You are special, don’t allow anyone to tell you any different! God created you as you and that makes you very special. God not only created you, but He also gifted you! God has given each of His special creations – special gifts! You have a special gift from God!
The Scriptures teach us to “Kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you.” 2 Timothy 1:6 What does this tell me? It tells me that I have a gift in me that God has given to me and I need to “kindle afresh” (fan into flame, stir up, readjust the embers) that gift, so that I can do the thing that God has given me to do and be the special creation that God has created me to be!
You have a gift in you that God has given you! Adjust the embers, stir up, fan into flame and kindle afresh this amazing gift and do what God created you to do. As you do, you will accomplish great things and discover the joy of being one of God’s special creations!
Busy, Busy, Busy! That is the way that most of us live our lives. We are almost always in motion either “going to” or “coming from!” To really get the most out of life, we must take some time to step out of the hurried activity and get to know what really matters. What really matters is a WHO!
Psalms 46:10 says” “Be still (cease striving) and know that I am God…” Eight little words packed with a powerful message!
BE STILL! Slow down and come to a complete stop! Don’t move a muscle! We need to learn to still our physical bodies, our minds and our spirits, so that we can see, hear and experience God. God is everywhere! God is all around us! The reason that we miss Him is not because He is not here, but because in our busyness, we fail to see, hear and experience Him. God tells us to cease our striving and in the still and quiet of a moment we can know and experience Him!
Know That I Am God! It is very possible in all of our busy activity to some how, without even realizing it, convince ourselves that we are God. We know that we are not, but often times, we live our lives as if we think that we are. What is really going to happen in this world if you take ten minutes out of your day to say no to everything else and yes to the Master? Do you really think that this world will come screeching to a halt without your activity in it for ten minutes?
Step Out And Away! If you want to know God – really know Him, then you must step out of the busyness and away from the distractions! Make sure that you take some time today to get out of the fray and into His presence! You will be glad that you did!
Good Day! We had a great day yesterday at Northwood. The band did an incredible job and even though the enemy was attacking – we did not let Him win! Thanks to all of you that help us each week to help people get into the presence of our Creator!
The Challenge! Yesterday – we challenged everyone to begin their day for the next 21 Days with God! I want to thank each of you for making the committment to practice a small discipline that will produce big results in your life. I am so excited about the challenge and change that can take place in our lives during the next 21 days!
QT Training! Yesterday we gave every one a QT Training Guide that can walk you through a daily time with God. It only takes about 7 – 10 minutes and allows you the begin your day with your Creator. If you did not get a copy – drop by the office and we will be glad to give you one. Also we are putting the daily info on the Northwood Group Page on Facebook!
God’s Word! Today we began with a simple and powerful verse found in Mark 1:35! It says: “In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there.”
Let’s break it down: First we see that it was in the early morning, before the busyness of the day began. Jesus escaped, got away to a private place to spend time with the Creator. Beginning our day with the Creator allows our fist steps of the day to be steps in the right direction!
Next we see that Jesus left the house and went to a secluded place! We need to get away from all of the distractions of life. We all need a little time in every day to escape the distractions, so that we can get focused on what really matters. Walk away from the distractions, they will be there when you get back, but won’t be near as destructive if you have invested valuable time with the Master!
Why did Jesus get up early and go to a private place? So that he could pray! So that he could spend time with his Creator! What did he do during this time? He talked – shared what was on his heart and mind with God. And He listened – opened his life to receive what was on the heart and mind of God.
God loves you and has an amazing plan for your life. We get in on that plan by spending some of our precious time with Him at the very beginning of our day. Jesus did it and I figure if it was important to him, then it should be important to us! God Bless, Press On And Keep It Real!
Michael Joe Harvell 