For Men- Holy Spirit Boldness

So, I went for something a bit different this week! One blog for guys, one for girls, with some more gender specific topics. Well, not so much gender specific, but aimed at a specific gender. Wow. I basically said exactly the same thing, backwards....... Anyway. Please do check out the voting poll to the right of this, and vote if you would be so kind! Be sure to check out the song and bible reference at the bottom of this page, and, as always, PLEASE jump on the Facebook page by clicking ---> HERE! Share it with a few friends, you know the drill. Thanks bro's! You guys have no idea how blessed you are going to be if you read this and actually put it into action. I'm serious. I hope you're ready for a total revolution in your life. By the way, grab a bible out or open Google so you can search up some of the bible verses in here. There are a lot. Anyway, enough of this chit chat. Dig in.

1 Peter 3:13-14- Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you suffer for what is right, you are blessed. "Do not fear what they fear, do not be frightened."

1 Corinthians 16:13- Be on your guard; Stand firm in the faith; be Men of courage; be strong.

There are way too many boys in society. I'm serious. Some are 10, 20, 30, even 40 and 50 years old. Because they lack what it takes to be Men. I mean, real men. God fearing, Old Testament style manly men. What makes the difference? Well, there are so many things. I believe though, one major thing, is courage. Not just your everyday courage that can be defined as stupidity, but a real, God fearing, Holy Spirit Boldness. Young Men have an immense impact on society. Who pops into your mind when you think Drug Deals? How about people in Jail. Nightclubs? Bars? What about Street gangs, people who start street fights and go around stealing goods? If you were doing a public speech, who would you be the most concerned about in the crowd? I can almost guarantee that for almost all if not every one of those I mentioned, the group of people you would have immediately associated them with were... you know it... Young Men. You even look more upper class, so many young men who get so spoilt that they never learnt to grow up. I'm not saying this to discourage you, but rather encourage you to stand apart from the crowd. If young men can have an influence THAT massive on society without God's blessing on their actions, how much more can we do when we do it in his strength! The youth of this generation has the power to completely transform this whole nation, and that's just our warm up act. 

2 Timothy 1:7- For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love and self discipline. It's all summed up in that one verse there. God has given us the power, to drive the darkness out of this Earth. The Love, his own heart, to share with others as we see more and more won to Christ, and self discipline. I know as well as you do, we need that more Self Discipline than we would care to acknowledge. It's like a Racehorse, running down a track. Huge power and potential, but we are so easily distracted by the things around us and earthly desires. Pray every day that God would keep you focused on the race, and you watch what you begin to achieve. I so hope you guys can catch some of my passion for this if you haven't already, I'm like jumping out of chair and running around my room yelling (don't judge me, I'm a child at heart!) even thinking about what we could achieve, united together as an army under God's banner! 

I don't know about you, but im so sick about the view on Teenagers in this world. We're all bad, evil, we're gonna bash you if you're out after dark, you know what? That's absolute crap. Let's show them who we really are! A powerful, disciplined, loving generation! I'm ready to change it, are you? I know you are. That's the truth of it. I KNOW you are. Its the courage to meet God half way with a response, to put your faith into action and start to make a difference between Boys and Men. Trust me, once you start to see what we can do, you'll be glad you made that choice. God's just about ready to start a work that's going to flip society on it's head. Admit it, there's no way your missing out on that. One of my favorite authors for men, J.C. Ryle, wrote a book "Thoughts for Young Men". One of my favorite (a growing list, I may add) quotes in the book goes like this- There is nothing finer than the point of a needle, but when it has made a hole, it pulls the whole of the thread through after it.-  J.C. Ryle- Thoughts for Young Men; p. 66. He closes the book with 5 special rules for young men. I hope you find the courage to apply these in your life Be Blessed. 

1. Resolve, at once, by God's help, to break off any sin in your life. No matter how small. Galatians 15:19-21

2. Resolve, by God's help, to shun anything which may lead to sin. Proverbs 4:14

3. Resolve never to forget the eye of God. Proverbs 15:3

4. Be diligent in the practice of your Christianity. Isaiah 55:11

5. Resolve that wherever you are, you will pray. Psalm 55:17

When the boys light up- Newsboys

Joshua 1:3-9

For Women- Seeing yourself through God's eyes

So, I went with something different this week, one blog for Girls, another for guys, with some more gender-specific topics! I have some other people helping me out with this, so hopefully it goes well! As always, check out the features around the page, the voting poll to the right of this, and as always be sure to check out the Song and Bible verse at the end of the blog! If you haven't already I'd totally love you to check out the Facebook page- Finding that Foundation, by clicking -->!!HERE!!<-- Thanks a heap! Anyway, enough of this admin stuff. Let's get started.

1 Peter 3:3-4- "Don't be concerned about the outward beauty that depends on fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry or beautiful clothes. You should be known for the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God"

The biggest, most obvious thing I see girl's struggle with so much, is self confidence. So many girls are SO harsh on themselves, judging themselves and just generally putting themselves down. I would not be joking if I said that convincing a girl she's pretty, skinny, kind, funny and just generally cool, MUST be one of the HARDEST jobs on earth! The bible says in Leviticus 9:18b- "...you shall Love your neighbour as you love yourself". How do you expect to love your neighbor, if you have no love for yourself? One of the coolest things you will ever see, is a Woman totally confident of who she is in God. Not to mention, you girls would go through so much less pain if you stopped lowering the standards on yourselves! So many girls end up going out with a guy simply because they want to feel loved and respected, so they lower and lower the standards they have on themselves until they'll settle for just about anyone. You girls are God's treasured possession!!!! He loves you SO much more than I could ever hope to explain to you.

Picture your body and who you are, as a temple, like in 1 Corinthians 6:19- Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own.  God actually lives in you. He ADORES YOU! If you visited a church, would you be more likely to visit because its a cool building, or because you hear that the whole church is alive with God? Its the same for you. If a guy is ready to settle for you, regardless of who you really are on the inside, then what they say about you or feel towards you shouldn't matter, because they don't like you for who you really are. What really matters, is who you are on the inside. Don't wear the Labels society sticks on you! On the inside, you're all beautiful, amazing, incredible and totally covered in God's love. On the outside, it doesn't even matter. Don't settle for any less than what you're worth in God's eyes! You don't have to worry at all about what anybody else says or thinks about you! The only opinion that matters is God's! You are unique, you are yourself, and no one can change that. If anyone doesn't like something about you, that's their problem, don't change who you are for somebody else.

I hope you girls are able to put some of this into work in your life, and start to see yourselves through God's eyes! Cause you are totally loved!!! I mean, he did choose a woman to bring on the greatest miracle of all time, the birth of Jesus himself! You're all absolutely amazing!!! Be blessed.

You are for Me- Kari Jobe

Proverbs 14:1

Blessed to be a Blessing

Hahaha, you guys are the best. Broke the record, 1000 views... and counting! Thank you guys so much, and keep it up! You guys mean the world to me! I'm starting up a thing with my Blogs, where i co-write them with other members of my Youth Group, so, if you're interested, give me a yell. Basically, we'll think if a topic together, brain storm it, write up a draft for the blog, and i'll post it the following Monday! Seeing as the blog is about Empowering Youth, I figured there was no better way than to empower them by letting them speak out! Not that you can't do that already, but I'd love to be part of it! Be sure to check out and like the Facebook page if you haven't already, by clicking ---> !HERE! <--- And of course, check out the song link and Bible reference at the bottom of the blog. Anyway... Dig in!

Galatians 6:9-10 says this-
So we must not grow weary in doing good, for in due time we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who belong to the family of faith. 


We are so blessed to live where we live. I'm talking about Australia, especially all my fellow Melbournites (people who live in Melbourne, Australia, for those of you who don't know)! Clean water on demand, Food, Shelter, Friends and Family, Healthcare, and so on- we are a hugely blessed generation. But who, if given a light, would hide it under a veil? God doesn't bless us so that we can sit on our backsides and reap the rewards of out faith. Too many people, Leaders included, are so content just being content. You set up a big church, become pre-occupied with retaining members and making money, and ultimately, you can become dragged into a spot where your happy to sit back and simply take in what's been achieved. To be honest, this isn't the kind of lifestyle I'd expect from a people who's leader came from Heaven to Earth to both serve us and die for our own failure. God doesn't pour his spirit out on us and expect us to sit there and become spiritually fat, gorging ourselves on his blessings and holding it all to ourselves. God requires us to take the light we've been given and share it, he blesses us that we may bless others in his name. It's not always easy, to go out and do things that make you uncomfortable through service, especially when we are so easily drawn into a mindset where being a Christian makes us above other people. In truth, becoming a Christian means stepping up onto authority, but down in humility, in service to others. Matthew 25:40- The king will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me'". We are called to serve God, right? What better way than to serve the least of these. I know, it's not always easy. A lot of you probably don't want to, but here's the truth. If you honestly think you are in a position to complain about it to a king, who stepped out of Eternity, bore your sin and death and was crucified for you're redemption, then go for it. What's that? He did more for you than you've done for him? I thought so. I'm not having a go at you, but i'm trying to get the point across- we are called to serve. ALL of us.

But Josh, I don't think Jesus can use me. You have no idea what's going on in my life. And what would he want me to do for him? 
Well, for one, Luke 6:31- Do unto others as you would have done unto yourself. What do we do? We serve. We love. We go out of our way, to care for and bless someone else. ALL the time. It's a life style, not a one off. We need to be constantly looking for ways to serve other people. Listen in to God's voice too. You'll know when he wants you to bless someone. It's not always easy, and you won't always get it right. Keep striving for it though. You'll get there, and reap so many blessings on the way! As for "I don't think Jesus can use me",  well, here's the truth. Noah built the ark at 600 years old- Genesis 6-9. David, as a young boy, is the only person in Saul's army willing to face Goliath... and win- 1 Samuel 17. John the Baptist walked the desert eating Locusts- John 1. The boy with the loaves managed to feed 5000 people- John 6. Joesph was a slave boy who had been exiled from his family. He became the most powerful man in Egypt, next to Pharaoh  Genesis 30. Moses was born into a society where the male babies were being killed, placed into a reef basket and left to float down a river. He delivered all of Israel out of Egypt- Exodus 1-12. Rahab was a prostitute, who played a pivotal role in delivering Israel into the promised land- Joshua 2. Jesus calls the children to stand by his side- Isaiah 54. And Lazarus, well, he was 4 days dead. Don't tell me Jesus can't use you. Truth is, he already is. Be blessed.

War Drums- Jake Hamilton

Psalm 67

Opposites Attract

Hey howdy hey guys, How are you all? *pretends I can hear you replying*.... That's great! So good to hear from you! I thought before I started, I'd make mention of the significant day that today is. The Author of Valid Opinion Fest, a good friend of mine and a fellow blogger, is celebrating his Birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Now, into the politics just before the blog. If you haven't already, I would love you to check out my Facebook Page, Finding That Foundation, and if you could like it, then I promise to buy you a Ferrari If I ever win the Lottery. Well.. a Ferrari or a Goldfish. No promises... Check out some of the features around the page, and, of course, be sure to check out the song link and bible verse at the bottom of the blog! Enough of this chit chat. Dig in.

I really love how God is so incredibly logical, the only way to comprehend his logic is to think in the illogical. Let that sink in for a second. If you look throughout the bible, time and time again, the answer to the problem you face isn't to go about it from a Worldly perspective, but rather flip it on its head, do the opposite, and trust in a God you may never have seen before. Lets look at a few examples. Jesus became obedient to Death, in order to break the hold of Death. Jesus Died, to bring Life. We die to ourselves, to come alive in Christ. Matthew 5:5 says this- Blessed are the Meek, for they shall inherit the Earth. Matthew 20:16 says this- So the last will be first, and the first shall be last. and, again, im taking it Matthew had the right idea, in Matthew 19:24- I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a Rich man to enter the kingdom of God. Lets go a little deeper here- Ultimately, In order to inherit the Earth, we have to die to ourselves out of Humanity. Cool thought, to imagine Jesus made Satan the Prince of Earth. Jesus has placed the Earthly realm into Satan's hands, and chose to abide by the rules of this Earth. becoming obedient to even Death. Doesn't sound like an all powerful God to me, but, is it simply because, the Earth will be inherited by the meek, or "Humble". In the end, Satan having ownership of the Earth now, and Jesus, being humble, now, will reverse the order when it comes time for God to inherit the Kingdom of Earth once more and restore his reign. We can't win the race by running the race, but rather coming last. Putting others before ourselves. Becoming so, totally, week, that God becomes out Strength in everything. Being humble is often associated with Spinelessness and an inability to stand up for yourself. Let me tell you, it requires much more Strength to turn the other cheek, than it does to hit back. It requires a much stronger person to die to themselves, than it does to satisfy your own flesh.

That's a cool idea Josh, but, how can I apply this to my life? I can't become so weak I never stand up for myself. Where is that fine line? 
I wish I just had the answer to this for you, but, to be honest, its a journey im not sure any of us have found an answer for. I'll do what I can to help you with this though. Becoming humble and weak does not mean becoming ignorant of God's strength in you. Never forget that. Neither does being humble make everyone around you so much better than you are. It's about knowing your place, where you stand, how to retain a mutual respect for someone, and managing to serve them all at the same time. It's putting yourself in a position not where you're better than them, but in a position to serve them. Loving your neighbor as you love yourself as it says in Galatians 5:14. The best way we can love God is by loving his Body, which is here on Earth. Us. Each other. We are his hands and feet. The Church, is God's body. Jesus is the only person to ever have walked this Earth, in a position where he had no obligation to serve anyone, yet he chose to do nothing but serve, and went so far as to endure Death for our resurrection. When the Power of Love over comes the Love of Power, the world will know Peace. The Prince of Peace. Our saviour, redeemer, father and Lord. This may not make a lot of sense, but if you have an issue this week, rather than solving it normally, try praying about it and doing the opposite. If you get argument with your parents, don't argue back. Try agreeing with them and serving. Even if you're right, and they're wrong. It's all about loving them, as you love yourself. Remember also to love yourself in serving. If you don't love yourself, you can't love others as yourself, because you have no love to give.

Enough to let me Go- Switchfoot

John 16

Hope for Every Man

Hey guys! I didn't post last weeks blog, I'm digging Deep, on Facebook or anything last week. You'll see whyif you check out the blog, with a link here. Feel free to check it out now! Incase you haven't seen the Facebook page, or, are yet to like, it, please do, by following the link HERE! Be sure to check out some features around the page if you get a moment, and please vote on the voting poll, to the right of this! As usual, please do check out the song attached, which is down the bottom of the page, and read up on the Bible Verse accompanying it! In case you wonder why i don't accompany the scripture with the reference down the bottom, its so you have to actually go get your Bible out! SO DO IT! Enough of these administrative details now, that's not the reason you're here! Dig in folks.

How often, do we get called "average". Like, ohh, that's just Josh. Yeah, pretty average bloke. Or, you say you have an average day, you feel average, ultimately, you can be lead to the point where you believe everyone is just "Average", and it takes either a fool, or a hero, to rise above the expectations and actually stand out. To be extraordinary. Note that word- EXTRA-ordinary. Even then, the word leads you to believe there are just "ordinary" people out there. You can probably relate to this. I'm here to tell you, there is no such thing as an ordinary fingerprint. There is no such thing as an ordinary you, and, more to the point, there is no such thing as an ordinary legacy. What you choose to do, right now, on earth, is your legacy. And there is no such thing as an average mark on the world. God made you to be YOU. He didn't create you to be more like your Pastor, more like your Friends, or the cliques you hang around with, he made YOU to be YOU. Truth be told, if Jesus wanted you to be exactly like that famous preacher you love, or amazing Worship Leader, he would never have made you. Think about that for a moment. If God really wanted you to do exactly what they did, you wouldn't exist. There would be two of them, because, well, God doesn't need you. But, guess what. That didn't happen. Because you, are a vital piece to God's plan. God doesn't call you to be anyone else. God calls you to be you, and to let him be God inside of you. Gods promises, all of the, in the bible, belong to YOU. But God can't give them to you if your trying to be a part of everyone else. You turn yourself into a spiritual Picasso. The best bits of everyone else, and nothing of yourself. And no matter how hard you try, the picture is messed up. Because you are an original Masterpiece. Mark 2:21 says- No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old Garment. If he does, the new piece will pull away from the old, making the tear worse. Making yourself into someone else won't help you grow. Stand apart for God, not on someone elses annointing, but in your own anointing. Live as who God made you to be.

I'm so lost Josh, I just don't know where to go. I'm caught in the storm, and I can't find my way out. How do I know I have the Strength? 
I know, it's hard. Often we have no idea that we have the strength. Often, we don't really believe we can do it. God does though, God does. Pray for Humility and Confidence, pray you may be taught to stand apart from the life you have been leading, and learn to live as who God made you to be. You know the best way to understand a painting is to ask the Artist. Maybe its time you asked the Artist what's good, what's bad, and what needs changing. A good question to ask yourself is this. Where do you stand now, Where do you feel God is calling you, and why aren't you there yet. Maybe it's time you made a change. I can't tell you how, but I can show you who can. If you want prayer for this, go back and like the link to this on Facebook i posted, or comment on the Facebook page wall. I would love to pray for you. Peace be with you, as peace calmed the storm in me. Mark 4:35-40- Later that day he said to the disciples "Let's go across to the other side". They took him in the boat as he was. Other boats came along. A huge storm rose up. Waves poured into the boat, threatening to sink it. And Jesus was in the stern, head on a pillow, asleep! They rosued him saying "Teacher, is it nothing to you that we're going down?". Awake now, he rose and told the wind to be still, and he said to the waves "Quiet! Settle down!" The wind ran out of breath, the sea became smooth as Glass. Jesus addressed the disciples- "Why are you such Cowards? Don't you have any faith at all?". Be Bold, Calm the Storm, and Walk on the water. You have been ordained to do so. Be Blessed.

Every Man- Casting Crowns

Romans 5:1