The Promise of Change

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May 242010
 

Are you caught off guard when the power bill arrives every month? Not because of the bill itself, but just because the power company sent you one?

Are you surprised by Christmas just showing up?

No. We expect to receive bills for our utilities- and we know that Christmas is on December 25th every year. We expect it.

However we seem surprised every time a trial hits our lives. Like we just totally didn’t expect it. I mean what is a trial doing, showing up, in our lives when we serve God?

We love to claim the good things in the bible- blessings, favor, overcoming…
But in order to have blessings you have to have went through rough storms, in order to have favor you had to have been at the bottom. How could you recognize overcoming if there wasn’t something to overcome?

We claim the good- but we skip over the parts in the bible that tell us to be prepared for the trials. Jesus said ‘you shall suffer persecution’. Why do we think we are exempt? Why are we surprised by attacks of the enemy.
It would be like getting my paycheck and spending every bit of it- and then be surprised when bills show up at my house and I say “Where did these come from? How am I going to pay these?”
We cannot be ignorant of satan’s devices. We have to know that trials will come. We have to be prepared for the storms that will hit. But there is good news in a storm’s arrival. It means it’s testing time. It means God sees you are ready for the next level- and you only get to the next level by way of an enemy or a trial. -Don’t focus on the perilous sea, Peter!-

Realize that these times must happen- but you are GUARANTEED to win! You are guaranteed to overcome. There is a parable which most should know. Two men built houses, one on the sand, one on a rock. The same storm hit both homes- the same rains came down upon them, the same winds blew against their homes- but only one stood. That is the guarantee we have. If we build upon the foundation of God’s word, we can ‘outlast’ any storm or trial.

We worry when we doubt God’s promises. We expect thing’s not to change- and so we are caught unaware- and we suffer for it. If we prepare our self with prayer, the Word, and good management in our lives- then we will be ready when bad times come. We will see an increase when others are barely keeping their heads above water or sinking.

God and His word are the only constant in life. God will not change, and His word will not change. So don’t hold onto comfortable places or positions in life- they WILL change. It is inevitable that change will come. Your life will change. Your job situation will change. Your friends will change. Your family will change. Your finances will change. This is all for the good and the bad.

Enjoy the good times and stock up during them for the bad that will come. In the bad times don’t fret, after all you should have known it was going to come, the good thing is it’s guaranteed to go. Everything changes. Praise God it changes. If we hold onto material, earthly things because we think it’s ours forever we are going to be distraught when that stuff leaves us. But if we live in the kingdom everyday- then everything we have belongs to the King. Even the time belongs to the Lord. The place in our life is His and He does not change. I can still trust His word in the midst of every battle. I can still trust Him when everything is stacked against me. So if finances begin to dwindle, but I have been managing correctly, it’s OK. Because He owns that too. He’s allowing that time to hit, that storm to come my way. But I will get promotion on the other side, an increase when I make it through- I am guaranteed to come out of the situation. It’s just a season. It’s temporary.

He’s the God of change- but He Himself will not change- so all I need is His word. His promises. Him. After all He IS everything. He is the I AM.

Be thankful for the promise of change.

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It’s Seasonal

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May 112010
 

It can be easy sometimes to let the fluctuations of life’s events and circumstances determine our mood. But you need to make up your mind to stop that today. It’s your mind.

Do you know how powerful your mind is? You were made in the image of God. (Genesis 1:26)

Let’s look at something interesting- Mass Hysteria. Mass Hysteria is a very interesting phenomenon. It is a display of the power of the mind. It happens when a group of people form similar symptoms of another individual because they believe it is contagious. It occurs mostly with disease or sickness but has occurred with other triggering events. There have been times when a mysterious substance has been found (chemical, or powder) and one person thought they were getting sick from it and then an entire staff was hospitalized because they all thought they had exposure to what was later found out to be non-toxic. People suffering from mass hysteria have formed all symptoms up to strange spots on their body of similar nature and even loss of consciousness. The mind is a powerful thing. You are what you believe!

What does the bible say about this?

Proverbs 23:7
“For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he…”

So if you believe you’re supposed to be poor, you will be poor. If you believe you are supposed to be an employee, you will never run a business. If you believe you are to follow, you will never be a leader. If you believe you are where you deserve, you will never have better.

If you believe how others define you, you will never discover who you are!

So as a man thinks… so he is. It’s time to change- but you first have to convince someone, yourself. You can make up your ‘mind’. You can decide to be different. You can decide to change your family tree. You can decide to do the opposite of what you normally would do. You just have to change your mind. Once you get your mind set to something, nothing can stop you. People can define you all they want to- but they will not be able to stop you from becoming who you were born to be unless you allow them to. It’s your mind, make it up. Don’t look at your surroundings, or current position in life, or on a job- that’s temporary.

I was listening to Myles Munroe speak recently about President Abraham Lincoln. Before he became president he was in an insane asylum. Who knew? The next president of the United States of America would come out of the insane asylum, and he was a good one! Paul was a murderer, David was a sheppard boy- but one would write virtually the entire new testament and the other would become king of Israel. What if they had let their positions in life define them. Joshua arose from the prisons of Egypt to become the second in command of the superpower of his day. What a difference when we don’t believe our circumstances but have a vision of something greater.

Remember your current place in life may not be what you want it to be, but it’s only seasonal. Seasons come and seasons go. Nothing stays the same. The only thing that is constant is God and His word.

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Mondays Are Awesome

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May 102010
 

Do you ever hear anyone say this?
Rarely. In today’s society it’s a badge of honor to hate your boss, hate your job, get aggravated in traffic, complain about your wages, and to “just get by” in life. It means your ‘normal’. You fit in with everyone else- well most people. Since elementary school you were reformed into believing if you could be like everyone else you would be alright.

But the truth is being like everyone else is horrible. Being like everyone else is easy. It’s the path of least resistance. It means you’ve settled. Settling is boring and gives nothing in life. What really stands out are the ones who challenge. Challenge themselves, the system, the normal ways, and standard convention. These are the ones who do something worth remembering, who make things exciting, who improve the standard, and who get the most attacks. That’s right… attacks. After all you’re not in line with the rest of the lemmings.

What would life be without these kinds of people. If it wasn’t for these kinds of thinkers, America would still be a colony of Britain. Anyone can fit in- it takes risk to achieve great results.

I like to start off any project or implementation of an idea with the thought of “What is the absolute worst thing that could happen?” When I face these realities, it doesn’t sound as bad as if I didn’t say it out loud and I let it loom in my mind as ‘the end of the world’. It’s not. It can’t be.

I love Mondays! See for me, it’s just another day in the kingdom, and everyday in the kingdom is a good day. So what can I change today, who can I encourage, what can I influence, what area can I impact? Ask yourself these questions. Do you like your life? If not, then change it! Change it all up. You are in control of your life and where you are. Think about this statement…

You are in the position you thought you were worth.

You either need to be where you think you should be in life, moving towards the place you should be in life, or making a change of your direction to go where your purpose is. That’s where true self worth is- fulfilling your calling, exercising your gift, and loving every minute of it.

That’s Kingdom!

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