Living for HIM

So I just got back from church, yes I said CHURCH! I really felt like I had seperated myself from God in the past few years and I really feel that He is the answer to my dificult times now. He works in mysterious ways and when you least expect Him to, is what people always told me, well I agree....last night for some reason I told my dad that I wanted to go to church today and the service is EXACTLY what I needed. Dan Holland the minister went through Exodus 13 & 14 and applied it to life and well I could understand everything that was being said! This is what I got out of the sermon...
While on the outside we may be satisfied or even impressed with ourselves, God looks to our hearts our core and sees that we are not where we need to be that we are not prepared for the short cut so He takes us the long way so that we may prepare our hearts and minds for the battle. Just like a little kid, you will never learn if someone always bails you out! And while we may not see the things that are wrong with our hearts other times ( the majority of the time) we just ignore that 'check engine light'. You can easily tap the dash until the light fades but the problem is still there. Deep down we know that who we are on the inside is who we are and that can often be a scary thing.
It is very easy to overlook the fact we need to 'get right' because all is ok outside. As anyone can be a follower for a short time it is what we do when (as in Exodus 13/14) there is an army behind us and water in front of us. What you do in your darkest hour is when you really learn to live 'right'. Like Moses asked the Israelites to...leave the predictability and move into a scary place. "Do not be afraid, Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today." (Ex14:13) So even when you are given the path to take you still need FAITH!
The question we should ask in dificult times is simple: HOW AM I GOING TO GROW THROUGH THIS?
To answer that there are 4 steps we can do:
1)Journal-write or type about EVERYTHING!
2)Have Discipline, READ the Word of God!
3)Read other's success stories from people who have gone throuh or are going through the same circumstances
4)PRAY!! Like the man who wanted to learn how to pray, keep knocking persistantly until someone answers the door...refrain from the temptation of talking with others, we have to grow up sometime and learn to do these on our own
DO THE WORK AND YOU CAN BE THAT PERSON THAT IS STRONG IN FAITH!!!!!!!!!