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What Kind of Force

virtue

 

One of the words that is close to character or integrity in meaning is the Hebrew word that is translated “virtue.” If you trace its origins and meanings, one of the meanings is a “force.” Someone of virtue is a force, and a force always leaves a result. When a tornado comes through town, you can see the results of its force. When the wind moves across the water, or through the trees, you can see the results of its force.
Simply put, when you move through life or through your careers or relationships, your existing character is going to be a “force.”
So the real question is, “What kind of force is it going to be?” When you bring energy and force of character to a goal or project, Will the force bring about fruit? When you bring energy and force to a relationship, will there be a good result? The good news is, it is all up to you and the character that you build each day.
Make up your mind now, you are going to grow and be a good force in life!

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We Really Need to Wake Up!

image “Awake, awake, Zion, clothe yourself with strength! Put on your garments of splendor… ” -‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭52:1‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Did you know that the context of this scripture was written during an era when God’s people were chained up and held in captivity? It’s true. God is saying through the writer, freedom is on the horizon!

The thing I find most interesting is that the plan for freedom is heard in the words “Awake, awake”. For Gods people to be free from all captivity and oppression, we need to make sure we are awake! I know what you’re thinking…or I think I do? You’re already awake aren’t you? Obviously, this is figurative so it’s not snaying we are asleep physically. God is saying for us to live in freedom, and to be clothed with strength and splendor, we need to wake up to understanding!

Watch this! He tells them to clothe themselves with strength and garments of splendor. Two important factors in this are words to live by…

1) You must clothe yourself. No one else can dress you, you must dress yourself.

2) What does it mean to put on garments of strength and splendor? The answer rest within the subject of righteousness!

If freedom will come, it will come to those with understanding of how to put on the righteousness of Christ as you would a garment.  We should understand that righteousness is a gift given to us by believing in Christ, however, we ourselves are responsible to put it on; wear the gift like a garment of His strength and glory.

“Shake off your dust; rise up, sit enthroned, Jerusalem. Free yourself from the chains on your neck, O captive Daughter of Zion, now a captive.” -‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭52:2‬

Look at the powerful things that happen from captivity to freedom as a result of understanding to get up and clothe yourselves with Him and His righteousness!

“Shake off your dust”, “Rise up”, “Sit-enthroned”, “Free yourself from the chains on your neck”.

This is why righteousness becomes the main factor in warfare. If you can dress yourself with the righteousness of Jesus, you can shake off the dust of your past or present, you can rise up to new heights in your lifestyle, you can exercise authority and power! These are all restoration concepts! We just need to wake up to this understanding of Who He is (Jesus) and What He brings to our lives as believers. God has given us the ability to change and go back to reclaim what has been lost.

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Schizophrenia or Just Mind Games?

Schizophrenic

 

Ever feel like you may be just losing your mind? Or maybe you feel pulled in two or more completely separate directions and you’re thinking what’s wrong with me? Do I need medication?

I’ve done quite a bit of preaching or teaching on this passage of scripture found in Matthew 16 concerning Peter and Jesus but I’ve never approached it like I’m about to in this post. Without insight, it seems as if Peter may have been losing his mind or could’ve been diagnosed as being Schizophrenic or even bipolar!

Lets look at the text first. Matthew 16: 13, 16-17 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. (‭NKJV)

Jesus is telling Peter that only His Father God could’ve revealed those thoughts/or that belief based from those thoughts to him. As a result of Peter opening his mind and spirit to the Father, he was recorded as the first ever disciple that lived with Jesus to believe and declare that Jesus really was the Son of God! He actually received great accolades from the Master from voicing what he thought during that particular conversation. Sounds great right? Let’s look at the next few verses…

Jesus now begins to explain that as the Messiah and Savior, He must suffer many things at the hands of the chief priests and scribes. He told them he would be killed but that He would rise again. Matthew 16:22-23a Then Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!” But He(Jesus) turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan!” (‭NKJV)

Jesus turns to the same person that just a few minutes before He had really commended for his thoughts and beliefs but this time Jesus speaks and says, “Get behind Me, Satan!” There’s that “Schizo” thing I was talking about earlier. It totally looks like Peter has went from being a man of God to a son of Satan! How could this happen so quickly?

Jesus isn’t calling Peter Satan. He was referring to Satan as being the source of the thought that had entered Peters mind and then caused him to speak something contrary to Gods Word and will. Within the span of just a few moments, Peter received thoughts from God as mind-blowing revelation as well as getting thoughts from the devil. I want you to see how powerful our thoughts really are and how protective we should be with those we dwell and respond on!

This is a classic, biblical revelation of how God the Father and the enemy of God works through people! We can receive revelation and uplifting Word-based thoughts from God, but we are also subject and even vulnerable to playing into the “mind games” of the devil. Satan is an expert in thought systems and he uses them to contradict the Word and will of God. It’s all mind games to the devil but with God, your abundant life comes by what you think and how you respond to Word-based promises!

…do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind… (‭Romans‬ ‭12‬:‭2a‬ NKJV)

 

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“What You See Is What You Get”

Authenticity

Recently I was reading the book of Philippians in the Bible and midway through the infamous last chapter I read something that stood out to me about the Apostle Paul, his life and how authentic he was! Let me share with you the scripture and some thoughts about what God was showing me personally about this great leader.

Philippians 4:9 (NLT) Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you “heard from me” and “saw me doing”. Then the God of peace will be with you.

Authenticity in a sense means “What You See is What You Get”! To be authentic, requires actions to precede words. Your outward witness matches your inner experience and there’s nothing to hide. To one of the Apostle’s favorite supportive church bodies, he tells them that whatever they do, they need to follow his life’s example. That’s a powerful statement! And what’s more, he gives us a vision of his lifestyle in the previous verses…

Verse 4: Always maintain the fullness of joy in the Lord so you can sound it out by rejoicing…
Verse 5: May everyone see that you are considerate in all you do…
Verse 6: Don’t worry, be happy! Instead of worry and stressing, pray by telling God your needs and thanking Him for all you have…
Verse 7: Enjoy the peace of God beyond anything we can imagine and let it guard your hearts and minds…
Verse 8: Fix your thoughts on what is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

In verse 9, Paul is not telling us what to do; He is saying look at my example and follow what you see! What they saw in him was the same thing with what they heard from him. It gives a great force to what we say to others when we can appeal to what they have seen in us.

Prayer: God no matter where I’m at in life and what I’m doing to complete your call in me, may I be transparent before you, always receiving your mercies and walking in your graces, completely real with nothing hiding deep within me. May my outer expressions match my inner experiences with You Father and Your Son my Lord.

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“Being Before Doing”

Most of my stuff is always written to challenge those who have made the decision to believe in and follow after Christ. This blog is not an exception!

silhouette casual group

Successful believers that have entered into God’s kingdom and now are developing spiritual growth must learn to follow examples from the Bible and other successful mentors. Dwight L. Moody, a great leader and man of strong influence in the Christian culture, (some of you out there may still know who this man was), suggested the greatest tragedy of his day was the Christians attempted to traffic in unlived truth. It is our tragedy today as well. Consider these three things today.

1) Learn it: Study and learn the truth of God’s Word for yourself.
2) Live it: Practice and apply the truth of what you have just learned.
3) Loan it: Pass the truth that you have decided to embrace on to others.

We cannot give away what we do not have! We must “import the truth” into our own lives before we can expect to fulfill God’s Great Commission and “export the truth” to others. God always wants to CONSTRUCT our BEING before our DOING.

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Top 5 Regrets People Make on Their Deathbed

Deathbed-Regrets

 

Nurse reveals incredible life lessons by working with people in the last three to twelve weeks of their lives. Never underestimate someones capacity to grow and mature when forced to face the real issues of life. When these people were questioned about any regrets they had or anything they would do differently, common themes surfaced that we should learn by today! Here are the common top five:

1. I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
This was the most common regret of all. When you look back, it’s easy to see how dreams have gone unfulfilled. Most people face death with knowing they may have missed the mark due to choices they had made, or not made. It is extremely important to try and honor at least some of your dreams along the way. Live your life to please you and then through the happiness of fulfillment, you can bring pleasing effects to others around you. Give special attention to your dreams and invest towards them! Dreams do come true occasionally.

2. I wish I didn’t work so hard.
This came from EVERY MALE patient she nursed. So often, we get engaged in the thought process of feeling the need to be a provider, and unfortunately in the wake of it, miss our children’s growth and special events along with our partner’s companionship. Don’t misunderstand me, God expects us to provide and scriptures charge us with consequences if we don’t. But by simplifying our lifestyle and making conscious choices along the way, it is possible that you don’t need the income that you think you do to have a great life. According to 2013 stats by banking annalist, the average american is in debt up to $225,000.00. By creating the thought to keep up with the status quot, we pile upon ourselves the need to need more, work harder to pay for it, and go in debt to try and get it. You would be much happier if you would just live simple and enjoy the life of those around you.

3. I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.
Many people suppress their feelings in order to keep peace with others. As a result, they settled for a mediocre existence and never became who they were capable of becoming. Many developed illnesses relating to the bitterness and resentment they carried as a result. While it is true God wants us all to be peacemakers with each other, we also cannot control the reactions of others when we are free to express who we are and how we feel. Some people respond to people expressing their freedom to live out of jealousy or envy sparking ill feelings. Although people may initially react to your honesty and openness to be yourself, in the end, we must believe it will challenge those relationships to mature and rise to a healthier level. The other side of reaction is that it may release the unhealthy relationships from your life. Some would consider this a win/win.

4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.
Often people don’t truly realize the full benefits of old friends. Many times, it comes to late. Be careful not to get so caught up in your own life that you let go of golden friendships and relationships that God probably had intended you to have. There were many deep regrets about not giving friendships the time and effort that they deserved. Everyone misses their friends in the time that they need them the most. It is common for anyone in a busy lifestyle to let friendships slip. But when you are faced with difficulty, and you don’t want to tread in that alone, that is the time that you will reach out to those who are close to you. Make sure you have someone there!

5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.
This is a surprisingly common regret. Many people do not realize until the end of their life that happiness is a choice. Old patterns and habits had robbed them of true happiness and making choices that would take them into more of a variety of life. Fear of change had them pretending to others, and to themselves that they were content. When deep within, they longed to laugh properly and have a touch of silliness in their life again.

Don’t wait until your life is nearly over to start thinking about the most important things pertaining to life. Life is a choice. It is YOUR life and YOUR choice! Choose consciously, choose wisely, choose honestly. Choose happiness and be happy with who God created you to be!