Juliana Elizabeth Travis

Ephesians 6:10-17  “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore 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. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace . In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith , with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit , which is the word of God.”           There are a lot of battles in this wor

          Every day we have things to thank God for giving us. Here are a list of five things to be grateful for when you need something to bring joy to your life or just to be thankful for in general. 1. A ll things work together for our good. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” -Romans 8:28 2. We are loved. “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins”  -1 John 4:10 3. We are never alone. “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age”   -Matthew 28:20 4. We have peace in the midst of chaos. “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus”  -Philippians 4:7 5. We have a place held for us in Heaven. "But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,  who, by the powe

          The smell of turkey and pumpkin pie and the sound of voices fill the house.  A day full of family, friends, and good food. Crowding around the TV to watch the parades and the football games. Happy Thanksgiving!           Thanksgiving is more than just a day to be thankful for the family and friends we have, but a year long practice of giving thanks to God for all He has done in our lives. The roots of thanksgiving date back to before creation and leads up all the way to the present day. And the center of thanksgiving isn't the food, but the gratitude.           God created us with the purpose to honor Him with our lives. When Satan tricked Adam and Eve in the garden, this created unthankfulness in humanity. We often fail to be thankful in our every day lives, and we take for granted the things that God has specifically placed in our lives. We don't take the time to give thanks to Him and the people around us and show gratitude towards the things we have in our

Where do you pour out what you are struggling with? Who do you run to when you need to vent about a problem? Is it your friends, your family, your social media? Your friends and family may give you temporary peace in the midst of your battle, but it is only a matter of time until you are consumed by the fire again. Opening up on a social media platform may feel good to voice your struggles, but the backlash and negativity that you will receive will only make the baggage heavier. We’re fighting all these battles and venting them out to the people around us with hopes that we will have victory when in reality we are just digging ourselves a deeper hole. When we pour out to humans, we fill up with worldly ideas that never should have been taken in anyway. Those worldly ideas turn into worldly drama and before we know it we are drowning in a sea of lies that can never do anything for us. But when we pour out to God, we are filled with His love and grace and mercy and He gives

          You feel sad. You feel alone. You feel hopeless. You struggle to make it through the next day. You feel unimportant and unworthy. You feel like you are drowning in a sea of sorrow and  shame.  You wonder if you will ever feel happy again.            Satan tricks you into thinking that you are not good enough leading you to a depressed state of mind. He tells you that you are behind and  you will never be successful. Eventually, you fall so deep into this pit of depression that you see no light, no way out, and you start to feel numb.  You wish you could change it, but see no hope in trying.  You don't see a point in living another day.            But God gave you this mountain to show others that it can be moved. Whatever struggle is causing your depression, it will be overcome when you let Christ consume your mind. He will show you what pure joy looks like. He will comfort you and provide for your needs. He will conquer your fear and doubt. The only source of pure

          It is so calming to know that in all of our troubles, God is there to comfort us. No matter how bad the situation gets, God never leaves us. He never gives up on us. He sticks with us till the end. And He calls us to spread His comfort and love with those around us.           This week has been devastating for many families in Texas, including some that I know personally. Now is the time for us to pray for those who lost their lives, who lost loved ones, who lost their homes, their schools, their work places, and their churches due to Hurricane Harvey, and to pass on the comfort that God has given us to those who are affected by the storm.           Knowing that God gives us comfort in the midst of trouble makes each day a little easier. Spread God's love and comfort today. #Pray4Houston 

          While on vacation this summer, I spent a few days at the beach. One morning while walking along the shore, I was fascinated by the way the waves rolled up and washed away my footprints. As I looked behind me and saw that my past steps were gone, it really put in to perspective what our Savior does in our lives.           Sometimes in life we go through situations that leave us with unwanted memories. Sometimes it is a bad decision, a conflict, an addiction, or an argument or break up with someone you love. We all go through hard times that fill us with pain and regret that we feel will follow us around forever. We get filled with this anger towards ourselves bringing on unnecessary self-doubt and self-hatred. What if I told you that your past sins are forgiven and you can walk freely as a child of God?           Just like the waves washed away my footsteps, God washes away our past, our greatest sins, and our biggest regrets. Once my footsteps were washed away, I coul

           Most of our bitterness and anger towards others is rooted in our inability to be unconditionally amazed at Christ's love for us in our sin.  You may say "Oh my bitterness is because of this person or this thing or this situation," but the solution is not to fix the other thing. The solution is to fix yourself-- to gain a heart that is overflowingly thankful for grace from Christ and that spills over with grace towards others.  Here are 4 steps to overcome the bitterness of life and replace it with joy and contentment: 1.  Focus on the good in your life           In my last post "Focus on the Good" , I wrote about how we are sometimes surrounded by the darkness of sin, in this case bitterness. When we take our eyes off the bitterness, we are able to see God's goodness and love all around us. Instead of being bound by bitterness, run to God's truth. Replace the bitterness with contentment in every situation.  “Finally, brothers and

            This past year has been a rough, heavy load for me.  I had controversy with my best friend, went through a tough break up, prayed for recovery of the people closest to me, lost loved ones, and struggled with my own emotional stability.  Over the past few months, a key phrase that I have spoken over my life continuously is "Focus on the Good."            About 6 months ago, I fell into a depressed state where I just couldn't find a reason to be happy.  I overthought everything, I skipped meals, I laid awake in bed at night wondering where everything went so wrong. I got to a point where I didn't really want to wake up and struggle through the next day. I wish I could tell you that things have changed and I am better now, and while some things have gotten better, I am still in the pit of depression. I struggle with insecurity and I let my negative thoughts and the unkind words of others define who I am.  I feel unworthy, unwanted, and unloved.     

           You're insecure. You feel ugly. You feel like your body is not perfect, your face is not perfect, your hair isn't perfect. You feel unworthy and unimportant.  You feel unwanted. You feel completely alone.  You feel like no matter what you do,  you will never be good enough for anything or anyone.           That is a list of lies placed in your mind from the devil. The devil is trying to crush you and overtime you believe his lies he rejoices because he is pulling you away from God. The devil may have tiny victories over your life, but he will NEVER win. And you may say "I'm not worthy of God," but honey, God loves you and God is there for you no matter what. He created you as His child and He's not giving up on you.            When you ask God to step in, He will crush the devil and his evil lies and fill you with the truth, His truth. You are God's masterpiece, created with a purpose for a purpose. You are beautiful. Your body is perfect,

About a year and a half ago, I set a goal to raise $60,000 to donate to build water wells in Africa through The Water Project. Along the way, we have sold tshirts, collected change, and hosted The Water Games. As of today, we have raised over $2,000.   To continue to move towards our goal, I am selling another tshirt. This tshirt is white with blue, teal, and orange print. On the front it says “Water For Africa” and on the back it says “Give Water, Unlock Potential” with The Water Project logo. Youth sizes S-L are available for $15 and Adult sizes S-4XL are available for $20. Contact me for more information on how to order a shirt at  julianaelizabethtravis@gmail.com . Another fundraiser will be happening this summer. “You’ve Got Whales” will take place during July and August . People like you will pay a fee to have 3-6 inflatable whales like the one in the picture placed in a friend’s yard. There will be optional Whale insurance to protect your yard from the whale po

          Lent is a 40 day long fast which starts on Ash Wednesday and ends on Easter.  The 40 days  represents the 40 days that Jesus spent in the wilderness resisting temptation from the devil.  To learn more about Lent and the Methodist beliefs, click here .           As Ash Wednesday approached, I thought a lot about what I wanted to give up for Lent this year.  I honestly could not think of  anything to give up.  I spent a lot of time thinking about things in my life that distract me from God that I needed to get rid of.  Number one on my list was my phone.  I debated for days on this one... should I really give up my phone for a month and a half?  I made a list of things that I do on my  phone that are a distraction-- texting, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and a few games.  I often find myself scrolling through my  social media feed instead of doing homework, writing blogs, reading a book, or spending time with the people around me, and most importantly I of

          Sometimes it seems like we have unrealistic ideas about what a relationship with God consists of.  Many people see it as "Oh, I'm saved now, my sins are forgiven, I have a fresh start, I can do what I want and nothing bad will ever happen to me  again."  However, this statement is wrong in so many ways.            God says, "Come as you are. Bring your brokenness, your sin, your shame, your guilt... bring it all to Me and I will give you rest."  Sounds easy right? But God also says that it will not be easy. In order to follow Christ,  the Bible says, "We must deny ourselves and take up our cross and follow Him."  We must give up everything to truly submit to His ways and this is extremely difficult.  God says in John 16:33, "I have said these things to you that in me you may have peace. In the world, you will have tribulation.  But take heart, I have overcome the world."  The world will shoot you down and make you feel worthle

          So obviously you feel like your world is falling apart, or else you  wouldn't be here on this blog right now.  Sometimes in life, things go wrong that you can't understand and that is 100% OK. Whether its from a relationship, a friendship, a job, or any other situation, here are a few things you can do to make yourself feel better. 1.  Look At Your Relationship With God           The number one reason why you probably have no hope left is because you have put more effort into other aspects of your life than you have into your personal relationship with God.  Think of this less as a tragedy and more as a wake up call.  God is calling you to come back to him.  You have to take more time to pray and read the Bible and make Him your number one priority again. 2.  Look At What Went Wrong           Take a step back and really think about it:  Was the situation unhealthy? Was it dragging you down and draining you emotionally?   You  don't need anything that

           In our world today, dating is a pretty common thing.  However, there is a difference between dating in a worldly way and in a Godly manner.  Below is a list of 10 guidelines for dating in a way acceptable in God's sight. Find your self worth in God before getting into a relationship. Don't date to feel good about yourself. "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."  -Matthew 6:21 Use your brain in all circumstances. "Those who walk in wisdom come through safely."  -Proverbs 26:26 The healthiest relationship are those in which the similarities far outweigh the differences. "Bad company ruins good morals."  -1 Corinthians 15:33 Take it slow. "Guide my steps as you promised; don't let sin control me." -Psalm 119:133 All  healthy relationships require good, solid, and well-defined boundaries. You are responsible for yourself. "Be careful how you live, not as