15 Bible Verses to Keep in Mind in 2015

Happy Fridayyy!!!!!!!!

I feel like the week kinda went by quickly considering school is back in session, but at the same time, I feel like it was kinda slow. Oh, well. It's Friday now!

I really like posting things on my blog that have to do with the new year, because I just really think it's great to start fresh, or continue your journey with even greater passion than the year before! So, today, I want to share some Bible verses with you. These verses are essential verses that you should keep in mind as much as you can. So without further ado, here are 15 Bible Verses to Keep in Mind in 2015!

P.S. There'a actually more than 15 Bible verses, but there's 15 points, and for some of the points I included more than 1 Bible verse to correspond with them. Hehe...

1. DON'T LIVE LIKE THE WORLD: 

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - His good, pleasing, and perfect will."

Romans 12:2

2. BE GRATEFUL/THANKFUL:

"16 Be joyful always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances. For this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

3. LOVE OTHERS:

"4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

4. DON'T WORSHIP IN VAIN:

"8 These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. 9 They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men."

Matthew 15:8-9

5. WORK HARD:

"Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth."

Proverbs 10:4

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men."

Colossians 3:23

6. BE A LIGHT TO THE WORLD:

"In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in Heaven."

Matthew 5:16

7. LOVE YOURSELF: 

"I praise You because I am thankfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well."

Psalm 139:14

8. DON'T JUDGE:

"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?"

Luke 6:41

9. BE HUMBLE: 

"3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility, consider other better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness." Jesus humbled himself by coming to earth and being nailed to the cross to take away our sins, so we should be humble too.

Philippians 1: 3-7

10. ASK, SEEK, KNOCK:

"7 Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be open to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks the door will be opened."

Matthew 7:7-8

11. PRAISE THE LORD: 

"1 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. 2 Worship the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs. 3 Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, and we are His, we are His people the sheep of His pasture. 4 Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. 5 For the Lord is good, and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations."

Psalm 100

12. DON'T BE ANXIOUS: 

"25 Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body,what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?"

Matthew 6:25-27

"6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, present your requests to God 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Philippians 4: 6-7

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Jeremiah 29:11

13. FORGIVE:

"14 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins."

Matthew 6:14-15

14. HAVE FAITH:

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."

Hebrews 11:1

"Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

Matthew 19:26

15. LOVE GOD WITH EVERYTHING IN YOU:

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." (and all your mind too! Luke 10:27 has that part)

Deuteronomy 6:5

So, those are just a few verses that you should definitely stick in your pretty heads to help you through this year!

If you have any other Bible verses that I didn't include, please be sure to leave them in the comments so we can all see!

Thank You!

Stay True, Be You,

Itunu
♥♥♥

CHRISTmas: The True Meaning

What is Christmas all about?

Some people think it's about giving and receiving presents. While that is nice, they're's more to Christmas then that. Others think Christmas is about helping others and being with family. While this is important, and I hope all of you are able to spend Christmas with your family, this also isn't the most important thing about the season.

You probably already know where I'm going with this, so I'll just get on with it!

Christmas is about Jesus. God sent His son into the world, so we could be saved from our sins.

At Church on Sunday, my Pastor preached a great sermon about the true meaning of Christmas, and I thought I would share some points from the sermon with you.

~Jesus is real hope for real people in a real world.
(This means that Jesus came into the world to bring hope to the world. He wants us to trust in Him!)

~Christmas is about trust.
(Mary had to trust God AND the angel who told her about Jesus. She had to trust that everything would be okay, and Joseph had to trust Mary the angel, and God. Christmas is about trusting God and knowing He'll make a way.)

And one that I kinda put in my own words:
~Jesus sent His son into the world, not only to save us from our sins, but also to give us peace, and to give us rest. I know that's hard especially during this time of year, but trust God, and He'll give you peace!

If you're interested in reading the CHRISTmas Story, it's Matthew 1:18-25 and Luke 2:1-7. And if you don't have a Bible, you can download the Bible App!

Thanks for reading!

And I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!

Stay True, Be You,

Itunu

♥♥♥

God's Calling: Will You Accept It?

Hey Everyone! This is just a quick intro because I really wanna get into today's post. Today I want to talk about the things God has planned for our lives versus the things we have planned
for our lives.

God's Plan vs. Our Plan

Musicians, surgeons, actors, astronauts, veterinarians, teachers, real estate agents entrepreneurs...and the list goes on and on. It's amazing to think that there are so many opportunities out there. The passion to find our "dream job" usually begins when we're little kids. We say we wanna be ballerinas or astronauts or . As we get older, we realize that those aren't the most realistic jobs (I'm not saying it's not possible to be a ballerina or an astronaut!), and we move on.

We usually change our "dream jobs" a few times before the end of high school when we really have to decide. 

We choose our dream job, and then all at once, we start to think about our dream house, dream car(s),  dream family, dream wardrobe, dream life (Thank You Pinterest...)! It's crazy!

We get so caught up in the plans we have for ourselves that we forget about God's plan - the true plan - for our lives.

Right now, you might not have a clue what God wants you to be in life. And even when God does reveals it to you, you may have a hard time accepting it if it isn't exactly what you had in mind. But don't worry. God's plans are way better than anything you could ever imagine.

"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen!"

Ephesians 3:20-21 

My Mom and I were recently talking about God's calling (that's actually what inspired me to write this post). We talked about some of the things that God had revealed to us - our callings. My Mom said that it's kind of hard to accept God's calling if it's not what you wanted, but rest assured, God knows what He's doing.

Even if you feel like you're not equipped for the job that God wants for you, just remember:

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

Philippians 4:13

I guess we're kind of like a canvas. God paints His picture, and we need only to be still. (And do His will, of course!)

And I just can't end this post without this verse:

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord. "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Jeremiah 29:11

Go through life with this verse on your mind. It will really change the way you think about God's calling for your life!

I hope this post inspired you!

If you have any questions about this topic or anything else, be sure to send me an email at 

itunu.aromolaran96@gmail.com or a.itunu@yahoo.com.

Thank You!

Stay True, Be You,

Itunu

♥♥♥

Bible Talk: Be Still

Hi Everyone!

How is your week going so far?

Honestly, to me it seems like the week is going by soooo slowly. It's probably because I just went home this past weekend, and I'm really looking forward to going home again in a couple of weeks, but hopefully it won't go this slow for the next 2 weeks cause I wanna go home! (I think I'm going through that period of homesickness, which I've been going through since I got here...) 

But anyway, last week I shared how my week (Monday and Tuesday) was going so far in Would You Like to Hear About My "Lovely" Day?, so today I thought I would share with you how the rest of that week went, and tie it into a very famous Bible verse.

So that stomach ache I told you about in last week's post started again Wednesday morning at the same exact time as it had started on Tuesday morning. I started to get suspicious, so of course I told my Mom and Dad about it. I thought it might have something to do with my water intake. See, I had been drinking a 16 oz bottle of water almost everyday since school started back in August, but I ran out of water that weekend (last weekend), so I had to go to this little store on campus where they sell basic groceries and whatnot to buy water. I bought 2 bottles of Dasani water, and started drank 1 bottle on Monday, and another bottle on Tuesday, and the stomach aches happened on Tuesday and Wednesday, so I obviously thought this was the problem and I stopped drinking it. But on Thursday, it started again, but it was more reoccurring than on Tuesday and Wednesday, so I went to the on campus Health Center. The doctor said I have something called Gastritis (But I wasn't even gassy!), and they gave me medicine for it.

(And very stupid of me: I took the little prescription bag and instead of putting it in my bag, I held it in my hand for the world to see as I walked back to my room. People probably thought it was like contraceptives or something. Like, stop. Ew.)

Rewind to Tuesday in Sociology class. The teacher sometimes gives pop quizzes over readings that we're suppose to read (obviously), and I had done the reading that day, but the questions on the pop quiz were questions that could be used for any quiz, so that confused me, and I ended up not writing anything on the quiz.
But then, on Thursday the teacher handed our midterms back (we took them the week before), and I got a 97% on it! Yaaas!

Rewind again to that Sunday, when one of my friends and I was at Church, she was telling me how her and her mom are going up to the mountains over the weekend. My first thought was, "If her mom's going with her to the mountains, won't she have to go home first?!?"

(She lives around the same area as me, so that's why that was my first thought.)

My Dad had already told me that he wouldn't be able to pick me up from school that weekend, so I went ahead and asked my friend if she could give me a ride, and thankfully, she said sure!

So, I was able to go home on Thursday!

You're probably wondering what this has to do with Psalm 46:10. During all of the things that I went through last week from the stomach ache, to the anxiety over all of the robberies that were taking place (I talked about that in last week Tuesday's post), to the pop quiz, to the homesickness, God was telling me to be still, and the stomach ache healed after a few days, I ended up being completely peaceful about all this "robbery crap", I got a good grade on something even more important than a pop quiz, and I got to go home. God worked it all out!

Tip: Whenever you're going through something, could be as small as some of the problems I encountered last week, just whisper Jesus' name. I've found myself doing that a lot lately, and Jesus will answer you when you call, even when you just whisper.

I know this was all over the place, but I hope this post encouraged you to be still and trust in the Lord!
Thank You!
Stay True, Be You,
Itunu

♥♥♥

Faltering Faith No More + Songs to Encourage You

Hey Everyone! (Looks like I've reverted back to my old introduction...)

So, today I'm gonna talk to you about faltering faith, and what you can do about it. I kinda felt led to talk about this today. I feel like someone out there needs it, so here ya go!

I feel like I talk about this a lot, but I feel like it's necessary to talk about it. Even though we're Christians, and we're always suppose to trust in God, sometimes, it's hard to, honestly.

When we don't get what we want, or we don't get to do the things our friends are doing, or we feel jealous of someone or what they have, it causes self-doubt, which then leads to faltering faith.
The example I'm gonna use is success.We look at people's lives, and how successful they are, and we think,

"Like, God, why don't I have that? Why am I not that successful? Why am I going through these struggles and all these other people aren't?"
We can all say that's happen to us at least once.

A time that that happened to me and it was really important was this past school year, when I found out about this Honor Grad stuff. I had no idea that if you had a 3.5 GPA or higher, you were considered an Honor Grad, which meant you got to wear the cool little sash at graduation. 
Well, I didn't know that...at all. I really wish someone had told me that when I was going through things in 9th grade (I still haven't told you that story, have I?). My thoughts when I found out about Honor Grad were, "How come I didn't get this?" "I feel so dumb." "It's not fair that all of these people got Honors Grad, and I'm just here." "So, how am I gonna get into a good college, now?"
I started to doubt myself, and as a result, I had faltering faith. I was scared of what the future would hold for me academically.

Well, what I have to say to that was, God was pretty disappointed in me. He knew what He was doing, and maybe if I had been an Honor Grad in high school, I would have had the guts to apply to a big, "smart-people" state school. And what I wouldn't have known was that it was a party school, which I wouldn't have liked at all.
But, instead I'm at a really good college that I really like! God worked it all out!

See, God always wants us to trust in Him no matter what circumstances we're in, and when we don't, it makes Him sad.
I know sometimes it's hard, but just continue to trust in Him, and He will work all things out for your good!
Here are some songs to encourage you:
1. Jamie Grace: You Lead

2. Israel Houghton: You Hold My World

3. Hillsong United: Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)


Oh, yeah! If you missed me and Allie's blog series/collaboration, God First, I have them all linked below so you can check them out if you want!

Beyoutiful Beauties

God First in: Friendships

God First in: Entertainment/Media

God First in: Time

God First in: the Future

Reckless In Your Love
God First in: Friendships
God First in: Entertainment/Media
God First in: Time Management

What are your go-to songs on faith? Let me know!
Thank You!
Stay True, Be You,
Itunu

♥♥♥

God First in: The Future

Hey people! Today's post is gonna be fairly short because (yeah, nevermind that. Lol.)...I have me first exam tomorrow! I'm so nervous, because while the test is in U.S History to 1865 (and not to brag, but I would say history is one of my strong points), I honestly don't think I'm ready for this test! #procrastination 

This is an example of something we shouldn't do...

But anyway, I'm gonna study my hardest tomorrow and hope for the best! 

P.S. Pray for me. Please...

So, today is the last installment of me and Allie's God First series. I'm pretty sad that this is the last post in the series because I enjoyed not only working with Allie, but also posting all of this inspirational stuff. It was fun! I hope you were inspired!

Today, we're gonna be talking about God First in the Future, so let's get started!

The future is a futuristic thing, ya know? (I literally have no idea what I'm saying.) When we think about our future, although we can't see it, we hope for the best. We want our future to include shiny cars (one of which is a jet black Range Rover with sparkles incorporated somewhere on it) in our 5-car garages, swimming pools in our backyards, and just the plain living-the-good-life status. We all want bright, successful futures, don't we?

First of all, let me say this: If your future doesn't include God, then it's not gonna be bright.

God is the one who's gonna provide all of that for you, if it's His will for your life. In the meantime, you just have to pray, believe, AND receive it.

It's a 3-way thing in this instance: Praying and believing is super important, but if you don't receive (almost the same as believing, but even deeper) it too, then it won't be your's.

I'll give the example of the hilarious thing my sister did a few months ago. The weeks (who am I kidding, the months) leading up to her birthday, she told my parents what she wanted. She wanted the "iPhone 5c in blue". For weeks, she kept saying, "I really want it, but I don't think I'm gonna get it." 

Well, then she did a brave and funny thing, and she went out and told all of her friends that she was gonna get it for her birthday. She had prayed for it, and received it, but she didn't even believe that she was gonna get it. So, of course she didn't get it. 
Now we're on to Part 2: She wants the iPhone 6 for Christmas (Lord, help us all.).

Random: I saw a funny tweet the week the iPhone 6 came out, and it was like, "The iPhone 6 is $900. That airplane mode better include airfare." 

Ha! Hilarious!

But moving on...

None of us can see what's ahead; some of us don't know which college we're going to, or what job we're gonna have, or how we're gonna "change the world" (meaning spread The Gospel), or who we're gonna marry, but we just have to trust God: pray, believe, and receive (Fasting and giving are the other 2 things that also open doors of blessings, but that's another lesson for another time:) 

Here are some verses to encourage you:

1. "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Jeremiah 29:11 (one of my faves)

2. "Therefore I tell you. do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear."

"But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added onto you."

Matthew 6: 25 & 33

3. Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom."

Luke 12: 32

If you pray, believe, and receive, God is gonna unlock and open doors that no one can shut! Remember that.

Well, I hope you enjoyed this whole series/collaboration! I know I did!

If you have any questions or comments about what we talked about in this series, feel free to email me or Allie!

Thank You!

Stay True, Be You,

Itunu

♥♥♥

God First in: Time

Hey Everyone!
Time is serious business, am I right?
It seems like we've all had a problem with time, at one point or another. It just seems like the days (excluding the hours in class) go by so quickly, and these days, it's been seeming as if there aren't enough hours in a day! 

I have to do homework, write essays, study etc. But, I also have to eat, sleep, and get a little time to myself too!

As the White Rabbit says, "Time is of the essence."

Even though our schedules look crazy, we still need to find a way to put God First!

P.S. Happy Birthday to my big sister who turns 20 today!!!!!!!!!! Love you bunches and I hope you have a great day sis!

Okay, so you have track practice before school, chorus rehearsal for that upcoming concert after school. You have tons of homework to do, plus those Trig AND Political Systems tests the next day that you haven't studied for yet. On top of all that, not only are you a member of the Spanish Honor Society, but also the National Honor Society! 

Wow, so much to do, so little time.

But, you know who you forgot to add in that mix?

Don't lie. I know you know.

You forgot to add God in the mix!

(Don't be that gal.)

This was just a made up example, but if you really do have this much stuff going on, I'm sorry... I'll pray for you.

What I was trying to get across with that example was, sometimes it looks like there's so much on our plate from schoolwork, to sports and clubs, to studying for tests. Who even has time to eat?(Just kidding.We can collectively agree that we all have time to eat.) But, who has time to sleep, right?

Wrong!

I know we all have a lot of work, but if we fix our eyes on God first, He will help us. He won't give you the answers to the test (that would be pretty awesome if He did!), but he will give you the strength you need to handle everything you need to get done. If you seek Him first, it doesn't mean the day won't be filled with a lot of hard work and duties, but God will give you peace, and your day won't be as stressful.

Here are some verses to help you out with stress:

1. "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."

John 14:27

2. "When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul."

Psalm 94:19

3. "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Philippians 4:6-7

So seek God first, before any sports games, tests, clubs, etc. and

He will give you help, hope, and strength to get you through each day!

Thank You!

Stay True, Be You,

Itunu

♥♥♥

God First in: Entertainment/Media

Hey Everyone! I feel like I'm writing this pretty late, unlike last week's God First post, where I started earlier in the day, I think. I've just been really busy with homework, essays, studying for tests and quizzes, etc. It is pretty overwhelming, as I think I've said before, but hopefully, it gets easier!

But anyway, enough about me! In today's God First collaboration with Allie, we are talking about God first in entertainment! 

Click the link to check out Allie's post!

P.S. At the moment, someone in this building decided they want to practice their drum-line-sounding drums. Mind you the time is currently: very close to midnight. Like, can you not?

Music these days, is just something else. Am I right? T.V, movies, it all just seems to have blown out of proportion. Back in my day (hehe), there was probably more good, pure music out there than bad, dirty music. Don't get me wrong, there were definitely some dirty songs out there, but there weren't nearly as much as there are now. Probably every single radio station (except Christian stations, of course) play at least 1 bad/inappropriate song daily.

This is the same with TV and movies.

There's this show on VH1 called Hit the Floor. My sister started watching last year when it started, and another season started this summer. I had watched it before, but I wasn't really into it, so I didn't watch it anymore. However, this summer, I decided to watch a few episodes with her, and there were some things in the show that were just NOT good. I mean inappropriate, like really inappropriate. It just makes you uncomfortable. So, yeah, I won't be watching that show again.

Same with movies. Last year was when my family noticed the change: More movies were R-rated than ever before. It was ridiculous! You could see a really cute animated movie preview, and you wanna watch it, but then comes the rating: Rated R (Okay, I digress with the animated movie thing...).

And, let's talk about social media. Facebook, and those "pour-your-heart-out" paragraph writers/attention-seekers (not all of them, though!), or Twitter , and those funny tweets that were obviously stolen from someone else's timeline. Don't forget Instagram, with it's "I-don't-look-as-good-in-person-as-I-look-in-this-picture" profile pics. 

So, I guess what I'm trying to put across is, the world is changing. It's becoming more corrupt, fake, raunchy, and just plain bad. And sometimes, it can be so hard not to follow the ways of the world. But, you can't. We're Christians, and I know sometimes it's tempting to listen to that song, because the beat is oh, so fresh (lol), but you can't fall into that trap.

Question? But, what if there's a song with inappropriate lyrics, but you really like the beat?

I asked my Mom AND my little sister about this, and they both said that wouldn't be wrong. My little sister even came up with the cool idea of changing the lyrics! Nice, right?

You should also listen to Christian music regularly. There are great Christian artists out there. Israel Houghton, Francesca Battistelli, Young and Free, Jamie Grace, Hillsong United, Kirk Franklin, Planet Shakers, and Lecrae, just to name a few!

And, in response to the social media craze, you can't let those people with seemingly "perfect" lives get to you. Believe me, no one, nor their life, is perfect. Do you know how long and how many different trial and error filters were needed to produce those great shots? I'm guessing...a lot! Maybe you want more followers, and you see pictures of all of these teenage girls with their cleavage showing in skin tight dresses, hanging out at parties with red Solo cups in their hands (We are all fully aware that it's probably just orange juice.). You think that if you do the same, maybe you'll get more followers, but that's not the way to go. Instead of focusing on how many followers you have, you need to focus on BEING a follower of Christ! (I should tweet that...)

As I said in last week's post, the main thing you have to do to avoid falling into the temptations of the world, is talk to God. Ask Him to help you resist temptation, and He will!

Here are some verses to additionally help you:

1. Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are good, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are bad, your body is also full of darkness.

Luke 11:34

2. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things.

Philippians 4:8

3. Test everything. Hold on to the good.  Avoid every kind of evil.

1 Thessalonians 5: 21-22

I hope this post will remind you to keep God first in what you watch and listen to, and everything else involved in media and entertainment! 

If you have anymore Bible verses and/or quotes that you would like me to add to the list, you can comment or send me an email at itunu.aromolaran96@gmail.com!

Don't forget to check out Allie's post too!

Thank You!

stay True, Be You,

Itunu

♥♥♥

Inspiration: Cause you've gotta have faith!

Hey Everyone!

Happy Saturday! How did you spend your day?

I met up with one of my math buddies from high school (She legit got As on all of the math tests last school year! And she always helped me when I had a question about all the confusing mathematical stuff.); we just had lunch in the dining hall and talked about college and how it's so different from high school.

Later, my other friend and I went to some event thing on campus; idk, they had like bouncy houses (really, college?), caricatures, cotton candy, snow cones, popcorn, etc. 

But, anyway, today, I just wanted to give you some inspiration. The last time I did one of these posts was like May.

Unlike the inspirational posts I did before, in today's post, there's gonna be more than 1 word of wisdom/inspiration, but they're all gonna be on the same topic!

Absolutely no one knows the future, except God, and He knows what He's doing, so we just have to walk by faith and trust in Him.

Don't fake it till you make it, faith it till you make it!

We just have to have faith and be thankful! 

God has really tested me these past few weeks aka "the start of college". I've already dealt with disappointment, sacrifice, and a whole lot of shade (ha!), but we just have to trust that in all things, God knows what's best for us.

Has there ever been a time (and there most likely has!) when your future looked foggy, and you just had to trust in God? Do share! I'd love to hear it!

Thank You!

Stay True, Be You,

Itunu 

♥♥♥

God First in: Friendships

Hey Everyone! Did you hear? Prince William and Duchess Kate are expecting their 2nd baby! I'm so happy for them! George is so cute, so I can't wait to see how cute their 2nd baby will be too!

Okay, so, today, I'm coming to you with a collaboration!

Yes, Allie from the wonderful blog, Reckless, and I have been working on a collaboration together! 

P.S. It's actually a collaboration SERIES!

 In these next few weeks, we are going to be talking about how to keep God first in different areas of our lives. We knew that the topics we were working on would be great, especially for the back-to-school time of year, because it can be so hard not to follow the ways of the world. But, we're children of God, so we've gotta be different from the world!

This week, we're talking about keeping God First in Friendships!

In today's post, I'll be talking about how to resist peer pressure especially among friends, and be sure to head over to Allie's blog, where she'll be using her amazing way with words to talk about how to treat your friends in a Godly way!


Friends. They make you laugh. They cheer you up when you're down. You laugh together, cry together, prank together, twerk together (okay, I was just kidding about the twerk part! Don't do that.).
It seems like your friends are always there for you, and in turn, you think you should always be there for them too.
But, then there are some things that they want to get into; some bad things. Maybe your clique is the coolest clique in the school and in order to remain "on top", you have to do things that make you look cool. Or maybe your clique isn't that popular, and you're trying to go along with the crowd so you can move higher up on that infamous "social ladder".

Both of these approaches are wrong.You wanna know why?
1. If you're in the most popular clique in the school, why don't you use that for good, and do positive things, so everyone else can follow?
AND
2. If you're not so popular, and you're trying to be popular by going out and partying and getting drunk, you're gonna look even less cooler doing that than sitting at that abandon lunch table beside the trash cans and the bathroom.

But wait. What if you're the only Christian in your little "clique", and even bringing up the word "Church"will get you laughed at.
Example?

Friends: Hey! You're going to that party tonight, right? I heard so-and-so is bring loads of booze!
You: I don't know. I have Church tonight...and, I'm a Christian, remember?
Friends: Are you serious right now? You'd rather choose boring, old Church over this awesome party?
You: Well, yeah, I guess...
Friends: C'mon! Church will always be there! This is gonna be the hottest party ever! It's a once in a lifetime opportunity!
You: I guess you're right! Okay, I'll go!

This, my friends, is peer pressure.
And you do not want to be a victim of peer pressure. So, here are some ways to resist peer pressure:
1. Say NO!
It's as simple as that! Okay, it might not be that simple, but if your friends keep pressing you, just keep saying no. You have God on your side, and you're stronger than them, so if they can keep pressuring you, you can keep resisting.
You just really have to ask God to help you out. I'm sure He will!

Here are some Bible verses to help:

1. Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
James 4:7
(I'm not comparing your friends to the devil! This verse, in other words, is basically saying "resist temptation".)

2. He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.
Proverbs 13:20
(Again, I'm not saying your friends are fools. I'm quoting the Bible people!)

3. Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character."
1 Corinthians 15:33

4. Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.
Galatians 1:10

5. No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
1 Corinthians 10:13

I hope this helped you with any problems you may be having with temptation!

Be sure to come back to my blog and Allie's blog next week, when we talk about God First in Entertainment!

Thank You!
Stay True, Be You,
Itunu
♥♥♥

Bible Talk

Hey Everyone!!!!!!!! How's your weekend going?

Today's my little sister's birthday, so I thought that I would dedicate this month's edition of Bible Talk to her!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday Idunu! (Yes, her name is almost like my name except for one letter replacement, but they both have different meanings!) This one's for you, Idunu!!!!!!!!

I picked this Bible verse today because it sort of has to do with something not only I, but my little sister, have been struggling with: Faith.

Sometimes when things don't go your way, or they don't go exactly how you planned, you wonder if God is listening to you, especially if you've been praying hard about it. Even though things may not go your way, they're going God's way, because what you want may not be what God wants for you.

But, don't worry about it; be strong, have faith, and put your hope and trust in God, because "all things work together for good for those who love Him, and who are called according to His purpose". Also, please don't try to rush God because His timing is always on point!

I hope this encourages you to have faith and to trust in God!

If you have any questions about this topic or you just want someone to talk to, please don't hesitate to email me at itunu.aromolaran96@gmail.com!

Thank You!

Stay True, Be You,

Itunu

Bible Talk: Fear

Hey Everyone! Happy First Day of Summer! How are you spending the day? I'm just doing the normal sitting with the computer thing, watching YouTube Videos, and whatnot. I've been especially interested in college videos, like Freshman Advice, because I'm getting ready to go to college in the Fall (tears). But, I'm going to make the most of my Summer and spend time with my Family, and have fun! And you should have fun too!

So, I feel like I haven't done one of these posts in a while, but I actually did one last month. It's time for Bible Talk! I'm actually going to talk about something that I've been struggling with for a while, and how this Bible verse has helped me with it. 

For months, even years, I've been struggling with self worth. I felt like I wasn't important or good enough for people. I felt like wherever I went, I just didn't fit in. School, and believe it or not, I felt this way at Church too. I don't like to admit, but I felt like no one wanted to be my friend at one point. We all know how it feels to be lonely, and I would feel that a lot of the time. My sisters would go out and hang out with their friends, and I would usually just be sitting at home in front of the t.v., wishing that I had more friends. I realized that despite how I was feeling, God was with me and is with me through everything. 

You're probably wondering how the Bible verse above helped me with this issue. During all of my self pity parties, I began to fear that I couldn't do anything, and I feared that people looked down on me for some reason. I also had this big fear of what would happen next. I worried about everything from money to friendships to everything. I realized that I shouldn't fear anything or anyone because God is with me.

A song that has helped me not to worry about what happens next is Walking by Mary Mary.

 I hope that this helped you if you're feeling the same way that I felt. If you have questions on this topic or you want some guidance, email me at a.itunu@yahoo.com. 

Thank You!

Stay True, Be You,

Itunu