In our walk as born-again believers, it may seem that God is silent, but God is never silent. What looks like silence and inactivity to us is God allowing us the opportunity to listen to "the still small voice" and to see the provisions that He has made for us by faith. God is involved in every area of a believer's life--the very hairs on our heads are numbered. However, there are times when we have to walk in obedience to the light that God has given us before He sheds more light on our path, because in this age of grace God speaks to us through His Word.
Isaiah 55:8-11 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it."
Therefore, when God seems silent to us as born-again believers, it may mean that we have stopped listening to His voice, we have allowed the cares of this world to plug our spiritual ears, or we have neglected His Word. God does not speak to us today in signs, wonders, fire or wind, His Spirit speaks to us through the Word, and in that Word we have the "words of life."
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
6 Words of Destiny
There are 6 words that can have a tremendous influence over your life. These 6 words will affect us all before we leave this world.
To begin with-faith.
You cannot say that you have faith if when you fall you give up. Faith means you will be given the strength to rise, or the hand to be lifted up. But don't lie there waiting. God provides for the smallest bird, but He doesn't throw the seed into the nest. They were created to fly.
Then there's hope.
Trust that in all things there is hope. Even when we cannot see the opportunity, there it is in the out stretched hand, the listening ear, the smiling face, the sunrise.
Love.
If you cannot see love in your life perhaps you need to put life in your love. Begin by accepting who you are and all you can be. This confidence will give you the power to love outside yourself. Love is not love until it is given away. To love is to honor God.
Friendship
If you want to have friends, be one. Sometimes friendship, like love, appears one sided. Sometimes people need more than they give. Trust that in doing for another the act is the gift you give yourself.
The present.
Where you are at the moment is a result of where you have been. We only have the past and the present. No one is guaranteed tomorrow. Learn from yesterday and begin anew with the Present.
Loss.
Succumb to the feelings of loss. The heart cannot heal until pain is acknowledged. Tears are not a sign of weakness but an acceptance of the reality, a release for the bereaved. Faith, Hope, Love and Friendship will be your strength in the Present. Even in loss there is much to be gained.
How these 6 words shape your destiny is up to you. Read Proverbs 3 and you will see the results they can bring to God's promises to you.
To begin with-faith.
You cannot say that you have faith if when you fall you give up. Faith means you will be given the strength to rise, or the hand to be lifted up. But don't lie there waiting. God provides for the smallest bird, but He doesn't throw the seed into the nest. They were created to fly.
Then there's hope.
Trust that in all things there is hope. Even when we cannot see the opportunity, there it is in the out stretched hand, the listening ear, the smiling face, the sunrise.
Love.
If you cannot see love in your life perhaps you need to put life in your love. Begin by accepting who you are and all you can be. This confidence will give you the power to love outside yourself. Love is not love until it is given away. To love is to honor God.
Friendship
If you want to have friends, be one. Sometimes friendship, like love, appears one sided. Sometimes people need more than they give. Trust that in doing for another the act is the gift you give yourself.
The present.
Where you are at the moment is a result of where you have been. We only have the past and the present. No one is guaranteed tomorrow. Learn from yesterday and begin anew with the Present.
Loss.
Succumb to the feelings of loss. The heart cannot heal until pain is acknowledged. Tears are not a sign of weakness but an acceptance of the reality, a release for the bereaved. Faith, Hope, Love and Friendship will be your strength in the Present. Even in loss there is much to be gained.
How these 6 words shape your destiny is up to you. Read Proverbs 3 and you will see the results they can bring to God's promises to you.
Monday, May 5, 2014
Have A Good Monday
Think about them one at a time BEFORE going on to the next one... hopefully it'll make you feel good.
- Falling in love.
- Laughing so hard your face hurts.
- A hot shower.
- No lines at the supermarket
- A special glance.
- Getting mail
- Taking a drive on a pretty road.
- Hearing your favourite song on the radio.
- Lying in bed listening to the rain outside.
- Hot towels fresh out of the dryer.
- Chocolate milkshake. (or vanilla or strawberry!)
- A bubble bath.
- Giggling.
- A good conversation.
- The beach
- Finding a 20 dollar bill in your coat from last winter.
- Laughing at yourself.
- Midnight phone calls that last for hours.
- Running through sprinklers.
- Laughing for absolutely no reason at all.
- Having someone tell you that you're beautiful.
- Laughing at an inside joke.
- Friends.
- Accidentally overhearing someone say something nice about you.
- Waking up and realising you still have a few hours left to sleep.
- Your first kiss (either the very first or with a new partner).
- Making new friends or spending time with old ones.
- Playing with a new puppy.
- Having someone play with your hair.
- Sweet dreams.
- Hot chocolate.
- Road trips with friends.
- Swinging on swings.
- Making eye contact with a cute stranger.
- Making chocolate chip cookies.
- Having your friends send you home-made cookies.
- Holding hands with someone you care about.
- Running into an old friend and realizing that some things (good or bad) never change.
- Watching the expression on someone's face as they open a much desired present from you.
- Watching the sunrise.
- Getting out of bed every morning and being grateful for another beautiful day.
- Knowing that somebody misses you.
- Getting a hug from someone you care about deeply.
- Knowing you've done the right thing, no matter what other people think.
- Friends are angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly.
Sunday, May 4, 2014
Excuses
Your excuse for making an excuse may be that you don't want something bad enough.
In all likelihood, you may not achieve everything in life that you want. On the other hand, if you've achieved everything in life you've ever wanted, chances are that your goals haven't forced you to struggle enough to experience failure. Does this statement surprise you? It shouldn't. Why? If you've never set a target to achieve something difficult, you probably haven't stretched your abilities far enough.
Failure to achieve a goal is alright - that is a fact of life. But, what is not a fact of life is to expect success without doing anything to attain it. Lotteries count on that kind of thinking.
Wouldn't it be nice to win millions of dollars by only spending a dollar? Sure it would. But, what are the chances of that happening?
Generally speaking, some of the odds are around 14 million to one. Having said that, if you really want to be a millionaire, I mean really want, what are you going to do to achieve it? Are you willing to risk, willing to work very hard, to sacrifice free time, to develop a service or product that almost everyone wants?
They are as many excuses NOT to realize a dream. In fact, it is very easy to find an excuse for every excuse you can invent as to why you haven't or can't achieve that greatest dream.
Excuses come in many forms including lack of money, too many demands on your time, a terrible boss, not enough education, and so on. It always amazes me that people who have the greatest excuses for underachievement are the biggest complainers.
On the other hand, the greatest achievers are the ones who are getting it done because they know that they are the ones who are responsible to make it happen.
Excuses are only for those people who are unwilling to find the solution, who find greater solace in the loudness of their complaints rather than in the action they are taking to implement the actions that carry them steadily forward to their achievement.
Beware, that you will find a lot of friends and acquaintances that will NOT support you through all of your efforts. Some of these acquaintances will say that they are just telling you that you can't do it for your own good; some will tell you that you do not have the smarts; others will tell you that you are certain to fail so why bother taking all the time and effort.
Those who would attempt to dissuade you, or do not in any way encourage you are not the types of people who will ever be there for you when you need a little help, or encouragement - just the opposite unfortunately. As I said, do not depend on anyone who is not able and willing to aid your intentions because it is a probable truth that you will hit a snag or two along the way.
Those that can help and are really able to support you through these difficult times are the ones you need to be able to turn to on short notice. You need to be able to count on them on short notice because you do not want to turn to anyone who may take you down the slippery slope of non-recovery, or those that will just criticize you for even attempting something so stupid.
Here's the plain and simple solution to not having or acquiring what you want. Find a solution to your excuses and you will eliminate any reason not to get more, have more, or be more. You don't have to dream about a dream any longer - do it now with a vengeance burying any excuses once and for all.
In all likelihood, you may not achieve everything in life that you want. On the other hand, if you've achieved everything in life you've ever wanted, chances are that your goals haven't forced you to struggle enough to experience failure. Does this statement surprise you? It shouldn't. Why? If you've never set a target to achieve something difficult, you probably haven't stretched your abilities far enough.
Failure to achieve a goal is alright - that is a fact of life. But, what is not a fact of life is to expect success without doing anything to attain it. Lotteries count on that kind of thinking.
Wouldn't it be nice to win millions of dollars by only spending a dollar? Sure it would. But, what are the chances of that happening?
Generally speaking, some of the odds are around 14 million to one. Having said that, if you really want to be a millionaire, I mean really want, what are you going to do to achieve it? Are you willing to risk, willing to work very hard, to sacrifice free time, to develop a service or product that almost everyone wants?
They are as many excuses NOT to realize a dream. In fact, it is very easy to find an excuse for every excuse you can invent as to why you haven't or can't achieve that greatest dream.
Excuses come in many forms including lack of money, too many demands on your time, a terrible boss, not enough education, and so on. It always amazes me that people who have the greatest excuses for underachievement are the biggest complainers.
On the other hand, the greatest achievers are the ones who are getting it done because they know that they are the ones who are responsible to make it happen.
Excuses are only for those people who are unwilling to find the solution, who find greater solace in the loudness of their complaints rather than in the action they are taking to implement the actions that carry them steadily forward to their achievement.
Beware, that you will find a lot of friends and acquaintances that will NOT support you through all of your efforts. Some of these acquaintances will say that they are just telling you that you can't do it for your own good; some will tell you that you do not have the smarts; others will tell you that you are certain to fail so why bother taking all the time and effort.
Those who would attempt to dissuade you, or do not in any way encourage you are not the types of people who will ever be there for you when you need a little help, or encouragement - just the opposite unfortunately. As I said, do not depend on anyone who is not able and willing to aid your intentions because it is a probable truth that you will hit a snag or two along the way.
Those that can help and are really able to support you through these difficult times are the ones you need to be able to turn to on short notice. You need to be able to count on them on short notice because you do not want to turn to anyone who may take you down the slippery slope of non-recovery, or those that will just criticize you for even attempting something so stupid.
Here's the plain and simple solution to not having or acquiring what you want. Find a solution to your excuses and you will eliminate any reason not to get more, have more, or be more. You don't have to dream about a dream any longer - do it now with a vengeance burying any excuses once and for all.
Saturday, May 3, 2014
Adversity
One of the sure things in life is that there will be adversity that visits time and time again. For those people who do not believe this fact, maybe it is only because you have not yet reached that point in life. Those who had had to face adversity, there are several things that we all have in common.
One of these commonalities is that each adversity can be viewed as a total setback, or as an opportunity to overcome the problem. There really is no other way to look at the issue. You either take the adversity square on the chin and fold, or you take the hit, keep standing, and find a way to move around the adversity.
One of these commonalities is that each adversity can be viewed as a total setback, or as an opportunity to overcome the problem. There really is no other way to look at the issue. You either take the adversity square on the chin and fold, or you take the hit, keep standing, and find a way to move around the adversity.
If you try and overcome adversity alone, you can have a bad time of it but if you turn to God as your first option, an option that gives you peace and strength to help you see the situation as different, you have a hope of getting through this problem.
Adversity in and of itself is not to be feared - it is only the lack of knowing what to do, how to approach it, and what view for the future you hold that presents a concern. Adversity is nameless, blameless, and devoid of any emotion unless you give it.
When you decide that adversity has no power over your choices, and when you put your faith in God, all adversities are no more than inconveniences that can be overcome.
Not everyone, unfortunately, has the natural ability to overcome issues of concern but with the power of God, there is hope in the form of friends or family to help you on your way. God did not plan for you to go into any situation alone and armed with his love and with your faith you will be able to find those that will stand with you on this earth in the presence of God.
The other aspect of adversity that is known to those who have the ability to know they have choices is that each occurrence of adversity is one, if not, the best teacher about life there is. There is no life that sees only good times where there are no valleys of despair or hurt. Life is not a bed of roses without the thorns being active.
Take heed in knowing that adversity need not rule you for it is you that rule adversity armed with God and your given talents and abilities to overcome.
When you decide that adversity has no power over your choices, and when you put your faith in God, all adversities are no more than inconveniences that can be overcome.
Not everyone, unfortunately, has the natural ability to overcome issues of concern but with the power of God, there is hope in the form of friends or family to help you on your way. God did not plan for you to go into any situation alone and armed with his love and with your faith you will be able to find those that will stand with you on this earth in the presence of God.
The other aspect of adversity that is known to those who have the ability to know they have choices is that each occurrence of adversity is one, if not, the best teacher about life there is. There is no life that sees only good times where there are no valleys of despair or hurt. Life is not a bed of roses without the thorns being active.
Take heed in knowing that adversity need not rule you for it is you that rule adversity armed with God and your given talents and abilities to overcome.
Friday, May 2, 2014
First Time Prayer
A man came to church for the very first time in his life. He heard a sermon that really tugged at his heart strings and felt the need to answer the invitation to become a Christian. When he shared his story about never having attended church the preacher thought surely the new convert was someone special. The preacher urged the man to come back that night to take part in the evening service.
When the man arrived the preacher told the man he needed him to perform a special task. The pastor wanted him to say the benediction at the end of the service. The new convert protested and said, "Pastor, I've never been to church in my life. How am I supposed to know how to pray in public in only the second church service I've ever attended.
The preacher said, "That's OK. I have a plan. I've written you a prayer you can read. Just sit back here on the back row next to the coat rack. Place this prayer I've written in your hat. As the service is closing out, just reach back here behind you, pick up your hat and read the prayer."
The new Christian reluctantly agreed to the plan. At the end of the service the preached called the man by name and asked him to offer the closing prayer. On cue, the man reached to the hat rack behind him, and picked up a hat. As planned he started the prayer. In a loud voice he said, "DEAR GOD... this is NOT my hat...."
When the man arrived the preacher told the man he needed him to perform a special task. The pastor wanted him to say the benediction at the end of the service. The new convert protested and said, "Pastor, I've never been to church in my life. How am I supposed to know how to pray in public in only the second church service I've ever attended.
The preacher said, "That's OK. I have a plan. I've written you a prayer you can read. Just sit back here on the back row next to the coat rack. Place this prayer I've written in your hat. As the service is closing out, just reach back here behind you, pick up your hat and read the prayer."
The new Christian reluctantly agreed to the plan. At the end of the service the preached called the man by name and asked him to offer the closing prayer. On cue, the man reached to the hat rack behind him, and picked up a hat. As planned he started the prayer. In a loud voice he said, "DEAR GOD... this is NOT my hat...."
Thursday, May 1, 2014
Salt
Matthew 5-13
“Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. “
If we are to be brothers and sisters in Christ with good spirits, we all need to have a little “salt” in our lives to provide us with the savour we need for being his instruments on earth. There are many little things that add a sudden burst of pleasure to your day. These are the “salt” of your life. Here are ten, but I bet you can think of a lot more.
- Finding a coin—even a penny-on the sidewalk.
- Receiving a compliment on your outfit
- Receiving a smile from a child.
- Seeing an old friend unexpectedly
- Finding just what you planned to buy at a lower price than you expected.
- Receiving a picture hand drawn by a youngster.
- Meeting an old person who still has a zest for life
- Overhearing some long-married person speak of their spouse with love and respect.
- Realizing a dream after a long, long wait.
- Realizing once again that God does love you and has NOT forgotten you.
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