Be Intentional in your life... Romans 12: 2 Let not my mind or thinking be matched to the world…. I will match up my mind and thinking to the Word of God! vjb
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"I have decided to stick with Love, Hate is too great a burden to bear"- Martin L King From the beginning of time, we see the ugly side of human behavior rearing its head up and bulldoze its way over the Good. Cain (in Genesis) could have chosen humbleness over anger and jealousy. Lamech could have chosen to be true and faithful to God and his wife, over setting the tone for generations to come for women. The people of Noah’s time could have chosen the fear of the Lord, but they chose what was self-serving at the time. As with mistakes, there are regrets, but not all are amended. With the life-long learned behaviors we carry with us; as well as others that are considered a modernistic way of thinking. We seem to raise behaviors in each other, both appropriate rooted in love and inappropriate- rooted in self. As we read through the Bible we see human behaviors as examples to either live by or not! Some of the choices made in the Old Testament could easily make one frustrated. Understanding they lived in a different time and culture does help ease the heart some. The positive examples given in which to live by are inspiring and admirable; Love, Forgiveness, Restoration, Protection, Perseverance, and much more. It all boils down to this; our free will to our natural human behavior; Our Choices God gave us a free will to choose our way in this life - As we know, love does not force us into compliance. God wants to give His best to us and that "best" is in the grasp of His knowledge of our future and His great plan in all things. I heard something similar to this, I forget where; Forgiveness is not letting the other party “off the hook” for their offenses – it is freeing ourselves from “being hooked” into the heavy weight of bitterness and increasing pain. (my ad-lib) We must be responsible for our own actions, keeping our emotions, words and, action in line with the Word of God. Don’t allow others to control your emotions. And when we will fail, and we all do, chose to amend and move forward. When people and circumstances wrong you, choose the side of Love We do not need to live up to the expectations of others, But we DO need to live up to the expectations of God. vjb The New Year brings new beginnings, second chances, or a refreshing regenerate of the mind. Many people set a New Year resolution, In which many will break before January is over. (so true :-) ) Even though I don't make resolutions, I do set God-given goals for myself in the spring around my birthday, it seems to be a lot less complicated and stressful. A few year ago I had several conversations with some people in Ministry and heard their testimonies of a book they read and the result of that application in their life. It intrigued me to apply it to my life. Its call My One Word http://myoneword.org Now, I have not read this book or seen the video's – no particular reason just timing I guess. Last year God gave me the word PRESS, Press in, Press through, Press on. I even set the words as a screen saver on my computer, to keep the word in my face for the year, I even thought about getting one of those red easy buttons you see on the ads. 2017 was a very difficult year, a year that assuredly wasn't the worst I'd ever had but, it is right there on the top self with those other years. By God giving me the word PRESS to focus on, it led me to Press into Him, Press through the circumstances, and to Press on another day. I have to say God was amazing this past year in what He did in our Circumstances. He was Above and Beyond all that I could ask or image. As a friend told me; they were Kisses from Him reminding me that He is the God that See's, He has not forgotten who I am, His Daughter. This year I cling once again to the One Word that God dropped into my heart. The Word is JOY, this year is a year of Joy to be enjoyed, to embrace Joy, and to wait in expectation full of Joy. The wallpaper on my phone is my reminder for the year. It is just a simple blue door, an old rustic door with some Iron-work. As I look at that door, I feel Joy in waiting in expectation to see what God will do next. Not what I am expecting of Him, but what He wants to do, and I get to watch. I don't know what is behind that Blue Door nor do I know when He will open it. So, I Joyfully wait in expectation of what He will do next VJB Whatever you may call him, Santa Clause, St Nick, Chris Kringle; and however you choose to celebrate Christmas with or without the ole jolly fella, one thing is for sure - the Spirit in which he came. I believe that ole St Nick was a man that loved God. He would have no hesitation acknowledging Christ and bowing before his Savior. He understood the spirit of giving, with no strings attached. I believe he saw a need and brought joy to Children, just as we do in our community outreaches. God knew the needs of this world - sending His Son, as a gift to the world a gift of salvation and eternal life – a free gift with no strings attached. Isa 9:6 say’s” For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Do you hear it too? Hard not to hear Handel’s Messiah playing in my head after that! Christ did not stay an infant; He became the sacrifice for all. We human beings are complex people, thankfully God understands how we work. We need these gifts of restoration to God, regeneration of life, and anticipation of eternal life. We are never too old to start a new. Please understand, for me “Jesus is the reason for the season” He is my Savior, and Santa is just the memory of a long ago generous man showing the love of Christ. In celebrating Christmas with Santa it brings a bit of childhood nostalgia – knowing the blessings (packages) are coming. Knowing that you are thought of - what will they look like - all pretty with a bow - what’s inside them - listening to the sound as they are shaken. Hoping it is something we asked for, the joy in guessing. Even though I do like receiving gifts, it is such a joy to give, and to be honest, I prefer giving to receiving. I was told once “Vickie, if you owned the moon, you’d give that out too!” yep! As adults we may not know when the blessings are coming, large and small they do come. Some long awaited asked for (prayed for); others just to remind us how much He loves us. Our Lord knows the perfect timing of each and every gift. The best thing about the gift of salvation; it’s a free gift ready and available each and every moment of the day, No Waiting. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the father of the heavenly lights, …James 1:17 However you celebrate Christmas, keep your warm fuzzy traditions that bring Joy and Glory to God and Have a Merry Christmas. vjb Prayer, can come in many forms and vary in opinions. But one thing is for sure - Prayer will change things in your life and in others. I have preached at retirement facilities for approx. fifteen years now, and the common thought is they are a dying generation and see the little vitality of this type of ministry. As most ministries want to reach the younger generations since they are our future. I agree with them to a point; the younger generations are our future church. I also see two very important opportunities here; #1 there is still a harvest field as there are still many that have not accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior, also at this stage of life this may be their last opportunity. #2 what an honor it is to serve a generation, who has served our Lord for a lifetime and full of wisdom, along with 60-70-80-90 years of life experiences to share... It is their turn .. to give back to them where they are... and Not forgotten. What is sometimes unseen, by the common misgivings, is all the years of labor that the older generation has paved into the church, ministry, and most importantly Prayer. If it were not for the shut-ins and the older generations we wouldn't have the Prayer Warrior's we do. They were taught that Prayer impacts real lives. Their mind and heart take over- they go to battle on an entirely different ground.They may not be able to help in a community event or lead a ministry any longer, but these long time mature men and women of God, Know the Word of God and Speak it in Prayer. Yes, mighty things happen in Prayer when we use God Word - How can it not? God's Word is Powerful and Prayer is Powerful and the combination is Fervently Effective, Intense, Commanding, Mighty and Persuasive! Just as we see in Gen. 32 with Jacob wrestling with God all night - He was Intensely Persistent in the outcome, He would not let go until he got what he was asking for. Many times I have found myself saying a "passive prayer", knowing God hears, and is able and is already working even before I speak. But there was very little "action" to my words or in my heart. We must be intentional in our Prayers, we must be intentional in all that we DO, for we are here TO Serve God in this lifetime, Not To be Served. If we believe that God's greatest passion is for the one's he created - then Prayer is Serving the multitudes of His heart. So, when prayers are being answered and revival is happening - prayers have been spoken to change Lives, many of them are our Older Generations battling for the young and future generations. Just keep in mind; It is never to early to begin to become a Person of Fervent Prayer. vjb The word wait is not always pleasant to hear, most do not even want to entertain the word. All our lives we wait; as a child we wait expectantly for our birthday or summer vacation; we are told: "wait till you get older, you’ll understand". As adults we wait in line, we wait on people and we still wait in expectation of future dreams. I feel I’ve waited most of my life on someone or something to happen. When I hear God say just wait, I feel that child-like groan wanting to come out. Yet, while we wait on God it can be a much different experience in the sense that He has control over the waiting period and he does not forget that you are waiting. If we are waiting in life, we go on with our daily life; family, work, sleep, church…etc. When we wait on God He says "He renews our strength". Ps 27:14, Isa 40:31. While we continue on with our life "continuing to do good" Gal 6:9-10; we must not forget to “Wait with God”. Take the extra time waiting at his feet ingesting His word – seeking His peace that passes our understanding and the contentment that can elude us in these times of waiting. We cannot see or know all that he has done, is presently doing or will be doing for us in the future; that is where trust comes in. Here is a song that reminds us even though everything doesn’t look like it should we trust in Him - called I Will Trust in You. Letting go of every single dream I lay each one down at your feet Every moment of my wondering Never changes what you see I try to win this war I confess, my hands are weary, I need your rest Mighty warrior, king of the fight No matter what I face you're by my side Truth is you know what tomorrow brings There's not a day ahead you have not seen So let all things be my life and breath I want what you want Lord and nothing less You are my strength and comfort You are my steady hand You are my firm foundation The rock on which I stand Your ways are always higher Your plans are always good There's not a place where I'll go You've not already stood Course: When you don't move the mountains I'm needing you to move When you don't part the waters I wish I could walk through When you don't give the answers As I cry out to you I will trust, I will trust, I will trust in you I will trust in you I will trust in you I will trust in you Songwriters: LAUREN DAIGLE, MICHAEL FARREN, PAUL MABURY God needs You just where you are renewing your strength with His word, resting in His presence, continuing to do good in life – for "such a time as this" to come, you 'll be ready, fully equipped to step out. Trust Him for the Outcome vjb https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXMPNXXnCls Here is a link to watch on YouTube The word Wear Means: to put on (as a repeated habitual action). We all have formed the habit of getting dressed every morning putting on our wardrobe. We each have our own style. For some people, it’s not all that important to what they put on, while others are extremely focused with what they wear, and how they look -down to the last detail. What we wear can be important, it can tell a lot about the mindset of an individual, or what job they may have or an event they may be attending. The same is true when we PUT ON Christ – We wear the Word. The Word says; when we were baptized into Christ we have clothed ourselves with Him. Just as we have formed a habit of wearing our style of clothing. We need to remember we are also wearing Christ 24/7- We are His ambassadors. Eph. 5:1 Be Imitators of God By Putting On and Faithfully Executing the Fruit of the Spirit; wrapping ourselves with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and faithfulness, we are doing just that. To let our (Actions, Deeds, and Words) be evident to all - to who Christ is and emulate Him in every way. As Christians, we are watched and judged more intensely than others. Our actions, our words, commitments, our response, or how we handle difficult situations –And when we do have our human moments – wow!! Judgment can come harsh and not just on us …but on our Lord, our Brothers and Sister in Christ as well as the Kingdom itself. It is not always easy– but this is a habit we need to build on each and every day. As we read His Word daily - we wrap the word of God around us and it becomes a part of us. Matt 5:16 let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. vjb Not long ago I was typing out a word for a sweet woman of God who has been going through some major difficulties. As I wrote, I heard the word wait and was going to spell it that way, when the Lord corrected me and He said spelled it “weight”. I was apprehensive about the word yet obedient in sending it. I was curious about the word in that message and as I meditated on the message and word for the next few days. I began to feel His smile of Joy as His word was unraveling in my heart and mind. If we are weighted down by our circumstances – big or small - our freedom of movement is hindered, slowed down. Very similar to trying to walk through a pit of mud. Jesus said He will carry our burdens. Yes, we have natural emotions according to our circumstances and the stages of healing. But when we are in continual communion He carries that weight for us. So, every time it swings back to knock you down, drop at His feet and feel His embrace, taking one breath at a time. Imagine with me for a moment; a large beautifully colored hot air balloon filling with air attached to a large basket for passengers still on the ground. It remains on the ground even though it has a huge pocket of air captured inside it. The balloon, ready for lift off even though tethers are tied to the ground and several sandbags surround the basket holding the weight of that balloon down. As we give each tether and sandbag over to Him, who desires to carry them so we have freedom to rise above, We begin to float higher and higher. That is our Hope floating above our past, present, and future circumstances. His word fills us with that Hope. He knows our future, He knows our potential and He will accomplish much in us and trough us. Christ carries our burdens just as he carried our sin to the cross and it was... All worth it! vjb The WORD of God will determine the way you THINK
The way you THINK will determine the way you FEEL The way you FEEL will determine the DECISIONS you make The DECISIONS you make will determine the HABITS you create The HABITS you create will determine your DESTINATION -Unknown Author |
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