2006/9/30
What is your concept of God? Do you view Him as mean and
punishing? Just waiting for you to mess up so He can strike you
with lightening? Or do bad things to you? Or do you see Him
as loving and on your side?
The truth is that most of us see God as mean and punishing even though
intellectually, we know that God loves us. Maybe it's years of
watching, and sitting under, the teaching of the hellfire and brimstone
preachers or watching too many television shows that portray God
striking people for doing wrong.
I don't know, but for so long, this had been my concept of God. I
knew the Bible. I started memorizing Scriptures when I was
five. I knew at least twenty-six verses when I was in
kindergarten--one for each letter of the alphabet.
But somehow even after sitting in church two or more services a week,
going to Christian schools, memorizing the Word and going to tent
meetings (remember those? With the fold-up chairs, dirt floors and
Port-a-Potties?), I still didn't get that God is love. No matter
how many times I sang "Jesus Love Me" or read or heard that Jesus loved
me enough to die for me, I didn't get it.
And forget the father image part of the equation because to me, a
father was a man who when he pulled into the driveway, you ran to your
room and hid because you didn't know what kind of mood he would come
home in. A father was a person who could be sweet when he wanted
to but didn't want to be most of the time. A father, to me, meant
walking on eggshells and keeping secrets because we didn't know how he
would react. So, for me, God was like my earthly
father. Every thing that happened with my Dad, I transferred to
God because I believed that's how all fathers were. Can anyone
relate?
Even as I grew up, I still couldn't grasp the concept of God being
good. I had never seen Him do anything for me. My birth, in
itself, was a miracle, yes. My mother had toxemia and eclampsia,
and I was born with my hip out of joint.
But everything good that happened to me happened at a price. I
was finally part of a clique in junior high school. I finally fit
in, but the girls viciously turned on me when I didn't do things the
way they wanted.
My Dad was around when I was growing up, but he yelled so much and hit
everything from cars to doors that it caused a spirit of fear to
take root in my life.
I had been engaged, but the man broke it off to pursue someone else.
Everything good that happened came at a price.
It never occurred to me that the reason I didn't see God doing anything good in my life is because I didn't see Him as good.
Joyce Meyer says that God is for you as you believe He is. I
believed He expected perfectionism because that is what my Dad and I
expected of me. As far as I was concerned, I couldn't live up to
God's standards.
I knew what the Bible said. I knew that because Jesus died on the
cross for my sins, because I had accepted what He did, that I was put
in right standing with God. Not because of what I had done or not
done. My right standing with God had nothing to do with me, and
everything to do with the blood--the innocent, sinless blood--Jesus
shed on the cross (Romans 3).
Does that mean that I don't have to try to be good and follow God's
standards? Of course not. It means that when I do slip up,
when I don't follow every rule because it is impossible to do so, I
have an advocate with the Father.
Jesus was made sin for us that we might be the righteousness of God in
Christ Jesus (II Corinthians 5:21). I am righteous in the sight of God
because of Jesus' shed blood.
But even that revelation, until it is deeply engrafted in your heart,
is lost if you have a bad concept of God, like I did.
In my head, I knew I was the righteousness of God in Christ
Jesus. In my head, I knew God loved me, but in my heart, I
believed God, like my Dad, was just waiting to pick me apart, criticize
me and put me down supposedly for my greater good.
I had to make a decision to view God through the eyes of His Word, to
believe what His Word said about Him. I found it difficult to
believe that the Bible was anything more than a bunch of pages with
words written on them, as were so many other books that I had
read. But the Bible is so much more than that. It is a
living book. Every word of it is inspired by God Himself (II
Timothy 3:16).
John wrote in John 1:14 that Jesus is the Word of God made
flesh. Jesus is the Word of God. The living, breathing Word
of God.
So I made a decision to take what God said about Himself and believe
it. The Bible says God loves me (John 3:16) and that He thinks
good thoughts toward me (Psalm 139:17-18). The Bible says that
His plans for me are not to harm me but to prosper me (Jeremiah 29:11),
that He will never leave me or forsake me (Hebrews 13:5), that He will
not reject me (Psalm 37:24).
That's what the Word says about God. That is what I believe
because the Word is the final authority in my life. And that
settles it!
God is for you as you believe he is. God is a good God. Why not make a decision to believe that today?
2006/9/18
One morning last week, I heard a noise as
I was in the car headed on my morning routine to the post office, then
to get breakfast. I instantly knew what it was. A flat
tire...and I was right.
But it was more than a flat tire...it
was a distraction sent to us by the devil. If he can get us to
focus on what else might go wrong in our day.
His main focus is to get us to focus on the cares of this world more than we do what God has called us to do.
John 10:10 tells us that the thief, which is satan, comes to steal, kill and destroy.
The last thing he wants you doing is fulfilling your destiny because
every person who fulfills his/her destiny is another nail in satan's
coffin. One more assignment checked off of God's to-do list
before He sends satan into eternal damnation.
satan sends
distractions our way, obstacles in our path, to try and prevent us from
moving forward with our destiny. Bills pile up. The kids
get sick. Your husband loses his job. You have an
opportunity to move into a house from an apartment. A project at
school or work.
Your body will go in the direction of whatever
you are focusing on. Just like when a racing car driver is
learning to drive. He is told that if he is headed for the wall,
he needs to focus on wherever he wants to go. The car will go in
the direction of his focus. Now if that works for cars, how much
will it work in our lives?
For example, I chipped my front
tooth. I still don't know how, but I did. And my mind was
focused on how I looked. Not that I am raving beauty, but that is
the first place my mind went. I don't show my teeth as it is when
I smile, However, I convinced myself that whole world could see
my chipped tooth, and that everyone was judging me because of it.
For most of that morning, my mind focused on how ugly I was. I
even cried to God about it, but He is God-wisdom showed me a Scripture
in Song of Solomon, a book I don't normally go near. "You are
beautiful, my darling, beautiful beyond words," (Song of Solomon 4:1
NLT).
God knew exactly what to say to get my mind focused off the situation and back onto Him and His purpose for my life.
That's what we have to do. We have to change our focus.
When satan brings things into our lives to distract us, we need to
change our focus onto things that are pure, lovely, truthful and of
good report.
We can't allow ourselves to stay focused
on the trials and situations that the devil uses to distract us.
We have to focus on what God said in His Word.
When sickness
comes, start quoting Isaiah 53:4-5, reminding yourself that by Jesus'
stripes on the cross, you are already healed.
When financial trouble comes, start quoting Philippians 4:19, holding onto the promise that God shall supply all your needs.
I have this spiral notebook filled with Scriptures for every need that
a missionary evangelist put together. My mother bought it years
ago when she used to counsel on the phone at our local TBN station.
The missionary evangelist has seen testimony after testimony from
people who have applied the Scriptures to their situation and had
miraculous results.
She tells you to quote the Scriptures
three times, four times a day. Once you say the Scripture to God,
thanking Him for the promise. Two, you say it to satan, prefacing
it, as Jesus did, with, "It is written..." Three, you say it to
yourself by saying, "I believe..."
What I have discovered is
if I will do this in this prescribed manner, my focus changes. My
mind is no longer on my circumstances or my problems. Instead my
mind is where it should be--on God and His wonderful promises.
When trials and distractions come on way, we have to be equipped with
the Word. We need to counteract each of satan's attacks, each of
our negative thoughts, with the Word of God.
Whenever
something negative happens in your life, immediately say, "But God
said..." Then figure out what He said. You see, God and His Word
are your final authorities. Nothing else matters. No
trials. No distractions. Stand on the Word long enough and
your circumstances will have to conform to what God says.
Don't let distractions pull you away from your purpose, your destiny,
from what God has called you to do. Determine in your heart that
you are going to fulfill your assignment on this Earth. And no
devil in hell, no person on earth, is going to stop you.
Remember your body will go in the direction of your mind is focusing
on. What are you focusing on? God? Or your
distractions? The choice is yours.
Related Resources On This Subject:
2006/9/13
God
has a purpose for your life. Not many people understand
that. Not maybe people comprehend that you were put on this Earth
randomly. It wasn't because your parents got together and created
you. No, God picked you out, chose you from the beginning of the
world to complete a specific task He had in mind for you. But the task
wasn't tailor made for you. No, you were tailor-made for the
task. Not wanting to leave anything to chance, God fashioned you
with just the right combination of smarts, talents, abilities and
personality to accomplish that task. To Him, you failing to
fulfill that task, your destiny, wasn't an option.
But
we, His chosen people, have made it an option. No longer is it "I
will fulfill my destiny" and "God, use me for your purpose."
Instead we say "I hope and pray I fulfill my destiny. I hope I am
in God's will" or "If I complete my purpose..."
If
failure is not an option with God, it shouldn't be with us
either. We are His children, created in His image. We are
suppose to be imitators of our Heavenly Father. And failure is
not an option to Him, so we need to banish it from our vocabulary as
well.
What
does the word fail mean? Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Fifth
Edition, describes fail as "to be wanting; to fall short; to come to an
end; to err; to be mistaken."
And what is a failure? Someone who fails.
It was never God's intention for us to be failures.
But
somehow we see ourselves that way. In fact, we think that God is
up in Heaven waiting for us to screw up, so that He can whack over the
head or strike us with lightening. We see God as wanting to trip
us up, wanting us to fail, but God isn't like that.
God is on our side. On our side.
What
does it mean when we say that someone is on our side? If you are
gang member, or a cop, it means that your partners are ready to stand
up for you, defend you and back you in a fight.
And
that's the way God is. Because we are His children--if we have
accepted Jesus into our hearts--God is ready to stand up for us, defend
us and back us up in a fight.
Imagine
that! God is ready to back us up! He is ready to help us in
time of trouble. He is ready to give us answers when we aren't in
trouble but are simply confused.
God
loves us. No matter what we say. No matter what we
do. There is nothing we can do that will get God to stop loving
us. Nothing!
He doesn't look at your behavior chart and say, "Oh, well, you haven't been good, so I can't help you."
No,
because you have accepted what Jesus did on the cross, you are in right
standing with God. Your salvation and your right standing has
nothing to do with your behavior and everything to do with Jesus' shed
blood on the cross, which covered all your sins--past, present and
future.
God loves you. If He doesn't see you as a failure, either should we.
So
how do we change our perspective of ourselves? The first thing is
to get into God's Word and see what God says about you. What does
He think about you? How does He feel about you? What can
you do through Christ? What can you have through Christ?
Then
you will learn that God loves you unconditionally, that you are the
apple of His eye, that He sent His only begotten Son to die in your
place, that He bottles your tears. You will discover the benefits
of being a child of God--total life prosperity (healing for your mind,
soul, body and finances). Every thing you need, God has provided
for you.
Once
you realize you are more than a conqueror, that you are the head and
not the tail, above and not beneath, that God is on your side, you need
to start agreeing with God's Word by speaking those words over your
life.
The
more you do that, the more you will be changing the image on the inside
of you. You are like Michelangelo when he chiseled away at that
block of marble, waiting for David to emerge. You are chiseling
away at that bad self image, that failure perception, until the real
you, the you that God created, appears.
It
takes a lot of time, patience and effort to change your internal image
to reflect the way God see you. But all that time, patience and
effort will pale in comparison to what you gain. A healthy, godly
image of who you are and who God created you to be. You are more
than a conqueror. You are a child of Almighty God.
Read the rest of this entry ... (48 words left)
Ever felt as if you were going nowhere? That achieving your dream was one big struggle?
Abraham
waited two decades for the son God promised him. When Joseph was
seventeen, he dreamed that his father and brothers bowed down to him.
Joseph waited almost two decades to see that happen. Jacob worked
fourteen years for Rachel, the woman he loved.
Waiting
brings us to our dream. Without it, we would be like a two-year-old
with a loaded gun. We wouldn't possess the wisdom, the experience and
the ability to handle our dream.
However
there are things to do while we are sitting in the valley of "promise.”
Things designed to help us gain ground while we are still in the
foxhole.
1. Focus On Jesus. When Jesus walked on the water, Peter , afraid that
Jesus was a ghost, said, "Lord, if that is really you, bid me to come
on the water." After Jesus bid him, Peter walked toward Jesus. As long
as he focused on Jesus, he didn't sink. Once he heard the roar of the
winds and felt the breeze on his face, he started to sink.
When we focus on the impossibilities and listen to the criticism of
well-meaning people, we sink. However, as we keep our focus on God and
His Word, we move toward our dreams, putting one foot in front of the
other until we reach our goal.
2. Enlist The Holy Spirit’s Help. Commune with God by fellowshipping
with Him, talking to and listening to Him and praying in the Spirit.
Praying in the Spirit will change your life. What do I mean by praying
in the Spirit? Speaking in other tongues, or your prayer language. as
some call it.
"So too the [Holy] Spirit comes to our aid and bears us up in our
weakness; for we do not know what prayer to offer nor how to offer it
worthily as we ought, but the Spirit Himself goes to meet our
supplication and pleads in our behalf with unspeakable yearnings and
groanings too deep for utterance" (Romans 8:26 AMP).
Do you know how to pray in every situation? The Holy Spirit does. He
knows God’s Will. When we pray in the Spirit, we pray the perfect Will
of God. How awesome, is that? Don’t know how to pray for your vision?
Pray in the Spirit daily. Afterwards, conclude with "I believe that I
receive what I just prayed."
Mark 11:24 (KJV) tells us "Therefore I say unto you, What things soever
ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall
have them."
3. Stick To Your Confession Of Faith. The writer of Hebrews instructs
us in chapter 10, verse 23 to "Let us hold fast the profession of our
faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised)"
What did God promise us? Every Scripture in the Bible.
Jeremiah 1:12 states "Then said the LORD unto me, Thou hast well seen:
for I will hasten my word to perform it."
God hastens to perform the promises in the Bible.
Search God's Word for Scriptures that apply to your situation. Then
confess those Scriptures when you wake up, when you go to bed, when you
are in the restroom, when you are waiting in lines and any other time
that you are by yourself. Say them until you can see them clearly in
your mind’s eye. Once that happens, your confessions have no choice but
to occur.
4. Rejoice. When you focus on Jesus, pray in the Spirit and confess
God's Word, rejoice. Rejoice that God will do what He promised He
would. It takes real faith to rejoice when you look around and
everything looks bad. It takes the God-kind of faith to believe God’s
Word over your circumstances.
“Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and
shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice,
and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so
persecuted they the prophets which were before you” (Matthew 5:11-12).
Believers from the beginning of time faced similiar situations to
yours. The devil loves to whisper in your ear, “You are the only one
going through this.” That’s a lie!
I Corinthians 10:13 says “There hath no temptation taken you but such
as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be
tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make
a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”
When you are in between your dream and the manifestation, focus on
Jesus, pray in the Spirit, confess the Word and rejoice that God’s
faithful. By doing these things, you are sowing seeds. In time, those
seeds will produce a harvest--your dream.
God
planted a dream within your heart. As you prayed, that dream became
clearer. Should you act on it? Should you wait? What if you miss it?
As a person who has faced this dilemma, I have five pieces of advice:
1. Write Down Your Vision. "And the LORD answered me, and said, Write
the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth
it" (Habakkuk 2:2).
Take a pen and paper to your quiet place. A place where you can spend
twenty plus minutes without being interrupted. Then write down your
vision in as much detail as possible. Keep it before your eyes. Read it
every day, especially when discouraged. It will remind you that you
have a destination.
2. Seek Wise Counsel. "Hear counsel, receive instruction, and accept
correction, that you may be wise in the time to come" (Proverbs 19:20).
Don’t shout your vision from the rooftops.
At seventeen, Joseph had a dream that his brothers and father bowed
down to him. What happened when he told his brothers his dream? They
sold him into slavery.
God didn't give his brothers the dream. He gave it to Joseph. He
entrusted a dream to you, not your family and friends.
Listen to those who have realized their dreams. Not everyone can handle
your vision. In those who never fulfilled their dreams, jealousy may
arise. Others will convince you that your dream is not practical,
hoping you will give it up.
3. Sow Into Good Ground. When a farmer wants to grow carrots, what does
he do? He plants seeds in the ground. When we want our dreams to grow,
we too need to sow seed.
Have you heard ministers refer to seed as money? Yes, we need to pay
our tithes--the first ten percent of all we earn--to God. If we can, we
should even sow money into ministries that we find useful. What we make
happen for others, God will make happen for us.
However, seeds are not just money. Your words and God's Word are also
seed. Every time you speak words, you are sowing seed. If you say the
same thing continually, that seed will produce whatever you
said--negative or positive.
Paul told us in Romans 4:17, "...calleth those things which be not as though they were."
Announce how your future will be, according to God’s Word. Find
scriptures to back your vision. Declare them when you wake up, when you
go to bed and every spare moment in between.
4. Take Advantage Of Every Opportunity God Gives You.
In Matthew 25, a ruler traveled out of town. To one of his servants, he
gave five talents to keep for him. To another, two. And yet another,
one. The servants with the five and two talents traded the talents,
doubling them. These men pleased the ruler.
The man with one talent buried it. The ruler stripped him of his
talent, giving it to the man with the most talents.
Don’t bury your talents. Instead take every godly opportunity to use
them to bless others, even if you are not being paid.
Don’t despise small beginnings. Those with humble beginnings tend to
stay on the horizon longer. Those who are overnight sensations fizzle
out as quickly as they appeared.
5. Don't Be Concerned About Money. If you focus money, you miss the big
picture. When you face God in heaven, will He ask you how much money
you made? No, His interest lies in how many lives' you touched for the
Kingdom of God.
God is your source. Not the bank. Not your job. Not your parents.
Paul
in the book of Philippians tells us "And my God will liberally supply
(fill to the full) your every need according to His riches in glory in
Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19 AMP).
Quote this scripture often to get your focus off money and onto the people you are reaching.
Keep taking little steps toward your dream. Little steps turn into big steps. Big steps make your vision happen.
God is on your side. He is your Partner in life. Don't make Him a silent partner. Seek His input in every decision you make.
Proverbs
3:6 says "In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He
will direct and make straight and plain your paths." He will make your
path plain if you just acknowledge Him in everything you do. Why not
discuss your vision with Him today?
“For
I know the thoughts and plans I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts
and plans for welfare and peace, and not for evil, to give you hope in
your final outcome” (Jeremiah 29:11 AMP).
Have
you ever been suspicious of God’s intent? Have you thought God’s best
was like spinach—something you hated but needed to grow? God’s
intention is not to harm you.
How do you find God’s plan for your life? Ask yourself: “Am I willing to do whatever God tells me to do--no matter what?”
When you can answer “Yes,” then you can concentrate on discovering that plan.
Ever
watched the news and heard something that made you lie awake at night
or cry? Something that made you pound the table, screaming, “Someone
has to do something?”
Jot down a list of things about which you are passionate. The list will give you a clue to your destiny.
When
they hear the word passion, Christians assume all passion is evil.
God’s passion guides us to our destinies while the devil’s perverts
everything that is pure and good.
Think about these questions:
* About what are you passionate?
* About what do you feel strongly?
* What type of issues, needs, opportunities, activities and ideas motivate you? Give you energy?
* What have you been dreaming about for years?
* If you could meet any need in the world without worrying about money or resources, what would it be?
For
years, I dreamed of combining my passions--God, helping teens and
writing. My consuming desire was to start a publication for Christian
teens. I questioned my independent publisher friend about every aspect
of the business.
But
was it God's will for me? I still didn't know. God gave me my writing
talent, yes, but did He want me to use it this way? I didn’t know that
either, so I sought God.
I remembered what Matthew 18:16 says, “...that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.”
I
was attending counseling at a local church. The counselor prayed over
me. She felt impressed by God that yes, I was supposed to do this.
The more I meditated on what she said and prayed about it, the more the desire grew within me.
Joyce
Meyer teaches that the way to know whether something is of God is to
step out and find out. If Peter didn’t step out of the boat, he
wouldn’t have walked on the water. I started the publication to see
what would happen.
At
first, everything went smoothly. I recruited volunteer writers via the
Internet. Soon afterward, they wanted me to add sections to the
publication that were in contradiction to what God spoke to me, such as
interviewing sports figures and cartoonists.
Then
I thought to myself, “Oops, I blew it! I missed God!” When you do the
will of God, satan will attack you because he feels threatened. Had I
quit then, I would have never experienced the joy that comes from doing
Gods’ Will.
Let’s discuss four steps to bringing forth your vision:
1.
Uncover the Holy Spirit’s Will And Desire. How do you do that? By
praying. Set aside time to pray about God’s plan and desire for your
life. If you have a prayer language, use it. When you pray in tongues,
in your prayer language, you pray God’s perfect will. The more you
pray, the clearer God’s vision will become. Don’t do all the talking.
Take time to listen for God’s direction. Pay attention to His whispers,
cues and impressions.
2.
Focus On God’s Word And Will Daily. On what do you meditate? About what
do you think? What do you roll around in your mind? Joshua 1:8 commands
us to meditate on the Word of God day and night in order to make our
way prosperous. As we make God’s Word a priority in our minds, it will
revolutionize our thinking to God’s way of doing things.
3.
Serve Others. While you are listening for your marching orders,
volunteer in areas of interest to you. If you are good at math, tutor
students who are struggling with that subject. If you like to work with
seniors, volunteer at the local senior center or nursing home.
4.
Look At Your Talents And Abilities. What do you do well? Make a list of
those things. How can you use those gifts to help others?
Now
that you have a clearer picture of your future, continually pray about
God’s plan. Discovering your purpose is a journey. If you take one step
and then another toward that goal, you will eventually come
face-to-face with your destiny.
2006/9/9
The title of this blog is Trailblazing Visionary, but what is a trailblazing visionary?
Read the rest of this entry ... (809 words left)
