Some things we expect from the devil

There are some things that we can expect from the devil. The Bible tells us that we struggle not against flesh and blood, but against demonic forces. Ephesians 6:12, "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." 

What are some of the things we struggle with?

The first thing is deception. To deceive somebody means to make another person believe a lie or something that is not true. When the enemy sends deception your way, it is an attempt to deceive you into believing something that is not true, so you will fall into error. Strongholds are built through deception. A stronghold is formed when deception takes hold in a person's mind. A stronghold is an incorrect thinking pattern that stems from believing something that is not true.

From the very beginning, Satan deceived Eve into believing that God's Word was not true. In Genesis 3:4, the devil told her that she will not surely die as God said she would in Genesis 2:17.

We have two weapons to deal with deceptions: the belt of truth (Ephesians 6:14) and the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17) which is the Word of God. Both are truth, which is found in God's Word, so why are they given two different names (a sword and a belt)? Because one is meant to be defensive (the belt), while the other is meant to be offensive (the sword). This means that the Word of God is both an offensive and a defensive weapon. A belt is something you wear to guard against an attack, while a sword is used to slaughter the enemy.

You use the belt of truth (God's Word) to guard against the enemy's deception (lies) he sends your way, while you use the sword of the Spirit (also God's Word) to tear down existing strongholds (deception that took hold) in your mind.

In Romans 12:2, we are told to "be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind." How do we renew our minds? By getting in God's Word! In Ephesians 5:26, this process is referred to as washing of water by the Word: "That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word."

6 things my dad taught me that I need to remember

1. There is a hidden treasure inside every problem.  It’s your job to find it.
2. Nothing is impossible. The word itself says “I’m Possible.”
3. If you want to get over a problem, stop mulling it over and talking about it.  Your mind affects your mouth, and your mouth affects your mind.  It’s nearly impossible to move beyond something when you’re obsessing over it.
4. Worrying is like a rocking in a chair: it keeps you busy, but doesn’t get you anywhere.
5. Being defeated is often a temporary condition.  Giving up is what makes it permenant.  
6. The one who wins the race in the long run is usually not the strongest or the fastest, but the one who has tried the hardest.

The Hard stuff is manageable

Our desire for positive change is largely proportionate to the length of time we need to go from thinking something is hard, to finding how easy it is to do if we put our whole heart in it.

That doesn’t mean there aren’t bumps in the road, but the sooner we go from “This is impossible.” to “I got this.” the more open we will be to trying new things, even the scary things that men say are impossible.
 
-The more thinking you do, the more time you have to identify all the reasons not to move forward. You can think your way out of anything if you take enough time. Stop wavering and make a decision. When you jump in with confidence, the hard stuff feels more manageable. When you exercise your faith and works the job can get done.

-You don’t have to know everything to get started. Planning and research have its place, but so does some good old-fashioned winging it. When you stop being afraid of making mistakes, everything is easier. Sometimes faith and prayer are all you can stand on.

-There is someone out there who can help you start the thing you think is hard. Connect with Him. Ask Him for help. He has helped others, and He will appreciate an opportunity to assist you as well.

-Your new idea or project does not live or die based on the final result. Your efforts can’t be boiled down to one number, one grade or one check mark. Loosen your grip and expectations so things have a chance to unfold. You don’t know what you don’t know until you get started.

-Perfectionism and comparison can make the hard part of your new beginning even harder. If you want to feel ease sooner, then let go of your need to have everything just right and forget about how a similar journey was for someone else. You are not them. You are you and who you are and what you do, have, or desire cannot be compared.

Some of the hard work is really hard, but some of it is only how you think about it. You can’t force it or will it to be easier. Just get started and you’ll discover that everything is hard until it isn’t. You’ll also find that the time from hard to easy isn’t nearly as painful or challenging as you imagined.

Difficult People

As a pastor I've learned from time to time you deal with hostile people. It's my personal opinion that because of the climate of today many people lash out at the pastor because that's the only place they feel in control. The threat of them leaving with their tithes ( if they're faithful) or stirring up problems by writing letters or calling others to attack you is often enough to get their way. BUT it isn't God's way nor is it the Bible way, and sometimes you just have to be willing to take the heat to stand in the kitchen. I have had people that I have trusted. served, and loved turn on me on a dime when things just didn't go like they pleased. It's amazing how the people you think will never let go are often the first to strike when a problem arises.

Whenever you’re dealing with a difficult or hostile person, remember God wants you to take a stand.  This is your life.  You may not be able to control all the things people do to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.  You can decide not to let their actions and opinions invade your heart and mind.  And above all, you can decide whom to walk beside into tomorrow, and whom to leave behind today. It’s time to…


Stop letting people drag you into needless arguments. Never waste your time trying to explain yourself to people who have proven that they are committed to misunderstanding you.  And don’t define your intelligence or self-worth by the number of arguments you have won, but by the number of times you have said, “This needless nonsense is not worth my time!”


Stop letting people drown you with their negativity. Positivity is a choice.  Choose wisely.  Be smart enough to walk away from the negativity around you because it is never worth your while, ever.


Stop letting people make you feel ashamed of your scars. Scars remind us that our past is real, and that we have grown beyond it.  Every scar has a story.  Don’t be afraid to tell it and own it.


Stop listening to those who berate you for your honest mistakes. To grow strong and wise, you must have the courage to make mistakes.  Allow yourself to be a beginner.  No one starts off being excellent.

Perception

Why do we often feel so powerless?  

Because we convince ourselves that we are.  We wait for things to be given to us – entitlements.  But in life, there are no true entitlements, and the truth is that if you want something then you need to make it happen for yourself.  You need to work for it.  

Whether or not today is a great day doesn’t depend on the weather.  It doesn’t depend on your “mood” (that’s also within your control).  It doesn’t depend on anyone else.  If you want to have a good and blessed day then choose to have one.  

It’s all about your perception and what you choose to believe and do.

Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you this day: And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known. (Deuteronomy 11:26-28 KJV)

And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. (Joshua 24:15 KJV)

This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. (Psalms 118:24 KJV)

3 things we rarely do

1. Let go of one relationship that constantly hurts you. Keep people in your life who truly love you, motivate you, encourage you, enhance you, and make you happy.  If you know people who do none of these things, let them go and make room for new positive relationships.  Over the next 30 days, if relevant to your situation, gradually let go of one person in your life who has been continuously hurting you and holding you back. It's your job to tell them about Jesus and live a righteous life in front of then, but it's not your job to let them drag you down.
2. Publicly forgive someone who deserves another chance. Sometimes good relationships end abruptly because of big egos and arguments based on isolated incidents.  If there’s someone in your life who truly deserves another chance, give it to them.  If you need to apologize too, do it. Over the next 30 days give your story together a new chapter.
3. Document every day with one photograph and one paragraph. For 30 days bring a camera with you wherever you go.  Do your best to take one photograph that represents a standout experience from each day.  Then, before you go to bed each night, write one paragraph in a notebook or journal that highlights your day.  If you do it all digitally you can unite your daily photograph and paragraph in one digital space (like a personal blog), which can be easily reviewed in the future.  Many months from now these old photos and journal entries will ignite your recollection of interesting memories you would have otherwise forgotten.

Conflicting Proverbs

Actions speak louder than words.
The pen is mightier than the sword.


Look before you leap.
He who hesitates is lost.

Many hands make light work.
Too many cooks spoil the broth.


A silent man is a wise one.
A man without words is a man without thoughts.


Beware of Greeks bearing gifts.
Don't look a gift horse in the mouth.


Clothes make the man.
Don't judge a book by its cover.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Better safe than sorry.


The bigger, the better.
The best things come in small packages.


Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
Out of sight, out of mind.


What will be, will be.
Life is what you make it.


Cross your bridges when you come to them.
Forewarned is forearmed.

What's good for the goose is good for the gander.
One man's meat is another man's poison.


With age comes wisdom.
Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings come all wise sayings.


The more, the merrier.
Two's company; three's a crowd

Starting Over-No Regrets

If you regret what you have done in the past,
if you lament how your years have been spent
It's not too late to turn your life around.
It is never too late to repent.

Our God is the Father of forgiveness.
It doesn't matter what you've done in the past.
The Lord will hold you in His merciful embrace
with an enduring love that will always last.

When you come to that fork in the road,
so you don't regret the road not taken,
choose Christ's path, which leads to light and life,
so you won't find yourself among the forsaken.

Jesus loved you enough to die for you,
in order to save you from sinful strife.
He wants you to spend eternity with Him,
in the city of light and of life.

Just believe in the holy Word of God,
and that each and every word is true.
Just accept Jesus into your heart and life.
The Holy Spirit will show you what to do.

You'll be set free from the regret and shame.
You won't miss the person you were before.
When you no longer have to shoulder the blame,
You'll realize your life can be so much more.

If you will seek His guidance from above
He will take the lead. He will do His part
to point you in the direction you need to go,
to help you to make a fresh new start.
~ Lanette Kissel ~ Copyright © 2013 All Rights Reserved

The Best Things In Life ARE FREE!

You’ve heard the saying, ‘The best things in life are free.’  Well, spending quality time with family and friends, enjoying the antics of a pet, seeing your child smile, experiencing intimate and heart-felt moments with your significant other are precious and free.

Don’t get so caught up in the rat race, working 50+ hours a week, to the point where you are too stressed and exhausted to enjoy your closest relationships.  By simplifying your lifestyle and making conscious choices along the way, it is possible to live on less money, and thus work fewer hours and enjoy more of what matters most.

As we get older, fun is often underrated.  With all of our responsibilities, fun seems like an indulgence.  It shouldn’t be.  It should be a requirement.  When your work life is busy, and all your energy is focused in that arena, it’s all too easy to find yourself off balance.  While drive and focus is important, if you intend to maintain happiness and peace in your life you still need to balance in the ball games, the family dinners, even the intimate dates with your significant other.

The mind is your battleground.  It’s the place where the greatest conflict resides.  It’s where half of the things you thought were going to happen, never did happen.  But if you allow those thoughts to dwell in your mind, they will succeed in robbing you of peace, joy, and ultimately your life.  You will think yourself into a nervous breakdown, into depression, and into defeat.  I know because I’ve been in some of those places..

What can be done?  To start, say this to yourself every morning when you first wake up:
“I’m letting go of all the negative feelings, fears and thoughts from yesterday.  I have no room for them!  I will focus only on positive thoughts and resolutions today.”

And then practice what you preach.  It will gradually make a difference in your life, guaranteed. Take time for what's important in life: God, family, church. Love them, live for them, and pace yourself. The journey isn't over yet and you don't want to be worn out before you really start living.

Your Perspective of Life

Have you ever experienced something tragic that's left you broken? Are your thoughts sometimes filled with "what-if" worries or scary scenarios that keep you awake at night? Does fear and frustration hold you hostage today?

If so, I understand. I've been there. God's Word is the answer to help you move beyond your doubts to freedom with a new level of powerful courage. Real and sustainable freedom from doubt can only be found in Jesus Christ and through His powerful Word.

Here's what I've discovered: What consumes our thoughts overtakes our thought life. We can't change what's happened in our past, but we can change how we respond to those difficult situations in the future.

As people of faith, we find freedom from doubt when we choose to capture those moments of failure, cover them with God's Word and begin building a healthy thought life as we place our trust in Him.

Commit to focusing on thoughts that bring life, hope and freedom. Surrender your broken memories to God and allow Him to saturate them with His healing grace. It will change your perspective on life.

Isaiah 43:18, 19 "Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert."

3 things that make a whole lot of sense

It's not so much what you say that counts, it’s how you make people feel.  So respect your elders, minors, and everyone in between.  There are no boundaries or classes that define a group of people that deserve to be respected.  Treat everyone with the same level of respect you would give to your grandfather and the same level of patience you would have with your baby brother.  Supporting, guiding, and making contributions to other people is one of life’s greatest rewards.  In order to get, you have to give.

There’s no point in doing something if you aren’t going to do it right.  Excel at your work and excel at your hobbies.  Develop a reputation for yourself, a reputation for consistent excellence.

You must follow your heart, and be who you were born to be.

-Some of us were born to be musicians to communicate intricate thoughts and rousing feelings with the strings of a guitar.  

-Some of us were born to be poets to touch people’s hearts with exquisite prose.  

-Some of us were born to be entrepreneurs to create growth and opportunity where others saw rubbish.  

-And still, some of us were born to be or do whatever it is, specifically, that moves you.  

Regardless of what you decide to do in your lifetime, you better feel it in every fiber of your being.  You better be born to do it!  Don’t waste your life fulfilling someone else’s dreams and desires. So laugh when you can, apologize when you should, and let go of what you can’t change.  Life is short, yet amazing.  Enjoy the ride.

Lost

Realizing you are lost is the first step to living the life you want.  The second step is leaving the life you don’t want.  Making a big life change is pretty scary.  But you know what’s even scarier?  Regret.

I can tell you from my own experience that in my teenage years I found God, went back on Him, and then I found Him once again.  What I found was more incredible the last time than I even remembered. So realize that everyone suffers a crisis of faith in life at some point.  Everyone feels spiritually lost sometimes.  The key is using those two experiences to grow in Christ.  When you apply what you’ve learned to your future choices and actions, you move forward in Him, not backward.  You become stronger and wiser.  It’s not always easy, but it’s worth it in the end.

You cannot find peace in God by avoiding life.  Life turns with unexpected changes. So instead of avoiding it, take every change and experience as a challenge for growth.  Either it will give you what you want or it will teach you what the next step is.  And remember, finding peace in God does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, no challenges, and no hard work.  It means to be in the midst of those things while remaining calm in your heart.

Honestly, life is too short to spend at war within yourself.  The biggest disappointments in our lives are often the result of misplaced expectations or an attack on our faith.  Letting go of needless expectations is your first step to happiness.  Come from a mindset of peace and acceptance, and you can deal with almost anything and grow beyond it.

Determine to be positive.  Understand that the greater part of your misery or unhappiness is set not by your circumstances, but by your attitude.  A happy person is not a person who’s always in a good situation, but rather a person who always has a good attitude in every situation.  So smile at those who try to begrudge or hurt you; show them what’s missing in their life and what they can’t take away from you.  Doing so doesn’t mean forgetting or giving in, it means you choose happiness over hurt through the power of God.

Just Be Yourself

Colossians 3:24 "Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.

Serving God is not a skill; it’s a persistent attitude.  It’s not a place you arrive at; it’s a process you live through.  It’s what you do every day.  It’s what you are doing now. You are succeeding in your life for Him.  You just have to believe it.

Don’t let the negative opinions of others derail you.  Keep standing strong.  Ultimately, there are two kinds of people – those who are a drain on your strength and creativity, and those who give you energy and support your growth in Christ.  Avoid the first kind. Pray for them, help them if you can, but don't let them be a stumbling block in your service unto God. Let the bridges you burn light your way, and just be happy, be honest and be true to yourself and God every day.  If others don’t like it, let them be.  Success in life isn’t about pleasing everyone, it's about pleasing God. Yesterday's are the worst enemies of the future God has in store for you.

Stop feeling guilty for not giving the people you care about everything they want.  It’s sometimes a hard pill to swallow, but we often foster the attitude of entitlement in our lives and relationships when we are ruled by a guilty conscience.  It’s OK to say “no” to friends and family sometimes.  Once know this, just keep doing what you know is right, and never let false guilt get the best of you. If you allow it, this false guilt will destroy you.

You can't be all things to everybody, only God can. So just be yourself, let the chips fall where they may, and give God praise. He will make up the difference if you serve Him.

 

Facts That Won't Kill You. But Will Make You Laugh-A Little Humor For The Soul's Sake

True or False

1. Apples, not caffeine, are more efficient at waking you up in the morning.
2. Alfred Hitchcock did not have a bellybutton.
3. A pack-a-day smoker will lose approximately 2 teeth every 10 yrs.
4. People do not get sick from cold weather; it's from being indoors a lot more.
5. When you sneeze, all bodily functions stop, even your heart!
6. Only 7 per cent of the population are lefties.
7. 40 people are sent to the hospital for dog bites every minute.
8. Babies are born without knee caps. They don't appear until they are 2-6 years old.
9. The average person over fifty will have spent 5 years waiting in lines.
10. The toothbrush was invented in 1498.
11. The average housefly lives for one month.
12. 40,000 Americans are injured by toilets each year.
13. A coat hanger is 44 inches long when straightened.
14. The average computer user blinks 7 times a minute.
15. Your feet are bigger in the afternoon than the rest of the day.
16. Most of us have eaten a spider in our sleep.
17. The REAL reason an ostrich sticks its head in the sand is to search for water.
18. The only 2 animals that can see behind themselves without turning their heads are the Rabbit and the Parrot.
19. John Travolta turned down the starring roles in "An Officer and a Gentleman" and "Tootsie".
20. Michael Jackson owns the rights to the South Carolina State anthem.
21. In most television commercials advertising milk, a mixture of white paint and a little thinner is used instead of real milk.
22. Prince Charles and Prince William NEVER travel on the same airplane, just in case there is a crash.
23. The first Harley Davidson motorcycle built in 1903 used a tomato can for a carburetor.
24. Most hospitals make money by selling the umbilical cords cut from women who give birth. They are reused in vein transplant surgery.
25. Humphrey Bogart was related to Princess Diana. They were 7th cousins.
26. If coloring weren't added to Coca-Cola, it would be Green.

Answers: All of the above are true.  Don't you just love number sixteen

3 things that restore joy

You need to forgive everyone who has wronged you. Kindness is not to be mistaken for weakness, nor forgiveness for acceptance.  It’s about knowing that resentment is not on the path to glory.  Remember, you don’t forgive people because you’re weak.  You forgive them because you’re strong enough to know that people make mistakes.

You need to reach out and help people. 

The closest thing to being cared for is to care for others.  We are all in this together and we should treat each other as such.  Your faith alone don’t make you a better person, your behavior does.  Use your voice for kindness, your ears for compassion, and your hands for charity, always.  You don’t need a reason to help someone else, just do it.

You need to be present enough to enjoy your journey. 

Find your balance between planning and presence.  When life is good, enjoy it.  Don’t go looking for something better every second.  Joy never comes to those who don’t appreciate what they have.  You must be willing to loosen your grip on the life you have planned so you can enjoy the life that is waiting for you in this moment.  It may not be everything you want for your future, but it’s everything you need right now so live it and be blessed.

Remember:

If you have food in your fridge, clothes on your back, a roof over your head and a place to sleep you are richer than 75% of the world.

If you have money in the bank, your wallet, and some spare change you are among the top 8% of the world’s wealthy.

If you woke up this morning with more health than illness you are more blessed than the million people who will not survive this week.

If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the agony of imprisonment or torture, or the horrible pangs of starvation you are luckier than 500 million people alive and suffering.

If you can read this message you are more fortunate than 3 billion people in the world who cannot read it at all.

Domination

2 Timothy 1:7 "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."

 

Your biggest fears are completely dependent on you for their survival.  Every day God gives you another chance to change your life, and life’s way too short to let fear interfere.  Today, focus your heart, mind, and spirit on things you believe in and not on things you fear.  Doing so can bring your dreams to life and put the devil to flight.

Don’t be fooled by what others say, especially when they try to tell you what is right for you.  Listen to God and then draw your own conclusions.  What is He telling you about you right now?

There is a clear path that everyone should follow, but often we fear failure so we do not follow it.  Your greatest fear should not be of failure, but of succeeding in life at all the wrong things.  Choose the path that God has for you. Those who follow the crowd usually get lost in it.  Ask yourself with each and every step you take: “Does this thing I’m doing right now truly help me and those I care about in the next few minutes, few months, and few years? Does it help prepare me for my heavenly journey?”

Whatever you decide on, just make sure you don’t gain the whole world by losing your soul and purpose in the process.  Don't let fear dominate you, but you dominate fear. You can't do it in your strength alone, but it can be done through His!

Right Now

"Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."

Matthew 6:34

-Right now is a miracle.  

-Right now is the only moment guaranteed to you.  

-Right now is life.  

So...

-Stop thinking about how great things will be in the future.  

-Stop dwelling on what did or didn’t happen in the past.  

Learn to be in the ‘here and now’ and experience life as it’s happening.  Appreciate the world for the beauty that it holds, right now. Trust God, right now. Believe Him, right now. Exercise your faith, right now. Know Him as your source, right now.

Not tomorrow-not 6 months from now- but right now.

What do you believe?

"For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he....."

Proverbs 23:7a

Do you really know what you believe?

The mind must believe it can do something before it is capable of actually doing it.  The way to overcome negative thoughts and destructive emotions is to develop opposing, positive emotions that are stronger and more powerful. Listen to your self talk and replace negative thoughts with positive ones. If you don't the devil will drive you crazy.

My church or your church is only what you believe it can be and then do your best to make it become your reality. Your relationship with God is based on what you believe in your mind and within your heart. I grow weary of people saying, "I wish we were like such and such church." Your church can only grow or become what God wants it to be with your commitment. If you're not committed in your mind to your church and love it with all your heart, it will never be what you want it to be. You can say all the right things about it, but if you stay away it will never change. And guess what? The same problems you had at one church will always follow you if your commitment is not as it should be.

Regardless of how a situation seems, focus on what you want to see happen, and then take the next positive step forward toward it. No, you can’t control everything that happens to you, but you can control how you react to things.  Everyone’s life has positive and negative aspects, so whether or not you’re happy and successful in the long run depends greatly on which aspects you focus on.

So ask yourself this question-what does my heart and my mind say? Am I what I believe in my heart and in my mind? Do I really know what I believe?

Right Now

What could you be grateful for and positive about right now, if you really wanted to? Your greatest weapon against stress and negativity is your ability to choose one thought over another.  Happiness escapes from those who refuse to see the good in what they have. When life gives you every reason to be negative, think positive.

Smile right now; not because life has been easy, perfect, or exactly as you had anticipated, but because you choose to be happy and grateful for all the good things you do have, and all the problems you know you don’t have.

George Washington once said, “It is better to offer no excuse than a bad one.”  Nothing could be closer to the truth.  If you are good at making excuses, you will never be good at anything else.  No matter what the obstacles are that you see in front of you, the only thing truly standing between you and what you want is the excuse you keep telling yourself as to why you can’t achieve it.

Don’t completely waste the season of life you are in now, simply because you want the next one to begin.  There is always beauty waiting to be realized.  Notice the goodness happening around you right now, even if you have to look a little harder than usual.

Appreciate

No matter how sure you are of someone’s appreciation and admiration, it’s always nice to be reminded of it.  So if you appreciate someone today, tell them.  

Just because they are reliable and there when you need them, doesn’t mean you should fail to give thanks and appreciation on a regular basis.  To value someone too lightly is to risk missing the depth of their goodness before they’re gone.

Sadly, it is often only when we are tragically reminded of how short life is – that today could easily be our last with someone we love – that we start to appreciate every day we have together as if it were.  

Let this lesson sink in now.  Don’t wait until it’s too late to tell the people you love how much you appreciate them.

26 Letters

Life is filled with unanswered questions, but it is the courage to ask enough of the right ones that ultimately leads you to an understanding of yourself and your purpose.

You can spend your life wallowing in fear by avoiding the obvious, or asking negative questions like, “Why me?”  Or you can be grateful that you’ve made it this far – that you are strong enough to breathe, walk and think for yourself – and then ask, “Where do I want to go next?”

Don’t let old rejections take up permanent residence in your head.  Kick them out on the street.  Realize that sometimes you have to try to do what you think you can’t do, so you realize that you actually CAN.  And sometimes it takes more than one attempt.  If ‘Plan A’ doesn’t work out, don’t fret; the alphabet has another 25 letters that would be happy to give you a chance to get it right.  The wrong choices usually bring us to the right places, eventually.  You just have to believe in your own potential to get there.

Don't Blame Love

Never let anyone or anything get in the way of your joy.  Live a life that sizzles and pops and makes you laugh out loud every day.  Because you don’t want to get to the end, or to tomorrow, even, and realize that your life is a collection of meetings and “someday’s” and errands and receipts and empty promises.

So go ahead and sing out loud in the car with the windows down, and dance in your living room, and stay up all night laughing, and paint your walls any color you want, and enjoy some chocolate cake.  Yes, and go ahead and sleep in on clean white sheets, and throw parties, and paint, and write poetry, and read books so good they make you lose track of time.  And just keep living and laughing and making God glad that he gave life to someone who loves and cherishes the gift.

If a relationship is closing you off from the word it’s time to break free.  It’s time to choose love over deception.  After all, that’s what love is all about – freedom.

Don't blame love if a broken relationship is interfering with your other important relationships, or robbing you of your self-esteem and personal freedoms.  No, don’t blame love.  For it isn’t love that’s stealing from you.  It’s possession.  It’s obsession.  It’s manipulation.  It’s confusion.  Love has nothing to do with your situation.  For love doesn’t close the door on happiness and liberty.  It opens it wide to let more in.

Likewise, if someone expects you to be someone you’re not, take a step back.  It’s wiser to lose relationships over being who you are, than to keep them intact by pretending to be someone else.  It’s easier to nurse a little heartache and meet someone new, than it is to piece together your own shattered identity.  It’s easier to fill an empty space within your life where someone else used to be, than it is to fill the empty space within yourself where you used to 

No matter what you do or how amazing you are, throughout your lifetime some people will still upset you, disrespect you, and treat you poorly.  Let them be; let God deal with the cruel things they have done.  Hatred and negativity filling your heart and mind will only consume you and your potential.  You will begin to heal and grow emotionally when you let go of these past hurts, excuse the people who have wronged you, and forgive yourself for your misjudgments.

Learning to ignore certain people and situations is one of the great paths to inner peace.  So let go when you must.  Let them be, so you can be at peace.

4 Thoughts That Can Change Your Life

4 Thoughts That Can Change Your Life

Philippians 3:13, 14 " Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."

-Be Thankful For What You Have.

Sometimes we end up cheating ourselves simply because we pay more attention to what we’re missing, rather than what we have.  Instead of thinking about what you’re missing, think about what you have that everyone else is missing. Don't squander that gift, but put it to use in the work of the Lord and be blessed for it.

 

-Assume Your Responsibilities.

In every situation you have ever been in, positive or negative, the one common thread is you.  Responsibility means recognizing that regardless of what has happened up to this point in your life, you are capable of making choices to change your situation, or to change the way you think about it. Please remember, the only person able to do that is YOU!

 

-Enlarge Your Territory.

You can choose to let your past define you and confine you, or you can choose to learn, grow, and leave it behind you.  Just like the seasons, you have the ability to change.  In many ways, you already have and will continue to do so if you expand your vision and see what wait before you rather than constantly looking over your shoulder and wondering what could have been. Your season is today and tomorrow, not yesteryear or yesterday.

 

-Don't Give Up!

All things are difficult before they are easy.  It’s not about failing or falling, it’s about getting back up and trying again.  Success is not a skill, it is a persistent attitude. It's means in spite of every setback, you keep pushing forward until you reach the prize that is set before you.

 

Be Yourself

1 Timothy 1:15 "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief."

My wife showed me two errors on my PowerPoint presentation from Sunday that were there because of computer error. You know what that is don't you? When you think you've typed every number or letter that's supposed to be there and somehow you miss one and whatever you intended to say comes out differently. As much as I want to blame the computer, most of the reasons for those errors is my fault. I could blame it on the computer, but I'm the one that put in the data. So I guess when those mistakes come up, it's on me.

One of the things that I have made know to my church always as a pastor is that I have feelings too and that I have flaws just like they do. Too many pastors, leaders, and teachers are putting on an air of perfection and then something comes along and knocks the wind out of their spiritual sails and their masks come off and the real person is revealed. If all people see in you is a charade, one day your true face will emerge.

f the face you always show the world is a mask, someday there will be nothing beneath it.  Because when you spend too much time concentrating on everyone else’s perception of you, or who everyone else wants you to be, you eventually forget who you really are.  So don’t fear the judgments of others; you know in your heart who you are and what’s true to you.  You don’t have to be perfect to impress and inspire people.  Let them be impressed and inspired by how you deal with your imperfections through the grace of God.

Life is too short to worry about people who steal happiness from you.  If someone wants you in their life, they’ll make room for you because you are you.  You shouldn’t have to fight for a spot by being someone you're not.  Remember, it’s not the people that stand by your side when you’re at your best or who think you're somebody you're not, but the ones who stand beside you when you’re at your worst that are your true friends.

So stop trying to be someone you’re not. One of the greatest challenges in life is being yourself in a world that’s trying to make you like everyone else.  Someone will always be prettier, someone will always be smarter, someone will always be younger, but they will never be you.  Don’t change so people will like you.  Be yourself and the right people will love the real you because in spite of your imperfections, God is still working on you and they realize that.

Justify?

Constantly trying to justify yourself to everyone else forces you to miss out on the beauty of simply being yourself, with your own unique ideas, desires, and life experiences.  If you are led through life only doing and being what you’ve come to believe is expected of you, then, in a way, you cease to live and just exist.

Not every day will be good, but there will be something good about every day.  Notice it.  Ignore the negativity around you.  None of us know the exact paths we will travel or the trials that will come our way.  The secret is to find joy in the journey.  The more obstacles you overcome, the stronger you become.  Life doesn’t get easier or more forgiving; you just get stronger and more resilient.  Smiling and appreciating each step you take is the smartest choice.  Your positivity will help you realize that sometimes the bad things that happen in your life put you on a direct path to the best possible things that could ever happen to you. 

They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world: someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for.  I couldn’t agree more.  We all do a lot of talking about the importance of the first two, but don’t forget to nurture your hope too.  And remember, hope isn’t the belief that life will always give you what you want; it’s the belief that life will gradually reveal what’s right.

You don’t need a standing ovation or a bestseller or a promotion or a million bucks.  You are enough right now.  You have nothing to justify.  Care less about who you are to others and more about who you are to yourself.  You will have less heartaches and disappointments the minute you stop seeking from others the justification only you can give yourself.

Dealing with Your Fears

1. You can’t learn, grow and succeed until you get comfortable with being uncomfortable.  The best wins in life often come only after you dare to lose and stop being afraid.
2. You will often see what is wrong when you are doing it right.  But you will rarely see what is right when you are comfortably in the routine of doing it wrong.  If you want a new tomorrow, then make new choices today.  Mix it up!  Sometimes a break from your routine is the very thing you need and is the perfect step to conquer your fears.
3. Dreading is often far worse than just doing the thing.  Dread rehearses a scenario over and over without progress and success ever showing up.  So just do it already!  Stand strong.  Do what you fear, and fear disappears.  Let your dreams be bigger than your fears and your actions speak louder than your words.
4. Life is change, but growth is optional.  Choose wisely.  To be a success in life you don’t have to be perfect, you just have to remain perfectly capable of change. Growth and change may be painful sometimes, but nothing in life is as painful as staying stuck where you don’t belong. Fear will keep you there if you let it.
5. Sometimes the bad things that happen in your life put you on a direct path to the best possible things that could ever happen to you.  You just have to give yourself another chance to get there and not be afraid when you arrive.

4 Foolish Things

-The foolishness of always being right.

Sometimes we choose to be wrong, not because we really are wrong, but because we value our relationship more than our pride.  When two people who care about each other fight, both are wrong.  They have put some kind of superficial outcome over love and compromise.  The one who apologizes and makes up first, is the one who is right.

-The foolishness of judging.

Some people are argumentative as a way of crying for help.  They may not be conscious of it though, so their comments come across as attacks rather than requests.  Show a little love and concern.  Do something nice for them.  Just a simple “Are you okay?” or “Is there anything I can do to help you?” can work wonders in certain situations.  Resist the urge to judge or assume.  It’s hard to offer compassion when you assume you have them figured out.  Let them know they’re not alone.  People overcome the forces of negative emotions, like anger and hatred, when the counter-forces of love and support are in full effect. 

-The foolishness of lying.

Don’t lie to people who trust you, and don’t trust people who lie to you.  These negative relationships will never give you a positive life.  And whatever you do, don’t let the same exact people lie to you over and over again.  If someone fools you once, shame on them.  If someone fools you twice, shame on you.  If you catch someone lying to you, speak up.  Some people will lie to you repeatedly in a vicious effort to get you to repeat their lies over and over until they effectively become true.  Don’t partake in their nonsense.  Don’t let their lies be your reality. 

-The foolishness of letting betrayal get the best of you.

Betrayal is a double-edged sword.  Not only do you feel betrayed by someone you trusted, you feel like you betrayed yourself for trusting this person in the first place.  You blame them and then you blame yourself.  If you feel betrayed, it’s important to release any feelings of hate at once.  By doing so the bitterness has no time to take root.  Only then can you begin the process of evaluating the real situation.

5 Things To Declare Independence Over Today

Today I am free from these thoughts and actions. I am independent through the blood of Jesus Christ. I am independent of the downfalls they bring to my life. You can be too! Just.....

-Be tolerant of people’s mistakes and oversights.  Sometimes good people make bad choices.  It doesn’t mean they’re bad; it simply means they are human.

-Remember kindness is not to be mistaken for weakness, nor forgiveness for acceptance.  It’s about knowing that resentment is not on the path to happiness.  Remember, you don’t forgive people because you’re weak. You forgive them because you’re strong enough to know that people make mistakes.

-Set an example.  Treat everyone with kindness and respect, even those who are rude to you – not because they are nice, but because you are.  Make kindness a daily ritual; it’s what makes life happier and more fulfilling in the long run.

-You don’t have to be defined by the things you once did or didn’t do.  Don’t let yourself be controlled by regret.  Maybe there’s something you could have done differently, or maybe not.  Either way, it’s merely something that has already happened.  Leave the unchangeable past behind you as you give yourself to the present moment.

-Don’t cry over the past, it’s gone.  Don’t stress too much about the future, it hasn’t arrived.  Do your best to live NOW and make this moment worth living.

Keep Believing

When everything in life seems to be going wrong, mostly it’s meant to go wrong so that you may outgrow the things you need to outgrow.  Keep this in mind.  Life may wreck your plans when your plans are about to wreck you.  For everything you’ve lost, you’ve gained something else.  You don’t have to accept it; it’s just easier if you do.  When you try to control too much, you enjoy too little.  Sometimes you simply need to take a deep breath and appreciate what is.

Then let go of self-defeating thoughts. Breath by breath, let go of fear, expectation, anger, regret and frustration.  Let go of the need for approval too.  You don’t need any of it.  The world is as we are inside.  What we think, we see, and we ultimately become.  So choose your thoughts wisely.  Think how you want to live.

If you find yourself constantly trying to prove your worth to someone else, you’ve already forgotten your value.  Don’t do this to yourself. You are a victim of the beliefs you live by.  And a belief is not merely an idea the mind possesses, it is an idea that possesses the mind.  So believe in yourself.  Believe in your capacity to succeed.  Believe that there are many roads to what’s right.  Believe in your intuition, especially when you have to choose between two good paths.  Believe that the answers are out there waiting.  Believe that life will surprise you again and again.  Believe that the journey is the destination.  Believe that it’s all worth your while.

Wrecks Create Miracles

A rescue worker shared this story with me awhile back:

"Today, I walked my daughter down the aisle. Ten years ago I pulled a 14 year old boy out of his mom’s fire-engulfed SUV after a serious accident. Doctors initially said he would never walk again. My daughter came with me several times to visit him at the hospital. Then she started going on her own. Today, seeing him defy the odds and smile widely, standing on his own two feet at the altar as he placed a ring on my daughter’s finger."

A true story with miracle results.

The biggest prison we will likely ever live in is our fear of what other people think.  We cannot let other people tell us who we are, what we want, or that our dream is an impossible.  We have to decide that for ourselves.  When the doctors told the injured young man he would never walk again, he didn't listen. He believed that he could and he did. The young lady that God put in his life also believed and encouraged him all the way. Miracles happen when we refuse to listen to the noise in our head and trust God with our heart.

Let me make this very person to you now:
When you’re making big decisions, remember, what you think of yourself and your life is more important than what people think of you.  Don’t let others make you feel guilty for living your life. Some people get upset because they wish they could do it all over again because of the failures they've endured along the way.

The key here is to remember that it’s OK to listen to others sometimes, but not at the full expense of your own intuition or faith.  Throughout your lifetime there will be many times when the world gets real quiet and the only thing left is the beat of your own heart.  So you’d better learn the sound of it, otherwise you’ll never understand what it’s telling you. That's where you learn to hear the voice of God over the voices of men.

The bottom line is that when you spend too much time concentrating on everyone else’s perception of you, or who everyone else wants you to be, you eventually forget who you truly are.  So don’t fear the judgments of others; you know in your heart who you are and what’s true to you.  You don’t have to be someone else to impress people.  Let these people be impressed by who you really are-a child of the most high God.

Honestly, what does life matter if you lose yourself along the way?  Even your mentors should teach you how to think, not what to think.  So if someone is belittling the truth, you know about yourself and your relationship with God,  it might be time to turn the other way. There will be some wrecks along the way, and it may seem you will never walk again, but look up, for your God is still in control. You are a miracle in the making, so just trust God and be yourself. You're the one He's looking for.

Quit

When you quit doing the wrong things, you make more room for the right things that make you happy.  So starting today:

-Quit procrastinating on your goals.

Some people dream of success while others wake up and work hard at it.  Action and change are often resisted when they’re needed most.  Get a hold of yourself and have discipline.  Putting something off instantly makes it harder and scarier.  What we don’t start today won’t be finished by tomorrow.  And there’s nothing more stressful than the perpetual lingering of an unfinished task.

The secret to getting ahead is simply getting started.  Starting, all by itself, is usually sufficient to build enough momentum to keep the ball rolling.  So forget about the finish line and just concentrate on taking your first step.  Say to yourself, “I choose to start this task with a small, imperfect step.”  All those small steps will add up and you’ll actually get to see changes fairly 

-Quit blaming others and making excuses.

Stop blaming others for what you have or don’t have, or for what you feel or don’t feel.  When you blame others for what you’re going through, you deny responsibility and perpetuate the problem.  Stop giving your power away and start taking responsibility for your life.  Blaming is just another sorry excuse, and making excuses is the first step towards failure; you and only you are responsible for your life choices and decisions.

-Quit trying to avoid change.

If nothing ever changed there would be no sunrise the next morning.  Most of us are comfortable where we are even though the whole universe is constantly changing around us.  Learning to accept this is vital to our happiness and general success.  Because only when we change, do we grow, and begin to see a world we never knew was possible.

And don’t forget, however good or bad a situation is now, it will change.  That’s the one thing you can count on.  So embrace it, and realize that change happens for a reason.  It won’t always be easy or obvious at first, but in the end it will be worth it.

-Quit trying to control the uncontrollable.

If you try to control everything, and then worry about the things you can’t control, you are setting yourself up for a lifetime of frustration and misery.

Some forces are out of your control, but you can control how you react to things.  Everyone’s life has positive and negative aspects – whether you’re happy or not depends greatly on which aspects you focus on.  The best thing you can do is to let go of what you can’t control, and invest your energy in the things in you– like your attitude.

-Quit talking down to yourself.

Nothing will bring you down quicker than berating yourself.  The mind is a superb instrument if used right, but when used incorrectly, it becomes very destructive.  Be aware of your mental self-talk.  We all talk silently to ourselves in our heads, but we aren’t always conscious of what we’re saying or how it’s affecting us.

As Henry Ford once stated, “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right.”  One of the major causes of why we fail is due to self-doubt and negative self-talk.  The way to overcome negative thoughts and destructive emotions is to develop opposing, positive emotions that are stronger and more powerful.  Listen to your self-talk and replace negative thoughts with positive ones, over time you will change the trajectory of your life.