Monthly Archives: March 2009

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Inside-Outside!

Jesus said in Matthew 15:  “What comes out of your mouth reveals what is in your heart!”  This is such a powerful statement!  Think about it:  Whatever is in you is coming out of you and whatever comes out of you is going to reveal what is really in you!  Have you ever taken the time to really listen to yourself?  What are you saying and what is (what you are saying) saying about you and the condition of your heart?  I don’t really know about you, but I know that I’ve got some work to do!

I want to share just one more thought before I go to work on myself.  Not only do we need to be concerned with what is coming out, but we need to also pay attention to what we are putting in.  Think about the destructive words that you allow into you heart and mind everyday through radio, television, gossip and just general conversation.  We need to do all that we can to cut out this destructive stuff.  And we need to make sure that we are filling ourselves with the positive stuff of God and His Word.

It really is a simple equation:  My Life – the bad/negative/physical/self + the good/positive/spiritual/Godly = Power & Blessing!  Let’s get rid of the bad stuff of this world and replace it with the good stuff of God, so that when something does come out of us – it gives God GLORY!

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What This World Needs!

If you are a Christian – then do me, yourself and others a favor – start acting like it!  According to Romans 6:1-23, you can’t live any ole way that you want to!  You can’t be a Believer and continue to live in sin!  When you accept Christ, the Bible teaches, that you die to sin.  If you died to sin, then you can’t continue to live in sin!  We like to place the blame on others for the problems in this world, but we need to take a good, long, hard and honest look in the mirror.  What many of us would see in that mirror is a pretender or poser – someone who is just going through the motions without any real commitment!  (I know you think you are committed and that you have convinced yourself that you are and that everything is okay!  It’s not your opinion that matters – what does Jesus say about your commitment?  BE HONEST!)

Jesus Christ came and died for our SALVATION!  Salvation is so much more than just getting out of hell and into Heaven. Salvation is about a relationship that last for eternity.  Salvation is about living a new and better life.  Salvation is about living daily in the forgiveness and power of a relationship that can change your life by allowing your life to matter and make a difference to others!

What this world needs is for people that say they are Christians, to really be Christians by living the life that Jesus has made possible through His death and resurrection!  Stop wasting God’s grace!  Live the life that you were created to live!  Get your eyes off of yourself and others and focus on Jesus!

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Give God Your Best!

Promotion is God’s business!  Stay faithful right were God has placed you!  Give your best today! 

This world almost pushes you to push yourself.  Much of our energy is spent on our trying to get ourselves to somewhere that we think the world says that we have to be to be successful.  Stop trying to get yourself to whatever place it is that you think you have to be to be happy.  Happiness is not found in our arrival at a destination, but in our learning to appreciate the journey that God allows us to travel.  Learn to enjoy the journey -one moment at a time, one day at a time! 

You are where you are today and that is where God has you!  Remember that God has a perfect plan for your life.  Don’t get in the way and mess that perfect plan up.  Stay faithful to Him and trust Him to grow and move you to where He wants you to be.  Wherever you find yourself today – GIVE GOD YOUR BEST and know and trust that HE WILL TAKE CARE OF THE REST!

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Powerful Emotions!

img000057Emotions are powerful things!  I am going to tell you something you know, but seldom really think about:  You can control your emotions or your emotions will control you.  Some of the emotions that we experience in life are negative and they seek to dominate and control us.  Fear, anger, frustration, lust and discouragement will turn you into a slave, if you are not careful.  These negative emotions eat at us, steal our joy and rob us of our peace.  Negative emotions are like a cancer, they seek to destroy everything they can.

God wants you to have positive emotions such as love, joy and peace!  Jesus Christ came and died on the cross, so that you could have love, joy and peace!  The Holy Spirit is active and alive right now, so that you can have love, joy and peace!  Don’t let the devil and the negative emotions of this life keep you from having, experiencing and living in all of the amazing power that God has for you.

You will have challenges and you will face hard and difficult times, but stay positive, trust God and you will discover that your courage and confidence in Him, will empower you to think, feel, act and experience victory – no matter what the circumstances!  Emotions do not have to be a bad thing.  We just have to learn how to use our emotions, rather than have them use us.

Here are a few things that you can do today to deal with your emotions:  1.)  Take some time to pray!  Just talk to God and tell Him what is going on in your life and how you feel.  He will not be surprised or caught off guard.  2.)  Make some time to listen!  Open your heart and mind and listen for what the Spirit of God is saying to you.  (The Bible is always a good resource in listening!)  3.)  Refocus your life!  Take what you have said to God and what God has said to you and get your life into alignment with Him!

God is who He says He is and you can trust in Him!

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Freedom!

“For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.”  Galatians 5:13

God came into this world and died on a cross to buy and pay for our freedom!  Jesus set us free so that we could be free!  And because we are free, we should give of ourselves for the Kingdom.

We abuse our freedom, when we fail to use it for Jesus!  God loves us and has an amazing plan for our lives, but we miss out on that plan because we fail to live in the power of the freedom that He has granted!  Don’t waste the freedom that Jesus has given you!  Use it for Him and for His glory and you will be amazed at how He will use your life to generate and share blessing!

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The Door!

Everyday we are tempted and temptation is not optional.  Think about it:  everyday, multiple times throughout the day, you are tempted.  You are tempted to do something or you are tempted to not do something.  There are some things that we should not do, but we do them anyway.  There are some things that we know that we should do, but we fail to ever get around to doing them. 

Tybee Island Light House 08 Georgia State Hog Rally

Tybee Island Light House 08 Georgia State Hog Rally

Temptation is a door to victory or defeat – you get to make the choice!

 

The things that we should not do, that we end up doing anyway – almost always cost us more than they are worth.  And the things that we should do, that we never get around to – almost always keep us from experiencing some amazing blessing that God has in store for us!

As you are tempted today – remember that the temptation is a door and you get to decide where it is going to take you – to victory or defeat!

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Repentance Equals Change!

The message of Jesus was very simple:  REPENT!  To repent means to change – we cannot stay the same!  Jesus was not telling us to change for change sake.  Jesus challenges us to change because He knows things and can see things that you and I cannot!  Jesus knows that our lives can and should be better.  Jesus knows the great things that God has in store for those that love Him.  Jesus knows the change that you need to make and the great difference the change will make in your life!

Change is a good thing, especially when it is the right change!  We are resistant to change because we tend to think in a negative way about change.  Not all change is negative.  And a lot of the change that we look at as negative is not really negative – it’s just hard!  Just because it is hard does not make it a bad thing, especially if it is going to lead to good things!  The key is to make sure that we are not changing just for change sake!

Everyone of us have some changes that need to be made in our lives.  You know what I am talking about – you have been thinking about and fighting against some changes that you have been needing to make for a while now.  Take a few moment right now to stop and pray.  Just talk to God and ask Him to reveal to you the areas of your life that need to be worked on and worked out!  Now take just a little more time to do what needs to be done!  See – that was not so bad after all – was it?

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Does God Have A Plan For Your Life?

My Daughter Gracie WalkingThe Tracks That I Grew Up On!

My Daughter Gracie WalkingThe Tracks That I Grew Up On!

I was  reading through Matthew 2 this morning about the birth of Jesus and it was amazing to see how God had everything mapped out!  The Magi, the star in the east, the prophecies, the dreams and the moves!  Does God have a plan for your life?  The answer to the question is pretty obvious – most of us believe that God does in fact have a plan for our lives.  But the “yes” answer is the easy part.  What kind of plan?  How much of a plan?  Do I get a choice in the plan?  These are all very important questions and help us to realize that while God has a plan for our lives, we still have responsibility!

Are you taking your responsibility seriously?  Are you doing your part to discover and live in the blessing of God’s plan?  It is one thing to know that God has a plan for our lives.  It is another thing altogether to believe that God has a plan for our lives.  To know and believe means that you are going to live life differently.  To know and believe means that you want to make sure that you are doing your part to stay in step with God’s plan.  To know and believe means that you will live life on purpose and for a purpose!

God does have a plan for your life and it is an amazing and beautiful thing!  Take some time today to think about His plan and how you can walk in step with it!  And then take your thinking one step forward by doing your part – whatever your part is that God has shown you!

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FAITH!

The Bible says that faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen!  We mess faith up when we put it in a person or thing that it was never intended to be placed in.  Faith was created by God and for God!  We need to put our faith in God, His power and His will!  I believe in people and I, often times believe in them so much, that I put my faith in them – the problem is this:  When I put my faith in people, I take away from my faith in God!  I need to keep my faith, all of it – in God!  Every time that I put my faith in people, I am let down and disappointed.  I am expecting way to much!

We need to love people, walk with people and grow in life together with people, but we need to keep our Faith in God and His will for our lives!  People will let you down, not because they mean to, just simply because they are people.  God will never let you down, and He will always be available to pick you up, if you will just have faith in Him!  Trust God and He will provide the faith that you need to keep trusting Him every moment of every day!

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Tomorrow Is Sunday!

Northwood Snowman!

Northwood Snowman!

Tomorrow is going to be an awesome day and you do not want to miss it!  God has been teaching us some amazing things over the past few months about our growing to become who and what He has called us to be!  You can be re-awakened to the greatness of God and experience radical and powerful change in your life!

Tomorrow God will remind us of THREE THINGS THAT WE MUST NOT FORGET!  These three things – when remembered will allow us to face whatever life has to throw at us and be stronger because of it!  It is amazing how the most simple truths can have the most profound impact on and in our lives!  You do not want to miss this!

We will also learn how to apply and live in the power of John 15:7-8.  God created you to bear fruit and when you bear fruit, you find and experience amazing fulfillment and satisfaction!  The real secret of a successful Christian life is not really a secret at all!  The secret is learning to ABIDE.  It is not as hard or as difficult as you might think – you can and will,  if you want to, so join me tomorrow and God will teach us something!  Hope to see you at NORTHWOOD – it’s going to be AWESOME!