Beauty and Strength

Showing Appreciation Where It Is Due

2009-10-18T12:48:00.003-04:00

As we go through life it is easy to forget those in our lives that have been there for us or encouraged us to go the extra mile. We so often take these people for granted and overlook the guidance and time they have given to us.

It is very easy for me, to be in the moment and not even realize that the suggestion from someone, in regards to work or the words that are ringing in my ears that give me that extra push to keep my head in a workout, are there because someone cares enough to give of themselves and could simply not even be there.

The word appreciation means to be thankful and express admiration, approval, or gratitude. It also means to grow or appreciate in value. As we appreciate life, we see the value of life and of those in our lives.

Why is it that we have a hard time voicing or showing our appreciation to those in our lives that have done so much to help us as an individual—both personally and professionally?

Mainly, we do not learn to appreciate until what we have is threatened or taken away from us—until we fear what we have to lose, we never truly see what we have. I am not saying that fear is a good thing, but in this case it does give us a different perspective—a positive perspective.

There are lessons well taught by learning the value of appreciation. Meaning learning to let things flow through—not limiting claims on them for satisfaction—as we gain valuable insight from someone. Appreciation is taking time, which is not forced to reciprocate, in some manner to the person who has given us guidance and time—don't be a dead sea where things flow in and never flow out.

Think for a minute about someone or those in your life that you have taken for granted—ignored their guidance and time. What is keeping you from picking up the phone or sending an e-mail to let them know how much they are appreciated.

Do it today!

Perception

2009-08-31T04:30:00.001-04:00

Perception is a component in in everyone's life that cannot be avoided. Not only that though, it is the lens which we view the world around us. The questions we ask, the answers we receive, how we feel, even how we think often directly corresponds to how we perceive the things that happen around and to us.

Imagine this, we are taking a walk and we see a street sign.

It says "Stop."

Now you are familiar with the street, but have never noticed the sign before. Never did it occur to you what the sign meant, and even though you experienced close encounters you never really figured that stopping at that corner was what you were expected to do, and so you didn't. The only time you stopped or hesitated was when you noticed the impending traffic that awaited if you continued. You were never taught to look both ways, and no one ever taught you the laws of the road.

That sounds crazy, doesn't it?

However, it is human nature to allow curiosity to drive us until we hit a wall along the way. We would never know that boiling water was hot unless we got burned. Now that we know that, though, we can stop it from happening to us. But we can only act on it according to our level of understanding of the boiling water. Going back to the story. Now that you can see this sign and understand it's meaning, you are in a better position to not get hit by a car. This doesn't mean that it will never happen, it is just something that puts you into a better position. Reading the sign is not the end all be all-it is simply another perspective to be viewed.

So where does this lead us?

Honestly that depends I suppose, but for this discussion it leads us directly to the entire purpose of this blog.

Perception is affected by many things we in counter in life-what we believe, what we read, what we listen to, those we work with, and the families we grew up in.

We all grow, develop, and change at our own pace. I am fully content with the understanding that my life, all of our lives as Christians are lead and directed by the Holy Spirit within us. As we are sensitive to the Holy Spirit we are shown things that we may not always like, but sometimes it's what we need. I believe that you will take from this what the Holy Spirit is revealing to you to take from this, that we see, feel, and believe exactly what we need to at this moment to propel us forward.

Perception is everything and with the right perception we can only imagine what we will experience next.

Complete And Maturing In The Journey

2009-07-13T05:30:00.001-04:00

What does it mean to mature as a Christian?

How would you answer that question?

Is it through tradition?

Is it having compassion for the poor, afflicted, and oppressed?

Is it sharing with others about God's love in Christ?

And once you have settled on a definition of a mature Christian, how would you go about instructing, guiding, and strengthening yourself and others, to continually mature in Christ's likeness?

What is a mature Christian, and how do we as the body love, call, encourage, and challenge one another to mature in Christ's likeness?

When pondering these questions it is helpful to read the following passage—to gain a better perspective and understanding—in Philippians 3:12-14:

Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

These verses are referring to us maturing into Christ-likeness and not in regards to our salvation as Christians—born again believers who are complete and whole upon believing. The journey towards Christ-likeness begins with a sense of honesty and dissatisfaction—hence the expression "press". And the Greek word press was used of a sprinter, and refers to one who is aggressive and energetic action.

Now that we have established that pressing is not in about striving, but about aggressively and energetically walking the journey set before us, we can see that Paul lived in a state of actively pursing the things of God—what God was leading and placing before him to do and complete. As Paul walked the path laid before him, he was sensitive to the Holy Spirits directing within him, which was an inward and ultimately manifestation of Christ-likeness.

Going deeper into these verses we see the words "lay hold", which in the Greek means "to make one's own possession". God chose Paul and equally Paul chose to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit in laying hold of the things God was leading him in.

In order for us to live the sort of life that Paul lived, we need to see that we are complete and whole… forgetting those things that are behind, whatever—whether these things are past deeds and achievements or failures and sins—that maybe that we tend to let distract us from aggressively and energetically embracing the journey.

As Christians we are complete and whole, able to "press" forward on the path that is before us, especially as we chose to be sensitive to the direction of the Holy Spirit within us. Knowing that we are right where we should be flowing in the moment of the journey, pouring out ourselves in the things that God has before us—maturing in Christ-likeness along the way.

The Pencil In The Masters Hands

2009-07-06T05:30:00.001-04:00

The Designer took the pencil aside; just before setting it on the journey called life ahead, and gently informed it that there are 5 things it needed to know:

You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in the Master Designer's hand.

You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, but you will need it to become a more mature and experienced pencil.

You will be able to correct mistakes you make, but don't find security in the fact that you will have the ability to correct mistakes.

You are to honor the most important part of you, which will always be what is inside—the Holy Spirit.

On every surface you are used you must leave your mark and no matter what the condition, you must continue in the mission.

The pencil understood and set out to remember all that had been spoken over and to it.

We know that as we are obedient to God and that which He has designed and chosen us to do, we will be able to carry out the mission as we allow ourselves to be held in God's hand. The key words here though are:

Obedience
Allow

Even as we walk the path of this journey called life, we have a choice to be obedient and allow God to use us to create a master piece with our abilities, skills, and talents we have naturally been blessed with or have acquired along the way.

In being obedient on the journey, we will find that at times there will be twist and turns that we did not see or are the result of choices we have made, but in the end will permit us to experience various things throughout life that will inevitably fine tune the message of our existence.

We also need to keep in mind that mistakes that take place along the journey are okay and can be expected from time to time, as we are only human and tend to feel more in control when the pencil is in the tight grip of our hand. We should not set out to be careless on the journey, but to be more aware and sensitive to the leading of what is inside us—the Holy Spirit.

Lastly, we need to be mindful that on the journey that every surface we walk, we will leave our mark. No matter where we are in our journey or what the situation, we must continue to serve God—Master Designer—in everything that He is calling us to. With this understanding let us proceed in the journey with our eyes on the mission at hand and with a meaningful purpose in our heart with great gusto.

The Path

2009-06-29T05:02:00.001-04:00

We have been told many times that God's thoughts are not our thoughts and His ways are not our ways—this is difficult to understand. Take a quote like Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." We would all rather follow the path that more footsteps have been on, the one that looks a little easier, than the path that is less traveled.

However, God wants us to know that His ways are higher than our ways and He will lead us to places that we can hardly dream of, if we are willing to go to places that He is leading us to, regardless of if the path is heavily or less traveled on.

Sometimes work, friends, family, life, health, school, church, and finances, cloud our perception of the path that God has us on and we tend to create a disturbance in the flow of our lives and we get a little nettled. And then we begin to wonder what kind of plan God has and if in fact we need to work harder to be in the place that we perceive as the ideal for our lives. We cannot always understand what God is doing, but we can trust that what He is doing will be the best for us.

We tend to complicate even the most natural and simple things in life and then become resistance to the flow of God as He leads us, we feel that we must be the ones to forge through the path that He is leading us on, unaware of life and ultimately cut ourselves off from truly embracing and enjoying life.

If we take a look at Isaiah 55:10 we see what happens when the rain and snow fall to the ground. As it melts away from the earth it waters the plants of the earth and leaves things in bloom, in their natural state. This is what takes place when we do not disrupt the course of action that God has established for us to live in freedom and in the flow of the path He is leading us on.

There will never be anyone who can teach us God's plan for our life better than God, our dreams, aspirations, and goals can all be found in resting in Him and trusting that the path He is leading us on will allow us to flow and bloom like flowers after a fresh rain. God knows what your next step should be... so just keep walking and enjoy the journey along the way.

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

Isaiah 55:8-11

Making Choices In Life

2009-06-22T05:10:00.001-04:00

Everything in life is a choice—are you choosing the best?

There are many choices for every situation or issue that we face daily, and some days it seems everything goes well; people help us, the details of events/projects fall into place, outcomes and rewards are visible. However, there are days though, when everything seems to be up hill or full of under-currents.

Even so, we need to recognize that we do have choices to make whether our day is going according to our plan or we find that we are faced with unexpected happenings. It is vital that we learn to be truly in our unique flow regardless of what is taking place around us or even how far off basis our plans have become.

We have to continue to be ourselves no matter what the given situation and be flexible with our plans in order to still be effective and make choices that are suitable. A few points to keep in mind that will aid us in such situations or issues in our daily living are described as being:

• Consistent

• Contemplative

• Decisive

• Determined

• Focused

• Introspective

• Organized

• Persistent

There is strength in these characteristics as we make choices and when we fail to take ownership of our choice we generally berate ourselves over past deeds, perceived mistakes and experiences, and that stops the flow of creativity and forward movement in our lives.

Another point to consider is to forgive ourselves for any perceived short comings or lack, misdeeds, and mistakes—none of which, we can change no matter how much we berate ourselves.

If we would like to live in the ebb and flow of our lives, we have to learn to live in the moment and make choices that are suitable, knowing that other influences will be going on all around us, but it doesn't mean that they will dictate how, when, and if we respond.

Many people are afraid to take ownership of their choices because they feel that their choices are not credible, important, or in the end will be wrong. The opposite is true and our choices in life do count each and every moment of the day.

Making choices does not have to be complicated or long and drawn out (some situations and issues that pertain to life do require a longer time frame), but we have to learn to become comfortable with the choices we do make and stick to them with full confidence that we have made the best choice at the time, with the ultimate leading of God and the direction of the Holy Spirit within us.

Lastly, but most certainly not least, is that we do need to base all choices we make on what God is leading us in and what the Holy Spirit is directing us in, no matter what others are sayings or what is going on around us—in the end it is between us and God.

I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for He is your life...

Deuteronomy 30:19-20a

Perspective Shift

2009-06-15T05:44:00.001-04:00

What is your perspective?

How do you perceive things?

It is amazing how just a shift in our perspective or how we perceive things happens when we allow ourselves to view them in a more reasonable manner! It truly is great when we just take the time to really look at the thoughts playing in our heads, or the situation we are facing with a whole different outlook—perspective.

How do you look at life today?

Do you really have a perspective that is conducive of living in the moment before you—regretting nothing and only learning from the past, delighting in the present, and embracing the mysteries of the future?

What will it take for a perspective shift as you look at your life?

And not just for today, but in everything that you do minute to minute. God is always there to assist us in our perspective shift and until we learn to wait upon Him we will not fully know Him and all His greatness.

Just maybe, that is where you need to begin—perspective shift—learning about God and all His greatness. Until we have the proper perspective of who God is, what He has done, and is doing in our lives we have a difficult time living in the moment before us.

Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The Lord is my portion, therefore I will wait for him.

Lamentations 3:22-24

The Quietness Of The Day

2009-06-08T06:30:00.001-04:00

The day starts, as the body naturally wakes up from its restful sleep, and I so looked forward to my quiet time alone with God in the dark silences of the morning—blanket on my lap, Bible, devotionals, pen, and journal ready at my fingertips. I anticipate this time knowing that my day requires this beginning, more so than my run or workout that follows.

At times the quietness of the day can very easily slip away for things that seem more important and of greater value, but in reality the quietness of the day is a gift that we so effortlessly let fall away.

[We] can neither make, nor retain, one moment of time; it all comes to [us] by pure gift... -C.S.Lewis

In the quietness of the morning it is a time to communicate with God one on one with no distractions, reflect on the day ahead, and gain greater awareness of who we are and the direction in which God is leading us.

I know that we all have good intentions, to take time out of our days to spend in quietness and it doesn't have to be in the early morning darkness, but whenever it is conducive of what works best for each individual. Spending time in the quietness of the day is just that a gift, which we need not reject or take it for granted. Instead we should welcome the moment and treasure it like we do a priceless gift.

Moving Forward Wisely In Every Area Of Our Lives

2009-05-25T04:37:00.001-04:00

In reading Acts 16 (Acts is a book of the Bible that is packed with great wisdom and insight), we see a series of events that take place that leads Paul to understand that God was directing the course before him to Macedonia—this particular story teaches us a great deal about how God guides our lives. God's will about many matters is spelled out clearly in the Bible, but there are also many things for which the Bible gives us no black-and-white answers.

Paul and those following along with him faced this kind of situation as they attempted to go forward in their ministry. The Bible does not spell out for us where to work, to carry the gospel, or to settle down. The Bible provides us with all the criteria for making wise decisions, but the actual choosing is left to us.

How will we know that today's choice will turn out well tomorrow?

We can't, which is why we are fearful of having to choose, and the anxiety about it all can ultimately steal our joy. However, we have nothing to fear, because as God calls us to make choices and often puts us into situations that require us to do so, He never leaves us to ourselves.

God watches over our steps, and He is doing so even when—especially when—the way before us is unclear.

Paul and his followers wanted to go to Bithynia, but God intervened in their plans: "They attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them" (Acts 16:7).

Discerning God's will in many areas of our lives require us to think.

As we see, Paul and the others weighed a number of factors, and they took into account the work of the Holy Spirit in forbidding them to preach in Asia and enter into Bithynia. Then alongside their understanding of the Spirit's leading, they set Paul's vision about the need in Macedonia. Based on all these factors together, Paul and his followers determined what God was leading them to do.

Guidance in our lives is always a matter of wisdom more than just a mere feeling. Thus, when we believe the Holy Spirit is leading us to follow a particular course, we are wise to check our understanding against the Bible and the counsel of other trustworthy believers. The Bible is clear that God has promised to guide us and He is a guiding God, which will direct us as we move forward wisely in every area of our lives.

A vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, 'Come over to Macedonia and help us.' And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

Acts 16:9–12

The Puzzle Called Life

2009-05-18T05:46:00.001-04:00

At times do you see a box of puzzle pieces just waiting for someone to help you put them together or maybe you have started to put the pieces together?

I know as a child, I enjoyed putting big puzzles together. Getting started on a 500 or 1000 puzzle was like a treasure hunt of a sorts, but at times it would get very frustrating when it seemed as though a vital piece of the puzzle was missing. When starting all puzzles though it is always best to start with the outer edge and work on it little by little—laying the foundation. Working on the puzzle a little at a time was fun and challenging, without a lot of unneeded pressure.

It is somewhat like the challenge that an artist faces when coming to a blank canvas. What the artist sees is not necessarily what everyone else sees. Here is a story of a man who was working on a master piece from his eyes:

The Big Picture
by: Author Unknown, Source Unknown

A high school hired my friend George, an artist, to repaint the school mascot – a yellow jacket – on a football stadium wall. This was a difficult task because the painting was so large that the painter could only see a small portion of it at a time.

George had to stand a distance away in order to see the whole picture and give directions to another painter. If George's assistant had tried to paint according to his own limited perspective, seeing only a small part of the picture, he could have made a mistake. By following George's directions, however, he helped create an image that delights school sports fans.

Our life with God is something like George's view of the wall. As we face life's challenges, we are not in a position to see the whole picture, neither of the world nor of our own lives. We see only a small portion. If we rely only on our limited perspective, we risk calamity. Instead, we can choose to trust God–the One who sees the whole picture–to direct our efforts. If we do, God can work through us to create something delightful.

Prayer: O God, direct us in living out the beautiful picture you envision, rather than following only our limited vision. Amen.

Just like this painting needed someone to see things from the bigger perspective, so also we need someone to help us put the puzzle together. And ultimately this is where God and others of importants come in to aid us in putting the pieces together. After working days or sometimes weeks on a puzzle you see how portions of the puzzle are coming together and soon the puzzle would start looking like the picture on the box. As you might expect, there was always that one piece or two missing, but in due time the pieces would find their way into the puzzle and the master piece would be completed.

God is the same way and He is the One who is holding the key pieces to our puzzle of life. He will put them in place when the timing is right. Yes, we would love to know where all the missing pieces are, but the time is not right. Only God knows when the puzzle needs to look like the picture on the box—enjoy the moment as God puts the pieces of your puzzle together!

The Lord said, "I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told."

Habakkuk 1:5

The Faithfulness Of A Prophet

2009-05-11T05:45:00.001-04:00

In the reading through the book of Habakkuk, it is encouraging what we read in the first 2 chapters, but even more so in this particular passage: For the vision is yet for the appointed time; It hastens toward the goal and it will not fail Though it tarries, wait for it; For it will certainly come, it will not delay (Habakkuk 2:3). God wants Habakkuk, and those who learn of this vision to see clearly what the important thing to understand is, through a metaphor that can be understood two ways:

1.) Write the message in big bold letters so that someone running by it on a poster could read it clearly.

2.) Write it so that the implications of it are clear, and the resulting actions are obvious.

There is no need for us to argue one way or the other, because of the point of both is this—Make sure you understand. In other words God is saying if you don't get anything at all up to this point, be sure to get this. Make it so that you understand, and make it plain for others to understand, this truth needs to be it needs to travel and it needs to be transmissible.

As a prophet, Habakkuk was obligated to preserve and deliver God's message to the people as a source of hope—the message was to be conspicuously displayed. Not only that, the message had a lasting relevance and thus had to be preserved.

Although, a period of time would occur before its fulfillment, all were to know that it would come about at God's appointed time. And if we back up and read Habakkuk 1:1-17, we see how it leads up to and supports Habakkuk 2:3, in regards to waiting on God's appointed time.

Though Habakkuk poised many questions, he does not show evident signs of doubt in God, but instead decides to WAIT for God. In complete obedience (See Habakkuk 1:5) he chooses to trust God, humble himself, and wait. Habakkuk does not opt to do this from a confused skepticism, but more so from the firm conviction that God does not change and will carry out His plan.

So, even though Habakkuk has questions, we see that he continues in integrity as a true prophet of faith. His questions do not lead him to give up on God or to question what he already knows to be true of God, but instead the questions lead him to wait until God makes it plain.

Habakkuk in a sense has come before God to humble himself under His hand, and wait for Him to make Himself plain—he comes in faith—as we should all do in every part of our lives. And sometimes our waits maybe be short or long, but whatever the case is, we have to learn to be FAITHFUL not matter what!

Having Confidence In Faith

2009-05-04T05:00:00.001-04:00

Confidence is a function of the mind.

It has to do with how we feel about things and is based upon the general patterns of thought or mental grid that occupies the cortex of the brain. As a feeling or emotion, it is the result of energy impulses, not from God, but generated by the data on the cortex of the brain.

Thus, feelings of confidence will be based on past experiences and the characteristics provided through heredity. Those who have inherited tendencies toward anxiety or have had bad experiences will have a problem with confidence. For example, if one has been severely frightened in childhood by a dog they will have a good deal of difficulty being confident around dogs. Those who have had social problems will have difficulty with confidence in themselves or others, but this has nothing to do with the energy of God or faith as a result of it that is a constant flow in our spirits.

Similarly confidence may be affected by physiological problems.

Chemical imbalance accounts for much in the way of anxiety. When there is a deficiency in the endocrine glands—such as thyroid, adrenal, and gonads—it will result in an inadequate supply of the chemicals we call hormones, which maintain emotional balance. In times of stress, for example, the adrenal glands secrete adrenalin which stimulates the flow of blood and oxygen to the affected areas. Deficiency of adrenalin can result in depression and anxiety (as well as a host of other things). Such depression and anxiety will result in a lack of confidence. This, again, has nothing to do with faith as it pertains to the energy of God within our spirits.

Furthermore, confidence may be affected in many temporary ways by special circumstances, such as physical disorders or personal devastating experiences. Many of these experiences evolve doubts, which are of themselves only temporary uncertainties of the mind and do not reflect the condition of the spirit. Paul speaks of his own weaknesses in the flesh—"For when we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every side; without were fightings, within were fears" (2 Corinthians 7:5).

Paul had no confidence in his flesh and he did not see his weaknesses in the flesh as a lack of faith, but rather as a source of humility and an instrument to keep him continually relying upon God. It was to him a part of the continuing earthly frustration. Such frustration caused him to cry out in anguish, "Oh wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from this body of death?" (Romans 7:24). Paul, by his own confession, was weak and frustrated and wretched, but that did not affect the strength of his inner spirit; which, he said, "was renewed day by day." He had no confidence in his flesh, but was never waning in his faith.

At the end of his life, Paul made his ultimate declaration—"I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith" (2 Timothy 4:7). He had nothing to say about the numerous churches he had established or souls he had helped. He merely kept on, fighting the battle, and keeping the faith. At the end of his life he had come to no personal position of confidence in his flesh, as we might be after a lifetime of arduous and unstinting service.

The ultimate concept here is that there is a distinction between faith and confidence. Faith, as a gift of God, is an energy process flowing from God through our spirits, enabling us to interact with Him in fellowship and communication. Confidence is a process of the natural mind, accumulating the data of experience together with the predispositions of heredity and reacting to impulses in a proscribed behavior pattern. In other words, we respond to experiences emotionally, based on our given personality traits. Thus, confidence is a feeling very much affected by human personality. Faith is beyond feeling and is a constant part of the new-born spirit nature that we have from God.

For we are [they]… which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.

Philippians 3:3

Authentic Companionship

2009-05-01T04:45:00.001-04:00

This is found with someone who accepts us as we are.

A sure sign of such a companionship is when we feel willingness, even a desire, to risk disclosing our true self.

Stressful transitions, times of profound grief and loss, moments when we must release some anxiety or fear, accomplishments, joys, desires, dreams, and hopes we long to express that cannot yet be voiced in public—these are the moments when nothing is as comforting as a companion with whom we can be completely transparent.

Elijah said to Elisha, "Tell me what I may do for you, before I am taken from you." Elisha said, "Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit."

2 Kings 2:9

Who’s Are You

2009-04-29T06:10:00.001-04:00

Many times we go through the motions in our spiritual lives.

We pray.

We read the Bible.

We worship.

All the while giving the impression that we know that we are God's beloved. But often in the deep places of our hearts, the assurance is not there and we know it. When this happens we need to come before God and let the Spirit of God whisper—"You are God's beloved."

I cannot tell you who you are.

Others cannot tell you who you are.

Only the Spirit of God can.

As Jesus was coming up out of the water… a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."

Mark 1:10, 11

Going Moment To Moment

2009-04-27T05:00:00.001-04:00

Outwardly, I appear to be an organized person.

I am diligent and doing well in my line of work.

I tend to keep my planner up-to-date as much as I possible can, leaving room for unexpected changes that tend to happen in life from day to day.

I don't like to be rushed and tend to show up for my appointments on time, if not early.

As a naturally "with-it" type person, you would assumed when I began meditating regularly that my thoughts would be as orderly as my day, that emptying my mind would be as simple as sorting through and preparing for a typical day.

In reality, it can be difficult to quiet the constant stream of thoughts, plans, images, judgments, and story lines most of us don't even realize are playing in our heads. And instead of sifting through the files of my mind and putting them in order to better navigate all that is taking place, I tend to just empty my thoughts into the "recycle bin" of my mind and let it stay there until I need it.

Allowing oneself to simply exist, to fully experience a moment, is a difficult but worthwhile undertaking and to do so we need to be able to embrace the thoughts that are taking place in our minds. And to sort them out as best we can through journaling, speaking, or just meditating.

If we can't stop thinking about what a terrible speaker we are or how inexperience we are at fitness, we are wasting valuable energy by making ourselves anxious. I don't know about you, but I'd much rather watch an enthusiastic speaker make a few mistakes than one who seems on the verge of tears out of fear during a presentation.

A few tips on how to embrace our thoughts in the moment:

Try to avoid worrying about the future, focus on the present (savoring) – We get up and workout and think, this is not as good as what I did yesterday. Where is the enjoyment there?

To make the most of time, lose track of it (flow) – Have you ever sat down, started in on a task, and become so fully absorbed in what you were doing that hours passed without your notice? Most people have attained this state, which psychologists call "flow," at one point or another while doing something they find engaging and enjoyable. Your intentional focus narrows, self-consciousness evaporates. You feel as if your awareness merges with the action you are working on. You feel a sense of personal mastery over the situation, and the activity is so intrinsically rewarding that although the task is difficult, action feels effortless.

Bothered by something, move toward it rather than away from it (acceptance) – It is human nature to avoid unpleasant situations. However, this quote gives us interesting insight: "…feelings like disappointment, embarrassment, irritation, resentment, anger, jealousy, and fear, instead of being bad news, are actually very clear moments that teach us where it is that we're holding back. They teach us to perk up and lean in when we feel we'd rather collapse and back away. They're like messengers that show us, with terrifying clarity, exactly where we're stuck. This very moment is the perfect teacher, and, lucky for us, it's with us wherever we are."

Know that you don't know (engagement) – If we know everything already, if our days are routine and predictable, where is the excitement in that? Why bother being curious about anything? Again, this quote puts it well: "We long to have some reliable, comfortable ground under our feet, but we've tried a thousand ways to hide and a thousand ways to tie up all the loose ends, and the ground just keeps moving under us." We need to embrace the unexpected in the here and now of our day and most of all in our lives.

When interacting with others, friends, family, co-workers, significant other or spouse, learn to inhabit the present (breathe) – Mindfulness makes people less aggressive and more aware of their feelings, as well as their interactions with other people. Focusing on the present frees one up to respond "thoughtfully rather than automatically".

Cultivating an awareness of the present has a host of benefits within the mind and body:

Reduces stress
Boosts immune functioning
Reduces chronic pain
Lowers blood pressure
Reduces the risk of heart disease
Reduces impulsivity and negative reactivity

Mindful people are happier, more exuberant, more empathetic, and more secure. They have higher self-esteem and are more accepting of their own weaknesses.

So, what are we waiting for?

We need to focus on now as we move forward into what the future holds while enjoying the very moment we are in.

Friends

2009-04-20T06:00:00.001-04:00

In John 15:12, Jesus instructs us to "...love one another as I have loved you." Some of our friends will remain friends for a long time and others we soon find out were not really friends at all. Hold on to those friends you find dear and as you do ponder how God has used these friends to draw you closer to Him and shape you into refined vessels for His glory.

Flowing In Faith

2009-04-15T04:35:00.001-04:00

Faith lies at the heart of all that we have in and from God through Christ. It is the very energy of God in us through the presence of His Holy Spirit. And we see this in Hebrews 11:1 as it gives us the evidence to the meaning of faith. In the phrase, "Faith is the substance," we have insight into it's true nature. The text does not say that faith is a human instrument for getting things from God, it says that faith is the substance of things hoped for. Faith is the essential reality of all that we receive from God. The phrase "hoped for" is better translated "expected." The English word "hope" has too much uncertainty in it to properly express the Greek word elpidzo.

Hebrews 11:1 would better be translated—"Faith is the essence of our expectations."

But what precisely does that mean?

Faith is an expression of Divine energy.

It is strictly a gift of God and is impossible without Him (See Ephesians 2:8). It is that flow of Divine energy that activates our spirits. Our spirits then become like a circuit board, receiving signals from God. Apart from the gift of energizing faith we would not be able to receive these signals—without the Holy Spirit, we would not have this faith.

We can take it a step further and look into the meaning of the Greek word that usually translates the word substance, hupostasis which means in Greek what it does in Latin—that which "stands under" or is "the inner essence of."

For example, in the case of electric wiring, it is the electricity or energy flowing through the wire that is the essence of it. When the energy flows through it, the wire is the effective instrument that accomplishes innumerable tasks. Without the energy flowing through it, the wire is simply like a cord, that is not very useful. The electrical circuitry in a house gives to that house an innumerable range of useful functions. But the wiring itself, were it not connected to an energy source, would be of little value.

Just so, it is not the object itself, for which we pray, that is important, but the flow of energy that represents our communion with God. As the electricity is more vital and real than the appliances it serves, so the energy of faith within us—the gift of God—is more vital and real than those things which come to us as a result of our interactions with God.

So faith, then, is the energy process from God that charges our spirit nature and equips us for communion with Him.

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Hebrews 11:1

Gaining Direction Through Seeking And Knocking

2009-04-06T06:40:00.001-04:00

Have you ever done something that was so much fun that you prayed that time itself would slow down so you could enjoy yourself as much as possible?

For instance, think about surfing, you wait in anticipation for that ideal day, a perfect set of waves, and the sun is high in the sky. You have the beach roughly to yourself since there is almost no one out in the water.... now you have just 20 minutes and you are looking for that one last set to form on the horizon and then call it a day.

Sometimes one of the most frustrating things in life is coming to the realization that we are getting older—not that this a good or bad thing—but are we really using our time like God is leading us to and accomplishing all that we hoped to in the flow of what He is calling us into.

Maybe you really do not have frustration in this regard, but don't you absolutely want to do as much as you can for God during the time He has given you?

Be respectful of God, knowing that He is the One who is guiding you in the flow of things, putting before you the exact things that He wants YOUR hands on and sowing into. It may help to keep the following points in mind on a daily bases, to stay more aware of how you are using your time.

God wants you to:

Prepare your minds for action
Be self-controlled
Set your hope on the grace to be brought to you at the return of Jesus
Do not conform to your former evil desires you had in ignorance

During your stay upon earth God wants you to do everything you can to live for Him:

You will answer to Him for all that you have done in this world.
You are not your own and have been bought with price
You are called for this purpose.
Keep your hope and eyes upon God.

It is easy to get away from what God is leading us in and become consumed with the distractions of the world out of sacristy or misdirection. In either cause all we need to do is come before God seeking and knocking, ready to receive and flow in that which He is calling us into.

And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.

Luke 11:9-10

Long-Range And Short-Range Plans

2009-04-03T05:00:00.001-04:00

Whether we are sizing up our lives in total or confronting a specific decision in our lives, a few important questions we should ask are:

What is God leading us in?
What are our objectives?
What, ultimately, do we want to accomplish?

Identify our objectives may prove to be a complex task, because there is more than one objective at stake and at times we rather not just focus on one objective. As believers though, our one main objective that we come back to time and time again, is that we have been created to serve God with the unique abilities, talents, and skills He has gifted us with.

This is the main long-range objective and is of prime importants, but in the meantime we have lives to live on a daily bases, that add to the long-range objective. We have jobs to manage, a house to keep up with, finances to be stewards over, friendships to cultivate, and relationships to mend.

At times we can be very clever at conning ourselves, which leads us to rationalizing and spiritualizing almost anything that crosses our path. We tend to analysis everything making ourselves believe we are choosing what is most important, instead of allowing God to be the definitive decision maker in many instances.

And it is not that we should not make long-range or short-range plans, but instead we need to consider what God is leading us in and start there in our planning. In fact, God doesn't want us to live mediocre lives, but as we seek Him in all our planning He will guide us, give us the tools, and the means to accomplish the things that are before us and on the horizon.

Commit your way to the Lord, and trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.

Psalm 37:5

Minds Of Action

2009-04-01T06:00:00.001-04:00

To prepare your minds for action means to bring your mind into obedience of the conscious act of the will. Many times believers face an inner conflict that brings about a tough-minded focus that readies us for action—being self-controlled.

We need and are called to be self-controlled with an internal direction from within, not from without by lusts, temptations, and unrighteous desires. Our hope is to be in the grace that God has given us through the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

Having said that, our ultimate hope is and has been given to us by the return of Jesus, who has raised us in newness free from our sinful self we once were before becoming believers, which means we are no longer conformed to our former minds as in ignorance.

We are instead, to allow God to mold our minds into the character of Him in every area of our lives, in order to be fully ready to in obedience to flow in what He places before us, without even second guessing if or when we should take on what He is calling us to.

Daily we need to be in communication with God bringing before Him that which is on our minds and as we do we will gain strength that trains our minds for action. An active mind needs to be trained and it does not happen over night, just as a muscle goes through a process of becoming completely strong through daily exercise.

Gird the mind, strengthen the mind, keep a sober spirit, and most of all completely put hope in grace, but have a mind of action that is one of self-control in obedience for the will of God.

Therefore, gird your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 1:13

Walking In Diligence

2009-03-30T04:44:00.001-04:00

Diligence separates the "be's" from the "wanna-be's" in most settings, because it takes diligence—staying with the mission until it is finished. Everyday we are faced with little missions or one big mission that initials us to walk in diligence until the mission is completed.

It takes work.

It takes perseverance.

It takes persistence.

At times work (or action), perseverance, and persistence may mean pouring into millions of minutes, thousands of hours, hundreds of days, and as many years that God has in order to fulfill the mission that is in front of us.

Diligence doesn't mean maintaining a frantic pace, but instead means moving forward in the flow and things God is leading, while maintaining a steady outlook and walk without putting undue pressure on ones self.

We can look in the Bible and see that diligence is a major theme, especially woven throughout the book of Proverbs:

Proverbs 10:4
Proverbs 12:11
Proverbs 14:23
Proverbs 18:9
Proverbs 27:23-24
Proverbs 28:19
Proverbs 31:10-31

Most of all, as we continue walking in diligence we need to keep in mind the verse below for whom we are living a life of diligence and not make diligence another must in a long list of things to do.

And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.

Colossians 3:23-24

Our Words Can Be Weak Or Powerful

2009-03-27T05:10:00.001-04:00

Throughout all powerful and brilliant writing the words that speak to us most are inspired by the Holy Spirit and apart from Him our words are weakwords have their limit and they can only be impressive to an extent. Eventually, words run out of power and ability to express. At attempts to write at times, what is conveyed might be simple enough in just a few sentences or could fill up pages upon pages.

There are many well written pieces out there that are full of hype or are master pieces. The author's thoughts may have a unique zing to them with great power. Or the author's thoughts were ordinary and original.

The interesting thing is that it is pride to think that any of our finite attempts at greatness through words will actually be great.

Not because we are great.

Not because our words echo across cultures.

Not because we convey a single impressive thing.

But because we are empty vessels that God fills Himself with, so that the surpassing greatness of the power would be from Him and not from ourselves. Asking God to fill us with words that bring forth life for all and to all is when we allow the Holy Spirit to give our words great power.

We all use words every day in basic conversation and don't take into account just what we are saying. We do not have to be a famous author or a notable speaker, to be more aware of the words we are conveying. Yet, it is sometimes used as an excuse for apathy.

So we need to take the initiative and be aware of our words, knowing that it's God who through the Holy Spirit wishes to give our words power which are otherwise weak apart from Him.

Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.

Psalm 19:14

Timeless Interruptions

2009-03-25T04:25:00.001-04:00

Every day we face the inevitable interruptions that we do not plan or hope for, but rarely do we accept the twist and turns in our days and just go with the flow. Most of all when it comes to the very details of our lives, we have a very hard time seeing through interruptions and try at times to control that which we have no control over.

Even though we all experience interruptions in different ways and times, we need to come to realize that interruptions are not such a horrible thing as we make them out to be. Sometimes interruptions are just timeless lessons for us to learn from and are pieces of the wholevisions, goals, plans, and even dreams.

Sometimes we become so focused on the whole that we forget to sow into ourselves and cultivate our relationship with God, which causes us to lose sight of walking in the flow of what He has. When we lose sight of walking in the flow, any little interruption throws us for a loop, and we assume that we are heading into a set back or become impatient with the delay.

However, in our timeless interruptions we need to see that God reveals Himself to us bit by bit, and even our broadest visions, highest goals, most detailed plans, and buoyant dreams need to be broken down and lived in the flow of what is taking place here and now.

At times we cannot make heads or tails of our interruptions and that is okay; we need to learn that we don't have to know all the details of why we encounter interruptions or try to force our lives in to a mold that is void of interruptions.

And, lastly, regardless of the interruptions we experience hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, or even yearly, we need to remember to continue to serve God with joyful hearts and gladness. Taking time to step back and seek what God is leading us in and learning from the moment all that the timeless interruptions may have for us to discover and mature in.

Serve the Lord with gladness; come before His presence with singing.

Know that the Lord, He is God; it is He who made us, and we not ourselves.

We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

Psalm 100:2-3

Having Discernment In Our Goals And Plans

2009-03-23T06:23:00.001-04:00

How do we discern what we are to move forward in when it comes to our goals and plans, starts with looking at our motives.

Is our intent one that is flowing in that which God is leading us in?
Is our intent to accomplish that which is before us?
Is our intent to use our talents, skills, and resources in accord with the vision and desires God has placed on our hearts?
Is our intent to be an extension of God and serve with a grateful heart in all things?

There are countless of things we desire to accomplish, goals we would like to achieve, and dreams we would like to see come aboutall the while flowing in a life that is completely trusting and hoping in God.

"The Lord is my portion," says my soul, therefore I will HOPE in Him.

Lamentations 3:24

When we apply this verse to our lives daily, weekly, monthly, and yearlyas we take time to look at our motivesto see if in fact they are springing forth from a pure heart, we will find such great hope in God.

We Walk By Faith And Not By Sight

2009-03-20T05:58:00.001-04:00

"By faith," the writer of Hebrews (See Hebrews 11) says, "we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible." He says we understand "that" God did all these things. He doesn't say we understand "how" God did all these things.

Thus, we can come to the conclusion that it is by FAITH we understand "that" God is the ultimate plan maker in our lives. Even with our limited human vision (compared to God's omniscience), we almost never know the full plan or "how" it's all going to work out.

But if we have walked with God for a short or long period of time, we have discovered that as we put our hope and trust in Him, everything seems to come together in His time and way. No matter how intentional or careful we are with the steps we took in planning, God will at times take us in a whole other direction and that is completely okay.

And with that, it is fine to go through the process of planning and preparing for what God is leading us in, but we just have to remember to hold loosely to those things, while keeping our hope and trust in Him no matter what may come our way or transpire.

"Not knowing" can be frustrating, and sometimes we start to get worried about how things are going to work out. Yet, we know that God is not running around all nervous and frantic, worrying about how things are going to turn outHis plans are accomplished because He is God.

Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see (See Hebrews 11:1). This is "how" we are to walknot with human wisdom or sight, but by trusting in the grace of God and the very life of Jesus working in and through us.

Reflecting On The Job At Hand

2009-03-18T05:11:00.001-04:00

Working a full-time job has a certain tone that it sets on each and every day, but it is fitting to have such structure to the day and a blessing to be able to work the job before me.

It is completely different driving to work in the morning and being there all day, then driving home to use the remaining hours of day before it is time to go to sleep and start the whole process over again.

Life seems composed of fewer elements in some ways, and yet there seems to be a freedom there as well. Especially now while I am living in a new town, mostly around people I've only known for a year or more, the sameness of the daily routine is wearying sometimes.

However I want to bring a fresh perspective to my day and know that it is not just other day in the daily grind.

I want to remember that God's mercies are new every morning, and meditate on what that means.

I want to be close to God, so close, brought through the rivers of the spiritual disciplines which I neglect so easily, to the ocean of hope in Him.

Then no matter what I am doing that day, it will be full of His love, delight, and amazement.

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Stepping Out. Turning Point

2009-03-16T05:43:00.001-04:00

For the majority of us, the start of the New Year is a time to make major changes, but life is marked by countless "turning points," times in our lives where we cannot stand still but where we also are almost too afraid to move forward. The future looks hopeful, and we know that once we set foot upon a particular course of action there will be no going back to what once was.

A commitment to "step out" requires a clear direction from the Word of God. It must be harnessed with the recognition in our life to see the need and desire to move from the way of life that we currently live into what is ahead.

What turning point is ahead?

Some turning points in life require us to move from one place to another, from one season to the next season. There will be many turning points in our livessome a lot harder than othersand yet all necessary to bring us to the place where God would have us be.

We will all experience turning points in our lives and it is a process that every person must go through whether a Christian or not, even in business turning points take place all the time. The main component being that as Christians, we keep our eyes focused on God and what He is speaking and leading us in.

To live in the relevant future there has to be change; this is God's intention and gift of grace to us His creation. When we become a Christian we change from one state to another, we mature in God from glory to glory, we take on the characteristics of the gifts of the spirit and so we understand that the old has gone and the new is here to stay.

However the Christian life does not stop there.

Again, as we keep our eyes focused on God we will be aware of and open to embracing the turning points in our lives that are apart of this journey called life. And throughout life we will be called to step out and partake in many turning points.

Living By Grace

2009-03-09T04:46:00.000-04:00

For it is by grace that you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God...

Ephesians 2:8

What is it about God's Grace?

The Webster Dictionary defines grace as "good-will or favor", then adds, "Divine love and protection given to mankind by God".

Grace is the unmerited favor of God.

Unmerited?

Yes!

We cannot earn it, learn it, buy it, deserve it, but He still imparts His Grace to us, every single solitary day.

The question that is raised is why?

Why would God ever give us Grace?

Why would God extend His magnificent mercy to us?

The answer is simple, that many completely miss it or choose to disregard it.

God wants us to glorify Him.

All in all, God wants us to magnify Him, love Him, and praise Him. As well as, live for Him, so He can give us abundant life and a peace that truly does pass all understanding. It's hard for humans to understand or even grasp this kind of love, for it is not in our nature.

God extends His Grace to us so that we may come to know Him in His fullness and in all His abundance.

To Follow God

2009-03-06T05:10:00.000-05:00

Peter said to him, "We have left everything to follow you!"

Mark 10:28

Are we willing to sacrifice everything for God's sake?

Are we so committed to God that we would leave anything and everything to follow Him?

We know God won't be unreasonable, but is our reasoning so drenched in the ways of the world, that we compromise our willingness?

It is as though our inner heart is being tested by these questions.

God is seeking willing hearts.

However, at times our heart and life gets hardened by failed expectations in people, hopes dashed, dreams shattered.

Even so, we must keep our eyes and focus on what God is calling us to and leading us in.

Are we willing to give all to follow God?

Vulnerabilities

2009-03-02T05:00:00.001-05:00

At different points in our lives we will discover how to be vulnerable and not be so afraid of doing so. As we work on the other end of the spectrum in order to balance things out, to guard our heart as God leads us to establish more boundaries so that we don't allow others to have complete access to who we are and are becoming.

There are parts of us that should be off limits to all (or most) people and only shared between God and those who are most intimate and dear. This bible verse says it all:

Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.

Matthew 7:6

Though it is important to learn to open up and be more vulnerable with others (since God did make us relational beings), it is important that we focus on staying vulnerable with God with all areas of our lives. We know He would never tear us to pieces, but will only make us better as we expose the fragile, broken, and dark parts of ourselves to His light.

We are all sinful and imperfect and God is the only One who will allow us to come before Him, just as we are, completely broken and open, in all cases.

God's Love Among Us

2009-02-27T05:05:00.001-05:00

This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.

1 John 4:9

So Do Not Fear

2009-02-25T04:45:00.001-05:00

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 right hand.

Isaiah 41:10

Where Is Your Hope

2009-02-23T05:00:00.001-05:00

"The Lord is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in him."

Lamentations 3:24

As We Remain In God

2009-02-20T05:06:00.001-05:00

And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him.

1 John 4:16

God's ways may be baffling, but His character is not.

He is a God of love, a God who loves each of us beyond measure.

God can be trusted.

But unless we are willing to jump His trustworthiness will be simply a useless, unproven, untheological , rather than a powerful, personal, life-changing reality.

This "jump" doesn't mean diving out of a plane and praying for angels to arrive. Instead, it's a deeply personal experience in which God shows Himself to us in an undeniable way, resulting in our own reassurance that despite what happens, God is trustworthy.

Maybe we have made it through past issues but fret about the future, feeling either gripped by fear or resolved to conquer what lies ahead with sheer determination.

After all, we have made it this far; why turn the reins over to God now?

The path God leads us on doesn't always seem best. And still, it is hard enough to entrust our future to Him and harder still as we venture through rough terrain. But in the midst of our dusty, often frustrating journey, we can take these words to heart: God will always, always come through in the end.

He is faithful by nature.

God has a greater purpose for our future than we could ever devise (See Jeremiah 29:11), and He will see us through as we follow Him.

Will Not Be Moved

2009-02-18T05:10:00.000-05:00

Will Not Be Moved

By: Natalie Grant

I have been the wayward child

I have acted out

I have questioned Sovereignty

And had my share of doubt

And though sometimes my prayers feel like

They're bouncing off the sky

The hand I hold won't let me go

And is the reason why

[Chorus]

I will stumble

I will fall down

But I will not be moved

I will make mistakes

I will face heartache

But I will not be moved

On Christ the Solid Rock I stand

All other ground is sinking sand

I will not be moved

Bitterness has plagued my heart

Many times before

My life has been like broken glass

And I have kept the score

Of all my shattered dreams and though it seemed

That I was far too gone

My brokenness helped me to see

It's grace I'm standing on

And the chaos in my life

Has been a badge I've worn

Though I have been torn

I will not be moved

A Reflection Of God Even In Your Attitude

2009-02-16T05:45:00.001-05:00

How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty!

Psalm 84:1

A rotten attitude is easy to come by when things are not going so great or how we planned them to. Though if we are longing to be a reflection of God, to the world around us, we need to demonstrate it even in our attitude.

We see in the life of Jesus that He denied self and worked toward a powerful witness to the reality of God's selfless love. He understood as He walked this earth that certainly not everything goes according to plan.

Think about a recent difference of opinion you had with someone.

What was the root cause of this disagreement?

Do you think you glorified God with the attitude that was displayed in this situation?

Do others see the dwelling of the Lord Almighty in your attitude?

A Word About Love

2009-02-13T03:30:00.001-05:00

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.

When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.

And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

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The Heart Of A Warrior For God

2009-02-11T05:43:00.001-05:00

While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." Then he fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he fell asleep.

Acts 7:59-60

Falsely accused, Unjustly dealt with, yet, Stephen spoke from his heart, laid it on the line for the Pharisees—religious leaders—and paid for his boldness with death.

We see the warrior spirit, heart, and uncompromising conviction of Stephen in the verses above, which cause us to look inward and question our own heart:

Do we have a boldness to tell others about God in our daily living?

Are we willing to die for our faith?

Do we have the fortitude to stand up for God, His truth, His heart, His ways—in the face of opposition?

Would we pray as Stephen did—for our enemies?

Taking this kind of evaluation of our own heart is very humbling.

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God Is Far Greater

2009-02-09T06:02:00.001-05:00

Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Ephesians 3:20-21

We see in the verses above that Paul repeats a petition he makes for the believers in a letter to the church in Ephesus. In his prayer, he asks God to give his brothers and sisters:

Strength in power through the Holy Spirit
The dwelling of God in their hearts through faith
Being rooted and grounded in love
Having comprehension and personal knowledge of the love of God
Knowing all the fullness of God

It is after making all of these requests that Paul reminds his readers that their God is the one who can do "far more abundantly than all that we ask or think" (Ephesians 3:20).

At times we tend to forget that God is a God of unlimited possibilities, which leads us to putting limits on ourselves and what He is leading us in.

Windows Live™: Keep your life in sync. Check it out.

Kingdom And Priests

2009-02-06T05:25:00.001-05:00

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father, to him be glory and power for ever and ever.

Amen.

Revelation 1:5b-6

Here John addresses the 7 churches in the Asia region with an exhortation of which God is and has made them to bea kingdom and priests to serve Him.

In such a prophetic book filled with visions beyond our wildest imagination, John roots the believer in the foundation of giving God glory because of who He is and made us to be.

In a world filled with self made kings who live self ruled lives, we are called a kingdom whose heart is enthroned by a KingGod. Once darkened by the flesh ruling the domain of our past nature, ways and will, our kingdom was overturned by the entrance of a new KingGod.

Our heart is now called His Kingdom and we are called as priests who serve God. We are called to live differently as a Kingdom priest, and it is our calling and duty to represent God well as His priest.

Training Our Soul

2009-02-04T05:15:00.003-05:00

Train yourself in godliness.

1 Timothy 4:7

If the gym is the training ground for physical discipline, then perhaps we can learn something from it about training our soul. The word translated discipline in the Bible actually comes from the Greek gymnaze, meaning to train or discipline. From it we get the word gymnasium. The apostle Paul, a spiritual gym rat if ever there was one, instructed Timothy to, "Train yourself in godliness" 1 Timothy 4:7.

How do we work up a good soul sweat?

We first have to deal with the heart of the matter.

Cardiovascular training is the first vital aspect of a physical workout. Keeping the heart strong enables the vitality of the other organs and gives strength and energy to work the rest of the body.

Spiritual health is not about how we look religiously, but about how freely and powerfully we allow God to flow through us. God, by the indwelling Holy Spirit, cannot flow through us into the world if our heart is clogged with spiritual plaque.

To get our heart in good condition we need to examine the heart of God in contrast to our own—we need to know the heart of God. We must learn about the heart of God in order to understand how to change our own heart.

And how do we know when a change is taking place?

Try taking the spiritual "treadmill test" for the heart is the fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22).

Our purpose in exercising our soul is not to feel better about ourselves, but our purpose is to become stronger, more fit, and conditioned to go into the world and do the work God is calling us to and preparing us for.

Following Joseph's Example

2009-02-02T05:25:00.001-05:00

But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt.

Genesis 45:7

It is quite inspiring to read the story of Joseph, his brothers, his journey and life. It is tough to imagine that with all that Joseph lived through, he would not want to harm, or at least make his brothers lives miserable.

In our own lives we need to apply how Joseph responded to his circumstances in spite of all we might have gone through and are facing. It is very easy to focus on ourselves and then throw a pity party, or worse yet take revenge.

We need to keep our eyes on God at all times, but even more so when the circumstances around us are not what we had anticipated. Allow God to be God and seek Him no matter what like Joseph did.

Reverence

2009-01-30T04:45:00.001-05:00

But I, by your great mercy, will come into your house; in reverence will I bow down toward your holy temple.

Psalm 5:7

In this Psalm, as in many of the Psalms David wrote, he reveals his hearts struggles with his enemies and writes of his dependence upon God's character.

God is trustworthy, righteous, faithfulHe is fair and dependable.

Too often, we approach God in a demanding way, barging into His presence with cares, needs, wants and desires, but we lack reverence. It's as if God is to serve us at every beckon call, to be ready to meet our needs whenever we need Him to.

We do not want our relationship with God to be based on what He can do or does for us, instead it needs to be that we want God to know that we love Him for who He is and has done for us.

Come to God in reverence, thanksgiving, and petition and He will hear our hearts cry!

Practice The Call With Passion

2009-01-28T07:45:00.001-05:00

Practice and cultivate and meditate upon these duties; throw yourself wholly into them [as your ministry], so that your progress may be evident to everybody.

1 Timothy 4:15

Paul's instruction to Timothy was to use the gifts that God gave him (that was prophesied over him) and not neglect them. And like a wise spiritual father, Paul tells Timothy to "Go for it and give it your best! In a sense he was urging Timothy to practice, practice, practice!

We too should be motivated, inspired and challenged to practice and develop the passion of our calling. God wants us to progress and be a representative of progress. Showing improvement and growth for the sake of fulfilling God's calling is a Godly thing.

The Amplified version reads: "Throw yourself wholly into your ministry...", not half hearted, but wholly commitment on our part in what God is calling us to.

We want to do God's will in and through our life, but we can only do this as we keep our eyes on Him. As we do, He will strength us to practice the passion of His calling on our life, that we may show progress and honor to Him.

Majesty

2009-01-26T05:25:00.001-05:00

Majesty (Here I Am)

By: Delirious

Here I am humbled by your Majesty

Covered by your grace so free

Here I am, knowing I'm a sinful man

Covered by the blood of the Lamb

Now I've found the greatest love of all is mine

Since you laid down your life

The greatest sacrifice

Majesty, Majesty

Your grace has found me just as I am

Empty handed, but alive in your hands

Majesty, Majesty

Forever I am changed by your love

In the presence of your Majesty

Here I am humbled by the love that you give

Forgiven so that I can forgive

Here I stand, knowing that I'm your desire

Sanctified by glory and fire

Now I've found the greatest love of all is mine

Since you laid down your life

The greatest sacrifice

The Source Of Faith

2009-01-23T08:03:00.001-05:00

Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. She said to herself, "If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed." Jesus turned and saw her. "Take heart, daughter," he said, "your faith has healed you."

Matthew 9:20-21

What is faith?

The source of faith is found in Godwe cannot have faith in faith itselfand it must be in Him who is the Source.

So what is faith?

As we look through the book of Matthew in chapters 8-10, we find that faith is the impetus to move us to action, the initiative to get us to the Source. It is the incentive to get us out of a dark place and gets us to the light. It is the bias for action; it is exerting a greater energy toward what's best enough to overcome lethargy, doubt, discouragement, or any other force that keeps us in the spiritual doldrums.

Be mindful of the lessons of faith that God has for you in your life and allow the true Source of faith to intercede, as you so that your "faith may not fail."

Be Strong And Finish The Race Before You

2009-01-21T18:10:00.001-05:00

Thus says the Lord of hosts, "Let your hands be strong... to the end that the temple be built."

Zech 8:9

Regardless of the opposition, the nay sayers, the political analysts, and critics who stood in the way, the Lord exhorted His people to "strengthen their hands" and finish the work; the temple had to be built.

God never loses focus of His ultimate goal.

Notice God never said He would silence the critics or repress their grandstanding, nor was He in the business of removing the obstacles that interfere. He knew what needed to be accomplished and it was the people who held the responsibility to strengthen their hands and set their hearts to continue on in order to cross the finish line.

God's assignment and the task that lay ahead, for us, is no differentto finish the work that He has already begun in the temple of our heart. No doubt there will be challenges that we will have to face, daily. There will be those who will stand in opposition to what He's asked us to accomplish. And there will be nay sayers and obstacles laid before us that are simply beyond our control.

But, while God may never remove the obstacles that attempt to block the way to the finish line, may our hands be strengthened by Him that we may carry out the call He has placed in our heart.

Lord, strengthen our heart and mind to sustain an even greater burden for You, that we may run Your race with an even greater passion.

Our Strength Is In The Lord

2009-01-19T06:00:00.001-05:00

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.

Ephesians 5:10

In the closing remarks to the disciples of Ephesus, Paul writes of specific ways to live successfully as Christians. He parallels dressing with armor for war with spiritual armor because he realizes that as Christ followers, we are all in spiritual war.

His opening thought reminds us that leaning on our strength, what we think will make us a "strong person" is not how God wants to develop His strength in our lives. It does not say "Be strong in (insert your name) and his/her mighty power."

As we live daily, there is nothing wrong with trying to do our best, do great work, plan, prepare, be organized, be on top of everything. But we need to be careful not to see this as making us strong and great Christian.

We can live differently today by:

1. Simply acknowledging that our strength comes from God. While He is developing us to be vessels for Him in word and deed, we need to remember that Christianity is based on "being IN Him."

2. Consider His mighty power and being clothed in Him. How we dress our body, mind, heart, and attitude comes through spiritual practices and disciplines.

Let us live successfully unto God in His strength!

Decision Making

2009-01-16T05:25:00.001-05:00

Each of us will be challenged to make important decisions this coming year. And, these decisions often impact our jobs, our friendships, our families and even where we might be living. However, many of us will fall into a trap by using a process for making decisions that may not be biblical. The Bible encourages us to make decisions based on obedience, not outcome. Yet, business people are challenged every day to make decisions that will impact the bottom line. Is there a precedent we find in scripture about how to make biblical decisions?

"Samuel replied: "Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams" (1 Samuel 15:22).

There are by far two primary ways people make decisions today. First, the pro and con method is a system of lining up all the pros on one side, then all the cons on the other side. Whichever makes the most sense is the choice that is made. This makes logical sense to all of us. The second method of decision-making is based purely on how the decision will affect us, otherwise known as an outcome-based decision. Many of us are guilty of being driven by outcome versus by what is right or by what God is saying. One cannot always determine how something is going to turn out on the front end. And, God will not allow a faith decision to be based on perceived outcome. This would cause all of us to make only outcome-based decisions. But, sadly, many Christians make such decisions every day. And, most businessman, are driven to make decisions that are based on whether they are going to be financially impacted negatively or positively.

This is not say that either of these methods does not have a part to play in the process of making a decision, but they should not to be the determining factors. For instance, say that you are in a business that is going through a lean time, and are losing money every month. Then you are invited to attend a Christian conference in South Africa. Logically, it made no sense for you to take ten days out of my month to do this. And, you did not have the money to go. However, you believe God wants you to go, so you trust Him for the resources. The last day of the registration a man gave you $2,500 to go to this conference. It then becomes a strategic turning point in your spiritual and professional pilgrimage. If you had made your decision based on pros and cons or what you thought the outcome would be, you never would have gone on the trip and you would have missed a huge blessing.

In the early Hebraic church wisdom was gained by obedience. Hebrews learned that wisdom was gained by knowing and doing the will of God and that it often did not line up with logic. "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding" (Psalms 111:10). However, as the church became impacted by the Greek culture through the influence of scholars like Socrates and Aristotle, knowledge-based systems became more influential in the way education was taught and applied. Greeks believed that the way to gain knowledge was based on reason and analysis. As a result, the church over the centuries has moved into a more knowledge-based and programmatic system of operation, rather than obedience-based methods that are motivated by a heart fully devoted to following God.

Following are the primary differences between the Hebraic model and the Greek model of learning and applying Biblical knowledge. Mike and Sue Dowiewicz, authors of Restoring the Early Church, provide a comparison of the Greek influence versus the Hebraic influence.

HEBRAIC GREEK

Active appeals to the heart Cognitive appeals to the intellect

Process Focus Program Focus

Obedience A Priority Information A Priority

Relationships are vital Controlled Groups emphasized

Transparency- love encouraged Service- activity-based

Produces Mature Believers Produces Shallow Believers

Ultimately, God desires us to take the Hebraic approach when making decisions. He wants us to make decisions based on our heart's desire to follow Him. That means decisions are made based on obedience and there are times when they will not line up with logic. The apostle Paul serves as a great example for us.

Whole-hearted Obedience

In Acts 21, we find an interesting scene involving Paul, the disciples and a prophet named Agabus. It would appear that Paul was going against the Spirit's leading at first glance when we read about the encounter. First, the disciples had a revelation from the Spirit to urge him not to go to Jerusalem. Then, the prophet Agabus actually tied his hands and feet in a prophetic act to dramatize the word of prophecy he was going give Paul that he would be persecuted in Jerusalem.

"Finding the disciples there, we stayed with them seven days. Through the Spirit they urged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem. But when our time was up, we left and continued on our way we reached Caesarea and stayed at the house of Philip the evangelist After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. Coming over to us, he took Paul's belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, 'The Holy Spirit says, 'In this way the Jews of Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.' When we heard this, we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul answered, 'Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.' When he would not be dissuaded, we gave up and said, 'The Lord's will be done.'" (Acts 21:4-14).

Was Paul acting in disobedience to the counsel of others and even the Holy Spirit's confirmation by other believers? Was the information true? If so, does that mean that Paul was not to go? By his response Paul seems to know something the others did not. He doesn't disagree with the prophecy; he disagrees with the interpretation of what it means. He was not fearful of the outcome of his decision. So often, people who have a prophetic gifting deliver a word to an individual and then interpret the meaning and action required. This is not necessarily the role of the prophet. He is the messenger, and the recipient needs to take the action required from the message.

There is no reason to think that Paul went to Jerusalem in violation of the will of God. The prophetic forecasts were not prohibitions from the Holy Spirit but forewarnings of what lay ahead. As a result of these prophecies, Paul's friends tried to dissuade him from risking his life; but the apostle remained steadfast in accomplishing his mission that he believed was from God in spite of personal danger. The important lesson for us is to understand that doing the will of God does not always have a positive outcome. If it did, we would make decisions based only on perceived outcome. This is not a Biblical way of making decisions. Jesus was obedient to the cross.

So, does this mean we are not to make decisions using our intellect? Absolutely not; God gave us the capacity to reason and think. He fully expects us to thoughtfully consider all aspects in the decision-making process. We should research the pros and cons of any decision. Jesus even encourages us to consider all the factors before we take on any new endeavor.

"Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish'" (Luke 14:28-30).

Fact gathering is an important part of the process for making Godly decisions. Joshua and Caleb were sent out ahead to spy out the land and report back what they found as a form of fact gathering. However, their decision to move forward against the counsel of the others appeared to the others to be an unwise decision. The difference was fear and faith entering into the equation. Once we gather the facts, the final determining factor on whether we should do something is whether God has directed us to do it, not whether it makes sense.

If the fathers of our faith had made decisions purely based on reason and analysis do you think Moses would have brought the people to the edge of the Red Sea, or Joshua would have walked around the city of Jericho as a means of winning a battle, or Peter would have paid his taxes from a coin he got from a fish's mouth? We can consider countless of examples of how God confronted the intellect to test obedience. He performed miracles from the most bizarre situations that confronted the logic of His followers.

Partial Obedience

God's instructions are to be followed exactly as they are given or we will suffer the consequences. Never is this principle more apparent than in the life of King Saul. Saul's life could best be described as one who was partially obedient. He obeyed God to a degree, but the areas where he disobeyed got him in troubleeven to the point of death.

When Israel appointed Saul as king the people were warned by the prophet Samuel that their nation was to remain a theocracy even though a human king was ruling.

"But be sure to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you. Yet if you persist in doing evil, both you and your king will be swept away" (1 Samuel 12:24-25).

Saul disobeyed God and His appointed prophet Samuel on three distinct occasions that resulted in negative consequences for Saul and the nation of Israel.

When Saul first became king, he was instructed to wait for Samuel for seven days after they attacked the Philistines (See 1 Samuel 13:7-14). When Samuel was late, Saul decided to take things into his own hands and offered a burnt offering in order to gain God's favor for the coming battle. This was contrary to the instructions given by God through Samuel, in whom he was to give deference to as his spiritual authority. His disobedience resulted in a shortened reign for Saul.

The second time Saul disobeyed God was when he was instructed through Samuel to attack the Amalekites. He was told to destroy everything including the king, all the animals and other goods. Saul attacked them and destroyed everything except the king and his choice animals. When God tells Samuel that Saul has committed this evil, Samuel immediately confronted Saul. "Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord? To obey is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king" (1 Samuel 15:22-23). Saul then owns up to his sin and confesses he disobeyed because he was afraid of the people and gave in to their pressure. It is at this point Saul is rejected as king of Israel for his disobedience.

When I consider the life of Saul I realize that I have been like him many times throughout my Christian life. Saul was a religious man. He had a form of religion. He was obedient to a point, but it was the follow-through that got him into trouble. And that difference in complete obedience made God say some very hard things. "And the Lord was grieved that He had made Saul king over Israel" (1 Samuel 15:35). What horrible words to hear from God. Imagine if God has to say that about you or me. That should motivate us to walk in complete obedience that we will never have to hear those words about ourselves.

Remember what Solomon tells us in Proverbs regarding the balance between God's responsibility and ours: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight" (Proverbs 3:5-6).

The Heart Of True Peace

2009-01-14T05:25:00.001-05:00

Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

John 14:27

Peace can't come from other people.

Peace can't come from inside us either.

The world so often defines peace as feeling of contentedness and being happy with our life, getting along with other people, or having everything we wanttrue peace is so much more than the world knows.

Our true need is having peace with God, and a removal of His righteous anger for our sin. And the greatest news is, that need has already been met through Christ's death on the cross as the penalty for our sin. This brings a peace that we can find pure joy in daily as believers.

If we are looking for contentment, satisfaction, and hope in other people, or in our own heart, we will never be fulfilled. If we rest in the peace that Christ has already accomplished for us, our heart finds its true dwelling of what peace really is in our life.

Signs Of Life

2009-01-12T05:30:00.001-05:00

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.

John 1:1-4

We all are pretty unique creations of God and therefore are mortal, but we have eternity written on our hearts as believers in Christ. We are sinners, yet a holy God calls us to be His own. We live in an interesting journey that is still in the tellinga journey called life.

Just the same, we delude ourselves with books, movies and the news. Always channeling our longing for real-living into a subdued existence, living through others or things. We forget what surrounds us. We forget the beauty, love, miracles, and all-around spice of life. We forget who we arepeople treasured by God.

Everywhere the real signs of lifethe remarkable signs of God's sovereigntycan be seen if we only have eyes to see them.

What if everywhere around us is an unfolding journey that we cannot see, because we are too distracted by books, movies, news, and the stress of the day?

What if we are, in fact, on a grand journey, but we cannot see the immortal view because we are too easily entrapped by the things the world has to offer and serve as a mere distraction?

Every day, we awaken to a far greater fabrication than we can imagine, and we live with the reality that God created us, brought His Son into the world to die for us, so that we might have life. Unlike so many others, we have the opportunity to delve into a personal relationship with our Creator and Lord.

What could possibly be a more marvelous journey?

Having A Teachable Attitude

2009-01-09T05:25:00.000-05:00

Show me Your ways, O Lord;

Teach me Your paths.

Lead me in Your truth and teach me,

For You are the God of my salvation;

On You I wait all the day.

Psalm 25:4-5

While reading Psalm 25:4-5 one can see the humility and teachable spirit David is exhibiting for usshow me teach me lead me teach mehumble words being expressed in prayer.

What exactly does it mean to be teachable?

To be teachable is to be truly open to accept advice as well as constructive criticism; to be open to change. To be teachable is to continually ask the Holy Spirit to lead us and to seek God's wisdom from His Word.

Having a teachable spirit is something that doesn't come naturally to us. We can easily think of times when we have been confronted about a wrong attitude and we didn't respond well. Clearly, we weren't being teachable in that moment.

Matthew Henry has this to say about Psalm 25:4-5:

He [David] begs direction from God in the way of his duty. Once and again he here prays to God to teach him. He was a knowing man himself, but the most intelligent, the most observant, both need and desire to be taught of God; from him we must be ever learning. Observe,

What he desired to learn: "Teach me, not fine words or fine notions, but thy ways, thy paths, thy truth, the ways in which thou walkest towards men, which are all mercy and truth (Psalm 25:10), and the ways in which thou wouldst have me to walk towards thee." Those are best taught who understand their duty, and know the good things they should do (Ecclesiastes 2:3). God's paths and his truth are the same; divine laws are all founded upon divine truths. The way of God's precepts is the way of truth (Psalm 119:30). Christ is both the way and the truth, and therefore we must learn Christ.

What he desired of God, in order to do this. (1) That he would enlighten his understanding concerning his duty: "Show me thy way, and so teach me." In doubtful cases we should pray earnestly that God would make it plain to us what he would have us to do. (2) That he would incline his will to do it, and strengthen him in it: "Lead me, and so teach me." Not only as we lead one that is dimsighted, to keep him from missing his way, but as we lead one that is sick, and feeble, and faint, to help him forward in the way and to keep him from fainting and falling. We go no further in the way to heaven than God is pleased to lead us and to hold us up.

What he pleads, (1) His great expectation from God: Thou art the God of my salvation. If God saves us, he will teach us and lead us. He that gives salvation will give instruction. (2) His constant attendance on God: On thee do I wait all the day. Whence should a servant expect direction what to do but from his own master, on whom he waits all the day? If we sincerely desire to know our duty, with a resolution to do it, we need not question but that God will direct us in it.

So how about us?

Would we say we are teachable?

How do we as believer develop a teachable attitude?

We call out in prayer for the Holy Spirit to change our heart.

God Never Changes

2009-01-07T05:55:00.001-05:00

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning...

Lamentations 3:22-23

God doesn't change.

We change all the timefor good or bad.

He never does.

Life is charging full speed ahead into another season, another adventure in this journey called life, and another set of changes. In the face of an ever uncertain future and journal pages yet-to-be-filled, it comforting to remember God never changes.

No matter what happens, God's promises remain and will be fulfilled as long as we walk in obedience by faith.

What if we feel like we have blown it by walking in the flesh of sinfulness?

What if we fear, in our heart of hearts, that God will give up on us?

Listen to what Charles Spurgeon had to say on the subject: "Think not, O poor downcast child of God, because the scars of thine old sins have marred thy beauty, that He loves thee less because of that blemish. O no! He loved thee when He foreknew thy sin; He loved thee with the knowledge of what the aggregate of thy wickedness would be; and He does not love thee less now."

Our God who is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow will not forget His own, but we still need to make a conscience effort to walk by the Spirit and not by the flesh, as this is walking in obedience of all that we are called to from the Word of God.

Living For A Cause Greater Than For Ourselves

2009-01-05T05:45:00.001-05:00

I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.

Philippians 4:13

In the thirteenth century a man named William Wallace became the instrument of freedom from England's tyranny over Scotland. A very wicked king ruled England. A tragedy in the life of William Wallace launched him into living for this cause. Initially his cause was revenge, but soon his cause turned to something bigger than himselffreedom for a nation.

When he challenged the commoners to fight for this freedom, they responded that the enemy was too great and that they might die on the battlefield. They also refused to fight for the nobles, the knights and leaders who had a vested interest in gaining more land for themselves versus a pure cause of freedom.

Wallace's response: "Yes, we might die. We will all die sooner or later. But we will die for a cause worth dying for. So that our children and their children might live in freedom." This story was popularized in the movie Brave Heart (Sherman Oaks, California: Paramount Pictures, 1995).

Today we find many Christian just living a status quo relationship with God that is more characterized as "business as usual" than a life demonstrating God's power. Our focus is often more concerned with improving our standard of living than improving the Kingdom of God through our circle of influence.

God has called each of us to live for a cause greater than ourselvesa life that is dependent on His grace and power to achieve things we never thought possible through our lives. This power is available to you and me to live for a cause greater than ourselves. Ask God what He wants to achieve through your life and then act on it by faith.

Placing Our Confidence In God

2008-12-29T05:25:00.001-05:00

Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel.

1 Chronicles 21:1

God always requires total trust in Him alone for our victories in life. Throughout Scripture we are cautioned not to place our trust in the strength of horses, other men or our own abilities. In 1 Chronicles, David's decision to take a census was a failure to keep his trust totally upon the Lord.

David's purpose in counting his population was to assess his military strength, much like the second census taken under Moses (See Numbers 1:23). David found 800,000 men eligible for military service in Israel, and 500,000 men in Judah (See 2 Samuel 24:9), more than double the previous head count.

David's commander evidently recognized the grave error that his king was about to make. "But Joab replied, 'May the Lord multiply his troops a hundred times over. My lord the king, are they not all my lord's subjects? Why does my lord want to do this? Why should he bring guilt on Israel?'" (1 Chronicles 21:3).

Joab was rightthe census displeased the Lord. David was falling into the temptation of trusting in the size of his army rather than in the Lord. In consequence, God punished David and reduced his forces by bringing a plague that killed 70,000 men.

How do we avoid placing our trust in God today?

Do we trust our bank accounts, our skills and the security of our job?

When we begin to place our faith in these things instead of in the Provider of these things we get into trouble. Today and always, place total trust in the Lord for all of your needs and He will provide beyond all that you can imagine or think.

Thoughts On Purpose

2008-12-26T05:25:00.001-05:00

and called us... according to His own purpose

2 Timothy 1:9

We see that Christ is the purpose and the practicality of being our purpose. When we begin comprehend that we are now the conduit, the means of the life of Christ (which is the life of the Father) to be lived out in and through usin our talents, gifts, and skillspurpose then takes on a new meaning.

See, the Scriptures are clear that there is only one God, out of whom are all things. All things and all people have a purpose and the purpose is found in their Originator, The Lord GodHe set forth the plan in Christ. Christ is the plan and the purpose of God. What we have to do is get in Christ. The word "in" is a locative word meaning "in the realm or sphere of". To be in Christ is two-fold:

1. Principally done by Calvary obtained by faith in the finished work of Christ. This is us sharing in His life, death, burial and resurrection. This is nothing that we did, but what God did in Christ by reconciling us to Himself.

2. Walking in the Spirit. That is, walking in the realm and sphere of the Spirit. That means letting the Spirit of God be our teacher, leader, guide, counselor, etc.

To walk in the Spirit is simply to be led of the Spirit in our life. One must cultivate a relationship with God and begin to respond to the Spirit's beckoning. The Spirit of God will lead and guide us. All we have to do is respond. It is when we try to get ahead of the Spirit of God, we stumble and fail.

Too often Christians push aside this pertinent truth of the leading of the Spirit. We cannot disregard this truth. It is essential. But many discount this aspect of our Christian walk because it is seemingly too hard to grasp.

It isn't brutal, but it calls for the denial of the carnal nature (the nature that opposes God) and its appetites.

Have you ever known someone that you wanted to speak to but yet were afraid to approach them? When you finally do get the nerve to approach them, you struggle at first to converse with them, and as time goes on, perhaps after future meetings with this person, you become less concerned with the struggle you originally had.

Granted this is somewhat different, but the principle applies as well. As we begin to respond to the Spirit and yielding to the Spirit, we will find the struggle within us to obey not as difficult as we first made it. This is not to say that one does not sin or stumble. Those are "side-issues", but they do not negate our relationship with God, our Heavenly Father. They may hinder it, if we allow them to, but these will never negate it.

Excellent In All The Earth

2008-12-24T04:45:00.001-05:00

O Lord, our Lord,
How excellent is Your name in all the earth!

Psalm 8:9

God is a being who is so big and awesome that it is just a wonder that He even notices us. Really think about itGod is so incredibly huge, so much more than we could ever imagine with our tiny, finite minds. And yet, He not only notices us, He knows us and cares for us. How we need to be reminded of that!

And everything good in our lives is completely of grace and a gift from God, because of His unbelievable generosity of love and grace and mercy, He punished His Son instead of us and has given us a brand new life, with so many blessings we could hardly count them.

Often times we need to take our minds off ourselves and believe and trust what God has done for usthe endless number of blessings and gifts.

God is good!

He always has been, always is, and always will be. And He will help us to know that in our heart of heart that He is excellent in all the earth.

No Regrets

2008-12-22T05:15:00.001-05:00

Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith.

Philippians 3:89

Jesus Christ is the sum and substance of all good living, and Paul had discovered this firsthand. He had come to know that nothing is quite as good as knowing and living with Jesus. That's why he let go of everything that might hinder a deeper intimacy with his Lord. What Paul gained so far outweighed what he gave up that he was able to consider his losses as comparatively worthless.

But it is only when we consider all that Paul gave upprestige, power, authority, friends, the comforts in life, and eventually, his very own lifethat we get the full picture of just how valuable a relationship with Christ really is. Are we willing to do what Paul did, even, if need be, at the price of friends or family or personal comfort?

Paul was able because the riches of knowing Christ were so much more enjoyable and worth having than anything he had left behind. Most of us are familiar with martyr Jim Elliot's words: "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose." Jim knew what Paul knew and what we can know toothat those who leave precious things to follow Christ will have no regrets.

Pressing On

2008-12-19T05:55:00.001-05:00

Your heart I seek to find

You have fashioned me

Let me be used by You

For that is what I am longing for

I want the whole world to know

That You are worth living for

Should my life cease to flow

Should all chaos take control

Should I stumble and take a fall

Should I loose all hope

I will call out

For You to rescue me

I will run

I will try

I will press on

I know what my life is for

For my faith I will live

For my faith I will die

For You alone I live

For You alone I carry on

The Lord Is Good

2008-12-17T05:16:00.001-05:00

If we believe that the Bible is true in every regard, we must acknowledge goodness as one of God's most notable attributes. These verses below are a mere glimpse into the vast collection of Scripture which speaks of God's goodness. He is good when He pours out abundant blessing. He is good when He comforts in the midst of suffering. He is good when He answers prayer. He is good when He provides strength in weakness.

I said to the Lord, "You are my Lord; I have no good besides You." Psalm 16:2
Good and upright is the Lord; Therefore He instructs sinners in the way. Psalm 25:8
I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Psalm 27:13
O taste and see that the Lord is good; how blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him! Psalm 34:8
Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart! Psalm 73:1
But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, that I may tell of all Your works. Psalm 73:28
Indeed, the Lord will give what is good, and our land will yield its produce. Psalm 85:12
For the Lord is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting and His faithfulness to all generations. Psalm 100:5
Praise the Lord! Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting. Psalm 106:1
But You, O God, the Lord, deal kindly with me for Your name's sake; Because Your lovingkindness is good, deliver me; Psalm 109:21
The Lord is good to all and His mercies are over all His works. Psalm 145:9

How then shall we respond?

Respond with praise and thanksgiving.

Respond with a life that reflects eternal gratefulness and worship toward a good God. Respond by giving Him your all, and "finding out what pleases the Lord" (Ephesians 5:10).

The Lord is good!

Experiencing Growth Through Humbleness

2008-12-15T05:05:00.000-05:00

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.

1 Peter 5:6

In 1 Peter it talks about humbleness, which is characterized by the willingness to follow God, receive learning, and experience growth. The more we grow in Him, the more humble and useful we become, and better able to connect with others.

Humbleness does not mean being weak.

It means being strong enough to yield to God rather than to ourselves or anything outside of God's call. Peter tells us we had better be humble, not only toward one another, but toward Godthis is so straightforward. Secondly, he states along those same lines, that we ought to be humble toward one another so that we can know the grace of God, and not be in opposition to God.

This is so essential in our growth and can best be cultivated during our personal quiet time with God.

The key to the success of finding and developing faith is simple; it is obedience. We must be ready to serve God rather than our needs, even before we know what the call may be, and take this mindset into every area of life and to others.

This means that faith goes beyond self to grow.

We see this take place in our lives, when we allow the impacting work of God to continually renew and build usto grow even further into His likeness. The more we purpose to spend in the Word and in prayer, the better we see and understand God's will for our lives, which is for us to totally surrender and trust in His power and authority, and to abide in Him.

Vessels For The Gospel

2008-12-12T06:15:00.001-05:00

Let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, and not frightened in anything by your opponents.

Philippians 1:27-28a

The gospel is a holy message that should be represented by a righteous life. God didn't entrust the gospel message and the proclamation of this wonderful news to people who are not living right and don't intend to change. A changed life gives full credibility and integrity to the message that's preached, which then will produce change in someone else's life.

In Philippians 1:27-28, Paul emphasized that we are not the gospel, but we are to be clean vessel that the gospel is being served from. No one wants to partake from something that is dirty or unsuitable for the manner it was created for.

We need to examine our lives.

Are we clean vessels for God to use?

If He places us in an opportunity, will others want to disregard us, because we are unfit for such an undertaking?

When we get so focused on living for ourselves, we tarnish what God has and miss out on being vessels used by Him. The gospel calls for urgency both in dealing with sin in our lives, loving God and others, and proclaiming the messagethey need to hear the truth, so we need to share it.

The "good news" is not just a message we shareit is the life we livepeople need to see the gospel as well as hear it.

Immediate Verses Delay

2008-12-10T07:00:00.001-05:00

Sometimes we want the immediate than the delay and in choosing the immediate we sacrifice the wisdom of choosing what is bestGod's will which is always bestfor the delay.

Encouraging Words From The Book Of Psalms

2008-12-08T11:29:00.000-05:00

At times in life when we come up against challenges or are at a place where it is time to step out, we soon realize that we really are not in control of our lives, but that Someone with far great power and wisdom is.

As we look at Psalm 46 we can see who that Someone is and that is God take a moment to read the entire chapter of Psalm 46.

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns. The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Come, behold the works of the Lord, how he has brought desolations on the earth. He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire. "Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!" The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress (Psalms 46).

Let us not faint, but hope always...

God will be exalted among the nations, we must be still with full confidence in His mightHe is a present help and a faithful refuge.

Therefore we will not fear

Taking Time Out In The Journey Called Life

2008-12-05T05:05:00.000-05:00

With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith.

2 Thessalonians 1:11

It is important and valuable to slow things down and take the time to rest and soak in life. The energy and renewal that slowing down can give us is so vital in many areas of our lives. Yet as much as rest, relaxation, and taking a "time out" in life are important it can be hazardous if we take that "time out" for too long. If we step away from life altogether or for long periods of time, then sometimes the hazard is in being afraid to step back in it again.

If we are away from being social with others for too long of a time frame, it is more than uncomfortable to find our way back into those relations again. If we don't ever travel and participate in life or impacting other people's lives, it is too easy to say that we can't do it, or that the lifestyle just isn't for us.

We get too comfortable.

And that is a very different problem than just needing some time to replenish our souls amidst a busy society. We get in a rut and learn to lean on our own isolated comforts instead of going out and living life and letting that "living" breathe its own life back into our hearts.

Everyone has a purpose here on earth, but if we let our fears of rejection, of not being good enough for something or whatever it might be get in the way of our throwing ourselves into living life, then we are simply victims of that fear.

Living in fear is simply not living.

Taking the time to slow down our lives is important, but it has its time and its place. Being involved in life and in impacting other people's lives has a very real place too. That can't be done if we don't interact with others or allow ourselves to take part in opportunities that sometimes may throw us in new and uncertain situations.

We will find that when we take some risks in life, if those risks are what we sense God leading us in, we will get just as much energy as if we took "time out" from life. It's just a different kind of fire that lights inside of us; yet every bit as important.

Make sure that you aren't simply sitting around dreaming, but that you are actually going out there and living. There are opportunities everywhere and God can use younow. Don't let the fear, doubt or disbelief keep you out of the journey called life.

Obedience Based Decisions

2008-12-03T10:36:00.001-05:00

We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.

Acts 5:32

So often we as a society equate numbers with success.

Think about planning a conference for a minute... what would happen if registrations in regards to numbers, were not where they needed to be a few weeks before the date of the event, and you began to get frustrated about the level of attendance.

Would you immediately allow that to drive you to gather up more to attend or would you be satisfied with those faithful few that would be attending?

We are all called to be led by the Spirit, not by outcomes. If God called us to put on a conference, then the outcome is up to Him as we have done our part.

So the day comes for the conference and you know you have done what the Holy Spirit has directed. The speaker stands up and begins to welcome people as though there were many in the room (even though no one is in the room at all). He introduces his friend and they begin the meeting. A few minutes later, people start to straggle in and by the time the meeting is over, ten had shown up, and one man in particular was impacted by the meeting.

Being led by the Spirit often means we must not use the world's standard for success as our measuring stick. You never know what an act of obedience will yield at the timewe must leave the results to God. Our role is to obey and from our obedience we will see the results and blessings that God has in store for us, even if it was not what we had expected or planned on.

Do you make decisions based on the potential outcome or by the direction of the Holy Spirit in your life?

Do you overly evaluate the pros and cons without consideration to what the Holy Spirit might be saying deep inside?

We are all prone to make decisions based on reasoning alone, instead though, ask God to give you a willingness and ability to hear the Holy Spirit and to obey His promptings.

That Which God Began

2008-12-01T05:35:00.001-05:00

He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Philippians 1:6

Do you understand what God has done?

He has deposited Himself in you.

As we grow in the knowledge and grace which God extends to us, we begin to change as we obediently follow He's teaching.

Following in obedience to God is not an option; and we must purpose to trust Him and the power of the Holy Spirit within us ("I will put a new way of thinking inside you. I will take out the stubborn hearts of stone from your bodies, and I will give you obedient hearts of flesh. I will put my Spirit inside you and help you live by my rules and carefully obey my laws" Ezekiel 36:2627) to complete that which He has began in us.

There will be times in our lives when we become distracted and chose to walk in disobedience, blinded by the real issue that is keeping us from following in obedience to Godsin.

It is not that sin has no more presence in our life, but rather that sin has no more power over our life. Temptation will pester us, but temptation will not master us as we put our focus on God and follow faithfully after Him.