Category Archives: vision

Blogroll, journey, life, Mystery, Life,, personal growth, positive, purpose, self improvement, Spititual Development, vision

Victim Or Victor?

I have had some very unfair things happen to me in the living of this life and as much as I hate to admit it, I have been a part of some very unfair things in the lives of others. If we are honest with ourselves and one another, then this is true for all of God’s children.

Live life long enough and pay close enough attention and you will learn that life is about choices and choices have consequences. One of the biggest choices we make that determines in a great way the kind of life we are going to live is the choice between being a victim or a victor.

For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. -Romans 8:15

I’ve noticed something about victims that go on to live a life worth living, they almost never think of themselves as the victim. They know who they are and what they have been through, but they also at some point realize their personal power in making a choice and choose to be a victor over being a victim.

I’m not saying that nothing has ever happened to you or that something is never going to happen to you. I am not saying that you have not been or never will be a victim. The reality is that most of us have been there is some shape or size and we will be there again, but we do have a choice about staying there or growing on.

Most of us decide almost everyday to be a victim or a victor. Someone pulls out in front of us, slams on the breaks and makes us spill our venti mocha coffee – we decide to be a victim or a victor. Someone tells an untruth about us and we get misjudged, criticized and some times lose friendships, but still have to decide if we are going to be a victim or a victor.

A victim stays a victim, unless and until they decide to take their power back and exercise the control that God gave them to live the life of blessing they were created for. It is very easy to play the blame game, but the problem with the blame game is that it rarely ever changes anything for the better.

It’s easy to see all that is wrong, unfair and messed up in our life and get stuck in that place. It is easy to get so preoccupied with ourselves that we forget that for everyone life sucks at some point. The bottom line is this: If you don’t like where you are in this life, if you don’t like your situation and circumstances, then odds are that your life is not going to fix itself.

We need to look to God for guidance, direction and supernatural insight about what to do. We need to pray and ask God for His help and then we have to get busy doing our part to make sure that we are changing and growing , if we expect our life to change and grow.

There is nothing wrong with being a victim, but we have to make sure that we don’t stay a victim, because then we would miss our on the victory that we were created for.

Blogroll, Creativity, Enlightenment, Expectation, Growing, life, love, mindfulness, personal growth, self help, vision

Confidence – You Cannot Fail At Being Yourself!

I try to have a word for the day for most days and today my word was confidence. There are times when confidence seems to come easy for me and there are others times when confidence seems to be an illusive animal that I just can’t seem to track down. It’s kinda funny, because there are times when I am pretty confident of my confidence and other times when my lack of confidence really throws me into a state of confusion. So today, I wanted to think a little about confidence, what helps me to be confident, what gets in the way of confidence and the price I pay when I can’t figure this confidence thing out.

So one of the first things I needed to figure out and why do I want to develop my confidence, if that is even possible? And of source I think it is possible, so in order for me to figure out, I started to think about where my lack of confidence comes from and what it may be costing me, so that I could figure out if this was really even a battle worth fighting.

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. -Psalms 139:13-14

I want to develop more confidence, because I know that I don’t like the feeling of limitation that a lack of confidence produces in my life. You know that moment just before and right after you walk into a room full of people. That time and space, where you just don’t feel like you are enough. Not smart enough, good looking enough and we could fill in the blanks all night long. One of the major problems here is our getting caught up in the “comparison game”. Do not play this silly game, you will lose every time and if you don’t lose, you still lose!

I feel like I lack confidence when I am around people, because I want to be accepted and loved by everyone, but don’t always feel that I deserve that, because of past experiences. In so many ways I was loved and encouraged by my family and friends growing up, but that never seems to be what I focus on. Rather than focusing on the acceptance, encouragement and love I did have, I tend to think about what I didn’t have and it takes me straight down the road to a lack of confidence and often paralyzes me where I stand. We know this is not a right way of thinking, but it is the way that most of us do it, so now what?

One of the things I have been doing that has been a big help to me in a lot of different areas is taking time at the very beginning of my day to focus in on my day, who I want to be, what I want to accomplish, where I want to go, when and how I’m going to get there and why all this really matters. Thinking through these questions help me to put together a workable plan to get more meaningful things accomplished and this emphasis on meaningful work over busy work has contributed to me feeling more confident.

We have a choice, we can get distracted by who we are not, by what we don’t have and how we can never get there or we can find confidence in our success, build upon it and dream of growing better.

Think about just three words. Three words that help you to think about who you want to be, who you are going to be as you grow in your confidence. My three words that describe my future best self is blessed, confident and successful.

Everyday that I get to do what I was created to do is a blessing. The by product of growing is that I develop confidence that helps me to become even more effective in all that I do. Living this life and being happy is the greatest form of success that I can ask for and I have discovered that I have ll of this and more when I am fulfilling my called and created purpose…

Blogroll, Discipleship, Enlightenment, faith, forgiveness, Friendship, God, Growing, journey, life, love, positive, vision

The Name Of Jesus!

Before you decide to skip this one, please just take a moment, because you might find something worthy here. Even if you do not consider yourself to be a “believer”, if you will just give it a chance with an open heart and mind, I think you will be amazed at the difference the name of Jesus can and will make in your life. I mean, honestly, what do you have to lose by just opening yourself up to something different and new? I’m not talking about religion here, but I am talking about what could be the beginning of a beautiful new relationship…

This past Sunday, I finished preaching a series of messages on Jesus and as I was looking back on my notes for the past month, I could not help but be reminded at what a meaningful, sweet and powerful name the name of Jesus really is. Jesus is the name that is above every name. Jesus is a name that has to be explained by a thousand other names in order for us to truly grasp the depth and width of just how amazing our Savior really is.

9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. -Philippians 2:9-11

The name “Jesus” means Savior and that is exactly what Jesus is. Jesus is our Savior. Jesus saves us from our sins, failures and mistakes. Jesus saves us from our past so that we might grow in our present and enjoy our future. Jesus saves us from living a wasted life and enables us to live a life of purpose that brings us blessing and fulfillment.

Jesus helps us to understand the great power that flows through obedience to God’s will and way. Jesus defends us and stands up for us when no one else will. Jesus has no limitations and can do whatever we need Him to do and He loves to perform miracles on our behalf and for God’s glory. Jesus is the beginning and the end and gives meaning to the in between. Jesus has chosen me and so I choose Him. Jesus is writing the story of my life and willing to take an active part in it’s success. Jesus has always watched over me and He watches over me now. Jesus is my food when I am hungry and my drink when I am thirsty. Jesus is my light in the darkness, my Captain through the rough seas, my shepherd leading me beside the still waters. Jesus is the Lord of my life, the King of all kings and the only way that really matters.

There is something about that name. I want to encourage you to think about it, speak it and believe in it, because it is the not so secret source of strength to every challenge you will ever encounter. At the very mention of His name: Every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord…