College, Here I Come!

Wow. I'm in college. No longer living with my parents. An adult. Where did all the time go? This snuck up on me quick.

I guess I'm at one of those points in life where you're looking both backwards and forwards.

Backwards at my childhood growing up in Carson, Gardena, and then PV. Backwards at all the mistakes, accomplishments, friendships, relationships (or lack there of haha), experiences, joys, and the pains.

Even looking back on this past summer blows my mind away, let alone the past 18 years of my life. God has really brought me through many different struggles and trials and taught and showed me so many different things. Even though I wasn't exactly busy with school or work, it's been easily the most productive summer for me ever. I am amazed by God's sovereignty and plan, but mostly by his unceasing and ever-steady faithfulness to me even in my moments of unfaithfulness.

God is so gracious and so good.

Looking forward is really interesting too. I am really very curious how I'll do in school, what kind of people I will meet, what kinds of friends I make, and which friends will cease to be a part of my life. I wonder where I will go to church, which campus ministry I will join, where I will travel, and how things will work out with my girlfriend during an inevitably trying season.

I am so curious as to what God has in store for me and what kind of man I will graduate from this university as. Will I change and grow as much as I did between the ages of 14-18? Who's to say I will even be alive in four years?

So many things are unknown and it would make sense for me to be concerned or anxious. But just knowing that God loves me and is eternally faithful gives me so much peace. Hopefully I'll remain faithful to Him as well.

I am genuinely so thankful beyond full expression to God and to my family and close friends for their love. I am so richly blessed with good people in my life. What more could a person need in this world? I mean, really!!!

These are my prayers to God as begin my college experience:
1) Grow me Lord, bring me closer to you. Show more of yourself to me, reveal your glory and love and identity to me so that I can worship you more.
2) Deliver me from temptation and hold me close. Protect me from the forces of evil and give me the strength to fight.
3) Use me, oh Lord. Enable me to do your work for I am willing. Give me the opportunities and the skills to share the good news, to serve your church, to love the unloved, to encourage and bless brothers and sisters, and whatever else is necessary in building up the Kingdom.

The Armor of God (Ephesians 6)

^"13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist,
with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. ¹⁸And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

¹⁹Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, ²⁰for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should."