Motto for my life

Several months ago Pastor Jeff at Element Church talked about having a motto for your family. I thought how cool would it be to have a motto for myself and for my life. I prayed to God asking him to move me to a verse I can have as a goal, and as a reference I can turn to knowing where He wants my life. Many weeks went by and I continued to pray and finally the Lord lead me to 1 Corinthians 9:26-27 , it says, "So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise I fear that after preaching to others, I myself might be disqualified" NLT. My life is not a game. I don't want to just sit around learning and doing nothing with it. I don't want God to bless me with things and put it on a shelf to collect dust. I am called to be minister unto the world and I will run this race God has placed me in with everything I got! Today was continuing to read in 2 Timothy and I ran across this verse. I want to be able to say this verse in four years when I graduate and even on my death bed... Yes I'm thinking of death. I want my life to be lived out fully and completely on fire for God. I want to make sure when I take my last breath, this verse will wrap up my whole life as an alien on this planet, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. And now the prize awaits me -- the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to His appearing" NLT. For those of you reading this, if you were to die right now are you confident you would be able to believe this about your life? I know as of now I am not! I have so much to start changing so that I can be seen by my God as faithful. Please join me now, start praying and seeking our Mighty God! Pray He starts to change our lives and raise us up to be mighty warriors of His holy army. Man I love God so much and I just want to love Him even more! Like the famous words of Misty Edwards in her song, "I'm in love with a man, I'm in love with a stranger, I'm in love with my maker, whom I have never seen, I'm in love with a lamb, I'm in love with a lion, I'm in love with my savior whom I have yet to know. Oh wont you let me love you more, this is all that I desire, This is all that I require, its my deepest hearts desire, I have one life to live and all I have to give to you is love, so please LET ME LOVE YOU MORE!" Let us live in love and work to reaching our goal in being faithful to our God!

In HIM,
Steven Frausto SDG

125 Years and Counting and we need your PRAYERS

Wow!!! I know I have said this a lot, but today was the best day EVER!!! I went and tried a local church about 5  blocks away with some friends (not a great one but hey got by Jesus funk on ha). Hanging out with friends today having lunch and just sharing stories is just so amazing. It never gets old only refreshes me each day. Today we opened up campus to start the year of and with that we started and celebrated Moody Bible Institute's 125 Years of not only teaching but building and sending out mighty men and women of God across the world. two of my really good friends J.C. and Ryan and I paired up to join the whole campus in our first ever prayer around the campus. We walked around the whole campus with every single student faculty and staff to pray over the year! For the next 125 hours people all over the world, both alumni, supporters, and friends will be praying and worshiping asking God to do some amazing things this year here at MBI! Im so blessed to be apart of this group and so excited to see what God is going to do this year through each and every single person here at MBI. In James 5:16-18 it says, "The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and half years! then when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops" NLT. With us all uniting in prayer Moody will only continue to be blessed, grow, and produce amazing soldiers for Christ! Jesus himself said this, " I also tell you this: if two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do t for you. for where tow or three gather together as my followers, i am there among them" NLT. Please consider this next week until midnight of this Friday August 26, 2011 and pray for MBI. Below I am posting some Prayer request, please pray with us.

Praise and Thanks:
1. God's Countless blessings thoughout Moody's 125 years of ministry.
2. Moody's generous partners who provide a tuition paid education for us.

Request:
1 God would enable us to focus on Moody's biblical mission and global vision
2 Moody's desire to pursue Chirst as our first priority will increase
3 Gods Hand will be on Moody's leaders, board of trustees, and presidents
4 The lord would raise up student leaders at MBI to take his light around the globe
5 God would bring more and continue to stir the hearts of moody partners to give generously to his work through moody.
6 that God would continue to provide finances for the students struggling to make month by month payments for a debt free education so they can go straight into ministry without any problems. 

God is good and will forever be good. Thank you for praying and lifting my life, education, as well as everyone else's. Be blessed my frineds

In HIM,
Steven Frausto SDG

Undeserved Privilege

This past week starting a new chapter in my life here in Chicago has been the most amazing thing I have done so far. It is so cool to see how God is so faithful and so awesome that I have this opportunity to be blessed and receive education from the best bible college in the world! I found out this week that about 4000 people applied to this school and this year they did not accept as many students as they do in previous years. around 320 individuals had got accepted and I was blessed to be one of them. Hearing everyone's story on how they got here and how the Lord called them here has not only been fun but encouraging! I love seeing How God has brought forth a group of mighty followers that are going to shake this generation (and it has only been 3 or 4 days and I can see this ha CRAZY!). I ran past this verse this morning and I thought it was fitting for what I have been feeling this week. Romans 5:2 "Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God's glory" (NLT). None of us deserve anything from God. We are unholy and sinful but our Father in heaven has declared us not guilty and because of that he has drawn us close to Himself. I dont deserve to be here, I dont deserve to have the privilege that 3700 other individuals didn't get, but... my Father called me here. He has a plan not only to change me but to change the world. I am so excited to see what happens these next three to four years here at Moody Bible Institute. It will not end here though. I will continue to be changed and challenged by God and He will lead me to new areas and I am so excited. Thank you God for all your doing in my life!!!

In Him,

Steven SDG 

Love

For the past several months the LORD has placed on my heart "love." what is this word and what should it mean to me? I started digging into the Word looking and longing for love. I came accross 1 John 4:20 and it says, "If someone says, "I love GOD," but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is a liar; for if we don't love people we can see, how can we love GOD, whom we cannot see?" When reading this I myself was convicted and challenged on to love those who I do not love. But another thought came to mind, what does it look like to love? I sat there and prayed and thought about the the Bible and GOD and HIS love for us. Thinking I realized love started at the creation. Without the love of GOD and HIM wanting to pour HIS love into us there would have been no life. We see the love of GOD in the story of Abraham and the promise HE gave and fullfilled with HIS son JESUS. We see the ultimate love with the sacrafice of HIS only begotton son so that we sinners could once again have life. Love is all through out the Bible from the beggining of time and through all eternity. I had one more question, what does love look like in my own life? I was lead to 1st Corinthians 13:4-7  and it says, "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." I changed out the word love and substituted my name into it and WOW was I blown to see I was far from loving. I came to one conclution. . . love is not about me! DUH? But seriously love, real love is truly sacraficing you own personal desires, wants, needs to insure your brother and sister are growing and getting the love they need! All I have to say now is I have a lot of growing I have to do. Blessings!
IN HIM,
STEVEN

We Effect Others

Have you ever thought that others where watching what you are doing and decided whether or not it is worth following. If we saw Jesus saying one thing and turning around doing another (which we never will) would we want to follow? If not why do we think as Christians we can follow Christ and act any way we want. People watch us as Christians and decide whether or not it is worth following. In Hebrews 12:12 it says, "so take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees. Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong." We cant go through life always worrying about our own survivial but how we are influencing others and being a good example! If we are living for Christ, as we claim to be then we have a responsibility in this world and that is to show the love of Christ and follow hard after HIM! I just want to leave you with a few Questions to think about. Does your example make it easier for others to believe in and follow Christ, and to mature in Him? Would those who follow you end up confused and misled? Let go out into this world and fight for VICTORY!!! Lets bring the weak to Christ so they may become strong.

Lost but now Found!!!

For the past several weeks I have been feeling lost. Having God calling me into his vision has been an enjoyable ride but the more I try to figure things out the more I find my self leaning on my own instincts. It came to a point that I was ready to give up and go back to a comfortable life that I had. But after last night with M.E.S.S I truly heard Gods voice of encouragement to continue on with his plan which re-sparked my excitement and joy to follow Him and only Him. Feeling the Spirit guide me to His plan is so exciting and so refreshing. Our God is so dangerous and His plans to man are so crazy but He is so Faithful and this is what makes HIM GOD AND GOD ALONE!!!! I love serving such a a powerful God.

Nicaragua

Sorry guys i did not get to the computer as much as i was hoping to but just a quick update on everything. we completed all we came to do and more praise God! the playground is put in we build the orphanage a chicken coop we also built them a path way to get the play ground as well as stairs to get to the chicken coop. The children are so excited and monday we will be able to get to play with them on it and enjoy our work. This has been such a great trip. Getting to know the lord better making friends and of course the great food has made this trip much easier to over come being home sick. Monday we will leave the orphange and go to Granada which is an old city near by and do some fun tourist stuff then we will be of to the Masya Volcanoe as well as the Masya Market which is the biggest market in Nicaragura. Please continue praying and thank you for your prayers.

Steven