Student Blog

Steve Gervasi Hey Guys! This Student Blog is a series of short reflections geared toward students who are trying to passionately follow Christ. Most of them come out of my own personal quiet-time journaling. Hopefully you'll soak up some strength and even develop a greater thirst to spend time with Jesus every day in His Word and prayer just by seeing how much I love to be with Him.

I don't spend a lot of time polishing my thoughts. These are pretty much as I wrote them while spending time with Jesus. Most of them will be in the "first person" because it's my time with God to let His truth speak into my life and to tell Him how I feel about it. I believe the greatest gift I could possibly give you is an example of someone who really spends time on a consistent basis with his creator and who tries, though definitely not perfectly, to put His words into practice. Tell me what you think. Post a comment below.

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If You Confess... Romans 10:9-10

 10/20/2009 10:30 PM
That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord”….For…it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. --Romans 10:9-10

The kind of faith that saves is one which begets a verbal confession that Jesus is Lord. In the Jewish community of the day, not to mention the Roman, a confession that Jesus is Lord would mean outright rejection by the majority.

That’s how deep the conviction must run for one to be truly saved.

So how does this equate to life and faith here and now? Well, I’ve got to be willing to confess Jesus as Lord among my peers even in the face of mockery. To confess that Jesus is Lord is to declare that he is the only way—he is the one and only Savior of the world. There is no other God beside him. (See Deuteronomy 30:13)

According to 1 Corinthians 12:3, no one can say Jesus is Lord except by the Spirit. It’s the Spirit of Christ who brings such deep conviction about the Lordship of Christ.

Jesus, I do believe you are Lord! I do confess you at the cost of rejection. Thank you for saving me!  Your Spirit has convinced me. I truly believe and am justified.

Lord, please help all my young friends to believe with the kind of faith the Holy Spirit gives—all the students I’m prayer mentoring and all the students in my youth group—to truly believe.

I wonder how many “Christian” students would be willing to stand in front of their peers and say, “Jesus Christ is Lord!” I remember when I was a teen, how insecure I was. It was difficult for me, not because I didn’t believe but because I lacked confidence in myself. I was afraid of rejection. I wanted their acceptance. Yet, somehow, because the conviction was deep, I did confess Jesus before my peers—at times with fear and trembling!

Father, give the kids great courage and a boldness that rises from deep conviction by your Spirit. I pray for a moving of your Spirit upon the minds, hearts and souls of the kids. As he moved upon the face of the deep at creation, create within them faith where there is none—faith that leads to life and growth. Thank you for hearing my prayer, Lord. In Jesus name, Amen!

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In His Steps... 1 John 2:5-6

 9/22/2009 10:02 PM
This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did. 1 John 2:5-6

If a professing believer does not walk as Jesus did, then there is a huge question mark as to whether he is truly "in him." The only way for one to know for certain that a person is truly "in him" is if that person is walking as Jesus walked.

Verse 29 says, "If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is righteous has been born of him."

Am I walking as Jesus did? Am I listening to and obeying the voice of the Father? Am I serving others? Am I seeking the lost? Am I giving up my desires that others may have eternal life? Am I living a righteous life? Am I walking in His footsteps?

Father, I am not perfect but your grace is compelling me to walk in Jesus footsteps more! Thank you for the good work you began in me 35 years ago and for the sure evidence that I am truly "in Christ", one of your true children! Daddy, I love you.

Now Lord, I ask that my young friends would become aware of where they truly stand in their relationship with you. In Jesus name.

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Walking in the Light--Part 2 ...1 John 1:7

 9/6/2009 9:49 PM
3. CONSISTENTLY WALKING AWAY FROM LIES AND SIN TOWARD THE LIGHT

The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day. Proverbs 4:18

The path of the truly born again believer gets brighter and brighter because he or she is ever walking closer to the light.

To me this is the hardest part about walking in the light—to actually press closer to the Light while at the same time wrestling with my sin. It’s where the battle rages within me because honestly, there are stubborn pockets of resistance in my soul--certain sins my flesh enjoys jostling with. It takes courage to continue moving toward the light when you know God’s searchlight is upon you! But it’s the only way to at last overcome.

Lord may your glory melt away every pocket of resistance within my soul till all that remains is perfect submission and the perfect likeness of Jesus Christ the Light of the World.

4. RECEIVING PURIFICATION FROM SIN THROUGH THE SACRIFICE OF JESUS CHRIST GOD’S SON

So check this out: When we’re willing to know God as He truly is and we’re willing to know ourselves as we truly are and we’re choosing to walk closer and closer toward the light, God promises to continually purify us of our sin!!!!!

But if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light… the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.  1 John 1:7

O I do receive the cleansing. I drink it in. Let it flow. Let it roll over me, wave after wave, till all my sin is washed away.

5. SEEKING TO WALK IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF JESUS

Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.  1 John 2:6

Lord, may I have no other desire than to reflect your light—the glory I see in Jesus who is the “radiance of your glory and the exact representation of your being.” As long as I am walking closely with Jesus, following in his footsteps, I will be walking as he walked and in close enough proximity to his light that I can’t help but reflect it to the world.

OKAY SO HERE’S THE CONCLUSION OF ALL THIS: THE EARLY FOLLOWERS OF JESUS SAW SOMETHING THEY COULDN’T GET OVER AND THEY FELT SOMETHING THEY COULDN’T FORGET AND THEN THEY SAID SOMETHING THEY COULDN’T HOLD IN…

IF WE WILL WALK IN THE LIGHT CONSISTENTLY, EVERYDAY, THEN WE WILL BEGIN TO SHINE LIKE JESUS!!!

WE WILL BEGIN TO REFLECT HIS GLORY.

OUR LIVES WILL BEGIN TO SAY SOMETHING WE CAN’T HOLD IN, WE CAN’T HIDE AND NO ONE CAN SHUT UP!!!!

Lord Jesus, give my young friends the courage to dwell in your light! Amen!

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Walking in the Light--Part 1... 1 John 1:7

 8/7/2009 10:54 AM
But if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. 1 John 1:7

If the message Jesus proclaimed to His early followers, who became so ignited they lit a fire that burns to the present, is that “God is light and in him is no darkness at all,” and if fellowshipping with the God of light is the secret to the Life from eternity invading the human heart, then what is the secret to sustaining fellowship with this God of light?

 That’s what John talks about next. It’s all about walking in the light.

When I’m in the light, I see everything more clearly. I see things as they truly are. When I walk in God’s light it means at least 5 things…

1. BEING WILLING TO KNOW GOD AS HE TRULY IS…

Not as I want Him to be but as he is. Now this is a scary thing because anyone who saw God in the Bible experienced a melt-down: awestruck, terror-struck, love-struck.

Why is that? Is it because God is so bad? No it’s because God is sooo good.

Lord, I am willing to know you as you truly are--even if it means the evil within me is annihilated by your goodness. I risk standing in your presence through Jesus Christ, even now. I want you to do whatever is necessary for me to be holy. I want to look fully into your face of  Light.

2. BEING WILLING TO KNOW MYSELF AS I TRULY AM

It frightens me to know God as He truly is because he is light and the closer I get to the light the more I see who I really am.  But that’s what I’ve got to do if I want to have fellowship with God.  I’ve got to risk knowing God as he truly is...as I stand before you, Lord,  the one who sees me as I truly am.

Lord, I am willing to know myself as I truly am. I’ve already faced-up to the reality that within my flesh is an adulterer, a liar, a murderer, thief and more. I am lost without you. Nothing good dwells within my flesh. Nothing.

Check back in a couple weeks for the rest. It gets really good.

Lord, I pray for all the young people you have given me influence with. Please give them the courage to begin their journey with you by knowing you as you truly are and knowing themselves as they truly are. Grant them the good soil of an honest heart, I pray, in Jesus name. Amen

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Fellowship With the God Who is Light... 1 John 1:3

 7/20/2009 9:42 PM
We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.  1 John 1:3

What changed the early followers of Christ was the closeness they had with God... and from then on they just had to tell others about it.

They experienced fellowship with the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. Fellowship is being with someone, getting to know them, doing things together and feeling a common bond. That’s how John describes his relationship with God.

It's as if John is saying, "I’m hanging out with God, getting to know Him better and better and feeling a common bond with him."

It's interesting that John never described being saved as saying a prayer. He described it as being in fellowship with God.

That’s how you know you have eternal life! You live in fellowship with God and it changes your life!!!!!

If you want to be successful in this life, hang out with great men. If you want to be successful in this life and the next, hang out with God. If you do, you will feel something deep in your spirit that you will never forget!

I once heard someone say, "You are who your friends are and if you are not yet, you soon will be. Well the same is true with God. His light rubs off on us and changes us just by being with Him. Life transformation is really as simple as fellowshipping with the God of light. The more time we spend in His presence, the more we are changed into His likeness by the Spirit of the Lord.

Father, I choose you. I choose to be with you, to get to know you and to do things together with you. I'll continue to draw away from worldly entertainment spending time with you instead. I trust that the very power of your presence will change me.

And Lord, I pray for all my young brothers and sisters to choose to hang out with you as well. May their lives be so filled-up with time in your presence that there's not much time left for worldly allurements.

I sincerely ask this in Jesus name. I know he wants to love and be loved. Amen

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If God is Light... 1 John 1:6

 6/26/2009 3:44 PM
If we claim to have fellowship with him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. I John 1:6

Because God is light and in him is no darkness at all, I can't walk in darkness and have fellowship with him. To walk in darkness is to live in denial about my sin. When I won't let God search me, I am in the dark. When I won't honestly listen to what God says about my sin, I am in the dark. When I refuse to admit and forsake my sin, I am in the dark. I live in a place the blood of Jesus can't reach. There is no purification and no forgiveness there. There is no fellowship with God. I can't feel close to him. I can't feel his presence. I can't enjoy his company, protection and blessing. And if I think I do, I am only deceiving myself.

Lord, I know you know my greatest areas of repetitive weakness. I lay my soul bare before you. I stand guilty before you of making the same poor choices and falling into the same worldly traps again and again. I AM ONLY FOOLING MYSELF IF I THINK I CAN WALK IN DARKNESS IN THOSE AREAS AND ENJOY FELLOWSHIP WITH YOU.

So... I must pull myself back, even more than I already have, from media triggers--tv, internet, etc. It's so much better to spend time reading and talking with you, getting to know you better. I must not allow myself to get so busy with ministry that there's no time for you. God I will make the needed adjustments to my lifestyle, schedule and ministry. And because I believe this would please Jesus, I pray it in his name.

Now Lord, I pray for all the kids who are near and dear to me including my young friends who may be listening in on our conversation, please help them to be real with you about who they really are. Please help them to walk in the light, to be willing to know you and be known by you, because then they will experience the sweetness of your forgiveness and fellowship with the only one in whom is no darkness! Thanks Lord for hearing this prayer. I love you. Amen

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God is Light... 1 John 1:5

 6/12/2009 9:52 PM
This is the message which we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 1 John 1:5

According to the verses that follow, the composition of darkness is lies and sin. That would mean then that light is truth and purity. God is light, therefore God is all truth and absolutely pure, not one fraction of a beam of his essence contains one atomic particle of anything but light!

On the mountain Jesus pulled back the veil of his flesh and allowed Peter, James and John, the author, to see himself as he truly is. What they saw and heard was so brilliant, so bright, so dazzling, so un-nerving they fell face down to the ground terrifed! They saw the glory of God and were never the same.

John's friend Peter described this life-changing experience like this:

We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain. And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. 2 Peter 1:16-19

John and his fellow apostles experienced something they couldn't get over. They felt something they couldn't forget. And as a result they said something they couldn't hold in. What they said was God is light and in him is no darkness at all!

Whoa! Lord, this blows my mind! These guys actually had the opportunity to fellowship with you, the God of light. And what blows my mind even more is that you have made a way for me to get close to you through the sacrifice of Jesus' life on my behalf! Thank you Father.Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I am walking in your light and it is changing my life!

And now my awesome, wonderful God of light, I pray a special prayer for all my young friends. Would you help them to love the light? Would you draw them to your presence? Would you show them that Jesus made a way for them to be close to you? If they will hang out with you the way Peter, James and John did, they will be changed little by little by your glory. Amen.

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Unstoppable Eyewitnesses... 1 John 1:1

 5/29/2009 9:53 AM
This we proclaim to you concerning the Word of Life.  I John 1:1

John and the other apostles, Peter, James, Andrew..., fearlessly proclaimed what they had indisputibly experienced. They saw. They examined. They heard. They touched the "Word of Life."

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life and that life was the light of men. John 1:1-4

If I had seen what they saw, if I had examined what they examined, if I had heard what they heard, if I had touched what they touched--the one who was from the beginning, God in flesh, the creator of all, the source of life, the life, the WORD OF LIFE--without a doubt I would fearlessly proclaim him as well, even tirelessly after 60 years of service and in the face of extreme persecution and martydom, like the writer John.

Surely I would resist sin to the point of blood.

The Word of Life. How can I even begin to comprehend the concept? A "word" is used to make truth plain to men. Jesus is God's 'Word" to us! God has spoken to us not only through the prophetic word but through the Word incarnate, his Son. The creatiing Word became the communicating Word. He was a message and he declared a message.

We should all be sitting on the edge of our seats. We should all know that we have found the Pearl of Great Price and sell all, if need be, to make Him ours indeed! THAT'S WHAT JOHN AND HIS FELOW APOSTLES DID IN RESPONSE TO BEING WITH HIM!

Okay Lord, so I must choose to be with the Word of Life just like John and his buddies did. Why would I want anything else?! I feel the need to streamline my life even more for more time with the Word. I will get better at choosing my quiet-time disciplines over fleshly comforts and entertainment. I will organize my life and schedule around a relationship, a first-hand-through-the-eyes-of-the Spirit-eye-witness-relationship with Jesus, that will so affect me that I will become unstoppable in my proclamation of "The Word of Life!"

And Lord I lift a prayer for all my friends who are listening in on our conversation: Help us to be a band of brothers, just like your first followers, who give up more and more, that we might have it all--an eye-witness encounter with You! In Jesus name I ask this. I know that's what he wants. Amen!


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