Archive of ‘Your Story’ category

How to Find God’s Will in Who to Date

/ Christian Dating, Grace, Knowing God's Will, Singleness & Dating, Your Story / 25 Comments

How to Know God's Will in DatingLast month, I lived in anxiety wondering how in the world do I know if this is the man God wants me to date? I was paralyzed with uncertainties. I had met a man who loved Jesus, but did that mean we should date? I was uncertain if God was opening a door or if our meeting in an elevator was just a random occurrence. I was certain of one thing – I wanted to follow God’s will in this decision. Let’s be honest, figuring out God’s will in who to date seems daunting. How do we really know God’s will in who to date? (more…)

The Beauty of Rebellion

/ Devotional, Freedom From Sexual Sin & Shame, How to Know God Personally, Relationship with Jesus, Surrender Life to Jesus, Your Story / 1 Comment

The Beauty of RebellionThere is beauty in rebellion. When I first started living my life for God, I felt the weight of shame from my past of rebellion. I hated myself and the sins of my past. It took a few years for me to begin to break free from this shame and begin to experience the beauty of rebellion. I’m praying that you will experience the beauty of rebellion and the freedom that comes through Christ. xoxo Joy (more…)

How to Respectfully Share Your Faith

/ How to Share Your Faith, Your Story / 7 Comments

How To Share Your FaithQ: “How do I respectfully evangelize? Is it wrong to talk about God around people who don’t believe in him? How can I share my faith without fear?”

A: Any time a controversial topic is brought up, lines are drawn and sides are immediately chosen. Since a lot of us tend to struggle with desiring the approval of others, challenges arise during discussions because we want to avoid conflict and confrontation. We fear sharing our beliefs because we don’t want to offend someone or even lose a friend.

What if she stops talking to me? What if he ends up hating me? What if it ruins our friendship? What if she asks a question that I’m not sure how to answer?

All of the above has previously stopped me from sharing my faith with friends and family, but this doesn’t have to always happen. We can share our faith respectfully and without fear. (more…)

#DADDYISSUES Unveiled and Truth to Set You Free

/ Devotional, Healing, Love, Your Story / 5 Comments

#DADDYISSUESIn today’s world the phrase “Daddy Issues” is so common and popular that the hashtag #daddyissues often trends on social media. It is heartbreaking that our culture has reached a point of acceptance of this problem and even makes a joke out of it. I understand why – it is easier to laugh than talk about our hurting hearts. But this problem needs to be addressed.

The reality is that the way you see yourself now, was shaped early in your life by the words and actions of your father. No matter how much you deny that statement, it is the truth. You can’t do anything to un-do your childhood and you can’t change your father, but you can pray that the love of your heavenly Father will be enough for you and would satisfy your every longings. You can pray for healing and surrender to God your hurts and your pains.

The point of this post is not to make you feel bad about your life, or to point a finger at our earthly dads’ mistakes. The point is for us to realize that even when our earthly dads fail, our heavenly Father will never fail. I pray that this Father’s Day, if you are struggling with a daddy issue, that this post will comfort you and start you on a road to healing. (more…)

A Man’s Perspective on Suffering

/ From a Man's Perspective, Guest Posts, Ministry Partners, Your Story / Comments Off on A Man’s Perspective on Suffering

SufferingSuffering: a season of life that no one hopes to endure, yet happens to us almost daily. We may view suffering as bad, but God views suffering as a way to give himself glory. Today on the blog, Nick Audas shares how God used suffering to reveal to him Christ’s strength. Nick and his wife Sofia are Cru staff missionaries in New York City and monthly partners with JP Ministries. (Read their introduction post here.)

Suffering takes so many forms. I feel like I have seen many of them affect me, either directly or indirectly, over the past year.

I have seen death occur both suddenly and slowly. I have hurt with friends as they hurt. I’ve suffered while praying for situations that were too screwed up for me to be able to fix or make better, and could only ask for God to intervene. (more…)

Q&A with Joy Skarka

/ Surrender Life to Jesus, The Journey, Your Story / 2 Comments

Q&A Joy SkarkaIf you are new to JP Ministries, let me introduce myself. My name is Joy and I am a 22 year old, curly haired brunette who is madly in love with Jesus. Today I’ll be answering a few questions about my journey of believing the gospel, surrendering my life to Jesus and living for God. If you have any additional questions for me – leave them in the comment section below! xoxo Joy (more…)

How to Write Your Testimony

/ Christian in College, College, How to Share Your Faith, Resources, Your Story / 2 Comments

Write your Story

Every Christian has a powerful redemption story. God can and will use your story to bring him glory. Your story is your most powerful resource for sharing the gospel with the people around you. That is why it is so important to write your story in a way that is easy to understand and that explains the gospel. This post will help you do just that.

I’ve heard people say that their story is not powerful because nothing “bad” happened to them. I want to encourage you that every story is powerful. You went from death to life when you accepted Jesus as your Savior. When you made that decision, the power of the Holy Spirit was given to you. This is the same power that resurrected Jesus from death. Now, that power is inside of you, and because of that fact your story can change lives and bring others from death to life.

Every time we tell our stories we give honor and glory to God. Our story is the story of how God rescued us, saved us, redeemed us, and forgave us. Our story is a story of hope. It’s our first person account of how our lives have changed. And retelling of your redemption story reveals God’s character. Sharing our stories glorifies God because we are giving Him the credit and acknowledging His work in our lives.

We have to be ready to give our story at any moment. The Bible tells us – to always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have (1 Peter 3:15). How can we be prepared? We need to write out our story and practice sharing it. In the moment, it is easy to get jumbled up, flustered, distracted, and off point. This could distract, bore, or confuse the person you are trying to share the gospel with. We have powerful stories, so we want to maximize the potential and give God the glory.

To help you write your story and  to prepare you to share at any time, answer the questions below. Work through each question and then combine them into your story. Add transitions so your story flows. The best stories have conflict, plot, climax, and resolution – your testimony of how Jesus changed your life is no different. (more…)

Your Story Matters – The Power of Your Story (Part 4)

/ How to Share Your Faith, Your Story / 2 Comments

Your Story MattersHave you ever doubted if God will use your life for his good? Have you worried that your life would not leave a lasting impact on eternity? I want to encourage you that God’s plans are bigger than anything our tiny human brains can imagine. God will use you and your story to bring him glory.

Months ago, I wrote a series called ‘The Power of Your Story’. This series included powerful messages about how God can use our broken lives for his redemptive purpose. I thought I was done with this series, but then God showed me another story in the Bible that preaches this theme. This story is about a person who encounters God, shares his story with another, and then gets to watch a relative go from death to life. (more…)

Your Shameful Past Does NOT Define You – A Woman’s Perspective

/ Your Story / Comments Off on Your Shameful Past Does NOT Define You – A Woman’s Perspective

You Are NOT Defined by Your PastYesterday on the blog Sam Eaton discussed how we are not defined by our past from a man’s perspective. Today I will talk about the same topic on his blog, Recklesslyalive.com, only from a women’s perspective. If you want to first read his perspective, click here. Then you can read my perspective on his site. (Click here).

I’m so excited to discuss how God forgave us for our past, and thus so will a godly man. You are NOT defined by your past. Jesus has made you white as snow, and thus when a Godly man looks at you he should see a pure daughter of God. Click the photo below to read more!

Not Defined By Your Past

 

 

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