The Tree is known by its Fruit

Posted: December 19, 2015 in Something to think about
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Every single day we get up and move out into this big world and be who we are…either in our own selves, or in God. You and I get to make that choice for ourselves and I don’t think anyone would dispute that statement.

My question is, “Who are YOU be-ing?”

If we simply go about our business each day without acknowledging God, then we are going to act in the same way. If God isn’t a part of your routine, then on the surface, He won’t exist in your life. When this happens, you become absorbed into this world and there is a great deal the Bible has to say about transformation (1 John 2:15). It is called “conforming to the world” but I wanted to focus on the verse I started with at the beginning.

The tree is known by its fruit. Matthew 12:33

Jesus said this in a tense conversation with some Pharisees who were out to prove Him wrong. My focus today however, is the simplicity of the statement and what it means for you and me. Here is what I mean; you and I recognize the fruit trees around us because of the kind of fruit they bear like oranges, plums, peaches etc. because they taste good. In contrast, it is probably true that we won’t head to the nearest lemon or a lime tree and peel and eat it like we would the fruits mentioned previously because we know what they taste like. Again, pretty simple stuff.

Look at this in a different way…you and I are recognized by our family, friends and coworkers in specific way for a reason. We might be a friendly person, or not. We might be a smart person, or not. We might be a great worker, or not. My point is, you are known for specific reasons and as a result, that is how people think of you. Sometimes our reputations precede us in a way we don’t like, or maybe we do? Bottom line, you are known for what you have accomplished, or not. For what you have said, or should have said. For what you have or haven’t believed.

Guys, simply put:

What are YOU known for in this world?

As I said earlier, who are YOU be-ing or representing?

What is the fruit that YOU are bringing to this world?

 

I am speaking to those of you who profess Christianity. If you say one thing and act out something else…well…that is what YOU will be known for. A tree is known for its fruit.

Ask yourself whom do YOU represent?

If you truly represent Christ, then represent Him in the manner that you know you should. The Bible tells us that we cannot serve two masters. In other words, you cannot be a lover of the world and of one of God’s children at the same time. Choose what you want to be known for and then stay the course. God will help you bear the fruit you were destined to bring forth.

 

Until next time guys…

Choose Hope rather than Despair

Posted: December 12, 2015 in Tough Times
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I am not sure if it’s just me, or is there a significant amount of difficulty, adversity and even downright despair in what I see around me right now? Life does tend to be ebb and flow most of the time whereby good and bad problems drift into our lives and then subside (yes, I believe there are good problems, like having so much work you don’t know where to put it all). But in my worldview, I see despair in both friends and family where there should be joy.

I believe that despair is one of Satan’s most powerful weapon because if he hits you at just the right moment, you literally feel no hope…or in other words, you feel despair. Do you remember when you were a kid and you wrestled with your siblings or your Dad and there was always the time when everyone “piled on” leaving the one on the bottom to scream in pain? That’s what Satan does when you are struggling with anything…he piles on driving you into despair.

Did you know that despair is the complete loss or absence of hope? I find that definition interesting because as a child of God, there is always hope…am I correct?

But yet honestly, who hasn’t felt despair even as a child of God? I think we all have, which tells me a couple things:

  1. Satan is alive and well on this earth and seeks to kick your butt anytime he can.
  2. How much are you actually trusting God during this difficult time?

Now, I completely understand that despair is an internal battle for control over what you are feeling inside. Satan is pouring every possible bad thing he can onto you and God is looking to you to reach out to Him and just hang on. That unseen battle is real and I know many of you have felt it before.

despair

I have a very good Christian friend right now in the midst of this type of despair. He is at that time in his life where his Mother requires an assisted living facility to help with her care but she doesn’t want to go and his fear is that she gets there, she will die. My friend is agonizing over this decision and it’s driving him into a bad place in his life. He feels there is no hope.

As is always true in this blog, I have a couple of verses I want to share with you and then some simple knowledge to pass your way. The first scripture is from Paul who frankly, lived a very hard life once he became a follower of Christ…NOT an easy one. Please note that this verse is clear about life…that he may have been down, but he was not crushed, or in despair. In other words, life is hard…but when you hang onto God, you can get through it.

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed

(2 Corinthians 4:8-9 NIV)

Secondly, here is word from my favorite Bible character, David.

May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope, Lord, is in you

(Psalms 25:21 NIV)

Simply put guys, despair is a bad place to be and it will take God to get you out of it. That means no only prayer on your own part, but prayers from family and friends. As mentioned, you are in a battle and Satan wants to be victorious over you. He knows that beating you will have the trickle down effect on both your wife and children. In other words, everyone will be miserable. THAT IS HIS GOAL…and you need to recognize that.

I challenge all of you today to hang onto God and to trust in Him for hope. If you recall the story of David, he was near death to many times to count, but as the verse above states, “his hope was in God”. He recognized that without Him, despair would soon come.

I further challenge you today to claim Gods hope for your own life and climb out of the depths of despair. I understand that right now, these may be just words to you, but know that GODS WORD DOES NOT RETURN VOID.

Cling to Christ and what His Word says and He will cling to you…

Until next time guys…

 

Who have you chosen to be?

Posted: November 26, 2015 in Something to think about
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Choices of a businessman

I heard a friend of mine complaining recently about how someone at his work had “made him do something” that cost him and his company thousands of dollars. His error had cost his company lots of money and his excuse was to blame someone else. As his friend, it was difficult for me to listen to him speak about this situation because ultimately I knew I had to ask him the question to get him to stop and think about what he was actually saying.

“Wasn’t that your choice to go with that vendor who ended up blowing the project?”

His response was, “Well yes, but…”

I said, “You are the procurement guy. Don’t they pay you to make those decisions?”

His response was, “You are right, they do”

“Haven’t you told me before that particular vendor has made other mistakes with your work?”

His response was, “I really messed this up haven’t I?”

My only point to him was this; He made the choice to use that vendor and it went the wrong way as a result. He knew better, but he still made the choice. That choice may still end up costing him his job…

Every day of our lives we all have to and get to, make choices that affect ourselves and other people. Some of our choices are good, and some not so much. But our choices will affect us for a lifetime and that is why we must strive to make the right ones…

I am not telling anyone anything here that you don’t already know. This post starts off basic to prove my ultimate point which is that God only recognizes two kinds of people;

The Godly- those who are characterized by righteousness and obeying God.

 The ungodly- those who represent the ways of the world and who don’t care about the Word of God and who will not assemble with God’s people.

Which one are you?

Listen to David’s words in Psalms:

The arrogant cannot stand in your presence. You hate all who do wrong; you destroy those who tell lies. The bloodthirsty and deceitful you, Lord, detest. (Psalms 5:5-6 NIV)

YOU HATE ALL WHO DO WRONG

Guys, evil does not exist in the abstract. God only hates sin, but also hates those who perpetrate evil. On the other hand, the Bible reveals God as the One who loves sinners, reaches out to them in compassion and mercy, and seeks to redeem them from sin through the cross of Christ…remember John 3:16?

We, YOU and ME, get to make the choice for our own lives as to what kind of man we want to be. We choose either to be Godly or not. We choose either the narrow gate or the wide one:

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14 NIV)

These are Christ’s words to us and they are very clear.

As we face a particularly tormented world right now where the future appears very bleak…I encourage you to make the right choice with God by choosing the narrow gate today. This choice will have a positive ripple effect not only in your life but in the lives of all your family members. I have seen this happen countless times and I never cease to be amazed at how the hand of God works with families.

And just think, all of this boils down to you making a choice for yourself…

Remember the words of the great warrior Joshua as he stepped down as the leader of the children of Israel:

But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”   (Joshua 24:15 NIV)

Until next time Guys…

5 Reasons for ALL OF US to have HOPE right now…again

Posted: November 21, 2015 in Inspirational
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Very near 3 years ago, I wrote this post based upon what I sensed and felt going on in the world at that time; sadness and destruction. As I listen and watch the world news over the last few days, with all of the horrific death and destruction in France, Belgium and the Middle East, I once again seek God for the very same thing…hope.

I cannot provide anyone with the reasons why all of this is happening other than simply the Bible talking about “the god of this age” (2 Corinthians 4:4, John 12:31, 1 John 5:19) prowling around seeking to devour (1 Peter 5:8) those who don’t resist him. Believe me my friends, NOW IS THE TIME TO RESIST HIM. Don’t give up but rather look to Him for your hope.

God’s word is clear…”I will never leave you or forsake (forget) you” (Joshua 1:5)

So here again, are my 5 reasons we can have HOPE right now…

By its very nature, the word hope concerns the future, our future. However, I am not referring to a simple hope such as, “I wish I had a nicer car or bigger house”, but rather I am talking about Biblical hope, which is very different. Biblical hope consists of an assurance inside your heart or better yet, a firm confidence about future things because of Gods promises and His revelation to us. Guys, real Biblical hope in Christ Jesus is something that is never failing when you place your trust in Him. In fact Paul tells us in Romans 15:13;

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

In other words, Biblical hope is inseparably linked with a firm faith in Him. They go hand-in-hand with one another. As a result, what is yielded is a confident trust in God that is unshakable when the adversity of life hits you like a wave….(Like right now).

So with all of the chaos our world is throwing at you every single day, I wanted to give you some actual reasons why you can still have faith and HOPE that things are going to still be alright…So here are my 5 reasons for all of us to have HOPE right now…

  1. God is still on the throne – He hasn’t gone anywhere. He is still alive and at work in our world. I know it is very easy to look at what happens in this world and say God is dead or may he is just sleeping because I have heard that before. But I assure you He is alive and well and knows exactly what is happening on this earth.
  2. With man, things are impossible…but with God, ALL things are possible (Mark 10:27) It is so very easy to just give up and give in to all of the adversity that is constantly thrown in our direction because we simply forget Gods promises. Bottom line, God has NO limitations. His ways are NOT our ways and therefore he will not react or think as we do…our response needs to be to simply ask, to trust, and to hope in Him.
  3. You Are Not Alone – As we are told in Joshua 1:5, He will never leave us nor forsake us and I’ve come to realize that me trying to understand the why’s of this world is NOT my job. My job is to completely trust in Him…even though I don’t understand. LET GOD DO THE HEAVY LIFTING. Do you remember the story of Peter when he got out of the boat and started walking on the water to meet Jesus? (Matthew 14:29-30) He was actually walking on water until he took his eyes off of Christ and then what happened? He started sinking fast…and what was his reaction? He cried, “Lord save me!” which is exactly what we are supposed to do…
  4. All of what you are going through right now is only temporary – Weeping may last for the night…but joy comes in the morning (Psalms 30:5). It is easy to “get caught up” with what we SEE. But I am here to remind you that Jesus has prepared a place for all of us IN HEAVEN (John 14:2) and this place we see around us, will all pass away. It is only temporary. Heaven is eternal.
  5. I know how this story ends – All of the difficulty and adversity we face every day sometimes can be overwhelming. In fact, it may seem like the bad guy in this world may be winning. But let me assure you with an overwhelming confidence. Have you ever read Revelation? Because I know who wins in the end. You and I will be victorius.

But you MUST STAY THE COURSE. Don’t give up. Have faith and put your trust in Him and He will give you reason to HOPE…

 

Until next time guys…

What is the Purpose of Life? Rick Warren

Posted: November 7, 2015 in Inspirational
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Guest Blogger: Rick Warren

A few years ago, Rick Warren and his wife Kay went through a very difficult time in their lives when Kay found out she had cancer. Both she and Rick walked down the normal path we would all take of coming to grips with this as well as bringing it to God. Ultimately, it is in Gods hands anyway and in her case, Kay was victorious over the disease.

I wanted to share a brief note that Rick Warren wrote as he and Kay walked this path and how his perspective changed along the way. I hope you find these words helpful at whatever point you may be in your own life.

One small favor though…there is a list at the end that I highly encourage you to print up and post where you can see it each day. The list a HUGE reminder for all of us as we walk through this world of pain and good…

 What is the Purpose of Life?

People ask me, what is the purpose of life? And I respond: In a nutshell, life is preparation for eternity. We were made to last forever, and God wants us to be with Him in Heaven. 

One day my heart is going to stop, and that will be the end of my body– but not the end of me. 

I may live 60 to 100 years on earth, but I am going to spend trillions of years in eternity. This is the warm-up act – the dress rehearsal.

God wants us to practice on earth what we will do forever in eternity. 

We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn’t going to make sense. 

Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you’re just coming out of one, or you’re getting ready to go into another one. 

The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort. 

God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy. 

We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that’s not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ likeness. This past year has been the greatest year of my life but also the toughest, with my wife, Kay, getting cancer. 

I used to think that life was hills and valleys – you go through a dark time, then you go to the mountaintop, back and forth. I don’t believe that anymore. Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it’s kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something good and something bad in your life. No matter how good things are in your life; there is always something bad that needs to be worked on.

And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for. 

You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems. 
If you focus on your problems, you’re going into self-centeredness,” which is my problem, my issues, my pain.” But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others.

We discovered quickly that in spite of the prayers of hundreds of thousands of people, God was not going to heal Kay or make it easy for her. 

It has been very difficult for her, and yet God has strengthened her character, given her a ministry of helping other people, given her a testimony, and drawn her closer to Him and to people.

You have to learn to deal with both the good and the bad of life. 

Actually, sometimes learning to deal with the good is harder. For instance, this past year, all of a sudden, when my book sold 15 million copies, it made me instantly very wealthy. 

It also brought a lot of notoriety that I had never had to deal with before. I don’t think God gives you money or notoriety for your own ego or for you to live a life of ease. 

So I began to ask God what He wanted me to do with this money, notoriety and influence. He gave me two different passages that helped me decide what to do, II Corinthians 9 and Psalm 72 

First, in spite of all the money coming in, we would not change our lifestyle one bit. We made no major purchases. 

Second, about midway through last year, I stopped taking a salary from the church. 

Third, we set up foundations to fund an initiative we call The Peace Plan to plant churches, equip leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, and educate the next generation.

Fourth, I added up all that the church had paid me in the 24 years since I started the church, and I gave it all back. It was liberating to be able to serve God for free. 

We need to ask ourselves: Am I going to live for possessions? Popularity? 

Am I going to be driven by pressures? Guilt? Bitterness? Materialism? Or am I going to be driven by God’s purposes (for my life)?

When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed and say, God, if I don’t get anything else done today, I want to know You more and love You better. God didn’t put me on earth just to fulfill a to-do list. He’s more interested in what I am than what I do. 



That’s why we’re called human beings, not human doings. 



Happy moments, PRAISE GOD. 


Difficult moments, SEEK GOD. 


Quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD. 


Painful moments, TRUST GOD.


Every moment, THANK GOD. 


Rick Warren

Until next time guys…

Wake Up and look around you…

Posted: October 31, 2015 in Heaven Bound
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Many churches of all persuasions are hiring research agencies to poll neighborhoods, asking what kind of church they prefer. Then the local churches design themselves to fit the desires of the people. True faith in God that demands selflessness is being replaced by trendy religion that serves the selfish.

Billy Graham

So I read this quote from Billy Graham today and it hit me over the head like a hammer. In the back of my mind I may have known churches were doing this but I never fully understood the reason why. Guys simply put, if we tailor our religion to only what we want to hear, or rather only a “feel good” message, God cant help us because we are to busy enjoying ourselves to hear Him.

This idea behind what Billy Graham is saying was never Gods intent for our Christian walk. But I do think it is Satan’s. Think about it; If Satan can bend our churches into only telling us what we want to hear, then we are truly lost. Why? Because Satan can make you think there is no pain for your entire life…that is, right up until you are on the edge of the cliff, and then when you look over, you see a place that you do not want to spend eternity in…

Please listen to me here. God never intended that the life of a Christian was just perfect and great all of the time. I know I have spoken about this before in previous blogs. There will be pain and suffering while we are here on this earth. So you can either run from that or stand there like a man, be strong, and fight the fight you were meant to. Only YOU can make that decision.

Honestly guy’s that is what this blog’s purpose has been since the start. It is based upon the powerful verse in Proverbs 27:17:

As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.

So what I am saying is simply this and to Billy Graham’s quote above; If your church situation isn’t challenging your heart to repent each week and to live your life as Christ lived…then I would find one that does. Every single time you are there your Pastor should be causing you to think about your relationship with God. He should be challenging you to come out of your comfort zone in order to love others. There is truly no greater service than helping those around us…

Let me finish by saying this because I truly believe it. When you and I reach heaven someday, I believe that God will look for those of us who have scars on our bodies and hearts because of the fights we fought while here on earth. In eternity, God wants to be surrounded by Christians who were active for Him and not ones who atrophied while they were here.

I challenge you today to live your life fully accountable to God and not to simply feeling good…

This life as a Christian may hurt now and then, but the payoff will be amazing…

Until next time guys…

Are you Serious about God?

Posted: September 26, 2015 in Something to think about
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I think sometimes it is very tempting to go about our lives forgetting there is a God of this universe mainly because of the fact that we physically cant see Him. Now, we can see His handiwork should we choose to look, but for an average person striving to get to the next level in their life, many of us just don’t pay attention.

Frankly guys right now, I am speaking to those of you who were raised in a local church and understand the idea of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. These are the folks, that in my mind, “know better”.

You see as we all know very well, life just simply rolls on and it does not stop for anyone. We cant take a break or call time out, or…like I’ve seen in the movies, control time by making it stand still. My point, is that before you know it, years have gone by and your children have gotten older and you still feel the same way about God…in other words, kind of apathetic?

Well, I have an opinion on that…and it is simply that it’s time to get serious about God. It is time to take control over yourself and get back on track with why you are here. Do you know the answer to that question? Why am I here? Its actually easy; you are here to prepare yourself and your family for eternity…and how does one do that?

GET SERIOUS ABOUT GOD

But I will warn you about this; getting serious with God is no laughing matter. You need to remember that dealing with the almighty God is HOLY BUSINESS and no casual dealings will suffice. A.W. Tozer said, “Let him come to God in full determination to be heard. Let him insist that God accept his all, that he take the things out of his heart that shouldn’t be there in order that God, Himself reign there in power.”

What is Tozer saying here? Simply put, be a man with God. You were born a man for a reason on this earth and God expects you to act like one, even in His presence. Please don’t mistake what I am saying here as arrogance because if you do, it will not go well. When you approach God, approach him with humility, but as a man, NOT a pup. You are (Or have been?) a warrior in your lifetime and God desperately wants you to act like one again both on your behalf as well as your families.

Guys, in truth, what I am saying here is not a difficult thing. But it does take a real man to admit where he is failing and a real man to ask God for forgiveness. When you do that, you have gotten serious about God…and that is exactly where He wants you to be.

Until next time Guys-

Simply Put…SEEK GOD

Posted: September 13, 2015 in Something to think about
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Guys, I don’t know about you, but as I look out on this landscape I see in front of my right now on my television screen I find myself looking toward heaven in anticipation of what God has in store for this earth. Honestly in my eyes, things appear to be bleaker as I have ever seen and I believe that the tide of evil is moving in our direction. So in this hour of concern as to “what can I do about this” again I look toward heaven and present the very same question to God and my overwhelming response is to seek Him.

I remember reading this in scripture:

You will seek and find me if you seek me with all of your heart. “I will be found by you”, declares the Lord. Jeremiah 29:13-14a

Remember that simple promise guys:

If you seek me you will find me…IF…you seek me with all of your heart.

If I was to go back and look at some of my favorite characters presented to us in the Bible, one of the main characteristics of all of them was how they continually sought after God through both the good and the bad times of their lives. The ominous cloud that is on the horizon is NOT the first time that Gods people have faced danger and survived. Consider this story back in the Old Testament in 2 Kings where the Assyrians were camped outside the city of Jerusalem for the sole purpose of destroying them. At that time Hezekiah, the King of Jerusalem, earnestly went to God and prayed an amazing prayer in chapter 19:14-19…you need to read this story because in his GREAT hour of need, where he feared for his life and the life of his people, he sought God and God heard him and delivered them from sure death from the Assyrians…JUST like He can do for you.

Guys, I understand I am calling your attention to a story from the Bible and its hard to relate to something that happened 2500 years ago but please understand that the God of this story is the very same God that I am asking you to seek now.

Don’t become disillusioned with seeking a God that you can’t see because the Bible is very specific about this as well:

So we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Corin. 4:16

imagesSo what am I really saying here?

I am here to be a voice of hope for you even in this hour of confusion and despair. How can we possibly have hope when things look bleak? Because you are not in this by yourself and I will continue to throw scripture at you because that is where we Christians are called to draw our strength from…so read these:

What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? Romans 8:31

And finally:

Don’t worry about anything. Instead, tell God about everything. Ask and pray. Give thanks to him. Then God’s peace will watch over your hearts and your minds because you belong to Christ Jesus. God’s peace can never be completely understood.

Philippians 4:6-7

Guys my challenge to you today is to begin (or continue) in earnest to seek God with everything you have and I can guarantee that you will be rewarded with an internal peace for both you and your family to rest in as we move forward in these uncertain times.

Until next time Guys…

Be Still and Let Go…Really?

Posted: August 8, 2015 in Inspirational
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Be-StillIf you have small kids, you know how difficult it is to simply sit down and relax…If you have teenagers…well, that’s an entirely different post altogether…but nevertheless, taking our collective minds off of ALL of the many things we need to DO each day for both works, our children or home can and is overwhelming at times. But yet we as men must try because if we don’t, the people we care about the most probably won’t like us very much. Why? Because men tend to wear what they feel.

So you might be thinking, am I really going to write a post about relaxing? Not really…but what I wanted to remind you is that by taking the time to be truly quiet at some point in your day you can be blessed with different, indescribable peace…one from God that will surpass all our human understanding and honestly, that is the place this post is about…

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Phil. 4:17

If you are like me, then you probably find yourself moving at a fast pace from one event to another with various priorities required of you. If there is a purpose to busyness, I haven’t quite figured out what that might be although I have learned that the busier I am, the less time I have to be quiet. When that happens, honestly it’s extremely hard to listen…to anyone frankly, let alone God.

What I still don’t completely grasp is why God uses a “still, small voice” when He speaks to us? Why can’t he use Hollywood special effects to get our attention? In my mind that would be far easier…but yet if you really sit down and think about it, when we are quiet is when we are better connected to receive what God has for us…

Riddle me this for a moment…does it make sense that Satan might intentionally keep us slammed with busy stuff and mayhem in order for us NOT to take the time to be still so we might hear God? Kinda makes sense right? On any given day, When we are so full of the day’s details and information that we must remember while at the same time late for an appointment, how can God get through to us besides hitting us over the head?

Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. Psalms 46:10

Go with me for a second…describing this with words is somewhat difficult but I’ll try…if you really think about God being God…Almighty…All powerful, knowing everything, seeing everything, as a believer, there is a HUGE security and peace that comes from that knowledge. All I have to do is be still and know that He has everything in my world under control. Just like the picture shows, “Be still, I’ve got this”.

Now I understand these are just my words and some of you might say, just my “feelings” etc. with no facts to substantiate am I right? and I can understand why you would think that way because from the outside looking in, it probably does look more like only words and not actions.

But let’s look at this issue in another way, if we change the words “be still” to “let go”, does that impact you any more or any less? For some of us, we may be holding onto something or someone who is standing in the way of what God has for us. Only you know what or who that might be in your life. The question is, what are you going to do about it? God has this pipeline of peace intended just for you but you must plug into Him to gain any of it…and that is the purpose of this post…

Be still, or Let go…that is what He is asking of you, and if you will, you will see that He is God and begin to experience some of the incredible blessings He has for you and only you.

That is the challenge for you today is to remember these words from Him…

Be still…I’ve got this.

Until next time guys

How is your thought LIFE?

Posted: July 19, 2015 in Something to think about
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thoughts

Are you one of those guys who just absolutely LOVE’S competition? Over the years, I have found that I am a guy who turn’s pretty much everything I do into a contest…and I really can’t help it…I think it might actually be in my DNA because I so enjoy the thrill of competing or engaging an opponent. Whether it’s shooting dirty clothes into the clothes hamper with my son, throwing darts, or playing a competitive sport, I relish my opportunities to compete and be challenged.

That got me thinking about how we men have challenges beyond the physical that involve battles for our thought life. As strange as that sounds, have you ever considered that inside your mind is a war zone and there is a constant competition for who is going to win the battle over what you think about?

Think about that statement for a second…

Inside your head, there is a battle going on where good and evil compete literally every second of your day as to who will gain control.

Now, if you think I am over exaggerating this issue, I have the Bible to back me up. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 10:5:

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Paul tells us that it’s our job to “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ”.

In other words, we are expected to be in control over what we think and if we have a thought that isn’t “Godly” we are to limit it and make it obedient to Christ.

Now, I may have lost some of you already because what I am saying is very difficult to do…even if we WANT to do it. If you are a guy reading this blog who walks with God then you already know that we are bombarded with images and situations that cause everyone of us to think thoughts that are NOT Godly…

By the way, in case you didn’t know this already, that IS Satan’s plan. You see the way to your heart is through your MIND and if he can gain control over what you think about, then he has you…that is why Paul said this 2000 years ago because he knew even then, that one way Satan would attack men…was through our thoughts.

Hey Guys…know this… there is a way to gain victory over your thoughts but like everything else we do, we have to work at it and most of all, be consistent. Its just like working out in the gym…when we skip a few days, its far easier to just keep on skipping until we never go at all…it takes a consistent routine, day in and day out, to make the physical progress as well as overcoming the mental part of just going in the first place.

Overcoming our thought life is exactly the same; it takes a constant effort on your part to gain victory. In this case though, we cannot skip days…we must be consistent each day and put on our armor knowing full well we are in a battle against and enemy who seeks to destroy us…

I put together 4 steps necessary to control your thought life to help you for the future.

  1. It takes Fortitude. Just like your Coach used to tell you, “you got to want it”. If you are sitting on the edge as to whether or not you want to control your thought life, then you have already lost.
  1. Be Consistent. Each day give your thoughts over to Him and then work to be conscious of what you are thinking about. Some of us allow our thoughts to drift off into what ever and that is a wide open door for Satan to walk through. Paul even tells us in 1st Corinthians that he “dies daily” to Christ, which simply means he hits the reset button everyday before he went to work.
  1. Hit the Reset button everyday. Paul even tells us in 1st Corinthians that he “dies daily” to Christ, which simply means he hits the reset button everyday before he went to work. We are going to fail…we just need to know that we can reset each day and begin anew…clean, fresh and sinless in Gods eyes.
  1. It takes a Team. Sometimes, and I know this is hard for men to do…but if we have a buddy that we can talk to during our weak moments…that just may be the difference between success and failure.

Guys, let me end this post this way. Please understand that even if you work to apply what I have said today, you are still going to mess up now and then.

HEAR MY WORDS!

 Do NOT give up. Keep fighting on. God Forgives and He FORGETS.

 Just because you screw up does not mean it is game over. Life happens and things don’t always go the way we want them to. In those times, we have to seek God even more.

 And He will extend His grace and forgiveness to you. You can count on that.

 You CAN do this…

 Until next time guys…

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