Would you rather float down a lazy river or swim across the ocean? That's an easy question for me; I'd pick lazy river nearly every time. I love the relaxation and ease. You don't have to really worry about where you're floating; the jet streams do that for you. You get to kick back and relax. Swimming the ocean, however, is vastly different and way more difficult. You actually have to make decisions. You are the one that has to take control, or else the ocean will control you. At the beginning of this year, I was thinking about what I wanted to focus on this year. A few years ago, I'd done the one word challenge, and I knew I wanted to do it again this year.

I chose Intentional as my word of 2018. Intentional means "done with intention or on purpose; intended," according to dictionary.com. I want to choose God first in every circumstance. I want to choose to be joyful despite my emotions. I want to choose to love even when that other person isn't loving me back. I want to choose to be like Jesus. I want to choose life, not death. I want to choose to speak life to everyone. I want to choose to be FEARLESS and FREE and STRONG.

I've finally chosen a tagline for The SoCal Gal: "Intentionally living with purpose." As Christians, in our walk with God, we must choose our daily decisions. Everything we do affects something. Did you thank the last person who gave something to you? That could leave her grateful and happy for your courtesy and thankfulness. Did you yell at your little brother when he was annoying you? That could leave bitterness and make your relationship drift.

Being intentional means making choices with a specific reason in mind. One thing I would like to work on doing more intentionally is praying and reading my Bible more. I would like to exercise more self-control and gratefulness as well. It's so easy to slack off and forget to pray because "I'm so tired" or not have my devotion in the morning because "I don't have time" or give in and say yes to a bad choice because "What's one more time?"

Being intentional means saying no to ungodliness and conforming to the world. This is one problem in life that's really hit me this past year: how many Christians conform to the world. It might not always seem obvious, but doing anything that tolerates sin even a little is wrong. This could be spending time with the wrong crowd, lying, believing anything against the Bible, making social media your number one or making fun of the president.

Being intentional means knowing your purpose. What is your purpose on earth? Are you living that out, or is that "purpose" just a cover-up for what you really stand for?

In the next few posts, we'll be covering these three topics. I'm so excited for this new series! This week, I challenge you to:

• Examine your heart and ask yourself what purpose you are living for
• Is that the purpose you want it to have?
• What's something you can change to make your purpose + actions coherent?

• Pray for intentional living
• In your life
• In your family
• In your friends

• Choose to do, say and think things with purpose
• Know the impact these actions have and use them for His glory!

• Ask yourself if the current is guiding you, or are you guiding the current
• Current = the world's ways
• You can either go with the flow or go against the flow

Another VERIDIA song! "Mechanical Planet" is my top favorite. It's empowering, with an addicting rhythm and fierce message. 

Set in the perspective of regret, the first verse begins with:

How many times have you regretted something you've done, or something you didn't do? I've done it plenty of times. I've regretted not speaking up for an innocent person. I've regretted speaking harshly to that friend. I've regretted not spending my time better. Regret can kill you. It will make you hate who you are and wish for the moments you wasted. The danger of it is it can make you unsatisfied, fast, especially because often, there's nothing we can do to get those moments back. The chorus of the song goes like this:

See, regret is Satan's whisper. He's the Prince of Lies, and he'll do anything he can to distract you and keep you from accepting the truth. Satan wants you to believe that you're defective, broken and worthless. He wants to keep you from clearly seeing who you are - who God made you to be. Friends, God made each and every one of you for a special purpose. You are not worthless; you are priceless. You are not hopeless; there is always hope. God created worth in you and a beautiful purpose; something only you can fulfill with His power.

Don't let this mechanical planet deceive you. You're not a broken machine; you were made for perfection!

HAPPY EASTER!

If you have any questions about committing your life to Jesus, feel free to contact me via the contact form. I'd be happy to chat with you and answer any questions you have.

Though it's been almost 2,000 years since Jesus' resurrection, it still continues to affect people all around the world, regardless of age, ethnicity, gender, culture or situation. If you've walked with the Lord for many years, Jesus' life will continue to inspire you to live like Him. If you are just starting a relationship with Him, let me tell you that God will treat you as He does Jesus. When Jesus died on the cross for sinners (you and me), in that time frame He was treated like us. Instead of us getting the wrath of God, it was all upon Jesus. And now, we get to be treated as Sons of God, just as Jesus is treated now. We can have that life-changing personal relationship with God, spend eternal life with Him in heaven, and share the good news with others.

This Easter, I pray that you would truly apprehend the goodness and power of Jesus' life, death and resurrection.

Good Friday.

Why was it good? Wasn't that the day Jesus had to die? Shouldn't that be the day that Christians mourn and groan because of the invalidity of their faith? Wasn't God distraught when His innocent Son had to die this scandalous death? Shouldn't we forever feel guilty because it was our sin that nailed Him there? Wasn't that the day Satan won? Shouldn't it be named "Bad Friday?"

No!

What made Good Friday so good was when Jesus died, He broke the barriers holding us back from a personal relationship with God.

What made Good Friday so good was when He cried, "It is finished," Jesus mended the broken relationship between God and Man.

What made Good Friday so good was when Jesus died on that cross, He died for YOU so that YOU could live in eternity with God. Jesus took your place so that you could be treated like Him. So instead of Jesus being glorified by the Father, the wrath of God was taken upon Him. He didn't deserve it at all. But He willingly died for sinful, selfish people. How often would someone die for a good person? And yet "Christ died for the ungodly" (Romans 5:6). Instead of us being punished, we now have the choice of salvation and being treated like Jesus was. We can be children of God. Because Jesus died in our place, we have a reason to live and we can have that personal relationship with the Lord. 

Now, you don't need to be afraid of death.

Now, you can have a personal relationship with the Father.

Now, because of this great love that Jesus demonstrated to us, we can share it with others so that it may transform their lives.