Red Riot Blog

Red Riot Blog

During the holidays I'll be doing some writing for the best youth in the world on the Red Riot's blog.

So head on over there and check out the coolness!

Cheap & Nasty

Philippians 4:8

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

I love bargains, and I have skills at finding great stuff at super low prices. It’s a gift. For example a whole lot of cool earrings from Mr Price for 20 bucks. But as I’ve been wearing them, they’ve started to infect my ear lobes. Not great. So what I do is I wear the cheap ones for a few days, then take a break and wear silver ones until my ear feels better, go back to the cheap ones, and the cycle goes on.

We tend to do the same thing with our minds. We put stuff into our minds, not necessarily bad stuff; it’s cheap and easy and looks pretty cool, but it’s not pure silver and that starts to infect us. We put up with it until the infection gets too much, then we go back to the pure stuff, back to the Lord and ask Him to heal us. He does. Then it’s back to Mr Price for more cheap stuff.

But God calls us to live in His purity and holiness always; to wear His treasures, not cheap, rubbish stuff. He calls us to think on Him and His goodness, not on things that will infect us and bring pain. Turn your eyes upon Jesus; look full in His wonderful face and the things of the world will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.

Chameleon

We’re like chameleons. The more time we spend in an environment, the more adapted we become to it. The more time we spend with someone, the more we start speaking and acting and using phrases like them. I do it often. It’s not something that I try and do; in fact I fight the power. I don’t go into a conversation thinking, “Ok, now I’m going to say 'good not great' like Yas.” I don’t see something funny and then decide to laugh like Chels. By hanging out with them, they’ve just rubbed off on me. As Selena Gomez would say, it just comes naturally. By being with them, I become like them. And I think it’s an honour to them and a sign of our close relationship that I would let myself change to be like them.

Ephesians 5:1

“Be imitators, therefore, as dearly loved children.”

How do we imitate God? Simple. We just need to be with Him to become like Him. As I draw near to Him, He’ll draw near to me and rub off on me, making me more like Christ. The time I spend with Jesus should be evident in the things I do and say, I should be becoming like Him. Being like Jesus will glorify and honour Him in the biggest way. Allow yourself to adapt to the awesomeness of Jesus.

When the world is out to get you and no where feels safe, make like a chameleon and camouflage into Jesus.

Gotta Make Your Mind Up

Luke 16:13

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

My puppy Lucy likes playing and chasing after a toy while she still has one in her mouth. But then she gets into a dilemma of which toy to carry, which to chase, and how to get them both into her mouth at the end. And it doesn’t work out. Why? Because you can’t serve two masters.

I think that’s what we try and do. We carry God in our heart, but then we go chasing after money and success and self-gain; not actually sure which one we want more. Or maybe those other things hold our heart, but we try and chase after God, try and seek Him, then find we have no room for Him in our heart. We can’t do both.

As humans we love to multitask. Even smartphones now come with dual-core processors, allowing us to do two or more things at once. But when it comes to our hearts, they need to be pure, set on only one thing (No Added Extras). Jesus says we must hate and despise one master and love and be devoted to the other. He asks us to be hot or cold, yes or no, in or out. Kicking it with Jesus, or kicking yourself? You gotta make your mind up. Which master are you going to serve?

*YOU*

Today I was reading this chapter in Zechariah, and I thought, “This is cool, it can really apply to my life.” So I read it again, and wherever it says ‘Israel’ or ‘them’ or something like that, I subbed in ‘you’, and read it to myself. It goes like this:

Zechariah 10

The LORD Will Care for you

 ¹ Ask the LORD for rain in the springtime;
   it is the LORD who sends the thunderstorms.
He gives showers of rain to you,
   and plants of the field to you.
² The idols speak deceitfully,
   diviners see visions that lie;
they tell dreams that are false,
   they give comfort in vain.
Therefore you wander like sheep
   oppressed for lack of a shepherd.

 ³ “My anger burns against the shepherds,
   and I will punish the leaders; 

  for the LORD Almighty will care 
   for you and make you like a proud horse in battle. 
⁴ From Judah will come the cornerstone, 
   from him the tent peg, 
from him the battle bow, 
   from him every ruler. 
⁵ Together you will be like warriors in battle 
   trampling their enemy into the mud of the streets. 
You will fight because the LORD is with you, 
   and you will put the enemy horsemen to shame.

 ⁶ “I will strengthen you
   and save you. 
I will restore you
   because I have compassion on you. 
You will be as though 
   I had not rejected you, 
for I am the LORD your God 
   and I will answer you. 
⁷ You will become like warriors, 
   and your heart will be glad as with wine. 
  You will see it and be joyful; 
    your heart will rejoice in the LORD. 
⁸ I will signal for you
   and gather you in. 
Surely I will redeem you; 
    you will be as numerous as before. 

⁹ Though I scatter you among the peoples, 
   yet in distant lands you will remember me. 
  You will survive, 
   and you will return. 
¹⁰ I will bring you back from Egypt 
   and gather you from Assyria. 
I will bring you to Gilead and Lebanon, 
   and there will not be room enough for you. 
¹¹ You will pass through the sea of trouble; 
   the surging sea will be subdued 
   and all the depths of the Nile will dry up. 
Assyria’s pride will be brought down 
   and Egypt’s scepter will pass away. 
¹² I will strengthen you in the LORD 
   and in his name you will walk and live securely,” 
            declares the LORD.

The Start Of Something New

http://www.jonacuff.com/stuffchristianslike/2011/06/the-past/

Isaiah 43:18-19

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.

 “Forget the former things;”

That’s a command, not a “maybe you should think about doing this.” And it doesn’t say, “Learn from them, wrestle with them, figure out a valuable lesson you can take from them.” It says “forget” them.

“…do not dwell on the past.”

God knows what we’ll be tempted to do. In this case, it’s obvious: We’re going to struggle with dwelling on the past. With making our home in the past, with defining ourselves by our past. God knows we’ll struggle with that and pleads, “Do not dwell on the past.”

“See, I am doing a new thing!”

Don’t you want to hug the Bible when it ends a sentence with an exclamation? This is not something casual or ordinary. This is a new thing! Hope is loud and bright and colourful!

“Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?”

In this we’re told God’s ability to spring it up and change our lives will not be dependent on our ability to perceive it. There are so many days where I don’t see or feel the new thing he is doing in my life, but that matters not. He is doing it nonetheless, regardless if I do not perceive it.

“I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”

I don’t care how wild your past was. I don’t care about how wasted the wasteland of your life was. Those are the very places God loves to redeem. Those are the very places he puts a way through. Those are the very places he puts a stream.

Sometimes, my past feels big and inescapable. It looms large in my head and my heart, a tattoo that will not fade, a defining moment that cannot be forgotten. But the truth is, the past is not my home. God is doing a new thing. In me, in you, in us. The old has gone, the new has come, I am a new creation!

A Good Heart

Psalm 78:72 (The Message)

“[David’s] good heart made him a good shepherd.”

It’s all about the heart. That’s where it all starts. If your heart’s good with God, you’ll be good at whatever He’s called you to. God looks at our hearts, our motives, our deepest desires, our most hidden thoughts. We need to allow God a close look at our hearts and allow Him to make them good. We don't have to strive to have a good heart, God says that He'll do it, He's got this thing covered, we've just got to give our hearts to Him...

"And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh." (Ezekiel 36:26)

Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. Give God your heart, let Him God your heart (God Your Heart post), and your life’s journey will be great.

Scrapes & Bruises

Proverbs 16:4

“The Lord works out everything for His own ends – even the wicked for a day of disaster.”

Although nothing in life is perfect, God uses everything in life to make us perfect. He’ll even use wicked people to bring disaster that will bring us closer to Him. He doesn’t bring the bad times, but He’s not afraid of using them to change us. He’s not worried that they will spiral out of His control; He’s bigger than them. He can see the end, He can see the best path for us to walk, and He’ll do everything to get us to walk in that path. What’s a few scrapes and bruises in comparison to eternal life and perfection?

Quality Time

Jeremiah 31:3

“I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving kindness.”

These holidays I got quite frustrated with a friend that I so love and don’t often see and was therefore pretty desperate to hang out with, but she was unable to see me, not because she didn’t want to, but just because she had busied her whole holidays up. It wasn’t cool. But it got me thinking.

God so loves me and daily draws me to him, but I tend to busy my life so much that I run out of time to spend with my God. And God stands by, calling me, willing me to come to Him, to acknowledge Him, to speak to Him. But even though I know how worthy He is and how great He is to be with, I let everything else crowd my time to the extent that Jesus becomes something I have to fit into my day among all the other things, instead of all the other things fitting around Jesus. Imagine how that must make Him feel. He died for me, yet I can’t give quality time to Him. So not cool!

Content

Proverbs 14:30

“A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.”

As soon as we look at other people and want what they have, our bones start to rot and we become rotten, smelly people. But, when we’re content with what we have and who we are, we are filled with life and peace.

The Delightful Truth

Proverbs 12:22

“The Lord detests lying lips, but delights in men who are truthful.”

Detest is a strong word. God cannot stand it when we lie. He is Truth, so when we lie, no matter how big or small, we go against everything He is. But He delights when we tell the truth. I love being delighted in, so I guess that meas I need to learn to love telling the truth.

Overlook

Proverbs 12:16

“A fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult.”

It’s not easy overlooking an insult. It’s more satisfying being offended and showing everyone our annoyance. But that’s what fools do. A wise man knows that an insult does not change or define him, so he lets it go. He holds no records of wrong, and he loves the insulter.

Stupid

Proverbs 12:1

“Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates corrections is stupid.”

Bam! There it is. When you get annoyed at your parents or boss or friend for correcting your driving or manners or attitude or whatever it may be, you’re being plain stupid. Next time discipline arrives, just stop and think about it.

Stay

Leviticus 10:7 

"Do not leave the entrance to the Tent of Meeting or you will die, because the Lord's anointing oil is on you."

God is unmoving, constant and always the same. Us humans, we're fickle and ever-changing, always looking for new thrills. But if these thrills take us away from God, if we leave God's presence, walk away from Him and go our own way, we will die. We might 'live it up', but our souls will die, 'cause the Lord's anointing is our life.

Kind

Proverbs 11:16

“A kind-hearted woman gains respect.”

People want respect. Men look for respect from their kids, their wives, their employees and fellow men. And with the whole feminist vibe going down, woman work so hard to gain respect, sometimes killing themselves in the process. A kind-hearted person gains respect. Not a pushing, shoving, attention seeking person. Simply kind. 

Listen Up

Proverbs 15:29

“He hears the prayers of the righteous.”

It’s pretty frustrating talking to someone who’s not interested and you know they’re not listening. It’s pointless. Then you get those people who don’t really say much, but you know they’re listening and you know they care. And then they write you cool letters in response :)

God’s like that. He’s listening, He really cares, and although His answers don’t always seem instant and clear, He’s written them all in an awesome letter to us, known as the Bible. Keep talking to Him.

Sitting, Waiting, Wishing

Psalm 37:34 (The Message)

“Wait passionately for God.”

I think of it like this.

When you’re sitting at the airport to pick up a stranger, you just sit there waiting, thinking about many other things. You’re really not interested in the person coming, more just wanting the wait to be over so that you can go home.

But when you’re waiting there for a sister, a brother, a best friend, you can hardly sit still. You think about your cool memories, and all the things you’re going to do together and you can’t help but smile the goofiest grin. You can’t wait for them to come, not so that you can hurry up and go home, but so that you can be with them, because any place, any situation is made better with them there. You’re excited and expectant for the joy that is to come.

That’s passionate waiting. That’s how we should wait for God.

Carefree

1 Peter 5:7 (The Message)

“Live carefree before God; He is most careful with you.”

Also known as: “Cast your burden onto Jesus, for He cares for you.”

God’s got it all, so we don’t have to. He is strong so we can be weak. He is whole so we can be broken. He knows it all so we can let it go. He can fix it (yes He can!), because we tend to break everything. He never sleeps so we can rest. He never fails and always wins, so losers like us become winners like Him. He is most careful with you so you can become most carefree before Him.

Pump It

Psalm 37:31 (The Message)

“His heart pumps God’s Word like blood through his veins.”

I study commerce, not bio, but I do know (/think) that our blood pumps from our heart and carries oxygen to our muscles, giving us life. So whatever is in our blood, will flow around our bodies and affect our lives. I would love the Word of God to be so deeply inside my head and heart that God’s life would be pumping around my body, that His words would be sustaining me, and that if something had to cut me up to the core, a flow of something good and pure and true would come out of me.

Life & Death

Proverbs 10:21

“The lips of the righteous nourish many.”

Do the things I say nourish people and build them up?
Do I speak life or death?
Are my words filled with hope and life and love and joy?
If not, are my lips righteous?

The Arrows

Psalm 11:2 (The Message)

“The evil bows are bent, the wicked arrow aimed to shoot under the cover of darkness at every heart open to God.”

Satan hates God. Big call, I know, but it’s true. And therefore, the devil is not a fan of hearts open to God. His sole aim is to poison us against God. He continuously shoots poisoned arrows at our hearts. But thank the Lord for His armour. He gives it to us, but we need to put it on. We have the shield of faith to extinguish those arrows of evil and temptations. We need to put on the helmet of salvation to protect our head and its crazy thoughts, the boots of the gospel, to give us a purpose and mission, and pick up the Word sword of the Lord and fight. And as Eph 6 says, let’s be strong in the Lord and stand firm on Christ the Solid Rock.

Face-Plant

Psalm 25:15 (The Message)

“If I keep my eyes on God, I won’t trip over my own feet.”

When we spend our whole lives trying to plan and make things happen our way, we will forever fail and face-plant. The things we can do without God are lame; the things we do for Him and with Him are the furthest thing from lame. If we fix our eyes on Jesus, our Author and Perfector, He’ll guide our steps and lead us out of the uselessness of ourselves and into the awesome things He has in store for us.

More Than Halfway

Psalm 34:4 (The Message)

“God met me more than halfway.”

As Fergie and the Black Eyed Peas would say, “Oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh, I can’t go any further than this.” Which is true, we can’t go very far in our own strength. But God waits for us to take just one little step, and He’s there like a bear, meeting us way more than halfway.

Life's A Party

Psalm 27:4-5 (The Message)

“…at His feet. That’s the only quiet, secure place in a noisy world.”

I’m not a fan of loud, crowded parties and places at all, and the world sometimes feels pretty much like one big, overcrowded, noisy party. Not ideal. But what is ideal is having an escape, a quiet, secure place to chill and breathe. When life gets too much, when the pain is too great, when my exhaustion is taking over my world, I can sit at the feet of Jesus, and find love and silence and peace, and I can breathe Him in and simply just be.

Forget Me Not

Hosea 2:13-14

“’She went after her lovers, but me she forgot,’ declares the Lord. ‘Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her.’”

We forget about God daily. We spend so much of our time pursuing other lame things, and God becomes an afterthought, a prayer or a thank you a couple times a day. But He is so much more! And despite our disinterest in Him, He longs for us. He longs to woo us, to take us out into a spacious place and speak life and love and tender words over us. He wants to be our sole lover and the lover of our souls.

No Entry

Proverbs 18:19

“An offended brother is more unyielding than a fortified city.”

I know this feeling. Someone rebukes me or tells me I was wrong, and instantly my heart hardens and I shut them out. I become hurt and more unyielding than a fortified city. That’s quite a comparison. A fortified city has massive walls and guards that shoot whatever comes near. Unless you’ve got armies and shields and battering rams, there’s no getting in.

So when I let offence grab me, my heart becomes a lonely place. I’ll be alone, stuck in my offence, and my friends will grow tired of battering my gate. I need to get over myself and let the walls and the offence go, and let the Love in.

Love Love Love

Proverbs 19:22

“What a man desires is unfailing love.”

We want love, we long for it. We want to be loved when we’re doing well, and even more loved when we’ve screwed up. We want to be loved whether we’re kind or mean, when we’re happy and sad. We long for love when we’re in a crowded room and when we’re alone. We long to be loved when we’re young till we’re old. And only one can love like that. His name is Jesus.

Jesus Christ Is Coming To Town

Proverbs 15:3

“The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good.”

Like Santa (just a million times more awesome, and God gives better gifts), God sees us when we’re sleeping, He knows when we’re awake, He knows when we’ve been bad or good, so be good for goodness sake! 

You know those moments when you’re alone, tempted to do something stupid, and you think that no one will know and it doesn’t really affect anyone anyway? Well, the eyes of the Lord are always on you, and He always cares.

Gossip Girl

Proverbs 11:13

“A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret.”

Why is it that we find it so hard to keep other people’s secrets? Is it because we feel cool knowing someone’s juicy secret, so we share it to show how cool we are? Is it because we feel honoured that someone would trust us, and we want others to share in that honour? Whatever it is, the bible calls it gossip. Personally, I don’t want to be known as a gossip girl. I want to be trustworthy, and treat other people’s secrets the way I’d like them to treat my own.

Extreme Makeover

Hosea 6:1

“Come, let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces but will heal us; He has injured us but He will bind our wounds.”

I love Extreme Makeover Home Edition. I love watching the families’ reactions of joy and disbelief, after "MOVE THAT BUS!" is shouted.  I love how they make such cool houses out of lame, broken buildings. Sometimes all it takes is some cleaning; a fresh coat of paint and some cool new gadgets, and the bus is moved. But sometimes more drastic measures are required. The house is torn down and rebuilt. Sometimes rotting floorboards and leaking roofs just can’t be fixed. They have to be broken down in order to be made new.

If a broken bone is left for too long, it doesn’t set right, and ends up being squiff, probably pretty painful, and a little bit useless. To get it back into place, the doctors have to break the bone and set it straight, and then allow it to heal in the right position. It’s not fun, but it’s necessary. 

The way we think and live is sometimes so screwed up that God has to break us, tear down walls and mindsets, to get us to where He wants us. But He’ll never leave us that way. He’ll heal us, rebuild us, and make us something new and beautiful. And when it’s over and the bus has moved, people will be amazed at the extreme makeover in our life. It’s what He does.

Osama Drama

Proverbs 12:20

“There is joy for those who promote peace.”

Twitter has been exploding with the news of Bin Laden’s death. We love drama. That’s how soapies and movies make billions. We like to watch people dying, hearts being broken and families fighting. If there’s no drama, there’s no intrigue; it’s boring. Drama’s more ‘fun’, more entertaining, but there is more joy, more real joy, in peace, in togetherness. The Bible says that the anointing comes where there is unity. If we want the anointing, we need to want peace too.

Pieces Of Me

Psalm 18:20 (The Message)

“God made my life complete when I placed all the pieces before Him.”

A puzzle can never be completed unless you have all the pieces to work with. God only works with that which we give Him; so how can be whole unless we give Him everything? 

We can chose to stay in control, yet be broken in pieces, or we can give it all to Him - our strengths, weaknesses, triumphs, failures, hurt, joy, love, hate, everything -  and be made whole and holy. It’s our call.

Just Do It

Proverbs 6:3

“Go and humble yourself.”

Just do it. Don’t think about it. Don’t consider it. Don’t take time to deeply ponder it. Just get on your knees and humble yourself. Daily. It’s not an option, ‘cause if we don’t, God says He will.

All Bran Flakes

Psalm 4:6-7 (The Message)

“Why is everyone hungry for more? ‘More, more,’ they say. I have God’s more than enough, more joy in one ordinary day than they get in all their shopping sprees.”

Shopping can be nice, can be joyful I guess (especially when a hot leather jacket is found), but I want more than that. With God we have it all (kinda like Kellogg's All Bran Flakes), but it’s something we too easily forget. It’s too easy for us to look to satisfy our hunger in boys, friends, and things. Yet every single time, without fail, they come up short and fail. As I always like to say, only Jesus can fill the hole in your heart. The things of the world are honestly so lame compared to the joy in knowing our God. Let’s eat up the Bread of Life, and fill our spiritual bellies with the Lord.

Runaway Bride

Proverbs 4:25-27

“Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you. Consider the paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your feet from evil.”

Today is Royal Wedding day, and yes I did watch the whole thing. Sticking with weddings, have you ever watched Runaway Bride with Julia Roberts? If you haven't, it's basically about a lady who continuously runs down the aisle, but the wrong way. When's she's about to marry Ike (finally the right guy), he asks one of the guys left at the altar by Maggie for advice, and he says "Maintain eye contact." And the wedding was going great till Ike blinked from a camera flash, lost eye contact and Maggie ran.

If we lose eye contact with God, we'll lose our nerve and run. Maintain eye contact with the Lord, fix your gaze on Him. We walk a narrow path, but it’s a good path. It’s the only way to life. All other roads lead not to Rome, but to hell. Simple as that. If you don't want to run, fix your gaze on Jesus and your feet will follow Him.

God Your Heart

Proverbs 4:23

“Above all else, guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life.”

The Bible and the Lord is all about the heart – love the Lord with all your heart, seek the Lord with all your heart, believe in your heart, do whatever you do with all your heart, etc. It’s because the heart is the core, the centre, the essence of who we are.It's where our motives, attitudes and passions come from. The Lord wants our hearts, but so does the devil. We need to guard our hearts, and above all else, we need to God our hearts.

I Have Confidence

click here to sing along with Maria

Proverbs 3:26

“The Lord will be your confidence.”

Dear Maria, with her confidence in sunshine and rain, obviously doesn’t know this one. Everyone else will fail us. Only God will see us through. Find your confidence in Jesus.

Wise Eyes

Proverbs 3:7

“Do not be wise in your own eyes.”

This rhymes. And that’s when you know when. 

Eyes are cool, they're sort of like the window to the heart. You can tell a whole lot more about someone when talking face to face, then over the phone. It's because you can look them in the eye. But our eyes are not wise. They are corrupt and biased. They are greedy and selfish. They are foolish. We see things the way we want to, or the way we've been told to. Our view of ourselves is not clear.

Instead, be wise in the Lord and His ways. He alone is wisdom, and in Him alone can we be wise.

A Good Name

Proverbs 3:3-4

“Let love and faithfulness never leave you... Then you will win favour and a good name in the sight of God and man.”

If we love people, do what we say and practice what we preach, we will find favour and respect in God firstly, but also with man. And that is cool. The world is looking for honest, real people who know how to love. It’s what the world wants, it's what they need. Jesus calls us to be those people. Keen?

V For Victory

Proverbs 2:7

“He holds victory in store for the upright.”

Jesus holds the victory, and in Him, so do we. But it doesn’t always feel like it, life often sucks and feels more like a losing battle than victory. But Jesus holds the victory in store for us – maybe the time for victory is not now, but it will come. So until that day, let’s keep running with the victory of the cross in mind.

Why Hello

Hi, my name is Kelsey, and I like to think. I like to analyse situations and statements and scriptures. I like putting words into word-pictures and pictures into words. And here on this blog I'll share it with you.

The name "finding the Lord" came about last year during YOYL as an expression used when times were tough and we hectically needed some Jesus grace and love in us. That's what this is about: finding the Lord and His grace in every situation and day. Cuz Jesus is just cool like that. I'm a fan!