Archive for March, 2011
There’s Power In The Tongue!
Posted by: | CommentsDeath and life [are] in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. – Proverbs 18:21
In the beginning, God spoke everything into existence. In Genesis 1, He said, “let there be light,” and there was light. In Mark chapter 4, He rebuked the winds and spoke to the sea “Peace be still,” and the wind ceased and there was a great calm.
All throughout the scriptures, He’s constantly affirming positive words as to who we are. You are more than a conqueror. You are the head and not the tail. You are above and not beneath. Even, Paul said in Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.”
You may wonder, what do all these passages have in common? They are all instances when God is speaking something into existence. Paul is affirming that regardless of his situation he has learned to be content. He speaks in confidence that he(you) can do all things through Christ which strengthens him(you).
But isn’t it a good thing that we serve a God who speaks good things over our life? Even since the beginning, every creation that God ever made was created through speaking it into existence. After He created light, He created space and water. He did all this through verbally speaking. We know through all this that there is power in the tongue.
You see, the good news is that God has given you the authority to speak good into your life. But the fact of the matter is, whatever you speak over you is what’s going to come into existence. If you go around saying that you’ll never Read More→
Endurance To Stand The Test of Time!
Posted by: | CommentsDear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. James 1:2-4
I believe one of the greatest fruits that we can develop is long-suffering. You see, long-suffering simply means patience to outstand the storm with a good attitude. The good thing about bearing this fruit is that no matter what comes your way, or how long you have to bear the burden, that means that you’re equipped to deal with it all.
I love how the scripture says when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. In other words, your endurance doesn’t grow when everything is going your way. Your patience doesn’t get stronger when nobody’s cutting in front of you in traffic or all the bills are paid and you have money left over for a rainy day. No, your endurance grows when you’ve spent your last dime. Your patience grows stronger when you’ve given it all you’ve got and you’re only half way through the fight.
That’s why the scripture tells us to consider it a privilege when hardships come our way. Without, the hardships we would never grow. We would all simply be toddlers with no wisdom or understanding. We would merely be weaklings with no back bones.
So next time you’re faced with a difficulty, count it all Joy! When the enemy comes at you and tempts you to get upset and bothered, fight Read More→
ShareGot Fruit?
Posted by: | CommentsBut the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness , and self-control. There is no law against these things! – Galatians 5:22-23
What kind of fruit do you display throughout your daily journey? Are you walking around upset, frustrated, impatient, hateful, doubtful or envious? In the long run, these attributes can lead to destruction.
I believe that this is not the way that God would have us to be. He wants you to bear good fruit. He wants you too exemplify the kind of fruit that Christ produced.
He wants you to show love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control.
When people see you, there should be something about you that distinguishes you. Whereas some people may be going around hateful, disgusted and busted and angry, people should be able to look at you and see a light.
When people look at you, they should see the Love of Jesus in you. They should see the gentleness, kindness and long-suffering.
Where the problem comes is that, when dealing with the flesh, if something comes against us, we get tempted to get out of control, lash out and shut people out. But we’ve got to remember that at salvation, we as believers have been set apart! We’ve been called to a higher standard. We can’t live the old way of living.
You see, what impresses God is how you react when tempted to give into the flesh. My Read More→
ShareTake Out Some Time
Posted by: | CommentsI heard a story about a busy working man. His son walks into the room and asks, “Daddy, how much do you make per hour at work?” The father responds, “Twenty-Five dollars an hour, son.” So the son walks away.
It so happens that the kid gets five dollars allowance once a week. After five weeks, the son walks in his father’s room and lays twenty-five dollars on the dresser and says, “Okay father, give me one hour of your time.”
This story goes to prove that people around us need love and attention. Especially those who are near and dear to us. But do you realize the importance of an intimate relationship with Christ?
Isn’t it good to know, that even though we neglect spending time with God, He’s always there for us. He never changes or wavers. He’s loving enough to simply wake us up each morning. He grants us brand new mercies regardless of the fact that we ignore Him day in and day out.
Just like the kid in the story above, God wants us to spend time with Him. It can be in the form of a morning prayer before you head out the door. You can simply read and study the Word of God- Or you might even take time out to Read More→
ShareFish Out In The Deep
Posted by: | CommentsI’m reminded of the story in Luke 5 where the Disciples we’re fishing in shallow waters. After they toiled all night they came up empty handed. At this point they became discouraged and tired.
Then Jesus told Peter to gather the fishermen and go out into the deep and fish again. Peter replied, “Master we worked all night and caught nothing.” He said “but if You say so, I’ll let the net down again.”
The story goes on to say that when Peter went further out into the deep, they caught so much fish that their nets broke. They had to call out for the other boats to fill their nets. It turns out that in the end, they had an abundance-overflow of fish.
This story is representative of the way many of us live our lives. For many Christians, shallow water represents shallow living. Remember, Peter said, “We toiled all night and were exhausted. But because You have instructed so, I will.”
This should be the anthem in the mouths of believers. Too often, we fish in the shallow waters of life. We go where we’re comfortable but come up empty handed. We set high goals but often times we’re not willing to roll up our sleeves and get down and dirty.
You should learn to defy the excuses. Disobedience will get you no where. Instead of Read More→
ShareNo Pain, No Gain
Posted by: | CommentsIn order, to grow in life we’ll all have to experience some pain. That pain can come in the form of disappointments, hardships, relationships break-up or even the loss of a loved one.
Most of the growth that we experience comes after a period of pain. For instance, if a man is out of shape and he goes to the gym to exercise for the first time in years, naturally he’s going to experience a sense of pain and discomfort. And the pain doesn’t stop there. The morning after, he will experience sore muscles throughout his body.
It’s not until after the man gets over that period of pain that he begins to gain the benefits of working out. The man has to condition his body in order to grow.
Through life, many of the trials we face are there to make us stronger. They are there to make us “more fit” or get us “in shape” for what’s next to come. These hardships let us know that increase is on the way!
You see, God won’t increase you until you’ve mastered the level you’re on. It’s like a video Read More→
ShareEnjoy The Journey Along The Way
Posted by: | CommentsToo often we say to ourselves, “if i can just get this in order then I’ll be alright” or “if I can just get to this point in my life, or get through this semester in school, life will be better.” Does this sound familiar?
Well, I don’t think that God’s plan for our life is that we go through life stressing over everything. I believe that His ultimate will for your life is for you to live a joy-filled, peaceful life full of happiness, and wholeness!
The truth is that if you keep looking to the future for things to get better then you’ll never live a stress-free life. The enemy will always be planting more attacks in your life that will constantly cause stress and anguish.
John 10:10 says, “The thief (the enemy) cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I (Jesus) am come that they (you and I) might have life, and that they might have [it] more abundantly.”
In actuality, you should learn to enjoy the present moment in every area of your life. If your job is stressing you out or that class is overwhelming you, then you should look to God as a source of peace in your life.
I believe that one way to enjoy the journey along the way is to make positive declarations. In other words instead saying, “once I get that new Read More→
ShareIt All Starts With A Thought
Posted by: | CommentsIt’s amazing how all of the decisions we make are directly connected to our thoughts. If you sit there and think about a fudge sundae for long enough you’ll find yourself taking the action to obtain that fudge sundae.
A wise man once said, “Most of the things worth doing in the world had been declared impossible before they were done.” I believe that before those impossible things were accomplished, it started off with a thought. Someone decided to prove that the impossible can be done.
The world has conditioned you into thinking that if you don’t have this, that, or the other thing, then you aren’t successful. But God’s way of thinking is that you already have everything that you need. You may not physically have it yet but God will provide it for you!
The good news is that God has given you the power to change that negative mindset. But it all comes to a decision. You have to want to change your thoughts.
The world tells you that in order to be successful you have to have a great job and make a lot of money but God says that you are more than a conqueror. The world would have you to believe that you don’t have the skills but God says that you can do all things through Christ which strengthens you!
The world would have you to think that you’re not good enough, but God tells you that you are the apple of His eye, and that you have more than enough.
You see, in order to grow you need to make a decision to change those negative thoughts. Change those negative actions. Go from that old way of thinking to a new way of Read More→
ShareWhat Are You Feeding Yourself?
Posted by: | CommentsWe live in a world today where we consume so many things. With technology, we’re given so much at the grip of our hands. We go home at the end of the day and there is so much to entertain us that our minds aren’t stimulated.
As soon as we get home, there’s the television to occupy our attention. For some, the internet has become the main focus of time.
With so much to consume our time, we have to ask ourselves is all this feeding us for the good or for the bad? I understand that everything we do should be done in moderation. But you have to realize that what goes in is going to come out.
What you choose to focus your time and attention on, is what you will reap more out of life. If you focus your thoughts on thoughts of negativity, thoughts of insecurity, or thoughts that cause worry and anxiety, then you’ll walk around depressed and fearful.
But the good news is that we have a choice on what we focus our time and attention on. For instance, if you study the Word of God daily and have an active prayer life, then that opens up the door for God to bring more increase into your life.
I love how Isaiah 55:8-9 says, ‘” My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.”‘
Therefore, if you’re looking for increase, make a choice to study the Word of the Lord. The Read More→
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