Category Archives: change

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Running On Empty!

One of the things I began to notice in my life as I got older was how often I allowed myself to get to the place where I was “running on empty”. I started to understand that I wasn’t trying to run on empty, in fact, I was trying to fill myself up, but was using the wrong fuel. Often while we are busy filling our ego, we are emptying our spirit and this is no way to live, not if you want to live the life of blessing you were created for.

The old saying: “What you feed will grow!” is more true than ever and if we are honest, a lot of us have been feeding the wrong animal, while neglecting what really matters. This is why the Scriptures are so important to our figuring out this thing called life and why we need to read them and seek to put them into practice everyday. Even baby steps in the right direction produce progress.

5 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. -Philippians 4:5-7

We’ve already learned that God does not promise us happiness, but He does promise us joy and if we will allow the joy of the Lord to be our strength, it will help us to live blessed lives that produce happiness. So the goal then, is to fill up your “JOY TANK!”

Filling Up Your Joy Tank!

The first strip to filling up your Joy Tank: Become Known As A “Take It Easy” Person! A take it easy person is gentle, reasonable, wise and able to handle whatever life throws their way! It is important to remember that gentleness is not the absence of strength, but strength that is disciplined and under control. This is the goal for this life and is a work in progress until when Christ returns!

The second step to filling up your Joy Tank: Don’t Worry About Anything & Pray About Everything! It is very important to remind ourselves that worry is present when faith is absent! Let me say that again, because we usually miss it. WORRY IS PRESENT WHEN FAITH IS ABSENT! If you have worry in your life, then you are not exercising belief/faith/trust in God and His promises. The key to your success lies in you being able to replace your worry with faith and the best way I know to do this is by taking time to have conversation with our Creator. Remember: Prayer is conversation and conversation involves speaking and listening! So, talk to God and tell God what is on your heart and mind and then make sure that you are listening for His instruction, guidance and wisdom.

The Third Step To Filling Your Joy Tank: Let God’s Peace Guard Your Heart And Mind! It is very important to remember one of the major life truths that we often forget: “You are in charge of you!” Whatever you are – you have made the choice! Wherever you find yourself, chances are it is because of decisions you have made. We can waste our time blaming everyone and everything else, but that will not change who or what we are. What will change the who and where is our making the choice and decision to do something about it! Here’s a simple question that can help to clear things up: Are you what you want to be and are you who God created you to be??? If not, join God in creating a better, new and improved version of yourself. It will be an amazing journey and you will find that it is amazing where you can go on a full tank!

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Get On The Joy Bus!

Joy is more than just a happy word. Joy is a spiritual principle, a process of growing and maturing in your faith that allows you to not just survive life, but to thrive in the living of it. Joy can be found in the simplest of things, such as recognizing and feeling the warmth of the sun on your skin, seeing the smiling face of a cute baby or hearing the words “I love you!” Joy is so much more than just a feeling, it is a deep down assurance that you are okay and life is good.

I have found that the greatest sense of joy flows into and through my life, when I move beyond myself and begin to consider others. Serving others opens up my physical, mental and spiritual life, so that joy can flow to and through me. I am discovering that joy is not the result of a life well lived, but the cause. In other words: Joy helps me to live the life of blessing I was created to live.

Live life long enough and you are going to do battle with worry. If we are not careful, worry will act as a weed and grow all over the place before we know it. Just like we have to get rid of weeds are they get out of control, we must get rid of worry or it will take control. We cannot simply ignore it and wish that it would go away.

6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. -Philippians 4:6-7

So we need to eradicate the weed of worry and cultivate the growth of joy in our hearts and lives. This does not happen by accident, but by our intentional effort to create the right circumstances uses the tools God has given us.

The Solution To Worry Is Joy!

Joy is not something we manufacture, joy is something we discover. We find Joy when we find God. We grow joy, when we grow our relationship with our Creator. We should have joy in who God is & what He has done! God is our loving Heavenly Creator. He wants to walk with us, talk with us and guide us to blessings in this life and the everlasting life to come. God has made a way where there was no way, because He love us and genuinely desires to have a personal and meaningful relationship with us.

Real joy praises, thanks and talks openly! It is easy to pretend you have joy, but real joy is not something you make yourself feel. It is something that bubbles up from deep inside of you. Real joy flows from our relationship with our Creator and focuses on what is right over what is wrong and creates more of the good stuff. Real joy is grateful for everything that life brings our way, knowing that God uses is all for the blessing of those that love Him and who are called according to His purposes. Real joy is honest, real and able to take on and take out anything that does not belong.

Real joy is ours because: God can and will hear and answer our prayers! God loves you, has an amazing plan for your life and wants to give you more and better than the desires of your heart. Instead of focusing on your problems and suffering the loss of joy, focus on God and His goodness and joy will find you. Once joy finds you, allow it to flow to and through you and it will grow into something truly special – a gift that keeps on giving…

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This Is The Way!

Our Biggest Challenge: God’s Ways Are Not Our Ways!

I think one of the biggest challenges in life has to be the realization that there is more than one way. I mean 2+4=6, but so does 3+3=6 and they are both right. Live life long enough and you will discover that there is the right way and the wrong way, the easy way and the hard way, God’s way and your way, and we could go on and on and on.

8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. 9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts higher than your thoughts. -Isaiah 55:8-9

You’ve Tried It Your Way!

Let’s get honest and real for a few moments: You’ve tried it your way and things just aren’t lining up and working out. You know there is a better way and you know that better way is God’s way, so why are you so hard headed and reluctant to let go of your way and try God’s way? If it because you are afraid that it might actually work and you might start enjoying this gift called life? Is it because you have become so accustomed to misery that you think there is no other way to live?

I want to challenge you to get really real with yourself for just a few moments. You’ve been doing life your way and how’s that working out for you? Do you really think that you are living up to your God-given potential and are you really experiencing all of the blessings you were created to experience and share? Most of us, if we are honest, have to admit that we are living way below the level of our blessed, created potential and we know that God has so much more in store.

Seriously think about it! Take a look back on your life and living and learn whatever this life is trying to teach you or you will continue to repeat the same mistakes and live the same life. God has better and God wants better for you, but God loves you and will never force his blessings upon you.

If you do what you’ve always done, you will get what you’ve always got! If you want a better and more blessed life, then you have to admit that you don’t have it all figured out and that is totally okay. Once we admit that we don’t have it all figured out, then we can begin to look to the One Who does have it all figured out and He will direct and guide us to where we need to be and give us the strength to do what we need to do, so that our life and living aligns with His plans for blessing and growth.

You can’t, but God can and He has and He will, if you will get out of His way…