dead to life, he also promised in his king there will be no pain, no sorrow and he will wipe every tear from our eye. (Revelation 21:4). The hope of following Jesus isn't wishful thinking, he was a real person, who existed on earth, even non-believing scholars agree with this statement. There is more historical evidence surrounding the resurrection of Jesus than any other historical event in the ancient world known to date. There is no more secure hope than to put your faith in Jesus Christ and his words.

When I pass away one day, I will look forward to seeing family members, I will look forward to no longer struggling here on this earth but most of all I look forward to being at the feet of Jesus. He is the one who will provide security, comfort, love, forgiveness and all good things we experienced here on earth. There is no other place i'd rather be then in the presence of the Lord, the creator of heaven and earth for he alone saves.

Thank you for reading, please share and God Bless!!

Facebook Struggle

There is a common theme I have noticed in the past few years. More and more Christians are deleting their Facebook accounts or struggling to maintain staying on social media. What was once created to help us connect and enjoy life together has become toxic and bombarded with political correctness and unfiltered opinions. As a christian, I struggle to stay on social media. As a devoted follower of Jesus I have chosen to live a life of purity and pursue holiness and how can I do that when I scroll down my news feed to see random articles of gossip and or sexual pictures. I chose to be on this site but I struggle to stay a part of it and I know I am not alone. Jesus teaches us that what we put into our hearts comes out of mouths (Matthew 15:18). So if what we read, look at or watch comes into our hearts, how do we protect what comes out?

When we check social media we can expect to find a few things 1) The world is perfect for everyone else 2) Life is more fun somewhere else or with someone else 3) the world is falling apart 4) Social media determines what is relevant and what is not. I'm guilty of clicking on the "wait til you see what he/she did next" articles. I am guilty of clicking on pictures or articles that I know will steer my mind in places it shouldn't go. I am guilty of judging others by their posts and worst of all I am guilty of condemning others in my mind.

So if I struggle to be on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, ect., why do I stay on it? Why put up with this constant struggle when at the click of a button I can go back to my sheltered life pretending like the world is better without all the negativity and sin on social media? The answer is simple, I'm called to be a witness of Jesus Christ. If all the Christians I know deleted their Facebook accounts who would be on the #1 visited site in the world proclaiming the Gospel? We would make a dark place even darker. When we are called to be the light of the world, that phrase transitions to all forms of communication. Now I am not saying I or anyone else will save souls on Facebook but people will be able to see the life transformation of Christ through me. I will testify the things the Lord has done in my life. I will post truth and thank God for the good and the bad events and praise Him for never leaving my side. If you want to be a follower of Christ on Facebook there is no right way to do it but here are a few rules I apply to my post that have helped me:

1) Pray before you post. 
I will literally type out what I want to post and then ask myself does this post show the love of Christ, will others be turned away by what I say or will others see the love of our Father through my words or picture. I have written many responses, post and blogs that I did not post because I felt the Holy Spirit stop me and I have to be okay with not sharing my thoughts.



2) I refuse to vent anything negative or pessimistic
 In the world of social media their are so many posts about hate, judgement, greed, lust and trends and although tempting to comment or respond, I choose not to voice my opinion. I'm here to tell you it is okay to NOT have an opinion on everything. It is impossible to be an expert on everything and there are plenty of things in this world I know nothing about or do not have all the facts so I do not share my opinion. If I decide to post or respond I will choose to say something uplifting, inspiring or encouraging.

3) Be human
I believe God wants us to show our human side to people in all forms. Life is not perfect and we should not pretend it is. Paul proclaimed that he was the king of sinners.The most attractive thing about Christianity should be our humility. We should be owning up to our shortcomings and in return explaining our dependence on Christ and a need for savior.


4) Watch your words
 Words have power and influence, therefore you must choose them wisely. Believe it or not the bible speaks against using profanity, gossip and perverse talk. But don't just take my word for it, here's what God tells us:

"But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth." -Colossians 3:8

"Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place but instead let there be thanksgiving" - Ephesians 5:4

"I tell you, on the day of judgement people will give account for every careless word they speak , for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned" - Matthew 12:36-37

 "Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as it fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear." Ephesians 4:29

5) Love and encourage others
Facebook is by far the easiest way to encourage or make someones day. Imagine if everyone on Facebook left one uplifting message or compliment on someones wall a day how much better the world would be, I can only imagine. Use facebook as a tool to inspire others. The best part is, with only a few clicks, you can make someones day. I dare you to try this for a week, you'll feel better about how you use social media.

6) Avoid Gossip

Today gossip doesn't look like it did in middle school. It comes in various forms which include but are not limited to: sharing other peoples posts, sharing Facebook articles or stories, commenting or posting about celebrities, athletes, politicians or other people you may or may not know. If you repost or comment on something you need to make sure you do your research and do not take what someone says or an article you read as truth. Many things float around in cyberspace and some of it is factual and many are not. Please do not be ignorant and take the time to dive deeper and do you research before promoting whatever you decide to repost.


7) Use it to show gratitude and thankfulness
Some of the most inspiring post I have read have been by people who have lost a loved one, gone through a sickness or a struggle and still shown how their faith has persevered. I can only imagine the smile on Gods face as people read about his goodness as we face obstacles. I make it a point to thank people and show love on Facebook because the world needs to see us model it.

8) Modeling
 As parents and adults we want to raise up a generous, kind and respectful generation but are you modeling this to our youth? As a school teacher I realize my actions with children are more caught then taught and this is true in the social media realm. If you have children following you on twitter or friends with you on Facebook, I plead with you to please refrain from cursing or crude humor. Who are we to say or do one thing and then tell our children they are not old enough or mature to use those words. If you do not want your kids acting or speaking a certain way then model it.



These are just a few things that I use to help shape who I am or want to be perceived on social media. I will be the first to tell you I am not perfect, nor do I try to be. But I do believe God wants me on social media and I believe he wants other Christians on social media too. I will take breaks where I deactivate but that is because I believe in fasting and taking time to focus solely on the Lord but I do believe if we are truly called to the be salt of the earth then we need to be where darkness consumes and social media has become a place of ministry for me. I have had multiple people message me, email me, text me or call me and know that when they have questions about their faith they know they can turn to someone who is honestly trying to live out a life pursing God. Nothing gives me more pleasure then knowing God can use my life to bring his children hope. What are you posting? Have you inspired someone lately? Perhaps you are the person who feels convicted after reading this to start watching who you are on social media. Believe it or not God watches our posts, and one day we will be held accountable for every comment, post, picture or like.

Thank you for reading and if you would like to leave a comment or share please do so. My hope is that this will help encourage people to stay on Facebook and spread truth and hope to their sphere of influence. If you would like to email me or send me a prayer request, you may do so at zachary.tyler.white@gmail.com 

Unanswered Prayers

I woke up this morning and like many other times I struggled to roll out of bed. Many don't know this about me but I suffer from extreme lower back pain. I was diagnosed with a pinched sciatic nerve in my lower back at age 19. I've gone to multiple chiropractors, doctors and repeatedly stretch every morning. Some days the pain is to unbearable to move, I've had to call off work to stay in bed, I've had trouble tying my shoes at times and some days there is no pain. This has been a struggle for me the past ten years and although I am very active physically it does limit my mobility at times. Only those who are very close to me know that I carry this struggle. I have tried different diets, different ways of sleeping and have researched possible cures but nothing seems to help.

To be honest, I get upset and frustrated and turn to God in my anger. I've had pastors, friends, family and strangers pray over my back for healing, but nothing changes. I've cried out to God on my knees  for him to take away this sharp pain, but nothing changes. Last year, I went to a class called Healing One at  my church, Vineyard Columbus, where we talked about Jesus ministry for healing. The leader of this class has healed people from cancer, deafness, blindness and many other physical healings through prayer. He then wanted to do a demonstration to the class for a physical healing and asked for a volunteer. In a room full of hundreds of people, I was hesitant to raise my hand but eventually thought why not. A man across the room jumped up with excitement and ran to the front saying "I'll do it" and the leader laughed and said that's not how it works, I will pray and God will chose who I will pray over.  In a room full of people, there were probably 20 people who had their hands raised, all needing healing from something. I slowly raised my hand again, hoping not to get picked. After a few minutes of prayer and scanning the room with his eyes he said loudly "Zach" please come forward".

I began thinking to myself, "This is it, this is the moment I am going to be healed forever, thank you Jesus" He asked me where I had pain and I told him I have had lower back pain for the past ten years. He said lets call upon the Lord for healing. He did and we waited. After about five minutes of prayer he called forth another leader in the prayer ministry and she began praying over me. I opened my eyes and realized an entire room of faithful Christians were praying for my healing along with myself. I began praying "God hear our prayers, deliver me from this pain. I have been so faithful and believe you are mighty and can heal me." In that moment I felt the Holy Spirit cover my body, my eyes began to tear up. I felt the presence of the Lord all over my body. After about fifteen minutes of prayer and waiting on the Lord they asked if I still felt pain, I waited, bent over and felt a sharp pain go down my back. The pain was still there. I literally just had hundreds of people praying for me, I believed I could be healed in Jesus mighty name, God why can't you take this pain away?

Then all the sudden the life of Paul surfaced to my mind and God spoke to me "My grace is sufficient." That's not what I wanted to hear, I want to be healed and walk away from this event with 0 pain but that's not what happened. If anything I walked away with more questions and doubt about physical healing. Then it dawned on me, how many prayers God doesn't answer in our lifetime. We will never know why He doesn't answer certain prayers and we will sometimes remain with the hurt. But God hears our prayers and he knows our hearts. If the pain I walked away with that day tells me anything it's that God's presence is better than any pain we go through. God will give us pain to mold us, shape us and help us grow. I'm thankful for the days I am pain free but the days where I struggle to move I call upon Jesus and that is what He ultimately wants. He wants to be at the fore front of our minds. I may never be fully healed from back pain, in fact it may get worse over time but I know that no matter what God has a purpose for it. He may miraculously heal me one day like I have heard from so many others but if he doesn't then I will continue to follow the model of Paul who prayed 3 times for the thorn in his side to go away and when it didn't he simply acknowledged that it was in Gods plan for him to have this temporary pain and that his grace is sufficient. I believe Paul was trying to relate to all of us with this passage. That even though God loves us He does not answer every prayer. His Grace, in other words his love, his mercy, his power is greater than any obstacle we will face on this earth and it is all we need to have peace with our situation. So the answer to prayer in times of pain is not always healing but  to ask for more of Him, more of his presence in your current situation.

A trap the enemy uses is telling people that if God does not answer our prayers then He does not care about us, this could not be further from the truth. If you are struggling with an unanswered prayer I ask you to quietly sit and ask God what is its purpose and how he can be glorified through it. Please hear my heart on this, do not think God does not want to answer prayers, He has answered hundreds of mine but there are difficult things that we struggle with to grow closer to Him. We must continue to bring these request to Him and one day whether it is in this life or the next God will remove all pain.

I look forward to the day when I will run into the arms of my savior and never have pain or sorrow again. There will come a day when Jesus will wipe away every tear from our eyes, and every physical limitation will be defeated until then we must continue to praise him for the prayers that He answers and practice patience for the prayers that do not get answered. Do not let unanswered prayers hinder your faith. Remember the things God has already done in your life and hold on to his goodness. God is so faithful in so many things, do not let an unanswered prayer be used to hinder your relationship with Him. Ask for more of his presence and boast in your weakness because when we are weak, HE is strong! God bless you all and stay faithful!!


Please share or comment if you feel like this story speaks to you. You can also email me at Zachary.tyler.white@gmail.com I love you and will be praying for you!
 

Philly Jesus

(Me and Philly Jesus)

I am very good at overwhelming myself. In less than two months on my "summer off" as a teacher I managed to take all my real estate classes, pass my license exam, sell my car, buy another car, teach summer school, be a camp sports counselor and I am currently in the process of buying my first home. See what I mean? Overwhelmed! I get stressed, distracted, I lose sleep and I lose focus. I'd be lying if I said all the things I listed above didn't strain my relationship with God. I began giving other things more focus then Him. I replaced my evenings researching the housing market or studying rather than reading my bible and praying before I went to bed. I know this because my heart grows weak. I thirst for Gods Word and when I begin to distance myself from Him, my anxiety increases, my attitude shifts and I become greedy and self-focused. How do you get back to that place of peace, that feeling of being on fire for God. I still pray, read His word and do my devotion but that fire...theres no feeling like it. Well I experienced it the other day.

My work sent me to a four day teachers conference in Philadelphia and I volunteered to go with a few of our other teachers. I spent the whole ride there talking to one of my fellow teachers about God and all He is showing us and our struggles.. One thing I noticed our first night was how many homeless people there were in Philly. It was heartbreaking. After our second night there I woke up that morning, thinking about all the homeless people, all the people who need help and I couldn't help but feel fortunate. All that God had blessed me with and I forget to stop in my tracks and thank him, I selfishly think I did it on my own, what a fool I can be. That morning as I read my Bible, I stopped to pray the most dangerous prayer you can pray "God use me" this is the one thing we as Christians should always pray because God will always respond. At that moment I felt the Lord tell me I would be preaching on the street of Philly that night, I began wondering how, where and what I needed to do to prepare myself.

That night we had an amazing Italian dinner, afterwards me and my fellow teachers decided to go walk to the LOVE park  downtown. As we were walking there, we passed a man picking through the trash, looking for something to eat. I noticed him first and kept walking, a fellow teacher of mine didn't even hesitate and walked up and gave her food away. At that moment I realize how hardened my heart has become lately. A year ago I wouldn't have even hesitated but now I have trained myself to just walk by and justify not lending a helping hand. We stopped off at a fountain to take pictures. I sat on the park bench alone, surrounded by homeless people sleeping on the benches beside me and in the grass. I asked god to soften my heart, once again I prayed for him to use me. I left my left over food by a homeless mans backpack and walked away in shame.

As we were walking back to the hotel I couldn't help feel like I let God down, I wanted to be a light for him that day. I prayed for him to use me and now the night was over. Funny how God shows up when you ask him too. As we were walking back we passed the LOVE statue and there was a man dressed like Jesus. We passed this man earlier but like most people I thought he was probably a religious nut screaming in peoples faces to repent and condemning them to hell (just being honest I thought the worst). I was curious to what his mission was so I walked straight up to him while was ministering to the youth. There was about seven African American teenagers surrounding him as he told them about Jesus Christ and how much God loves them. He then told them all they needed to do to get right with God was repent of their sins, declare him as Lord and savior and give their lives to him. After the kids walked away I introduced myself and told him I was a follower of Christ and just wanted to hear more about his ministry.

He told me a year ago he was a drug addict, stealing from people and living on the streets. He said everything caught up with him and he ended up in prison. He told me his life hit rock bottom and that's when he prayed the prayer I hear so many people who come to faith say "Jesus if you are real, show yourself to me." He said God hit him like a ton of bricks and began pouring love over his body in that jail cell, to the point where he couldn't control it. He said he started reading the Bible and for the first time it started to make sense. He said he gave his life to Christ and when He got out He devoted everything he does to point to Jesus. He said he felt called to dress up like Jesus and visit  LOVE park to share the love of Christ. He said he wants people to see him and just think about Jesus, "if people just see me and begin thinking about Jesus my job is done." He has had many encounters of people coming up and asking to take pictures with him and then he begins sharing the Gospel to them. At that point people began gathering around us, apparently a Jesus look alike is rare now a days.

At that moment a man walked up and interrupted us, "Hey I got a few questions". We smiled at each other than looked at him, "whats up man". He began asking questions about why he needs to believe in Jesus to go to Heaven. Philly Jesus then started explaining to him that if God is a holy God, one who is perfect, then how can we, being imperfect be in his presence. "Only through the blood of Jesus was this made possible, that our sins are washed away." he said. The man began asking more questions about the Bible and why God would come die for us. I suddenly had a bolt of excitement hit me and began sharing my struggles with him, how I struggled with alcohol in my early twenties and how only through the power of God I have overcome those urges. I told him that Jesus came to make our relationship right with God and conquer the things of this world that are not of God.  He quickly switched and asked why he had to go to church. I laughed out loud (not trying to be rude), "brother we are at church, look around, we are talking about God, we are praising all he has done and we are gathered here together, we are worshipping. That is all church is." He told me he was never going to go to church again, I reaffirmed him that he doesn't have to go to church to believe in Jesus. A relationship with Jesus is the only thing that matters, not a building. But I encouraged him that God wants us to be around fellow believers because they will lift you up and encourage you to be closer to God. He then told me the Bible was written by man and not God. This one always takes time to help people digest. I explained to him just as we were standing there and communicating back and forth, God does the same thing with those who talk and listen to him. If God is about relationship, then you can hear him and respond when you spend time with Him whether it be in prayer, worship or through fellowship. We asked him he knew all these things about Jesus to which he said "No but this is good news." Amen brother, it's the only good news!

Philly Jesus asked him if we could all pray together. We prayed and while in prayer I felt God ask me to extend him an invitation to enter his Holy Kingdom. I asked our new friend and with a tear in his eye he said He wanted to accept Jesus as his Lord and savior. I hugged him goodbye and he promised to return the following day to the park so Philly Jesus could bring him a Bible. God is so good. I walked home that night overjoyed and thankful that God felt I was worthy enough to use that evening. If this story taught me anything it's that I must be committed to be still and listen. I fill my schedule and day so much that I forget to walk humbly in the path that God has created for me day to day. If God is speaking for you to do something, I ask that you do not delay, pursue what He asks and God will reward you! If you want to follow more of Philly Jesus ministry you can check him out on Instagram and Twitter @PhillyJesus

Thank you for reading and God Bless!!

Zach

Please feel free to share on Facebook or email to friends and family. My hope is that my writing will help bring people to know God and encourage their walk with Jesus!

Never Give Up!

This year I had the privilege of coaching a middle school boys basketball team. Half way during the season we had half our team not show up to practice and another two or three kids quit in the middle of practice. We even had our star player walk out of the gym never to return. The pressure got to them. When asked if they give up they simple put their heads down in shame. This was our breaking point as a team. Fast forward two months later and you can find a team picture of all of us united in the middle of a basketball court holding two Championship trophies.

Nobody sees the failure in success. People today think it will just be given to them. Now I am no motivational speaker but I know God placed me in a classroom to speak to middle schoolers every day who are used to giving up. Who better to be an example about overcoming than someone who has failed so many times. I sit up at my desk and tell kids everyday how important it is to get good grades, study and be a good person. They look at me with a deaf ear and a dumb look as if I cannot relate to them. All they see is their teacher with a masters degree using big words and talking about how important hard work is in the real world.

This is where God uses my humility for His glory. It was not until I shared with them that I was border line ineligible my freshman year of high school and almost got kicked off the basketball team, when they lifted they eyes my way to see what I would say next. I told them I didn't take high school seriously, my grades stunk and I got a rejection letter from the only college I applied to which was Ohio University. I bombed my ACT not once, not twice but three times. My grades showed that I was a failure and my test scores clearly supported my low GPA. However it was my failures and learning from them that led to my success. I did not give up. I used that motivation to work harder in college and receive my two bachelors degrees in 4 years under the allotted time. It was a desire to never give up that pushed me to get my masters degree in a subject I was passionate about.

I see a big problem today in our society. People are giving up too easily. When things get hard they cave or walk away. When a relationship is struggling it's as if they take that as a sign to throw in the towel. If we get frustrated at our jobs we start looking for new ones. If we try to hit a fitness goal and it takes months and you don't see a quick result you resort back to your old behaviors.  During trials and tribulations is when your character is formed, not when things are smooth sailing. Never give up on something you cannot go more than a day without thinking about. You are destined for more. You are a child of God and anything is capable with our loving father.

My Christian brothers and sisters you may be going through a crisis of faith right now. Jesus promises to never leave us or forsake us as orphans (John 14:18). I urge you to hold on, stay in prayer and seek the Lord through dark times. Satan will try to convince you that God has abandon you, I promise you he has not. He is right beside you holding you up. You need not fear the things you do not understand and the things you cannot control. If I had one last piece of advice it would be to spend time with God in those moments of weakness. You can only dig down so deep within yourself, only God can take it to where it needs to be to overcome difficult circumstances. You are worthy and you can be great things. Never lose hope! Never give up!

"I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength"
-Philippians 4:13