Friday, October 28, 2016

Oh, To Be Like Him


Oh, To Be Like Him

Jesus is a friend to sinners...the down cast, broken, afflicted, and lost. 

Jesus always met people right where they were. He doesn't need anyone to clean their life up before he will speak to us. He sees you as you were created.  He loves you so much that he suffered and died to save you.

To be like him is to be gentle, tender, and loving with those who are not where we believe they should be. 

Why is it that we withhold love or respect from those who are not where we are? Or much worse, we hold others to an expectation that we ourselves are not willing to live to? 
This should NOT be!

Ask the Lord to show you who needs an encouraging word or a hand up today and he will show you. Ask yourself, What would Jesus do?

"For the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost." Luke 19:10

"Love is patient, love is kind." 1 Corinthians 13:4

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Tuesday, October 25, 2016

The Weight of WAIT

The Weight of WAIT

Carri Pratt



Do you ever feel as though nothing you do is working? Like there are roadblocks at every turn? That you are frustrated? Discouraged? Perhaps even depressed? I feel your pain.

The Lord has slowly been revealing His will for me to “Wait” when I think I should be charging ahead.  It can be pretty discouraging to have a dream in your heart and cement shoes on your feet!

“Wasteland” is the name of this period of time referred to by Bruce Wilkinson in The Dream Giver. He connects it to the period of time the Hebrew exiles from Egypt wandered in the wilderness before going into the Promised Land. It is definitely not always an enjoyable place to be, however, it does strengthen your faith.

I have been feeling such a heavy weight from waiting that I was actually considering giving up. Fortunately I watched Wilkinson’s study, The Dream Giver, and it provided me with an entirely new perspective that I desperately needed. What I learned was where I feel a heavy weight to wait on God, God sees a time of preparation and fellowship. An intimate time that He freely gives to us all. Where I feel a heavy weight of inadequacy God sees a fertile training ground ready to till up, plant and harvest.

I say this to encourage you, my sister in Christ, if you too have a big dream in your heart but feel God telling you to wait, He is not necessarily saying No, He could actually be saying, “YES! But not now, I must prepare you for your big dream, the dream I put in your heart, the dream I created you to live.”

So what should we do while we wait? Firstly, release the "Weight" of waiting. See it as a much needed time of restoration and growth. Spend time in fellowship with the Lord. Read your Bible. Look around you for the messages God has for you. Allow the Holy Spirit to be your guide and “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





 
Bruce Wilkinson shows how to identify and overcome the obstacles that keep millions from living the life they were created for. He begins with a compelling modern-day parable about Ordinary, who dares to leave the Land of Familiar to pursue his Big Dream. With the help of the Dream Giver, Ordinary begins the hardest and most rewarding journey of his life. Wilkinson gives readers practical, biblical keys to fulfilling their own dream, revealing that there's no limit to what God can accomplish when we choose to pursue the dreams He gives us for His honor.

Friday, October 21, 2016

Drive For Diligence


Drive For Diligence

Are you your own worst enemy

Do your thoughts tell you these type things?

 I am not good enough.
I can't keep up.
I wish I was like her. 
I'm not _____
I can't ____ {fill in the blank}

The negative chatter inside your brain will sabotage your life. As long as you are agreeing with the lies that have been fed to you, you are caught in a trap which some people never get free from.

The first step in making a progressive change is believing you can and visualizing your goal. 

Beloved Sister, repeat out loud right now: 
Lord, As of today I will no longer allow destructive and dead-end thoughts in my head. From now on, instead of dwelling on these lies and eventually acting on them, I cast them out and back to the pit of hell where they came from.  
Lord, please replace my thoughts with the truth of your word so that I may be free from the snare of the enemy. 
In Jesus name, amen

"We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." 2 Corinthians 10:5

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." Galatians 5:1 

"For as he thinks in his heart, so is he." Proverbs 23:7

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Friday, October 14, 2016

Detox


 Detox

My life wasn't going as planned. Everything was a struggle. It was as if I was pulling a loaded trailer behind me. I desperately needed change.

I had to forgive. 

My unwillingness to forgive was destroying the possibility of success in my relationships (among other areas). Unforgiveness is living in the past with no hope for the future. 

I had to surrender my hurt, my negative thoughts and defensive attitude and take on the mind of Christ.

I am most Christ-like when I forgive and love unconditionally.

Unforgiveness Is Poison. 


"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has any grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity." Colossians 3:12-14

"Hope deferred makes the heart sick.." Proverbs 13:2

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Friday, October 7, 2016

Momentum Demands Movement


Momentum Demands Movement 

For anyone to make change for the better several things must occur.

1) A new way of thinking
2) A Starting Point 
3) Commitment
4) Keep your eye on the prize
5) Perseverance

"Success is like a snowball...it takes momentum to build and the more and more you roll it in the right direction the bigger it gets." 
-Steve Ferrante 

"Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans." Proverbs 16:3

"May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed." Psalm 20:4

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