Live: to be alive, to be active
Purpose: a desired goal, an intention
You probably hear every day of people who appear to be living with no direction or no desired goals; people who seem to be going through life aimlessly - not really living or enjoying God's beautiful creations. Whether we have one dollar in our pocket or one million, there should still be joy and a real purpose for our lives. Although people might feel like if they don't have a pocket full of money, they are not being blessed, but I'm here to tell you that such thinking is not the case. Blessings are not always monetary. In fact, I would venture to say that if you wake up in the land of the living, then you are being blessed, because that means that you still have an opportunity to repent for your sins, to be thankful, and to be alive with a purpose - then that's being blessed!
I feel like we would be tremendously blessed if we woke up each day saying, "Lord, it's not what you can do for me, but instead what would you have me to do for you today? Often times, we forget that we were not created for ourselves, but we were created for the Glory of God and for His purpose! With that In mind, we should approach everything that the Lord lays on our hearts to do with a cheerful heart and purpose... and that purpose should always be to please our Heavenly Father.
You may not be working right now, but that does not justify you having a pity party. We must instead expect things to turn around and for new doors to be opened. Maybe your situation isn't that you don't have a job - it could be a sickness in our body, or maybe our finances are very low. Whatever the case may be, we are all still blessed because we serve a living God who owns everything in Heaven and in earth. Everything includes jobs, sickness, and finance problems, so be thankful and remember that He said in His word that He would be our provider - it's up to us to give Him that opportunity to provide for us.
Live with a purpose, my friends. And if you feel like you don't have a purpose or like you don't have anything specific to live for - well then, live for Jesus and wait for Him to give you the purpose that He wants you to have. Let's not drag our feet by moping around and complaining about this or that, because it's too easy to lose our focus when we are not living each day with a purpose. Our main intention should always be to be thankful and to ask God for direction, because it's within those directions we will likely find our purpose!
With all that said, let the Church say Amen... and AMEN!
Wednesday, June 26, 2019
Wednesday, June 19, 2019
The Secret Of The Peace Of God!
Peace: a state of calm and quiet; freedom from disturbing thoughts or emotions
I want to tell you a secret.
That secret is how to have the peace of God. I want to tell you how you can be calm and free from disturbing thoughts or emotions - even in the midst of a storm. In today’s world, we so often hear of suicide, heart attacks, and people with so much stress that they are simply existing and not living. Friends, this should not be so. Philippians 4:4 tells us to; "Rejoice in the Lord always; and again I say Rejoice." When we do this - rejoice always - it allows people to see that we are unselfish and considerate in all we do - no matter what is going on!
Verse 6 (TLB) "Don't worry about any thing; instead, pray about every thing." The fact is worrying does not add to our lives - it only takes from it. After we have prayed about whatever storm we might be facing and we have given God thanks for it (after all, we might as well give thanks, because He's allowing it). “Then the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." This peace comes as we stay focused on Jesus and what His word says.
Philippians 4:8 goes on to tell us what we should think about; "Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."
The secret of God’s peace is found in Isaiah 26:3-4: "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord JEHOVAH is everlasting strength."
As it turns out, this is a secret we should be sharing with everyone we know! To find the peace of God - rejoice in Him always and keep your mind on Him!
With all that said, let the Church say Amen... and AMEN!
I want to tell you a secret.
That secret is how to have the peace of God. I want to tell you how you can be calm and free from disturbing thoughts or emotions - even in the midst of a storm. In today’s world, we so often hear of suicide, heart attacks, and people with so much stress that they are simply existing and not living. Friends, this should not be so. Philippians 4:4 tells us to; "Rejoice in the Lord always; and again I say Rejoice." When we do this - rejoice always - it allows people to see that we are unselfish and considerate in all we do - no matter what is going on!
Verse 6 (TLB) "Don't worry about any thing; instead, pray about every thing." The fact is worrying does not add to our lives - it only takes from it. After we have prayed about whatever storm we might be facing and we have given God thanks for it (after all, we might as well give thanks, because He's allowing it). “Then the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." This peace comes as we stay focused on Jesus and what His word says.
Philippians 4:8 goes on to tell us what we should think about; "Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."
The secret of God’s peace is found in Isaiah 26:3-4: "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord JEHOVAH is everlasting strength."
As it turns out, this is a secret we should be sharing with everyone we know! To find the peace of God - rejoice in Him always and keep your mind on Him!
With all that said, let the Church say Amen... and AMEN!
Wednesday, June 12, 2019
Seek The Lord First!
Seek: to look for; attempt to obtain.
You know my friends, we are always looking for something - be it, good, bad, or indifferent. I think it's just in our nature. The great thing about that is the Lord doesn't have a problem with us seeking to obtain -- as long as what you're trying to obtain is in the will of God. The word tells us in Colossians 3:1-2; "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth."
Some of us like to seek things of the world for our own selfish interest. For instance, we try to see how many houses we can buy or how many cars we can obtain. Others even push others down to elevate themselves in order to get the highest positions at work. That's not to say that those things are wrong necessarily; in fact, God's desire for us is that we should have those things. But there's an order by which we must obtain these things. We must seek first.
1) God's Kingdom. Matthew 6:33 tells us, "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." God said in His word we can have the desires of our heart, but we have to do something first... SEEK!
2) True Wisdom. Proverbs 2:7 says, "He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: He is a buckler to them that walk uprightly." We need true wisdom to obtain and to keep what we have obtained.
3) Another's Benefit. Ephesians 4:32. "And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ sake hath forgiven you." It's not all about us, the Lord wants us to bless others as He has blessed us. So let's start by giving, forgiving, and being tenderhearted.
When we look for things and at least attempt to obtain them in the order that God wants us to; we won't have to try SO hard to chase things down. That's not to say that you won't have to do anything (remember, faith without works is dead!) - but it won't be as hard. The Lord will see us doing things in an orderly fashion and He will then bring those things to us. Let's remember to seek the Lord first.
With all that said, let the Church say Amen... and AMEN!
You know my friends, we are always looking for something - be it, good, bad, or indifferent. I think it's just in our nature. The great thing about that is the Lord doesn't have a problem with us seeking to obtain -- as long as what you're trying to obtain is in the will of God. The word tells us in Colossians 3:1-2; "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth."
Some of us like to seek things of the world for our own selfish interest. For instance, we try to see how many houses we can buy or how many cars we can obtain. Others even push others down to elevate themselves in order to get the highest positions at work. That's not to say that those things are wrong necessarily; in fact, God's desire for us is that we should have those things. But there's an order by which we must obtain these things. We must seek first.
1) God's Kingdom. Matthew 6:33 tells us, "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." God said in His word we can have the desires of our heart, but we have to do something first... SEEK!
2) True Wisdom. Proverbs 2:7 says, "He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: He is a buckler to them that walk uprightly." We need true wisdom to obtain and to keep what we have obtained.
3) Another's Benefit. Ephesians 4:32. "And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ sake hath forgiven you." It's not all about us, the Lord wants us to bless others as He has blessed us. So let's start by giving, forgiving, and being tenderhearted.
When we look for things and at least attempt to obtain them in the order that God wants us to; we won't have to try SO hard to chase things down. That's not to say that you won't have to do anything (remember, faith without works is dead!) - but it won't be as hard. The Lord will see us doing things in an orderly fashion and He will then bring those things to us. Let's remember to seek the Lord first.
With all that said, let the Church say Amen... and AMEN!
Wednesday, June 5, 2019
Trust God In Every Situation!
Trust – to have confidence or faith in, to depend on
The message below was e-mailed to me recently and I was really blessed by it, so I wanted to share it with you all. I have to admit that I’m very guilty of wondering why did "this" or "that" situation happen; why things didn't work out the way I planned - after all, I did get up and pray! I've even asked the Lord to order my steps. But when things aren't going the way we want, we so often forget we have a heavenly Father who ALWAYS knows what’s best for us. This e-mail really helped put things into perspective. We must learn to "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; lean not unto thine own understanding." (Proverbs 3:5) I hope this blesses you as it did me.
Me (in a tizzy): God, can I ask you something?With all that said, let the church say Amen... and AMEN!!
GOD: Sure
Me: Promise you won't get mad?
GOD: I promise.
Me (frustrated): Why did you let so much stuff happen to me today?
GOD: What do you mean?
Me: Well I woke up late
GOD: Yes
Me: My car took forever to start
GOD: Okay....
Me (growling): At lunch, they made my sandwich wrong and I had to wait
GOD: Hmmmm..
Me: On the way home, my phone went dead, just as I picked up a call.
GOD: All right
Me (loudly): And to top it all off, when I got home, I just wanted to soak my feet in my foot massager and relax, but it wouldn't work. Nothing went right today! Why did you do that?
GOD: Well let me see..... the death angel was at your bed this morning and I had to send one of the other angels to battle him for your life. I let you sleep through that.
Me (humbled): Oh...
GOD: I didn't let your car start because there was a drunk driver on your route that might have hit you if you were on the road
Me (ashamed): ...
GOD: The first person who made your sandwich today was sick and I didn't want you to catch what they have, I knew you couldn't afford to miss work
Me (embarrassed): Oh.....
GOD: Your phone went dead because the person that was calling was going to give a false witness about what you said on that call, I didn't even let you talk to them so you would be covered
Me (softly): I see, God .
GOD: Oh and that foot massager, it had a short that was going to throw out all of the power in your house tonight. I didn't think you wanted to be in the dark.
Me: I'm sorry, God.
GOD: Don't be sorry, just learn to trust me.........in all things, the good and the bad
Me: I WILL trust you God
GOD: And don't doubt that my plan for your day is always better than your plan
Me: I won't God. And let me just tell you God, thank you for everything today.
GOD: You're welcome child. It was just another day being your God and I love looking after my children.
~ Author Unknown
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