Two things you should know about me...well, three actually. One-I love music. I definitely can feel the Holy Spirit in music. Two- Audrey Assad is my all time favorite singer. Her voice is like butter and I could listen to her all day, everyday. Three- my all time favorite band is Tenth Avenue North. I saw them a few years ago when they opened for Casting Crowns and I've loved them ever since. Their sound is unique & their lyrics are full of meaning.
So last night was a great night. You wanna know why? I went to Tenth Avenue North's concert and Audrey Assad opened for them, along with The Rend Collective Experiment (Irish Christian band-they're one of my favorite bands now). Yep, it was pretty, stinkin awesome. It started with an upbeat Irish band with cute accents (I'm a sucker for an Irish accent haha), then we were serenaded by Audrey and then we were jammin out with TAN. Let me tell you, these guys are so energetic and Mike (the lead singer) is hilarious! I laughed so much. If you have a bucket list, go write down "Go to a Tenth Avenue North concert", if you don't have a bucket list, I suggest you create one just for them...go on...I'm serious...you won't regret it. I promise. I still can't stop thinking about last night...it was that good.
Moving on. Their latest album is called The Struggle and the songs that explain how in life we often struggle. Most of the time we think of struggling as a bad thing. I mean, who wants to struggle, right? However, a lot of times God uses struggle to show us something. Whether it be for us to cling to Him or to learning something, there is purpose. It may sound mean, but it isn't...it's love. Mike said last night "He cut us to heal us, He died to revive us." Word!
I think one of the reasons last night was so awesome was because I could relate to the message. My Lyme Disease has been a struggle, BUT God has used it. So I'm thankful for this struggle. The Bible never tells us that life will be easy, but that we will face persecution and struggle. Jesus says (John 16:33), "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." However, if we seek out God, He will use the struggle for His glory. I know I may talk about this a lot, but it is so important. Everyone struggles. That's life. Good news though, "we are free to struggle, we're not struggling to be free." Those are the words of TAN's song, The Struggle.
Galations 5:1 says, "It is for freedom, that Christ has set us free." When He died on that cross and rose from the grave, He was saying that death has overcome. Death and struggle cannot keep God from moving. It only shows His glory much more. It's hard to think that death can be a good thing, but with God all things are possible. A lot of people think that Christianity is all about rules and never missing church, but that's not it at all. Jesus has made us free from our sin. All we need to do is believe in that truth and follow Him. Let Him use your struggle. Whatever struggle you may be facing right now, He can take that struggle, use it for His glory and restore you.
In Him we find freedom.
John 8:31-32- Jesus said, "You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
Hebrews 9:15- For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance-- now that He has died as a ransom to set them free. . .
2 Corinthians 4:8-12- We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.
Check out their song "The Struggle"! "Don't Stop the Madness", "Worn", and "Losing" are good ones too...heck, just check out the whole album! Let me know what you think!
The girls- my eyes are glowing, aren't they? I can't get them fixed :/
The crowd raising their arms up to the Father...love it!
Scripture today is Luke 17-18.
Have a great weekend & don't let struggle get you down, let it lift you up!
