Bible Study

     For me, Bible study has always been something that I can never fully commit myself to doing every day.  I try to but my daily responsibilities and even the things I do for myself always seem to be the excuse.  Another problem I tend to have while studying the Bible is reading but not understanding or memorzing what it is trying to teach me. 
     This morning while praying I got a strong feeling from God that the amount of bible study time that I do is not good enough, as well as the method in which I study.  This conviction stirred me to do something about it.  I went to my mom this morning and told her all about my struggle with not studying the Bible enough and not being able to keep it with me afterwards.  She told me an amazing method of study in which I am now going to commit myself to doing every day.  This method is to choose a smaller book from the bible or half of a book and read it every single day for 30 days.  I loved this method after she suggested it to me and I think it is what God is calling me to do in order to continue to grow spiritually. 
     Sometimes I feel as if I come across as a person filled with knowledge from the Bible and that Im the perfect Christian.  Im a sinner...no one can be a perfect Christian...God doesn't expect you to be either.  He knows the sin in our lives and He knows that the ideas and methods of the world can be a distraction to us.  I hope that through this new method of study I can hide Gods word in my heart in a more consistent and effective way.

If you have a method of Bible study that you feel is effective for you and has helped you grow better spiritually, I would like to hear it :)  Leave a comment if you would like to share :)

Back to College

     As I sit here typing away, my mind keeps bringing me back to the many essays and papers i've had to write for college in the past.... and now since the spring semester is starting in two weeks, the reality of what is soon to be required of me has come rushing back in a very strong and depressing way.  I think the depression comes from the fact that once a semester starts....for some reason I cannot stop it from having an all consuming effect on my life.  One could argue though that when it comes to college, an all consuming effect is a good thing.  For me, I feel like it takes away from my quiet time with God and it takes away time spent with my friends and family.  Even though during this consumption I am recieving a good education, I believe time spent with my family and my savior Jesus Christ somehow need to become the priority.
     Sometimes during a semester I also tend to doubt my learning abilities.  Thoughts like "there is absolutely no way to pass this" fill my mind and can affect the way that I study.  This is simply my sinful nature causing me to lack faith in God's will.  The thing I tend to forget is that God is in control of my future and that through his loving guidance, he will determine whether I will have academic success or not.
    So for this coming semester, my main goal is going to be to put God first and to trust that no matter how hard or challenging a class may seem, God is in control and his plan is sufficient.
     ”A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.” (Proverbs 16:9)