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Good Deeds or Distractions?

Sep27

pie-in-the-skyThere’s so much to be said about “destiny”. So many people think it’s “pie in the sky” or just “hopeful thinking”. But in truth…it’s so much more.

God doesn’t call everyone to be a preacher or have a huge congregation. No, God calls some to be a plumber, an electrician, a writer, a singer, a songwriter, a classroom teacher, an accountant, a construction worker and on, and on, and on.

When you truly know what God calls you to do, you quickly realize that even if it’s a small part in the big scheme of things, it brings you so much joy that it’s undeniable that you are where you are meant to be. Now at the time, you might not realize how many people you have impacted by your daily work. However, your love, smiles and joy could be the very thing that impacted them the most. You might not have ever spoken a single “Biblical” word but your impact was far greater than if you did.

I see so many Christians these days running every which direction, being so stressed out, thinking that they are doing good by participating in everything. But in all reality, they are missing their true calling. Now don’t get me wrong, we are all supposed to be loving, helpful and making a difference. But if you have over committed in too many places or in too many activities than your joy will be diminished and not as effective.

What’s worse is seeing Christians compare themselves to others. I’ve seen pastors wonder what in the world is wrong with them when their congregation only has 100 people while someone else has 5,000 each Sunday. First and foremost, never compare. God works in all of us differently and it doesn’t matter if you have one person or 10,000…it’s God who makes the difference and you might have impacted that one person far greater than the other pastor did with the 10,000.

See, when you become stressed because you’re doing “good deeds” every night of the week, how can you possibly be taking time for a deep-committed relationship with Jesus? The answer is…you can’t. You’ll be too busy thinking about all the things that need to be done in order to be here or there. You’ll be wondering how in the world you’ll get it all accomplished. You’ll wonder how you’re going to get your own laundry done or go to the grocery store. At this point, these are no longer “good deeds” but have become “distractions”.

Being overly committed is not God’s design. He wants us living balanced lives, not chaotic ones. When you are so committed to all the external works, you will not have time to work on your own “true destiny”. Your true destiny comes in many forms as outlined before. God may ask you to help out in a specific church function or become a choir singer or participate in a charity event. And that’s okay. If God leads you to participate then by all means, walk out in faith and follow God’s guidance. However, the sole purpose of this writing is to say…walk in your destiny not in “good deeds”. There is a huge difference.

If you are overly committed, the real question is why? Are you truly walking out your calling or are you trying to fill a void that only God can fill?

Christian illustrations for the whole family“The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever”

(Isaiah 32:17)

Your destiny has a real sense purpose. It’s not just to be busy or being a good person or doing good things. Start questioning the true motives of all your “good deeds”. Take a real hard look at why you are filling your day with so many activities. Begin to listen to your still small voice and then make your decisions. As you start listening to the deep peace within, you’ll begin to declutter your life and things will become more balanced.

God wants you to be successful and walking into your destiny. Let God guide you every step of the way. Learn to say “No” to the distractions and say “YES” to God! For when you do, you will know you’re on His right path and you’ll accomplish much more than you ever dreamed possible.

Note: Please disregard any advertisement you may encounter under this posting as the author does not endorse them. Thank you.

Are You Skimming?

Sep20

jugglingTake a moment to think about your typical day. What do you spend your time on? Are you running all day long? Are you stressed out just trying to make through the day?

Today’s society is running every which way, just trying to make ends meet. Yet, it seems like we all have time to watch television, play on the computer, be glued to video games or watch our cell phones, twitter accounts, snapchat or facebook for 24 hours a day to make sure we don’t miss something that someone is doing.

These days it seems like there’s an app for everything. People like to take selfies or tweet about every moment of every day; feeling like they are a part of something big. But what does it really accomplish? Do you truly feel satisfied or are you just going around in circles until the next app hits the market?

We all have experienced times in our lives where you question your life’s worth? You question what does our lives really stand for? You question if you are truly making a difference. You question what your true destiny is. You question if this is all there is. You question the trials of life. You question the “what ifs”.

Every single one of us has a true purpose in life. Yet in the Bible, God makes it very clear that very few find their true destiny. But why is that? We all want to grow and succeed, so why is it that so many come up short and not live in their true calling?

“My people are destroyed for the lack of knowledge.” (Hosea 4:6)

“This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:3-4)

skimmingOne of the biggest reasons…we tend to skim the surface of the Bible but don’t really dig deep to have a true and real experience with God. Now, don’t go shaking your head at me. Sure, there are alot of us who can quote scripture or explain who Jesus is. But head knowledge is not the same as heart knowledge. Heart knowledge is the very thing we all need in order to walk in God’s destiny for our lives. Heart knowledge is when you are spending real time with God, allowing Him to bring to life the very purpose He has for you. It’s allowing Him to speak through His word into your Holy Spirit. It’s allowing Him to guide your steps without all the distractions or concerns of this world. It’s allowing Him to birth the very, real purpose He has for you that you have prayed and hoped for.

God is searching for real relationships. He doesn’t want you to be filled with head knowledge just to quote scripture. No, He wants you filled with heart knowledge to walk out your destiny. The only true way of finding out what He really wants for your life is by spending time with Him. Don’t just skim the surface. Start today to dive into the word, allowing God to wake up the passion for your true calling. He will make it very clear if you’ll stop the distractions and get to know Him in a real way. God doesn’t want us running to and fro; “trying” to make a difference. NO…He wants us to spend real time in a real way with Him.

If you are willing to get rid of life’s distractions and truly spend time with Him…He will guide your footsteps, help you accomplish much more than ever expected and you will find yourself having more time to complete your daily tasks. He is the creator of time. So there is absolutely no reason not to give Him your time. The more you dig into a deeper relationship, the more He can put all the pieces together to help you fulfill your destiny. It will be your ultimate purpose coming to life. And with that, you will find that you are filled with much more happiness, joy, peace, financial prosperity, and knowing beyond a shadow of any doubt, that you are exactly where you are meant to be!

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So…stop skimming today and ditch the distractions.

As you do, you’re life will become clearer than ever before. God bless!

 

 

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Are You Being Pruned?

Sep6

pruning1Have you ever wondered why people, jobs, homes or other things come and go in your life? Maybe at one point you thought you had it all…great life, fantastic friends, wonderful family, more than enough to spare and share only to see it all disintegrate in front of your eyes? Have you ever thought that it might not have been meant to hurt you but to promote you?

God’s wisdom is much higher than ours. He can use our most painful situations as a pruning process. But why?

Well basically, God uses the painful process of difficult situations to prune things from our lives that are no longer useful or to promote us higher than we see ourselves. It’s not because He wants to harm us or have us go through pain, it’s simply because he wants to strengthen us to fulfill the richest, fullest and most fruitful life He has in store for us. See, sometimes we simply hold onto “things or people” too tightly. Maybe because of the “fear of the unknown” or the memories attached; but whatever the reason, we simply won’t let go even when we know we should or even when God is prompting us to let go.

God always has a bigger purpose in mind and the only way we can see our destinies come to fruition is to let go of things or people God wants us to let go of.  It’s like a parent teaching a child to ride a bicycle. As a parent, you know that when you let go of the bike there’s a very good chance that your child is going to fall. You also know that it is a vital part of the learning process and you’ll be there when they do. God is our ultimate parent. He sees things in a much different light than we do and He also knows what’s best for His children. Let’s look at a few reasons why God may start the pruning process in our lives:

  • Sometimes things are hindering our growth. Maybe the very thing we insist holding onto is keeping us from growing further. Have you ever thought that maybe just maybe if you let go, God’s love and grace would fill the void? Is it possible that something you see as a tragedy is actually a blessing in disguise filled with the very opportunities God wishes to shower you with His goodness? If we could see things from God’s wisdom and of eternity, we might interpret these difficulties as a catapult to a higher level since God promises not to withhold any good thing from those who walk uprightly. (Psalm 84:11)
  • Sometimes God can use a difficulty to prune you from a habit, dependency or a thought that is no longer useful. Just as parents allow a child to make their own mistakes while vowing to be there when they fall…Is it possible that God allowed the difficulty to cause you to look upward towards heaven for solutions to your problems?
  • God knows we need to “die to ourselves and desires” in order for Him to use us for His purposes. We need to let go of egos, greed, selfishness, pride and many other issues before He can trust us with His great works. Sometimes difficulties can come into our lives in order for us purge ourselves and to see what we truly need…God and God alone.
  • Jesus knew that persecution and adversity would come against all believers. When you are faced with undeniable difficulties with no solutions, where do you turn? Do you seek the one who knows all? Do you ask Him for endurance to withstand the tests and hardship? Do you seek His answers above all else? Adversity comes and we need to be able to withstand them and that only comes from above. God has to be everything and in first place in your life if you truly want to be used for His purposes.
  • Sometimes hardships happen to see how the Lord will turn our grief into joy…The great Shepherd said, “I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.” (John 16:20) God hears your cries and feels your sorrows, however He also promises to turn your tears into joy if you will let Him.
  • Sometimes things will get worse before they get better. It’s not because God doesn’t love you. Actually, it’s just the opposite. He loves you so much that He wants you to learn how to assume greater responsibilities. If He can trust you with little then He can trust you with much more. (Luke 16:10)
  • Sometimes difficulties or tragedies might happen in order to accomplish the greater purposes of God. Maybe God wants to “show off” in your life to have others see your situation and wonder how in the world are they making it through all this; and they end up being drawn into God’s presence from your difficult situation. “Neither this blind man sinned nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.” (John 9:4)
  • Misunderstandings, betrayals or difficulties can be used to prune people out of your life. Sometimes God will allow a difficulty to happen so you can determine who your real friends are. People that stick by you through the hardest of times are people you wish to surround yourself with. However on the flip side…individuals who say they would be there but aren’t are certainly people who you need to be grateful for your time together but let go so God can multiply you with better, caring friends.

It’s never easy going through a pruning phase in life. It is downright painful, filled with tears and just zaps the joy from you. But does it have to be? If you can allow yourself to see the greater purpose of the pruning process, you just might allow God to “prune away” and praise Him in the process. I know it’s difficult but if you will allow it to happen to the fullest degree, you will walk away with something more amazing and more precious than you could ever have imagined. God has good things in store for you. Embrace the pruning process to see God’s possibilities come to life!

 

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Note: Please disregard any advertisement you may encounter under this posting as the author does not endorse them. Thank you.

 

Stinkin’ Thinkin’

Aug24

Everyday we are bombarded by thoughts. Maybe you heard a song on the radio and started to reminisce about days gone by. Or, you’re at work and a thought pops into your head and you wonder where did that come from?

There is absolutely nothing wrong with thoughts. They are a part of our everyday life. With all the memories created throughout our life, it would be impossible not to think of them from time to time. However, there is a different side to our thought life that has devastating consequences.

When you are going through difficult times, your thoughts tend to be on the negative side.

Thoughts like:

  • I don’t have enough money.
  • I’ll never make something of myself.
  • I don’t have the right education or skills.
  • I can’t do it, it’s too hard.
  • I will never get over this sickness.
  • I’m a failure.
  • And so on, and so on, and so on…

One of the quickest and sure-fire ways to pain and suffering is to allow STINKIN’ THINKIN” into your life. They are extremely harmful. John 10:10 tells us that “the devil comes to steal, kill and destroy”. One of his ways of trying to destroy you is through your mind. As soon as a negative thought pops into your mind and you allow it to stay there; mulling it over, the devil has you under his control. Yet, the worse part is, is that if we allow ourselves to constantly think these stinkin’ thinkin’ thoughts; we remain in the difficult situation and it actually begins to spill into other areas of our life, becoming much worse than before.

Proverbs 23:7, tells us, “as he thinks, so is he.” So, let’s stop for a moment and really grasp this concept. If I am thinking that I’m a failure then, by this scripture, I am a failure. If I’m thinking that I’ll never have enough money then it tells me that I will continue to live in poverty. So, as you can see, just by this scripture alone, the Bible makes it very clear that our thought life is powerful. What we think about ourselves and our lives is exactly what it will become.

Then, what should we do about it? Overcoming stinkin’ thinkin’ can be quite simple. The best way to start is by realizing that Jesus defeated everything that could ever come against us. In 1 John 3:8, it explains the very reason why Jesus came to Earth, “…The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.” It simply doesn’t matter if you are being attacked in your health, relationships, finances, or in any other area of your life…Jesus WON long time ago.

So with this in mind, what does the Bible have to say about the things we should keep in our minds?

  • Philippians 4:8   “…whatever is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely…dwell on these things.”
  • 1 John 3:1            “…great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we be called children of God….”
  • John 10:10          “…He came to give us life and life more abundantly.”
  • Psalm 23:1           “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not lack.”
  • 2 Samuel 22:2     “The Lord is my Rock, my Fortress and my Deliverer.”
  • Isaiah 55:8           “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways.”
  • Philippians 4:13  “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

If you stop and really think about these scriptures, any stinkin’ thinkin’ that comes into your mind has absolutely no right to be there. God’s word simply tells us that no matter what we’re going through…We are WINNERS!  We are VICTORIOUS!

Since, Jesus already WON the battle and He is certainly more than capable of handling our situations, then all we need to do is…keep our thoughts on Him. And I for one believe that there is absolutely no better place to be, but, in the hands of Jesus.

So, as you can see, maintaining positive thoughts is detrimental to your well-being. Take a stand against negative stinkin’ thinkin’. Keep your thoughts on His word and become aggressive, for you are already a WINNER!

THINK LIKE IT…ACT LIKE IT!

 For your best days are just ahead!

 

Note: Please disregard any advertisement you may encounter as the author does not endorse them. Thank you.