Saturday, June 30, 2012

If you have never sinned, go ahead and throw the first stone!

"Never judge a man unless you’ve walked a mile in his shoes. How many times have you judged others based on rumors and lies? How about you how many times have you been judged because of your past? Or have been criticized for doing something different or even being different? Or maybe you have felt the sting of being unfairly judged by another person when they did not even know you?

Every one has a story...and part of your story includes being judged or condemned unfairly by others...something you really have very little control over.

The challenge with being on the receiving end of judgment or condemnation is to not to let others unfair judgments shut you down. The pathway to this is forgiveness or to forgive those who make such condemnations...because that is the only way to be free of the anger and negative self-image that such condemnation can create.

Matthew 7:1-7:5  Jesus doesn’t really address this part of the equation. He’s interested in you and he wants you to realize how unhealthy it is to live a critical lifestyle, how God distains such an attitude to life. He talks in some very strong terms about judging or condemning others. But He doesn’t leave you there alone. He gives the way out of having a critical, judgmental heart.

First of all, Jesus clearly commands you not to judge.  When you see someone making a practice of self-destructive behavior and you gently bring that to their attention that is not what Jesus is talking about here.

So if you really want to apply this passage accurately in your life, you don’t stop making intelligent choices using a reasonable amount of discernment. You simply examine yourself to see if in your attitude you are condemning others.

Jesus commands you not to condemn others. In John chapter 8, Scripture gives you amazing insight into the character of God, a bunch of men are swarming
around a young woman caught in adultery. They bring her to Jesus to get him to pass judgment on her... they’re testing him. Jesus, while not disputing the law itself directly, redirects the question with his words. “If any of you have never sinned, then go ahead and throw the first stone at her!"

Don’t make judgments as though you had the right to make judgments when you’re not, truly, equipped to make judgments. And that’s the problem.  Each of the men in John 8 had sin in their lives that they were not dealing with while at the same time wanting desperately to deal most severely with the sin of another person.

When you judge another to the point of condemnation, you, expose yourself to falling. That’s why in Galatians 6:1: “Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted”.

There’s another real downside to condemning others. "Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, and criticize their faults--unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging.”

God will use the act or process of making things equal when you stand before Him face to face on the judgment day. Part of this equal process, will be your own standards of judging others. If you’re quick to condemn others or if you do so without mercy...then you should not expect much different from God.  If you prejudge others as matter of practice, you should not expect something different from God. Likewise if you do not condemn others, if you apply mercy and grace and give others the benefit of the doubt, you can rest a bit easier as you stand before God, for soon, one day, you will give an account of your life and your faith in Jesus Christ.

If you search your own heart and come clean with God about all the flaws you have, you can get on with the business of loving each other, which, by the way, is what Jesus recommends above everything for you.

Friday, June 29, 2012

You will have more Strength if you work together as a group.

Thank God for those times when He has either calmed your spirit or sent someone into your life to remind you that you should remain calm and not get carried away with what you wanted - even if you are so sure that it is exactly what God wants. Let that angry spirit within you calm down before you say or do things which will not only hurt yourself but also hurt those around you.

God does not always provide the details of how He is going to use you in what He is doing. Perhaps that would lead you to worry about some of the details - details which are God’s concern, not yours... Instead you had to follow God’s instructions and then trust God that he would use your actions to accomplish His purpose.

This element of trust emphasizes that God is in control. He uses you to accomplish His work but if no trust is required, the burden of the task and the need to control things becomes yours.

So often you want to know every detail of God’s plan for you, the danger for you is also that it becomes your plan, not God’s.

God will also tell you that you’re not alone and you do not have the burden of the task placed on your shoulders alone. Many times God will tell you that He will work through others - they will be His instruments also. Repeatedly God had others to help those he had given plans so they did not have to work alone. God sometimes does great things through individuals but He often deals with many people as a group - as His people - and He accomplishes His purposes through His people. Leaders cannot do the work unless those who follow also feel called to that work.

When you serve God, that service is very personal. God wants you to give all of yourself to Him. However, because it is personal, it can become quite easy to think that you alone are sincere in your service and to forget that there are others around you who are also eager to serve.

You may feel called by God to serve Him in some way but you have to work with those Christians which God has placed alongside you in your life. When each person serves God on their own without working together, they will not have the strength which they would have had if they’d of worked together as a group.

Enthusiastic and-eager people can provide the spark you need to work effectively for God. But that enthusiasm must not make you forget that God not the individual is in control. He will use you - in His way and in His time. You may not understand how but you need to be available for His use and not to set your own agenda. If your enthusiasm only lasts while you do your own thing, then you need to question that enthusiasm and the motives behind it.

You are to follow God’s word and listen to Him to try and determine what He wants you to do. Sometimes He will speak to you through mighty acts but other times through the quiet moments you spend with him or the calming advice of other believers. This means not just listening to what you want to hear but to be open to all of God’s word, To discuss with others what you feel that God is telling you and to work together with them.

Mostly, you are to trust Him. He is in control and His will shall be done despite you or through you. You can pray to God, asking Him to answer your petitions and trusting that He will do so, but you make your prayers subject to His will - thereby acknowledging that His ways are greater than your ways.

Thursday, June 28, 2012

WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WHILE YOU’RE AT WHERE YOU ARE.

When you are in a place between there and there and you begin to ask God What Am I Going To Do While I am Where I AM, Lord Now What!!! It is within this place that every child of God must go through at some time or another. Noah went through it, it was called the flood, Abraham went through it, it was called the Mount of Moriah, Moses went through it, it was called the desert experience, the Israelites went through it, it was called the wilderness, Elijah went through it, it was called Zarephath, the 3 Hebrew boys went through it, it was called the fiery furnace, Daniel went through it, it was called the lion’s den, Paul went through it, it was called prison, John went through it, it was called Patmos, and you must at some point go through this place.

Understand that this is the place that God is developing your character. This is your wilderness experience, your lion’s den and your fiery furnace. This place that you’ll find yourself in is a lonely place sometimes. It is a place that you often will feel rejected and neglected, but understand that it’s at this place your being selected and inspected this wilderness experience is to develop your character.

1st Peter 2:9 “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that you should show praises to God who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”

The Divine purpose for you is not just a mere external imitation of Christ but an internal transformation. Because you can look Holy on the outside and be pure hell on the inside, but an internal transformation is Holy on the inside and will cause the outside to be Holy. You can’t just have a form of godliness, but you must have the power. The form of godliness will let you get to a place, but the power will keep you at that place. The form of godliness will bring a storm in your life but the power will take you through that storm.

The ultimate measure of you as a person is not where you stand in moments of comfort and convenience, but what your Character is made of in the difficult to understand moments of life. Understand that reputations are built in a moment, but character is built in a lifetime. Reputation is what others say about you, Character is what the angels say about you. Reputation is the form of godliness; character is the power of it. When you succeed momentarily it is because of what you know, when you succeed temporarily it is because of what you do, when you permanently succeed it is because of what you are.

The reason that you will experience the wilderness or the reason you will be between there and there is because God is working on your character. He is trying to get you to a point that you are able to stand in the midst of a challenge and controversy with comfort and confidence, not in what you know, but because of who and whose you are.

This is the point where your character is developed, and you get to the point where you say Lord I need you. When you’re done trying to do everything yourself, where your trying fix the situation yourself and all you do is make it a bigger mess then it was before. God is trying to get you to the point where you are totally leaning on Him. He is trying to develop your character so that you realize that you need Him. When you get to the point that you realize that you need God every hour, not just when things are bad, but when things are good. Then it will become your character.

When your character is developed, when you’re totally depending on God to fight your battles for you, then you can put your energy into developing yourself in God.

WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WHILE YOUR AT WHERE YOU ARE when you got to lean and depend upon Jesus. Trust in him and he will provide. That is what Job meant when he said though He slay me yet will I trust Him, If you trust Him He will, not maybe, but he will provide.

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

What Is God’s Antidote For Worry

Worry does not solve the problem. Worry cannot change the past. It cannot control the future. It can only make you miserable today. It is unhelpful. It’s unreasonable. It magnifies the problem. It makes mountains out of molehills. Worry makes your problems seem bigger than they really are. To worry about something you can’t change is useless. To worry about something you can change is unintelligent – just go ahead and change it. Worry is unreasonable.

Worry is unhealthy. The body is not made for worry. Worry can cause ulcers, backaches, headaches, insomnia. It’s unnatural. Plants and animals don’t worry. The only thing in creation that worries is people. Worry is not natural and it’s unhealthy.

What Is God’s Antidote For Worry? It’s for you to Believe He will TAKE CARE OF YOU.
If you really believe that God is going to take care of you, you’re not going to worry. You’re going to trust in God for all your needs.

If you’ll trust Him. He says, “He will provide for you. He will protect you. He will guide you. He will gather you to his side if you’ll let Him be your shepherd. Look at what it says in Isaiah 40:11. He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, And carry them in His bosom, And gently lead those who are with young.

Philippians 4:19 gets even more specific. And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

Worry is not only unhelpful, unreasonable, unhealthy – but it’s unnecessary if Jesus is your shepherd. Any time you worry you’re acting like an atheist. In essence you are saying: God is not going to take care of my needs. I don’t think He can. I don’t think He’s big enough – in fact I’m not sure He is even there. The antidote for worry though is make God your shepherd.

All worry is about is a control issue. Who is really in control? Worry is nothing more than you trying to control what you can’t control - trying to control the uncontrollable. Worry is a warning light that you have not put God in control.

Who’s in control of your life? God gives you the option. He doesn’t force Himself in your life. You have two options – either you can be in control of your life or you can let God be in control of your life. God doesn’t co-pilot. If you’re in control of your life you’re in the Driver’s seat. If you’re running your own life without having God in control you ought to worry. Because there are things in your life that you will never control. But if God is running your life and He’s the Lord of your life – you should not worry. The Lord is all knowing and all powerful.

Begin Praying About EVERYTHING.

What should you start praying about? Start praying about the things you have been worrying about. If you prayed about the things you worried about you would have a lot less time to worry. Worry doesn’t change things – prayer does. Worry is stewing without doing. Prayer puts you in contact with the One who can change the things you can’t. Whenever a problem arises you have two options – you can panic or you can pray.

Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Philippians 4:6. Cast all your care upon Him, because He cares about you. 1 Peter 5:7. When you put your faith in God – He works miracles.

There is a second thing you do if you want to deal with worry. Consider One Day AT A TIME.

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. Matthew 6:34. God will take care of tomorrow – trust Him for today. Don’t open your umbrella until it starts raining. Today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday. When you worry you don’t change yesterday, you can’t control tomorrow, and you mess up today with worrying. The future can seem overwhelming. Therefore, trust God in small bites. Live for Him today. Notice how Jesus prayed: Give us this day our daily bread. Matthew 6:11

Overcoming worry is a day by day choice. There is no pill you can take to stop worrying. There is no seminar, book or tape that will make you stop worrying. God’s antidote for worry is to put Him in control of your life.

God knows what you’re worried about today –There is only one cure, all the others are fakes. The Lord IS the antidote. Not might be, not could be, not may be – you can say with certainty that Jesus IS the solution. When you can say that and mean it, you’re going to stop worrying. Don’t carry that burden one more second.

Pray this: Jesus I don’t understand it all, but I’ve come today to put you in charge of my life. I want you to be my solution – my manager – my boss – my Lord. I want to know You more than I’ve ever known you. I want to listen to You. I want to follow you. I want you in control of my life. Come into my life and take control.

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Sin takes your desires and makes liars out of them

Here is how the enemy does battle. Sin is the enemy, the rebel, the pretender to the throne. And the main way sin does battle against you is to turn you as God’s servant into a traitor. Sin wants to turn your servant-desires into schemers against the throne. Desires which were appointed by God to serve you – like desire for food, desire for drink, desire for sex, desire for rest, desire for friends, desire for approval – are attacked by sin and captured and corrupted and turned into betrayers. Then these desires – when in the service of sin instead of God – lure you to obey them. When that happens you hand over your members – eyes, ears, tongue, hands, feet, sexual organs, vocal cords, etc. – to serve those desires and their master, sin, and your members become weapons of unrighteousness.
How does sin succeed at this? How do the desires that he captures and turns into betrayers turn you into a slave of sin? They lie to you with half-truths. "It will feel good." Obeying this desire does feel good. But only for a short time then later comes the misery and destruction. That's why Hebrews 11:25 refers to "the fleeting pleasures of sin." These half-truths are very deceitful. Ephesians 4:22 says that your "old you" is corrupted by the "desires of deceit." 1 Peter 1:14refers to "the desires of your former ignorance."

Sin takes your desires and makes liars out of them. They promise satisfaction and happiness, and they deliver cheap, fleeting, shallow stimulation that leaves you less content and less peaceful and less hopeful and more guilty, more restless, more discouraged and more enslaved. That's why Romans 6:21 says, "The outcome of those things is death." And that's why 1 Peter 2:11 says, "Abstain from fleshly desires which wage war against your soul." There is a war for your soul going on. Sin is fighting for the throne of your soul; it is using your desires as betrayers; and sin will turn your members into weapons of unrighteousness.

 How Shall You Do Battle Against Sin?

How then shall you fight? Look at Romans 6:11-14 teaches you to do battle with sin.
First, remember that five chapters on God, sin, and justification have gone before chapter 6. Scripture does not teach you how to do battle with sin until you have learned how Christ has done battle with sin first and done what you could not do and what the law could not do. Five chapters to help you see why justification by faith is utterly essential as a foundation for doing battle with sin! You cannot fight sin successfully until you know your sin is forgiven. The only sin that you can triumph over is a sin that Christ has died for. If He had not died to take away your condemnation, you could make no progress at all in sanctification. You don't make yourself holy in order to be justified. You are justified by faith in order to become holy. That is why Romans 1-5 precedes Romans 6. Your triumph over sin in the body follows Christ's triumph over sin on the cross.

Planning and conducting a war – Christ Died for Your Sin

Part #1 In your battle with sin: Stand Firm in your awareness that Christ died for your sin. Christ shed his blood so that God's wrath would be satisfied, appeased, taken away. You were saved from the wrath of God through Him." That is Part #1 in your battle against sin. Don't ever skip it. If you do, Sin will defeat you with a hopeless and guilty conscience.

Part #2 You Died and Rose with Christ

When Christ died and rose again, you died and rose again. Or to be more precise, God viewed you as united with Christ so that his execution for sin, became your execution and his reward with resurrection became your reward.

Galatians 2:20; 5:24; 6:14.) These first two strategies of defeating sin in your life happened before you were even born.

Part #3 – You Have Become United with Christ

God united you with Christ by faith. In 1 Corinthians 1:30, You are in Christ Jesus, God grafted you into Christ. What was your part? Faith in Christ, receiving His death and resurrection as a free gift.

Part #4 – God Justifies you

God justifies you by your faith because you believed in Christ. He forgave all your sins and assigned to you the righteousness of Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:21

Part #5 – Consider Yourself Dead to Sin

Romans 6:11, "Even so consider yourself to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus."

This is something you do with your reason and your will. You "Consider " something to be so.”Consider yourself" to be dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus." as you have been united with Christ in his death and resurrection – "even so" bring your mind and will into alignment with this. Think this way. Know yourself this way. Count this to be the truth about yourself. You died and you rose with Christ.

Monday, June 25, 2012

All of God’s children will be tried and tested in some way

Nowhere does the Bible teach that you as a Christian are exempt from the tribulations and natural disasters that come upon the world. Scripture does teach that the Christian can face tribulation, crisis, calamity, and personal suffering with a supernatural power that is not available to the person outside of Christ.
Many sincere Christians face a host of problems that are the natural result of living in the world. Facing unexpected expenses (if the car suddenly breaks down), the stress of meeting important deadlines, coping with sicknesses and even surgery, getting stuck in a traffic jam on the way to work, having an argument with a spouse, all ordinary trials. Although these examples do create temporary stress and hardship to a certain extent, they cannot rightly be classified as the type of trial Peter is alluding to here in verse twelve 1 Peter 4:12. Peter is talking about fiery trials; these are extremely intense, prolonged, and may even threaten your very life.

Scripture urges you to not be surprised when intense trials and suffering come their way. Many Christians today do seem to be taken back when difficult circumstances and situations prevail. Many Christian groups are advocating a pain-free life if enough faith is placed in God. This theology is not supported by the clear statements of Scripture. Scripture here is a direct contradiction to that mindset.

The Holy Spirit says it is abnormal to not experience trials and tests of your faith. Having a painless life is both impossible and undesirable. Many people try in vain to escape from suffering and pain through the use of alcohol and drugs or through other dangerous and unwise practices. Others deny that pain and suffering even exists still others try to place the blame for their misfortune upon others. Facing your situation with the help of God is the only realistic and acceptable response to suffering and pain. Just knowing that trials will come to you during the course of your life prevents you from “falling apart” with unnecessary worry and despair. The Spirit reminds you that you will be persecuted because He was as well (John 15:20). Indeed, if you try to live a godly life you can expect it to come eventually (2 Tim. 3:12).

All of God’s children will be tried and tested in some way. Scripture says that you should not be surprised when suffering comes since it is guaranteed by God. He also tells you that Suffering is Graced by Glory:

Suffering is Graced by Glory (1 Peter 4:13-14)

Suffering for Jesus Christ makes pain profitable for you in many ways. In verse thirteen, He declares that suffering is blessed with the glory of God only to the extent that you suffer for Him. As he gave his own personal testimony to the transforming power of God, the Apostle Paul said he wanted to know the “fellowship of his suffering” (Phil. 3:10).
Too many Christians seem to base their responses to pain and suffering solely upon emotions and feelings. But in (James 1:2) God reveals that  “count it all joy when you fall into diverse temptations” It has to do with making a mental evaluation and not an emotional response!

Some will face fierce persecution but respond with rejoicing because you have been considered worthy to suffer for the cause of Christ (Acts 5:41).
Your suffering is graced by God’s glory for many important reasons. First of all, it is because He goes with you through your pain.

Remember that God never sends you anywhere--He goes with you through every event in your life.

Secondly, suffering for Jesus Christ is also graced because the “spirit of glory and of God” rests upon you. The glory of God is also where His presence is. Since God is especially near to you as you suffer for Him, His glory is there as well. Going through severe pain is hard; going through it all alone is even harder! Knowing God is there with you gives you peace, joy, and the strength you will need to endure whatever may come.

Thirdly, suffering for Jesus Christ is also graced by glory because God expands your Spiritual maturity and usefulness are enhanced through the unlikely agents of suffering and pain.

Spiritual growth will accelerate through the enduring of pain and hardship for the cause of Christ.

You need to remember that your ministry to others is enhanced through suffering and hardship. This is one reason why Peter said earlier that suffering was “More precious than that of gold that perisheth” (I Peter 1:7).

Fourthly, suffering because of our testimony for Jesus Christ leads to God’s glory because it causes you to trust in Him even more.

You never really know just how strong your faith is until it is tested.

A fifth reason why suffering results in glory is that you are caused to see sin for what it really is. As God allows you to suffer and be tested through a variety of painful circumstances, He does so in order to purge your heart of sin.
A sixth reason your suffering is filled by God’s glory is because it causes you to yearn and long for your heavenly home. Experiencing severe pain helps you remember that life is very short and that there is a better life awaiting you in the future.

(Eph. 2:6), one day you will be with Him physically, never to be separated from Him (John 14:1-3).

Finally, your suffering is an opportunity to experience God’s glory because it follows the pattern set for you by Jesus Christ. His attitude in suffering is one you will do well to imitate as closely as possible.

Saturday, June 23, 2012

God knows you better than you do.

You can be bold. You can even be real jerk. (Not that God wants you to be a jerk; because when you are, you often hurt others and undermine the truth.) God wants you to be as responsible as you can be. But all are irresponsible at times; error-laden, self-deceived, easily tricked by deceptive talkers and have been part of your own ego trip. God knows this better than you do and can count the countless times you didn't remember it. And God still saved you. If your worst didn't stop God, what are you afraid of?
"Living life to the fullest" isn't a matter of getting a steady stream of thrills, achieving one's 'bucket list', or traveling the world, or becoming rich, or accomplishing some big task. It's a matter of doing what you're here to do, taking care of what you're responsible for, giving love at each opportunity, and trusting the Spirit to lead you through it. When it comes to having a 'full life', it matters what your life is full of.
It's true of all. Each has had doubt that Christ has saved them, even when you have no cause to doubt. God is trying to teach you to live confidently in the gift of your rescue even when you doubt it. Those who Seek God can trust in the God who seeks them, you can be confident and trust that God is with you:

YOUR IN!
The world just keeps getting more complex, and no matter how complex you get you can never keep up. You just seem like an ever-smaller speck in the big picture. But God chose his son to become the same kind of speck you are - that's what Christ was all about – and God proceeded to show you just how meaningful and powerful a 'speck' could be, through Jesus, and then through His followers.

You're no speck to God. You're a partner, in the reshaping and rebirth of all that exists. You're like the reckless son who left and returned, or like the son who stayed; you're part of the family. You can have the assurance that God has you in mind in all of this. You're intended to be part of the whole, in Christ. This is the Big Picture, and you're in it !

"For I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart, I will let you find me, says the LORD"
--------- Jeremiah 29:11-13

Friday, June 22, 2012

Believe to Receive

Everything God has promised in His Word has already been done? The only thing you have to do is Believe to Receive what rightfully belongs to you by faith. Those who have faith always have a good report because they are constantly walking by what the Word says and not by what their five physical senses are telling them. To live the life of faith means to live in full assurance of the finished work of Christ.
There are three ingredients of faith: belief, trust, and confidence. Mark 11:24 says, “Therefore I say unto you, whatever things you desire, when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you shall have them.” Anything that can be found in the Word has already been granted to you; however, you must believe that you will get it. You can’t say you believe something and not trust. Trust is maintaining a committed stance on what God has said. When you trust in something, you have full confidence in it.

A great illustration of confidence that is born out of trust is to think about when you sit in a chair. You trust that a chair is going to be able to hold your weight, and, therefore, you are confident that if you sit in it you will be secure. Most people have no questions when it comes to believing in a chair’s ability to support them. However, when it comes to God and the things He has promised you, you tend to lack absolute confidence. The way to build it up is to meditate on the Word of God and think about all the things He has already done. Has He ever let you down or failed to come through for you? Think about the many situations you have been in where God showed Himself strong on your behalf. You can trust in Him as your source of all things.

Laying hold of the promises of God means adopting an ownership mentality. This is not a mentality that is waiting for God to do something, but is one that knows what already belongs to you. With an ownership mentality you’ll say, “I OWN healing, deliverance, abundance, and prosperity. These things are mine!” You actually get the promises to manifest in this physical realm by releasing your faith in the grace of God that is available to bring them out of the spiritual realm and into the natural. Ephesians 2:8 says, “For by grace you are saved through faith; and that not of yourself: it is the gift of God.” It is through God’s grace that each of the promises are at your disposal.

It’s hard to have faith when you don’t have understanding of the Word of God, that’s why it is important to attend a church that is actually teaching you how to live by faith. Traditional, religious mind-sets convince you that you have to try to get God to do something, but the truth is, He has already done it. Instead of praying to God to heal you, declare and admit that healing exists inside of you right now. Healing isn’t being made in some healing factory; it is already in existence! Declare that you have faith in the grace of God versus faith in your own ability to get God to move.

No matter what you are going through, or what your five physical senses are telling you, don’t allow your life to be led by your sensory mechanisms. Facts can change on a daily basis, but the truth of God’s Word never changes. It has the power to change and rearrange the facts. All God is looking for is for you to Believe to Receive what He has already done.

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Steps to victory from CONTROLLING HABITS

CONTROLLING HABITS ARE SO POWERFUL they slowly bind you. Life controlling habits are formed at a pace almost unnoticeable.

Usually the person doesn’t even know they have formed a habit in their life. And if someone asks they say, “I can quit at any time. This isn’t a problem.”

Daily practices over time become habits that are almost unbreakable. Habits are formed through willful behavior a person has given in so many times to this thing that they are now addicted. This is the reason a habit is so powerful, because it is so unnoticed in its beginnings.

Habits will break your will. Once you have allowed a habit to control you the Bible says, “That habit is your master.” That habit breaks you down to the point where you don’t even try to resist because you feel like you can’t break free. The attitude becomes…Why should I try, I always go back to doing it again. A habit will break your will to fight.

“It is for freedom that Christ has set you free. Stand firm then and do not let yourselves be burdened again by the bondage of slavery.” Gal. 5:1 You might be feeling like you don’t even have the will to fight, because the habit has broken your will. Once a habit has broken your will to fight, you’ll feel a sense of hopelessness. At this point the habit its self owns you because you have allowed it to own you. If you feel like you have lost the will to fight because your will has been broken. That is the power of a bad habit. Bad controlling habits will destroy you and others along with you.

At first a habit seems very harmless; at any time in the early stages you could rid yourself of it. In fact you convince yourself you could stop at any time. Then the habit takes a stronger foothold, advancing a little more taking away a little more of your freedom. Over a period of time that habit like the enemy begins to advance and destroy you.

Here is how you can break free from the grip of a bad habit in your life, from the smallest to the largest? First you must understand what God’s word says in 1 Cor. 10:13 “No temptation has seized you except what is common to all humans, and God is faithful: He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear, but when you are tempted he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”

God lets you know that in every situation with every temptation he provides victory.

Steps to victory:

Admit you have a problem.

Everything starts with confession accepting the responsibility that you have a problem. You cannot win until you know you have a problem.

1Jn.1:9 “If you confess your sin, he is faithful and just and will forgive you of your sins and purify you from all unrighteousness.”

Healing starts with confession. Many people give in to a state of denial, they never admit they have a problem therefore they never break free. The first step is recognizing you are bound and you have a problem that is the first step in breaking free.

Depend on God’s power to combat bad habits. Phil. 4:13 “You can do all thing through Christ which strengths you.” Isaiah. “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous hand.” When it comes to being set free from habits that bind, Jesus can do more in a moment than doctors can do in a lifetime.

God must become your primary source of strength.
Start your days off with God, and he will help you through the day to overcome and show you a way out. The more you allow God to be part of your life the more you will see him working in you.

You have to stop trying to do this by yourself. He did not say go along but said draw near to me. James 4:7

Bad controlling habits must be replaced by good ones.
Num. 33:50-56 “But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land, those you allow to remain will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will give you trouble in the land where you live. And then I will do to you what I plan to do to them.” In Colossians 3 Live as a Christian in the same manner: throwing away your old way of living and moving ahead into your new life of obedience to God and faith in Jesus Christ.

NEW HABITS TO REPLACE THE BAD ONES
Find support from others.
God says it is absolutely essential for your recovery or healing. You are healed by admitting your faults to one another.

The root of your problem is you lie to each other you deceive each other. You become dishonest with each other. You end up wearing a mask. You pretend you have it together. But you don’t and you then deny your true feelings, and you play games. You end up living with shame and it makes you insecure.

God says revealing your feeling is the beginning of healing. The amazing thing is, when you risk honesty with someone, all of a sudden, this feeling of freedom comes into your life. You realize that everybody has habits and often they have the same one you do.

James. 5:16 “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”

The Bible tells you that you need to bare one another’s burdens.
Take one day at a time.
Matt. 6:11 “Give us this day our daily bread.”
Why? Because God wants to give you enough strength to change you for one day, not for the week, one month, the rest of your life. He wants to take it one day at a time so you trust in Him.

You take a life problem and you break it down into bite size pieces and you work on it one day at a time and you get God’s strength one Day at a time. Any victory, no matter how minor, thank God for it, and you’ll get victory one battle at a time, today is the only day that counts, one day at a time.

• Don’t worry about tomorrow.
• Don’t worry about a week.
• Don’t worry about a month.
• Don’t worry about a year.
• Concentrate on today.

Phil 4:13 “You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you”

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Sometimes, conversions are connected.

Yes, in this turn-around moment, God changed the world. God molded communities. God is molding you right now. So certainly, this mysterious, miraculous moment on a simple road to Damascus, affected history and shaped lives in a broad and sweeping way. Acts 9:1-20
But beyond the dramatic and broad sweeping aspects of this story, what about some of the more subtle effects? God works in between the lines too, in between the major milestones, in between the major turn-arounds of your life.

Poor Ananias. Can you imagine? Ananias hears the call of Christ to do something absolutely illogical. And it wasn’t just illogical. It was potentially dangerous. Saul had a reputation. Ananias realized what the consequences of his actions might be. Going to Saul, he was risking his future, his freedom, his safety. And he was risking the future, freedom, and safety of his Christian community as well.

And yes, in addition to being dangerous, this action was illogical. “Saul? Wait a minute. Saul? You want me to go and seek the man who has been seeking to kill us? And then you want me to identify myself as your follower and heal him? You want me to trust him? You want me to trust his words and intentions? You want me set him free, and simply trust that he is who you’ve named him to be?”

This call was dangerous and unreasonable enough for Ananias to question Jesus. But Jesus tells Ananias that he has visions larger and more incredible than Ananias can possibly wrap his mind around. He follows the call. He seeks out his enemy to heal him and send him in the right direction.

Sometimes, conversions are connected. Sometimes when others have had a ‘turn-around’ moment, you too are sent in another direction. You live in a life of relationships. Your healing is bound up in the healing of others. Your conversions – your directions, your turn-around moments – are bound up in the conversions of others.

So Ananias is converted too. He seeks out Saul in the house of Judas, and he obeys God. And he too probably had a change of heart on that road. Did you notice the first thing Ananias says to the man who has been his enemy? Did you notice the first words out of his mouth?

“Brother Saul.” He addresses his former enemy as his brother. Saul’s conversion on the Road to Damascus was dramatic and beyond anything that many have experienced. But conversions aren’t always dramatic. Sometimes they are faint and unnoticed. Sometimes God is working on the inside as much as God is working on the outside. Saul had a turn-around moment. So did Ananias.

And that leads to a question for you. You might not have seen a flashing light and audibly hear the voice of God on a regular basis. But because you believe in God who works intimately and He exists in all parts of the created universe and lives within you, you can be assured that He is turning you around, sending you in new directions all the time. Here’s the question: How is God turning you around these days, and what directions are being envisioned for you to follow?

Sometimes, seemingly insignificant moments can send you in profoundly significant directions. In so many ways, he raised you, and you would not be the person you are today had you not experienced the depth of the love he has for you.

In some ways, your experiences of love with others and the different paths of your life was the flashing light and the holy voice you needed, because of your experiences God has sent you in more positive directions than you could have anticipated. He has taught you by experiencing those who try to do right and those who follow the way of the world.



Tuesday, June 19, 2012

For you are a slave to whatever has mastered you

Some people are a slave to work, some people are slave to jealousy, some people are slave to gossip, Some are slave anger, pornography, various drugs, and many other vices that hold them in bondage.

Whatever it may be 2 Peter 2:19 “For you are a slave to whatever has mastered you.”

So Today take an inventory of the Controlling NEGITIVE HABITS you allow in your life, that needs to be broken

1. HOW DO YOU IDENTIFY A CONTROLLING HABIT

A controlling habit is something you find yourself doing even though it is destructive ether physical, mentally, emotionally, relationally or spiritually. Or you consistently do something you wish you wouldn’t do, but you find yourself doing it any way.

Romans 7:15 Listen to Twenty- Century New Testament.
“I do not understand my own actions for I am far from usually doing what I want to do and I find myself doing the very thing that I hate.” (TCNT)

The apostle Paul fully understood his dilemma even though he had good intentions.
You must understand many good people are bound by bad controlling habits

Humans, reason in their minds, you must admit you have a habit and that you are less than in control of. Denial is not the way to deal with the problem.

Be honest, look at your life and evaluate the things you find yourself doing that you hate. Realize the importance of the identification process and then submit your own inabilities to make the necessary changes. Take a moment sometime today or tonight and write down the habits in your life that you want to see absolute victory in.

Some of the greatest spiritual challenges.
1. Materialism 2.Pride 3.Self-centeredness 4.Laziness 5.Anger/Bitterness 6.Sexual Lust 7.Envy 8.Gluttony 9.Lying

Temptations are more potent when you neglect daily time with God and when your tired physically. You are also vulnerable during these times. You can become self-confident, instead of God confident. You should be aware that you are also vulnerable to overconfidence when you experience a spiritual victory.

The Sin of Pride is an absolute killer among many good people. God sees your secret sins and vices. Psalm 139:3-4 says that “God discerns you doing this and doing that; He is familiar with all your ways. Before you speak a word from your mouth He knows it completely.”

Those knowing God’s word understand the desire and ambition of Satan, how he seeks to destroy mankind. He makes sin appear to be attractive. He shows how pleasant sin and immoral conduct can be. Of course Satan never shows the tragic end of sin.
You don’t need to look long before seeing the results of the power of sin in the lives of people: premature deaths, broken and dysfunctional homes, plus the loneliness and the heartache sin brings. The bible does say there is a pleasure in sin, but such pleasure is only momentary. The end result is not only pain, but separation from God on earth, then in eternity.

God desires for you to confess and repent of sin. He desires for you to reflect who He is to a lost and dying world. You do that both through words and actions. Your actions especially often speak even louder than your words.

Monday, June 18, 2012

Who are you listening to?

As you begin each day of your life, you will have decisions to make. Some are easy and some are difficult. And there are many voices competing for your attention and your loyalty. Some decisions are easy, others are much bigger and take days, weeks, months, or even years of searching and questioning. Competing voices pull you in different directions. You want to do what’s right, but what’s right isn’t always so clear.

Examples:
Better finish this project today and meet that deadline. - Tomorrow will be good enough, I work too hard.

I really shouldn’t do this; it doesn’t seem ethical and honest. - It’s just my integrity. Besides, no one will know.

Mom always said I shouldn’t do this. - Maybe I hold my convictions too tightly. Go ahead, it feels right.  



Who are you listening to? It easy to see what you thought was right in many situations, but often life doesn’t paint it so black and white. And even after you make a decision, you sometimes continue to wonder if it was the right one, you have knots in your stomach, and you wonder if you’ve missed some piece of evidence.

How can you have peace in your decisions? It all boils down to Who you’re listening to. But knowing how to listen can sometimes be difficult.

Sometimes you think God has a perfect blueprint for your life and you have to figure out what it is and then do it. You think you can look at circumstances and follow the open doors. Taking your circumstance into consideration is important, but if that’s all you do, you leave out the voice of God.

The flip-side of this extreme is the idea that you can simply immerse yourself in scripture and then you can use your powers of reasoning to apply this wisdom to your life. God gave you your power of reasoning, and you ought to use them, but again, if this is all you do, you leave out listening to God.

Either of these options will bring you to a decision, but if you don’t listen to God during times of decision, you won’t have His peace in the answer.

Hearing God’s voice isn’t always easy. It takes a lot of work. In order to hear God’s voice, it might be helpful first to know how to recognize the false voices that speak to you.

In 1 John 4: Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world. (1 John 4:1-3,)

The false voices are in this world, and so you need to be careful who you listen to. They may masquerade as teachers, acquaintances, or friends. They seek to be the authority in your decisions, whether overtly or covertly. But these false teachers can lead you down the wrong path if you are not careful who you listen to.

Does the guidance you receive fall in line with scriptural teaching or not? Does the life of your guide show evidence of knowing Christ? Have you set your mind to knowing the difference? This is where your God-given powers of reasoning, mixed with prayer, can be very helpful.

The false voices in the world often entice, they are attractive. The type of wickedness a Christian is likely to fall into isn’t the obvious wrong things – at least not right away. If someone asked you out-rightly to kill the person standing next to you or rob the corner store, your likely answer would be no. But the wicked entice – they tempt, persuade, and charm. And when you feel like you’re in too deep, they ask more of you, and it is harder and harder to refuse. That is why you must test the spirits – for sometimes their origin is not immediately obvious.

What is wrong is generally made out to sound very good by the wicked. What trips the Christian up is bad company that slowly confuses your thinking.

If you are seeking God and trying to walk with Him, but you are not experiencing His peace, you are probably listening to the wrong voices.

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Both a love for God and love for others is required.

All have lukewarm elements and practices in their lives; that’s where the God’s excessive grace of it all is. The Scriptures demonstrate clearly that there is room for your failure and sin in your pursuit of God. His mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3). His grace is sufficient (2 Corinthians 12:9). Many think that when you mess up, it means you were never really a genuine Christian in the first place. If that were true, no one could follow Christ. Many think they must have a life of perfection (which none will attain on this earth). To call someone a Christian simply because he does some Christian-y things is giving false comfort to the unsaved. But to declare anyone who sins “unsaved” is to deny the reality and truth of God’s grace.” And Scripture stresses the need for you as a believer to desire to give to the poor, but emphasizes that not everyone is called to give all their possessions away or give in the same way necessarily. Like how in the New Testament one guy named Zacchaeus when he got saved simply paid everyone back and a different guy sold everything he had. Each responds differently, but the willingness to give possessions away was evident in both of them.
Most like to avoid when Jesus states that it is harder for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for the rich to enter into the kingdom of heaven. Yes. Through Christ all things are possible so it’s not to say some rich people might be saved, but here in the United States many sometimes like to deny their status of being rich. Americans are rich, and it’s safe to say when Jesus says the road is narrow and few will actually find it….and fewer still among the rich, it applies to the majority of Americans.

Jesus said it first. Also, read the passage and evaluate yourself as to whether or not you’re giving out of your desire to serve God or whether you are holding on to your possessions with a tendency to hoard. I know I tend to hoard things that essentially aren’t mine to begin with. They’re God’s. The Bible stresses not to give God your “leftovers,” He wants your devotion and your firstfruits. Think of it in the context of Cain and Abel. God despised Cain’s sacrifice because it wasn’t the best that he had to offer. God was insulted by this. God doesn’t want leftovers. He wants devotion.
Your life is “measured by how you love.” Love is required to serve God successfully. Both a love for God and love for others.

Don’t believe or think you have to work your way to Jesus. You don’t. Fully believe and Know that you are saved by grace, through faith, by the gift of God, and that true faith manifests itself through your actions. As James 2 writes, “Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”
Can you have “dead” faith and be saved? Why would you, in your right mind, want dead faith if you can have what God has to offer you? Typically individuals who desire this “dead faith” don’t want to give God their all. They are hesitant or fearful of actually committing to following Jesus. Why toe the line of “Can I do ___ and still be saved?” Your heart is already in the wrong place if you’re trying to see how much you can sin and still be saved. Give God your all, devote yourself to Him, because when it comes down to it there’s a lot of uncertainty in scripture on whether or not a person cannot be devoted to following God and still be saved. There is no doubt however, in the fact that a person who devotes themselves to loving God with all their heart, soul, and mind will be in heaven

In short, You are not saved by works, you are saved by grace through faith. If you truly are saved though, there will be works in your life that attest to the fact that you are saved. Being a lukewarm Christian is being no Christian at all based on understanding of scripture. The idea of a “lukewarm Christian” is something that American Christians have created in order to make a safe option of Christianity that requires little or no devotion or actions to follow up on your faith in Christ.

Friday, June 15, 2012

Don’t let things get in the way.

Do you take full advantage of being here? You do only if you are in a full and free and loving relationship with the Heavenly Father. While you are here on Earth you are meant to live in an intimate relationship with God. Without that relationship you have a huge hole in your life. "God has made you for Himself, and your heart will always be restless until you can find peace in Him."1 Your deepest purpose and Your deepest needs all go together, only find their fulfillment in a personal relationship with God.
Finding your peace in God by having a personal relationship with him may sound easy but it is not. Why? Because you let things get in your way. It’s about returning to the relationship with God that he has always intended for you to have. Only in that relationship can you have the real life; only in that relationship can you live fully.

So when you heard the words, "If you thirst, come to the waters," what has gotten in the way? What has stopped you from accepting this gracious invitation? If you were dying of thirst and water was made available, nothing would stop you from taking it, would it? But some have been stopped. The same things that stopped others can stop you.

You have important duties on earth, but you must never allow them to preoccupy you in such a way that you forget who you are or where you are going.

Don’t let things get in the way. Material things are not necessarily bad things; indeed, many of them are absolutely necessary - see how long you'll make it without food, water, shelter, clothing, and medical care. But if you are always looking down and never looking up you'll miss the best things, the things that God really intends for you. It can happen to anybody.

But it doesn't have to happen to anybody because this invitation to life is for everybody.

That's good news but even such good news can be a stumbling block for some. That's because the Flesh sometimes wants to limit the guest list to those who are like you or to those who you think deserve to be invited. Don’t forget that God made and loves all people whether they are like you or not and that if the invitation was limited to the deserving you wouldn't be invited, either. But to live the real life, to live life in God's presence, is to live with God's blessings and with God's people.

"The most precious gift of all, the gift of life in God's presence, is free. All that can exclude you is your insisting that there are place you would rather be. Why would you ever decide that? Because you want to determine the menu, you want to be in control of the company you keep."Your menu is limiting your stuff, your way, your viewpoints, your opinions, your standards. Your company is so limiting: your kind, your race, your religion, your class. But God's menu is limitless: real life, eternal life, abundant life; life lived in the kingdom as a child of God, life filled with his love and his grace and his wisdom. God's company is so limitless.

You have to learn to see life God's way and that requires repentance. You have to be moving toward seeing things in God's way, and that's a challenge. "For your thoughts are not His thoughts, nor are your ways His ways, says the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are God’s ways higher than your ways and His thoughts than your thoughts" (Isaiah 55:8-9). God's ways of thinking and doing are well beyond yours, but he calls you to be ever moving more and more toward them.

The truth is that by living in relationship with Him, by accepting the real life that he gives for free, and by entering into the Spirit, you’ll find your true way of being.

Learn to close your eyes to those things and to those attitudes that blind you? Helen Keller said, "I can see, and that is why I can be so happy, in what you call the dark, but which to me is golden. I can see a God-made world, not a man-made world."

Choose life as you choose to see the God-made world rather than the world that you have made. Jesus died and rose again so that you might see that world and so that you might live in that world.

See and live life in God's way? You can. You really can.

Once you were saved then it’s only about bringing others to Jesus!

Somewhere between the boat and Jesus, Peter started paying attention to the waves and the wind instead of keeping his focus on Jesus. As soon as he took his eyes off Jesus, he began to sink into the water. You fit into this story at some point. Are you in the boat? Even though things may be a little rocky, you’re trying your best to maintain control of your life in the best way that you know how. Or have you made it across the sea and are walking on the top of the water in the middle of the storm because you have your eyes on Jesus, and you are holding His hand. Or maybe you have stepped out of the boat and are headed to Jesus. You’ve turned over control of your life to Him halfway. You’ll let Him handle eternity, but you’ll take care of life while you’re here. Maybe your caught somewhere in between self-control and Jesus-control that’s a pretty dangerous place to be. (James 1:8) says: a double-minded man is unstable in all he does. If you haven’t yielded control of your life – your struggles, your future, your past, and your fears, then you cannot have complete peace.

When you forget why you are here and turn your focus away from the job that you have been given, it is then that you start to struggle with one another over things that have no eternal significance whatsoever. You are here to bring people to Jesus! All this other stuff is just stuff. Never forget what your priority is. If you’ve got to get angry at someone, get angry at Satan. He’s the one that you are fighting!

Or maybe you’re holding onto anger and bitterness and hurt against someone in your life? You may have to dig a little bit to really get a good picture of your heart. Roots of bitterness, though not seen from above, reach way down into the heart and are very difficult to pull up. You will never have peace in your heart until the poison of anger and bitterness is removed, and is replaced with forgiveness and love.

When you have peace within your own heart, then you will have peace with the people around you. When you are rebelling against God over something that He is telling you to do, or when you have not spent the time with God that you needed to in order to bring peace in your own heart, it is then that you lash out at the people you love and create conflict over seemingly insignificant situations. (James 4:1-2) What causes fights and quarrels among you? They come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don’t get it. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. Fights on the outside come from fights on the inside. If there is no peace within, then there will be no peace without.

Scripture talks about where to get that inner peace. Peace comes through a mind that doesn’t fear.

Most think that you get peace – by taking and maintaining control of every area of your life. You think that if you don’t take control of your life, someone is going to step all over you. They’ll interpret your kindness as a sign of weakness. Scripture says that it is by gentleness – not bulling your way through, not fighting for your own rights but turning over control to the One that’s in Control – that’s when you’ll have real peace.

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

To do the “impossible”

In life you will face challenges – sometimes they come to you, such as the loss of a job or an unexpected diagnosis, or a relationship crisis that catches you by surprise. But sometimes, the impossible situations are things you, as a believer in the almighty God, step into deliberately out of faith in His power to bring about change. God wants to use you to bring change into this world. His plan is to see the status quo changed for the better all over the world through you as a believer if you will dare to trust that God can do the impossible through you.

If you learn a few lessons from the life of a man named Nehemiah, God will begin to give you that same faith to believe that YOU can be an instrument of change in some sort of “impossible situation”. It’s a story about how God can do impossible things through you. Nehemiah 1:1-2:18

When God wants you to do something great for him – even to attempt something impossible, the first thing you need to do is…

(1). Start where God has given you a concern.
Nehemiah has a cushy job in Susa, serving the King. But his heart is concerned with matters greater than just his own life and happiness. He has a burden for the welfare of his homeland. He’s concerned about what’s going on there – even though he’s never been there himself. And when he receives the bad news from his brother he doesn’t just say “Oh well, I sure hope they get it together soon.” No – God has given him a passion – a great concern that burns in his heart. His heart is broken when he hears about the broken down walls of what was once a great and powerful city.

What is it that moves your heart to compassion and concern? What stirs you to action? Recognize that God has given you that passion for a reason. Perhaps he wants you to do something about it! START WHERE GOD HAS GIVEN YOU A CONCERN.

The next step after God gives you a concern for something that needs changing. It may be the hardest one of all. (2). Spend time praying and fasting and waiting.

There’s an important principle here. BEFORE you go out to accomplish anything for God, you need to spend time on your knees clarifying exactly what it is God is calling you to do. BEFORE you go out to change the world, to do impossible things in His name, you’ve got to take the time to pray – to fast – and to wait. What is fasting? In the Bible it is going without food for some period of time. By doing so you focus your mind on prayer, and you serve God notice that you are serious about what you are praying for. You show God that the spiritual work you are involved in is more important for the time being than your physical needs. And it is one of the keys to spiritual breakthroughs.

(3). When God opens the door, be bold! (Neh. 2:1-9) Nehemiah has spent 4 months praying and fasting and waiting for God to make it clearer what he is supposed to do. And then finally, the king notices a difference in his cupbearer’s demeanor and asks about it. Did you notice Nehemiah’s response: he was afraid! But the important thing is he doesn’t allow his fear to paralyze him. He realizes that here is an opportunity to end his period of waiting and begin acting upon the concern God has given him for Jerusalem. And so he asks – BOLDLY.

If you are ever going to do the “impossible” for God, there is going to come a time when you’re praying and waiting will need to turn to action. God will provide on opportunity somehow, and then even though you may feel afraid you need to have the courage to swallow hard and move through that fear into asking for what you need.

(4). Keep your vision guarded until the time is right.
There are some people, who will hear about the big, impossible task you feel God has called you to do, and all they will do is try and trample your dream. They will remind you of all the reasons you can’t do it, or why it’s a bad idea to begin with, or of all the people who’ve tried before and failed, and that you’re unqualified.

If God gives you a burden for something – hold that concern closely and give God time to strengthen and clarify your vision through prayer, fasting, and waiting. Then when God opens a door – be bold and act upon your concerns. But even then – carefully guard who and when you share your vision.

There are plenty of “impossible” situations out there in your life that you could say are beyond the powers of a person like you to change. But God’s word reminds you today that He uses people like you to partner with His unlimited power and resources to bring change. In the words of the Lord’s Prayer, “thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

Hears what you need to ask yourself.
• What has God given you a concern about? Are you willing to move beyond?
• Are you willing to fast and pray for direction? Are you willing to wait for direction, while constantly praying and seeking His direction?
• Will you move beyond your fear to boldly act when God opens the door?

If God has given you a burden about something, follow Nehemiah’s example – and see what God will accomplish through you.

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Make the most of every opportunity

Most people are very busy – whether in school or at the workplace always in a hurry. They walk fast, they talk fast, and they eat fast. And after they eat, all too often, they stand up and say, "Excuse me. I’ve got to go."

You want to remind yourself: TREASURE YOUR TIME BECAUSE YOUR TIME ON THIS EARTH IS LIMITED. Make the most of every opportunity, because you won’t always have them.

Ps 39:4-5
4 "Show me, O LORD, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how brief my life is. 5 You have made my days a mere mist; the span of my years are nothing before you. Each human’s life is but a breath.

Ps 90:10
The length of your days is seventy years - or eighty, if you have the strength; But even the best years are filled with pain and trouble; soon they disappear, and you fly away. 70 or 80 years sounds like a long, long time. But it’s just a matter of perception; you just feel that you’ve got a long way to go when you’re young.

Your time on earth is limited.
• So if you live to be 75 yrs old, if your 40 you have 35 years left to live. You’ve already crossed your halfway line. But wait a minute. You don’t really have 35 years. You don’t really have 75 years. • That’s just based on the average lifespan. It’s just a statistic. • You don’t have a guarantee of even one day more to live.

In fact the Bible tells you not to count on tomorrow because tomorrow may not come. All you have is right now. So your time on this earth is valuable because it is very limited.

MAKE THE MOST OF EVERY OPPORTUNITY
Scripture tells you that you must make "the most of every opportunity" and the reason, "because the days are evil."

Jesus went to the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus - He sat down to teach, and Mary was sitting at His feet listening and learning from Him. Martha was in the kitchen preparing dinner. • You know the story - Martha was upset that Mary wasn’t there to help her. She complained, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” (Luke 10:40). • "Martha, Martha," Jesus answered, "You are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." (Luke 10:41-42).

Its easy for You to get so caught up in the here and now, in the affairs of everyday living, that you fail to consider that which is eternal, that which is valuable, the things that will last forever.

UNDERSTAND WHAT THE LORD’S WILL IS. Scripture tells you, "...do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is."

So, establish your priorities. You can’t do everything in life. So ask yourself, "Who or what is most important?" To make the most of every opportunity means you treasure the moments you have NOW.
• The two greatest enemies of time are (1) regrets for things you did or did not do in the past, and (2) anxiety about what will happen to you in the future.
• Many are living either in the past or in the future.

In fact, many are engaged in the little game of, "I wish it were..." • "How I wish it were last week,” “I wish I had called earlier," or "I wish it did not happen.”

"Life is what happens to you while you’re making plans to do something else."
Another year has come and gone. A new year stretches before you.

Ask the Lord to help you to redeem the most for your time.
(1) Treasure your time, (2) Make the most of every opportunity, and (3) know what the Lord’s will is!

Pray: Lord, please help me to use the 8,760 hours of this year the wisest way I can for you Lord and for your glory. Establish your priorities and learn how to live TODAY.

Monday, June 11, 2012

Is comfort far more than your character.

How are you doing with your knowledge? Have you been working harder and harder to understand God, understanding the truth about God, understanding the Word of God? How are you doing with your studying the Word of God? Life is so busy and scattered and the fast pace of living makes it so hard to do. You’ve made a lot of effort towards the fast pace of living, but how much effort have you made towards knowing God better? How much effort have you made toward knowing the Word of God better? Maybe you are living that godly life. Are you adding to it knowledge? Start making effort towards that. And it’s more than just facts. This knowledge has to do with thinking about those facts, many know a lot about the Scriptures, and then you look at their lives, and it’s obvious that they haven’t internalized those things. It has to do with the wisdom of internalizing. It’s about growing in Gods knowledge and wisdom that actually directs you in life.

Then add to your knowledge self-control. Self-control has to do with mastering your sensual desires. And sometimes when you think about self-control, it’s easy to just talk about the extremes, but you have to understand the word. It’s about things in natural life and being moderate about those desires. All have natural desires, and those aren’t all bad. It’s about being able to control them and being moderate in them. All desires like eating. Ok, that’s normal. That’s the way God made you. It’s ok, but do you show self-control even in that? With sexual desires, it’s normal. It’s God given, but are you moderate in that? Are you in control of those urges, those desires? You need clothes to stay warm, but how many clothes do you need? It’s self-control, there’s a weakness you can get. Many would say they’ve got way too much, but what are you going to do this week? Go buy more. Why? You desire all these things and you see the Flesh wants you to go to the extreme. Can you say I’m not doing this- and then make every effort towards self-control. This is one of the parts many mess up in their life is you get to this point that you start comparing yourself to other people with your type of character. And you start thinking, ‘Well, I’m a lot better than them.’ But it’s the idea of where you almost feel like you’re good enough in this area. Many do have self-control in many of these areas. Are you making efforts? Are you making strides? Are you diligent towards this? Because you can be diligent toward a lot of things and then neglect your character.

And then you’re to add to your self-control this idea of steadfastness. Steadfastness is a word for patience. Steadfastness is the word for when you have a weight on you, and you just keep holding up under that weight. He says you need to have this to endure. When you’re going to hold on longer But this idea of steadfastness, you don’t become steadfast. You don’t persevere unless there’s some weight on you, and there’s some pressure on you. And you’re going to feel like quitting. It’s going to get more and more difficult, and you’ll feel like quitting, and you’ll want to collapse. And so most, pray and say, ‘God, get rid of that weight,’ When’s the last time? Have you ever? Think about this. Have you ever in your life asked God to make your life a little more difficult so that you could develop steadfastness? Have you ever in your life thought to yourself, ‘You know what, I’m kind of weak? Every little trial comes my way, and I fall apart,’ and you say, ‘God, I want to work on that because I want to become this person who is steadfast. So keep it coming.’ You see, you care more about your comfort far more than you care about your character.

Sunday, June 10, 2012

It’s the truth that changes you

You exaggerate out problems when you’re heading for a burnout. You overemphasize what’s wrong in your life and you ignore God’s blessing in your life. Focusing on the negative rather than the positive you see the cup as half empty not as half full. If you are always focusing on the negative in your life, if that’s all you ever look at, if you’re always putting yourself down and you’re always seeing everything negative, you’re setting yourself up for burnout. When you start Thinking "God, I’m the only person in the whole world who lives for you and loves you. Positive things or negative things can wear you out emotionally.

You can get yourself drained emotionally, spiritually, and physically where you can’t even focus on reality. In that state of mind you won’t get the picture right. You get so worn out that you can’t think straight? You can’t see what really is happening and you think the whole world is caving in on you -- the Chicken Little complex. "The sky is falling!" When you are drained and fatigued, you won’t seem to see reality as it really is.

Another cause of burnout is emotional reasoning. Emotional reasoning is when you listen to your feelings rather than the facts. You focus on how you feel rather than on what’s reality, what’s the truth. Emotion reasoning goes like this: "I feel it, therefore it must be true." Have you learned yet that emotions lie? Feelings lie. Just because you feel something doesn’t mean it’s the truth. Ask any professional athlete or performer or musician, he can tell you they feel very discouraged after a great performance. They are so drained emotionally, the adrenalin, the fatigue they’re thinking, "I didn’t do too good" but that’s not reality. In fact, they probably did a pretty good job. They may have done a great job. But in that state you start listening to your feelings. You have to learn as a mature person to ignore your feelings sometimes. Feelings can be wrong. Feelings are highly unreliable.

The truth is some who come to church say, "I don’t feel God’s very close to me. I don’t feel close to God, I don’t feel God’s close to me." You’re wrong. God is just as close to you as on those spiritual highs you felt in the past. God doesn’t move. The Bible says, if you’re a Christian, Christ is in your heart, He’s inside of you, He lives within you, and He puts His Spirit inside of you. He never leaves you. The only thing that changes is your feelings. You can sing a song and feel close to God. Then on Monday morning, you wonder, "Where’s God?" He’s the same place He was when you sang that song. He’s with you. He hasn’t backed off. He hasn’t moved. You can’t listen to your feelings.

You live in a society that emphasizes feelings, almost above everything else. Psychologists tell you, "You need to get in touch with your feelings." That’s true. You do. Any area that you’re not in touch with your feelings in is an area you can’t grow in. Any area where you don’t understand your feelings or you’re hiding your feelings is an area of denial and a non growth area; it’s out of control in your life. You do need to get in touch with your feelings.

But that’s not enough. There’s something more important than getting in touch with your feelings. It’s getting in touch with the truth. It’s the truth that changes you, not your feelings. It’s the truth that gives you a solid, successful, significant life, not feelings. Jesus did not say, "When you know your feelings, your feelings will set you free." He said, "When you know the truth, the truth will set you free." The truth will set you free. It’s the key to liberation in your life from any hang up, hurt, or habits. The truth will set you free. But first, it will probably make you miserable.