I Asked God to...
I asked God to take away my pain.
God said, No.
It is not for me to take away, but for you to give it up.
I asked God to make my handicapped child whole.
God said, No.
Her spirit was whole, her body was only temporary.
I asked God to grant me patience.
God said, No.
Patience is a by-product of tribulations; it isn't granted, it is learned.
I asked God to give me happiness.
God said, No.
I give you blessings. Happiness is up to you.
I asked God to spare me pain.
God said, No.
Suffering draws you apart from worldly cares and brings you closer to me.
I asked God to make my spirit grow.
God said, No.
You must grow on your own, but I will prune you to make you fruitful.
I asked for all things that I might enjoy life.
God said, No.
I will give you life so that you may enjoy all things.
I ask God to help me LOVE others,
as much as he loves me.
God said...Ahhhh,
finally you have the idea.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Write The Vision
Today’s Verse: “…Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it” (Habakkuk 2:2, ESV).
Today’s Word"
Most businesses today have a mission statement that talks about the purpose of the company. In life, every person should also have their own mission statement. What’s your purpose? What are you dreaming about? What are your goals? How are you going to use your talents and abilities? Many people have an idea about where they are headed in life, but something supernatural happens when you write down your vision and make a plan. There’s a resolve that takes place on the inside of you. No longer is that thing just a dream, but now it’s something you can look at every day. The people around you can see it, too. You never know how God is going to use someone in your life to help you get to where you need to be. If they can see your vision, then they can run with it!
I want to encourage you, don’t just vaguely live day to day. Make the decision to write down the dreams and visions you have in your heart. Submit your plans to the Lord and watch what He will do to bring them to pass.
Prayer for Today: Father God, thank You for the dreams and desires You’ve placed in my heart. Direct my steps. Fill me with Your peace. Show me the purpose and plan You have for me so that I can make them clear. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Today’s Word"
Most businesses today have a mission statement that talks about the purpose of the company. In life, every person should also have their own mission statement. What’s your purpose? What are you dreaming about? What are your goals? How are you going to use your talents and abilities? Many people have an idea about where they are headed in life, but something supernatural happens when you write down your vision and make a plan. There’s a resolve that takes place on the inside of you. No longer is that thing just a dream, but now it’s something you can look at every day. The people around you can see it, too. You never know how God is going to use someone in your life to help you get to where you need to be. If they can see your vision, then they can run with it!
I want to encourage you, don’t just vaguely live day to day. Make the decision to write down the dreams and visions you have in your heart. Submit your plans to the Lord and watch what He will do to bring them to pass.
Prayer for Today: Father God, thank You for the dreams and desires You’ve placed in my heart. Direct my steps. Fill me with Your peace. Show me the purpose and plan You have for me so that I can make them clear. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Monday, September 21, 2009
12 Affirmations for Christians
1. I am uniquely created by God for a specific purpose.
God created only one model with my exact DNA. He specifically selected my parents, siblings, race, nationality, mental capacity, physical features and time in history. Like any responsible artist, architect, designer or inventor, God certainly had a precise purpose in mind before He went to all the trouble assembling me.
2. I use Jesus Christ as my role model.
I, like Jesus, want to do nothing from myself, independently, of my own accord, but only as I am taught by God and get His orders. Even as I hear, I judge; and my judgment is just and right because I refuse to seek to consult my own will [my own aim, my own purpose], but only the will and pleasure of the Father who sent me. (John 5:30 AMP)
3. I live each day in the awareness that there is time to do everything God wants me to do.
There is not time to do everything; there is not time to do everything good or everything everyone else wants me to do; and there is definitely not time to do everything that "I" want to do. But there is time to do everything that God is asking me to do today.
4. I acknowledge that God is providing everything and everyone required for me to fulfill His purposes in my life.
Money, manpower and the means-necessary are provided (or withheld) to help me understand His direction and plan for my life. When finances are tight, I make different decisions than I would have if money was flowing. I receive this as God's method of helping me know what to do when.
5. I recognize that every encounter is God's providence versus mere happenstance.
God Himself is ordering my life: I enjoy blessings, not luck. My fate is not up for grabs but is secure in Christ. My coincidences are really God-incidents. I am led by God, not circumstances. Instead, God will use every situation to help me understand His activity in my life, if I will recognize His desire to do so.
6. I REFUSE to focus on negatives in myself, in others or in my circumstances.
I routinely analyze all negative influences in my life for object lessons and quickly run them the painful portions of each to the foot of the cross. I then visualize myself joining Christ on the cross, and there, through His power in me, I look at my offender (even if it is myself) and say, "Father, I forgive them. They don't even know how badly they have hurt me." Then, crawling down again, I move in a resurrected fashion through life, ready to extend God's forgiveness to every offender (even if they do not yet realize their offenses).
7. I feed on God's Word.
I have verse cards in my pockets, car, kitchen, desk drawer and on my mirror. My thoughts return to my current memory verse frequently as I meditate on the Bread of Life.
8. I breathe the air of prayer.
I pray frequently, and without ceasing. I can go a few days without water and a few weeks without food, but I cannot survive ten minutes without oxygen. Like a dolphin surfacing for air, I must frequently burst through the clouds of life into the Sonshine of God, through prayer, or I will begin to suffocate spiritually (defined: stress).
9. I take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
My alarm system goes off at the earliest signs of "self" sins including self-centeredness, self-indulgence, self-righteousness, and the mother of them all, self-pity. I trust God to show me all wrong thoughts, after which I give them to Christ, as if they were prisoners of war with which He must deal.
10. I praise God through every situation. No exceptions.
Everything that comes into my life, Satan wants to use to destroy me; but everything that comes into my life, God wants to use for my good. I refuse to wallow in disappointment, despair or self-pity, choosing instead to partner with God for His best in my life by moving immediately to praise. (Praising God through a devastating situation is called "the sacrifice of praise".)
11. I follow the Leader, doing every NEXT STEP that God ordains for me.
It is impossible for God to take me from the comfort of my current position into the glory of battles won without first working me through boot camp. I recognize that every obstacle, set-back, disappointment and challenge are God-ordained as training tools to prepare me for my destiny in Christ. I receive them with joy and push through with determined faith and hope.
12. I resolve to be patient with His process - as I firmly believe that all the events of my life are interactive.
I trust God more than I trust a physician, who would readily cut me open rather than see me die. I trust God more than I trust a professor, who would willingly inflict a painful score on me rather than watch me miss the knowledge I'd need to succeed. I trust God more than I trust an employer, whose regular paychecks appear to sustain me. I trust God, no matter what!
God created only one model with my exact DNA. He specifically selected my parents, siblings, race, nationality, mental capacity, physical features and time in history. Like any responsible artist, architect, designer or inventor, God certainly had a precise purpose in mind before He went to all the trouble assembling me.
2. I use Jesus Christ as my role model.
I, like Jesus, want to do nothing from myself, independently, of my own accord, but only as I am taught by God and get His orders. Even as I hear, I judge; and my judgment is just and right because I refuse to seek to consult my own will [my own aim, my own purpose], but only the will and pleasure of the Father who sent me. (John 5:30 AMP)
3. I live each day in the awareness that there is time to do everything God wants me to do.
There is not time to do everything; there is not time to do everything good or everything everyone else wants me to do; and there is definitely not time to do everything that "I" want to do. But there is time to do everything that God is asking me to do today.
4. I acknowledge that God is providing everything and everyone required for me to fulfill His purposes in my life.
Money, manpower and the means-necessary are provided (or withheld) to help me understand His direction and plan for my life. When finances are tight, I make different decisions than I would have if money was flowing. I receive this as God's method of helping me know what to do when.
5. I recognize that every encounter is God's providence versus mere happenstance.
God Himself is ordering my life: I enjoy blessings, not luck. My fate is not up for grabs but is secure in Christ. My coincidences are really God-incidents. I am led by God, not circumstances. Instead, God will use every situation to help me understand His activity in my life, if I will recognize His desire to do so.
6. I REFUSE to focus on negatives in myself, in others or in my circumstances.
I routinely analyze all negative influences in my life for object lessons and quickly run them the painful portions of each to the foot of the cross. I then visualize myself joining Christ on the cross, and there, through His power in me, I look at my offender (even if it is myself) and say, "Father, I forgive them. They don't even know how badly they have hurt me." Then, crawling down again, I move in a resurrected fashion through life, ready to extend God's forgiveness to every offender (even if they do not yet realize their offenses).
7. I feed on God's Word.
I have verse cards in my pockets, car, kitchen, desk drawer and on my mirror. My thoughts return to my current memory verse frequently as I meditate on the Bread of Life.
8. I breathe the air of prayer.
I pray frequently, and without ceasing. I can go a few days without water and a few weeks without food, but I cannot survive ten minutes without oxygen. Like a dolphin surfacing for air, I must frequently burst through the clouds of life into the Sonshine of God, through prayer, or I will begin to suffocate spiritually (defined: stress).
9. I take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
My alarm system goes off at the earliest signs of "self" sins including self-centeredness, self-indulgence, self-righteousness, and the mother of them all, self-pity. I trust God to show me all wrong thoughts, after which I give them to Christ, as if they were prisoners of war with which He must deal.
10. I praise God through every situation. No exceptions.
Everything that comes into my life, Satan wants to use to destroy me; but everything that comes into my life, God wants to use for my good. I refuse to wallow in disappointment, despair or self-pity, choosing instead to partner with God for His best in my life by moving immediately to praise. (Praising God through a devastating situation is called "the sacrifice of praise".)
11. I follow the Leader, doing every NEXT STEP that God ordains for me.
It is impossible for God to take me from the comfort of my current position into the glory of battles won without first working me through boot camp. I recognize that every obstacle, set-back, disappointment and challenge are God-ordained as training tools to prepare me for my destiny in Christ. I receive them with joy and push through with determined faith and hope.
12. I resolve to be patient with His process - as I firmly believe that all the events of my life are interactive.
I trust God more than I trust a physician, who would readily cut me open rather than see me die. I trust God more than I trust a professor, who would willingly inflict a painful score on me rather than watch me miss the knowledge I'd need to succeed. I trust God more than I trust an employer, whose regular paychecks appear to sustain me. I trust God, no matter what!
Friday, September 18, 2009
DAILY AFFIRMATIONS
"I will sing with my spirit, but I also will sing with my mind"
1 Corinthians 14:15b (NIV)
In the garden of our minds, weeds can choke out the beautiful flora that God intends for us to have. These weeds are destructive, unhealthy thoughts, beliefs, and interpretations left over from years of automatic thinking. We call these self-destructive thought patterns the Enemyfs pests and Vermin. In Renewing Your Mind, our program details powerful steps to chase these pests out, replanting the void with the beauty of Godly abundance.
Affirmations are the most powerful, immediate way to replant your garden. Affirmations are strong, positive and unbelievable statements about you. To grow, you must move into a new state of being that you have never know before. Because this new landscape is unknown to you, visualizing it ahead of time will be unfamiliar. Therefore, these statements about the soon to be new you will be unbelievable at first. They must be to lay the fertile soil necessary for the replanting to take root.
Creating new, strong, positive statements will feel unnatural at first. There are many ways to do this. The simplest is to reverse whatever negative thoughts you have uncover form a daily writing log. If you perceive a negative thought like "Ifll never get ahead" you reverse to say "I always get ahead". If you hear "I am such an idiot" you convert it to "I am a bright, and capable of thinking clearly and wisely". Many find inspiring affirmations from inspirational books, the Bible, a good sermon or from supportive friends and counselors. Here are some of our favorites:
-- I am attracting infinite wealth and unlimited abundance.
-- I am whole and perfect as God created me.
-- I love me.
-- I have unlimited abundance.
-- I have infinite worth and unlimited potential.
-- I am an enlightened adult and I can do whatever I want to do. I know the consequences.
-- I know God has a purpose for me everyday. I will look for His guidance, and lean on His strength.
-- I will pray for my children to seek God for their own sakes, and to learn to follow Him in trust and love.
-- I choose to accept the pain I have been resisting because I know it is healthy for me and will help me move forward.
-- I am attracting divine people and healthy, loving relationships.
-- Love is more valuable than silver or gold.
Create a Success Journal
This is going to be a document that is separate and distinct from your Enemy fighting log. In it you record affirmations and successes. Take some time to find a binder and cover that are attractive and meaningful to you. This is a document you will want to preserve for your legacy. It is a catalog of your positive character traits and the virtues you practice and value. It also serves as a record of your progress. This is helpful when the Enemy tries to tell you that you have not changed and this program is not working. Record you affirmations in this journal.
1 Corinthians 14:15b (NIV)
In the garden of our minds, weeds can choke out the beautiful flora that God intends for us to have. These weeds are destructive, unhealthy thoughts, beliefs, and interpretations left over from years of automatic thinking. We call these self-destructive thought patterns the Enemyfs pests and Vermin. In Renewing Your Mind, our program details powerful steps to chase these pests out, replanting the void with the beauty of Godly abundance.
Affirmations are the most powerful, immediate way to replant your garden. Affirmations are strong, positive and unbelievable statements about you. To grow, you must move into a new state of being that you have never know before. Because this new landscape is unknown to you, visualizing it ahead of time will be unfamiliar. Therefore, these statements about the soon to be new you will be unbelievable at first. They must be to lay the fertile soil necessary for the replanting to take root.
Creating new, strong, positive statements will feel unnatural at first. There are many ways to do this. The simplest is to reverse whatever negative thoughts you have uncover form a daily writing log. If you perceive a negative thought like "Ifll never get ahead" you reverse to say "I always get ahead". If you hear "I am such an idiot" you convert it to "I am a bright, and capable of thinking clearly and wisely". Many find inspiring affirmations from inspirational books, the Bible, a good sermon or from supportive friends and counselors. Here are some of our favorites:
-- I am attracting infinite wealth and unlimited abundance.
-- I am whole and perfect as God created me.
-- I love me.
-- I have unlimited abundance.
-- I have infinite worth and unlimited potential.
-- I am an enlightened adult and I can do whatever I want to do. I know the consequences.
-- I know God has a purpose for me everyday. I will look for His guidance, and lean on His strength.
-- I will pray for my children to seek God for their own sakes, and to learn to follow Him in trust and love.
-- I choose to accept the pain I have been resisting because I know it is healthy for me and will help me move forward.
-- I am attracting divine people and healthy, loving relationships.
-- Love is more valuable than silver or gold.
Create a Success Journal
This is going to be a document that is separate and distinct from your Enemy fighting log. In it you record affirmations and successes. Take some time to find a binder and cover that are attractive and meaningful to you. This is a document you will want to preserve for your legacy. It is a catalog of your positive character traits and the virtues you practice and value. It also serves as a record of your progress. This is helpful when the Enemy tries to tell you that you have not changed and this program is not working. Record you affirmations in this journal.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Monday, September 7, 2009
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Friday, September 4, 2009
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