The Good News or the Bad News First?

The Impact of Your Thought Life

What we think on, we mull over, we focus on, these are the things that have tremendous impact on  us. 

Paul understood this. He could have focused on his circumstances. He had been beaten, imprisoned, he had been betrayed and he knew he had a choice. Just as we have a choice. We can either think about the bad things or the good. 

He chose to look at things from the perspective that Jesus was a greater reward than the situation was bad. In other words, there was more value in Christ than there was in his circumstances. 

Application and Practice

I am not a naturally sunny person. Without Christ actively given a place in my life I am moody and morose. Neurotic would be a good word. I focused on myself. I thought things like "What's in it for me?" "Why are they treating me badly?" "Why can't people see things my way?"  

These attitudes were not just my heart. I had an un-renewed mind. I was focused on my circumstances rather than what God had to say about things. That is where this verse comes in: Philippians 4:8 

Sometimes the things the Bible say to do we rather ignore. Face it, no one really wants to love their enemy, or treat their neighbors as they would treat themselves. Getting a hold of these things takes real time application of prayer and the Spirit at work in our lives. Since we are human we will get it wrong more than we get it right. 

So why try anyway? 

Because there is so much freedom in it. God doesn't tell us to ignore the bad situations. Jesus said there would be trouble in this world, but be of good cheer anyway, because I have overcome the world!  (read it here) 

By focusing on the promises of God, the honest things, the pure things, the lovely things, the just things, then we remember God brought us through before. That good report reminds us He is faithful. This is the truth we stand on: God does not forsake His children or leave them begging bread. Now we have reason to praise, now we have reason to sing. 

Since praise brings breakthrough, we now can understand why our thought life has such power. 

If you think I don't understand your situation, or your circumstances, then you may be right. Yet, I know without a doubt that God does know. He made a way of escape for you. Maybe not a physical escape from the mess you are in, but a spiritual and emotional freedom is available to you. 

Sometimes the circumstances don't change because they are not what God is focused on. His focus has always been mankind's hearts. He wants us to change. To change our minds, and to change our hearts. Then, He can begin to bring us through the circumstances. 

Join the Conversation: 

Are you a naturally optimistic (positive) or pessimistic (negative) person? How has that worked for you?

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Five Steps to Eureka

Do Not Let the Moment Go

A light bulb went on!

You had a Eureka moment and something snapped into place like never before.

When little breakthroughs happen it is important that you write these down, make a video, create a memento of some kind, or otherwise memorialize it.

Why?

Because in the next dark moment of doubt, you will need to pull that moment out and look at it.

Revelations 12:11 “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony” 

Building Up Your Faith

Faith is like an under developed muscle that has to be exercised in order to grow. How do we build up that faith muscle?

We strengthen it little by little, line upon line.

Recently I was reading and meditating on all the things God was showing me when I had my Eureka moment. I immediately began writing it down. But I needed more than just a journal entry. I needed a marker. Like Jacob at the ladder.

So I began making Post Its™ that had a 2 word phrase that meant something to me and I plastered my house with them. 


 In my room, at my computer, on my bathroom mirror, the fridge, the fireplace, all over I posted these markers.

These things will act like faith motivators. I will see them and remember the moment God spoke that thing to my heart. 
 

How Jacob Did It

Jacob was not expecting to go to bed in the middle of nowhere with a rock as a pillow and have an experience with God.

But God will meet you where you are. He has plans for you and in order for you to succeed you need to be on the same page with Him.

That is what Jacob’s dream was all about. God already had a covenant (contract) with Jacob’s dad, but Jacob was being brought in. 


Here are the five steps Jacob took that we can apply to our lives in those Eureka moments.

1 · He needed the dream in order to obtain a vision for his life. (Eureka!)

Without a vision God’s people perish.

2 · He recognized God in that moment.

It wasn’t just the late night pizza and coffee combo. God spoke to him and Jacob knew immediately! (Do Not Doubt!)

3 · He memorialized the moment

Jacob knew that this moment was a pivotal one. He took the stone and made it a pillar. A pillar is more than rock; it holds something greater than itself up. In Jacob’s case, this pillar was his faith in God’s promise.

4 · He named that moment

Jacob knew that giving things a name is a powerful faith tool. He called the place “Beth El” (Bethel) The place God dwells. This is the most prophetic and perfect name. God began his promise with Jacob here, and fulfilled it in Bethlehem with the birth of Jesus (whose name means God with us).

5 · He made a vow to remember

He would return to the place that changed his life forever. He would remember it and know that no matter what circumstanced said his life had meaning. God had a plan.

What about You?

God is not a man, He cannot lie. He has been the same since before time. He makes plans and guess what?

He has a plan for you!

Ask Him to show you. Seek God first above everything. When you least expect it, you will have that Eureka moment. Maybe you already have. Have you memorialized it or did you discount it as a pipe dream?

Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.

Matthew 6:33

What is one Eureka moment you have had that changed your life forever? 

Overcoming Disappointment and Finding Hope Again

Disappoint means not (dis) settled (appoint) if you break down the etymology of the word.


Disappointment (not being settled) is a hard thing to deal with. If you have anticipated something, like a new job, or a new baby, or a new home, and those things did not come, disappointment is a natural response. The thing we have to be careful of is not to allow disappointment (not being settled) turn into anger toward God or a lack of faith on our part.


Waiting on God in these times is hard. Sometimes we feel all alone.


Even the greatest prophet, Elijah felt alone. He had just splendidly called fire down from heaven, defeated the Baal worshippers and established the sovereignty and holiness of God before the nation and then with a death threat he forgets the faithfulness of God.


How did that happen? How did He go from such a high to such a low so quickly?


Elijah became disappointed the miracle on Carmel did not have more immediate results with the people of Israel. He became self-focused and overwhelmed by fear when Jezebel threatened his life, and he even wanted his life to end. This is more than just disappointment, this was burn out.


Burn out is defined as fatigue, frustration, or apathy resulting from prolonged stress, overwork, or intense activity.


If we are not careful, if we allow disappointment to fester and fear to take over, we end up depressed and unfocused. We become burned out on our works, and in desperate need to get back to the basics with God, which are prayer, worship and reading the word. It happens to the best of us and it often happens after great disappointments.


When we face disappointment we can recognize it, give it to God and allow Him to teach us in that moment, or we switch our focus from God to the circumstances and whine about it, like Elijah did. The former should be our response, but the latter is usually the case.


Thankfully, God is faithful despite our response and He can bring us back around, just as he did with Elijah.


The first thing God for Elijah is he provided for him, even in his desert place. He gave him food, shelter, and water. He teaches us in that moment with Elijah that He is always faithful. He meets our needs and is our sustainer.


Restoration and rest are essential to overcoming burn out and surpassing disappointment.


Resting in God’s provision begins to pull our focus from ourselves and begins to set us back on the path we were meant to be on in the first place. God allowed Elijah to rest and store up His provision, because there was a bigger lesson coming soon.


That second lesson was one I’ve had to learn over and over. God reminds me every time when I take my eyes off of Him, to find Him again. He reminds me to get quiet and focus. God is not in the circumstance: not in the hurricane-like winds, the earthquakes, or in the fire. God is in the quiet, still small voice. The comforter to our soul, He is our buckler and our shield. We have nothing to fear when He is the focus of our lives.


When we stop focusing on the circumstances and focus on hearing what God has to say about the circumstances, then we can move on to the next thing God has for us. Disappointments come, Jesus said in this life we will have trouble, but He also said He had overcome. BE of GOOD CHEER!


Trust in the Lord, and remember His promises are yes and amen. He has planned a future for us, one full of hope and peace. He has promised that He will work things out for our good if we love Him and are called according to His purpose- and we are called!


Jesus talked to the disciples about disappointment. When things do not go the way we plan, we should shake it off like the dust from our feet and move on. Let God deal with the circumstances, let God deal with people’s hearts, Let God deal with our hurts, as we shake off the disappointment like the dust it really is.


We need to get still and let God speak comfort and peace to us. We need to listen for His direction. He will bring us through the flood; he will bring us through the fire.


Let the winds of life blow, let the fire rage, God will raise a standard against it, and if we listen for His voice and follow Him, we will come through.


Lift your eyes to the Lord, where all of your help comes from.


So when you are disappointed, when the hard things of life come, trust that God has a plan, and that plan is designed and tailor made just for you. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, don’t lean on what you know, lean on Him, even in the disappointments. Don’t become burned out from the work and weighed down by the stress of what you have faced. Guard your heart, and listen for His still small voice. He cares for you.


Have you been disappointed before?  

PRAISE brings BREAKTHROUGH

Just Another Verse...

I began reading today Matthew 1, and could not get past the third verse. It says this: Judah the father of Perez.  Now that may not mean anything to you yet, but hopefully you will be as excited as I am in just a few minutes!

Judah means PRAISE unto the Lord. Perez means Breakthrough!

Judah the father of Perez means Praise unto the Lord brings Breakthrough!

In 1st Chronicles 13:1-14 God moved mightily in Battle, so much so the place the arc of the covenant was kept was called Perez Uzza or “Exploded” Uzza.  When God is present in our lives there is BREAKTHROUGH, our circumstances are EXPLODED!

What brings us into the presence of God? Praise! He inhabits the Praise of His people.

Psalms 111:10 Amplified says The reverent fear and worship of the Lord is the beginning of [a]Wisdom and skill [the preceding and the first essential, the prerequisite and the alphabet]; a good understanding, wisdom, and meaning have all those who do [the will of the Lord]. Their praise of Him endures forever.

We are supposed to shout out His praises. Shouts go ahead of us. They alert the world around us that something is happening! I believe that when we shout with a voice of triumph we declare in the spirit realms that God is arriving in the camp!

Jericho didn’t just come down because of the marching, no, those walls fell because the sound waves collided with a wall, and the wall COULD NOT STAND! Sound that becomes praise is like supersonic spiritual Napalm.  It blows up your circumstances, it breaks down those walls, and it tells the enemy that God is bigger than anything he can throw at us!

You get a diagnosis of cancer	GOD IS MY HEALER!
You can’t pay all the bills	GOD IS MY PROVIDER!
You feel like you have no hope	GOD IS THE LIFTER OF MY HEAD!

 We should praise him in spirit and in truth; we should praise him with our voices, with our instruments, with our bodies, with groaning, with spiritual songs. All of these scriptural praises usher in the presence of God when done from the heart. 

Engage with God.

Do not have the form of godliness, but deny the power thereof!  

When we engage with God, we form a spiritual connection that acts like a conduit for God’s power to actively work in our lives. Like a spiritual Shofar, our shout of praise becomes a clarion call that announces to the enemy GOD IS HERE! Satan has no power anymore!

Out of this PRAISE comes Breakthrough! Strongholds are broken, chains fall off our lives, and real joy takes root in us and brings a peace that nothing in the world compares to. We live glory to glory. Breakthrough to breakthrough. Blessing to blessing. What gets us through the in-between is praise.

JUDAH was the father of PEREZ! Excited yet?

Be blessed and be a blessing and remember breakthrough is a noun!

What is your favorite Praise and Worship song?  

Impetuous Peter and the Journey to Self-Discovery in Christ

When you think of Peter, what is the first thing you think of? Cutting off a guy's ear? Standing in front of the "Pearly Gates"? 

Who was Peter? 

Impetuous Peter had a whole slew of qualities. Let’s look at some of them.

Peter walked on water; he slashed off a man’s ear. Peter recognized Jesus as the Son of God, and then he denied Jesus three times. Peter was a fisher of men, but could not watch and pray for a few hours. He was prone to legalism but dreamed of freedom from the law. He did not see the big picture before the crucifixion but preached on the day of Pentecost and thousands got saved. 

Peter ran from the horror of a trial and then hanged out in a cramped room full of believers in the days following Jesus’ death. Peter was a man of God and he had a temper. He was a fisherman and he was a brother. He was not rich but gave what he had. Peter heard a voice in the desert then followed a Savior. He was a twin with identity issues and he stood out to all those around him. He was prideful then let Jesus wash his feet. He failed then he was restored.

We are like Peter! 

Every time I think I have life figured out, I seem to find one thing or another to fail in and mess things up. Peter was no stranger to this phenomenon. But God still used Peter and He can use you and me! God uses the things the world puts no faith in, and He confounds conventional wisdom because there is success anyway, strength anyway, peace anyway.  

Peter was an Expert

Peter had something that we need. He had time with Jesus. I have heard it said that it takes 10,000 hours of work, research and time with a subject before you become an expert. That is 1 year, 1 month and 21 days (roughly) of one on one with the subject of study. Peter walked and talked, and was taught by Jesus for nearly three years. He was an expert. He was a believer. He was a founding apostle developing doctrine and teaching countless men and women throughout his life. And he still had issues.

So if all this is true, what does it mean for us? 

It means we can be an Impetuous Peter too. 

We can make mistakes, and have tempers, and fall on our face with pride issues, but if we continually surrender to God and allow Him to grow us, guide us, and lead us by the belt, then we can impact the world too.

Growing up I always thought of Peter as a weak willed man. He denied Jesus. I had no empathy at all for him. I could not figure out why Jesus went out of his way in John 21 to restore Peter and encourage him the way He did.  Part of my confusion was a lack of understanding the Jesus’ character, but now, I understand what it takes to be a real follower, and I know that Jesus is the lifter of my head. This was Jesus’ whole purpose on earth: restoration, forgiveness, and teaching. Now I realize that I am an Impetuous Peter, and I need restoration, forgiveness and understanding that can only come from Jesus.

I know that there is a long history and spiritual ancestry that is behind me. I know that like Peter, I will make mistakes. Like Peter, I have a calling on my life. Just as you do. For this purpose did I come, to testify to the truth!  

Like Peter I cannot get caught in the past, but have to allow myself to be renewed, and restored and made usable every day. I have to proclaim the glories of God and remind people the time is NOW.  Tall order? Maybe, but with God all things are possible.

So I want to close with a few questions.

1. Are you like Peter or is there another person in the Bible that you identify with more? Why?

2. What is your purpose? Have you defined who you are supposed to be in Christ yet?

3. Have there been moments in your life that made you think “That’s it, I really blew it now!” and made you feel like there could be no way you could move forward?

4. If you answered yes to #3, has there been a moment that Jesus restored you like in John 21? Reminding you there are things you still have to give and to do?

These are not easy questions. They are designed to make you think about your life and to press in to figure out first who you are in Christ and secondly to figure out what God has called you to do.  We overcome by the word of our testimony. I have to remember mine almost daily.

What is your story?

Self Help 101? No thank you!

Have you ever gotten in your own way before? It is easy to answer this question but hard to answer the next one; Why? Why do we get in our own way?

Just throwing this out there, but it may be because we try to do things on our own.  I don’t know about you, but I get tired of trying to be everything I am “supposed” to be all of the time. I get wrapped up in the peer pressure of the church and of the world and both can be dangerous things. We need to stop comparing ourselves to one another and JUST FOLLOW CHRIST!

Whoa, you say, there is no peer pressure in the church….to that I ask where do you go to church, because I want to go there.  Look, people are people, no matter where they are, everyone is broken: otherwise we wouldn’t need Jesus!

I have always considered myself to be a bit of a black sheep when it came to everything, my family, my church, my life in Christ. This negative view of myself has allowed me to wrongly excuse my poor choices in life and only in the light of Christ do I begin to see this stronghold for what it is: it is a lie.

2 Corinthians 10:4 (NLT)

We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. 

I am the righteousness of God in Christ, I am the head and not the tail, I rejoice because God is not a respecter of persons and He has plans for me. These words, ones written in the Bible, must become my ammunition in my battle against lies. These words must become my words, they must build my faith. They must carry more weight in my life than the lies I believed because someone of authority once told me a falsehood.

You are not worthless, you are not forgotten, you are not just like your deadbeat father, or destined to be a failure. Whoever told you these lies, well, they are wrong!  And it is time to get free of the strongholds these lies created in you.

One of the lies I have believed is that I have to always “be” a certain way now that I am a Christian. While it is true we strive for the “high Calling” of God perfection is not an option for me, because I am human. Here is another lie: I grew up thinking I was constantly a disappointment to God because the other people in my life seemed to be disappointed in me so often. If it was so impossible to please my dad, how could I ever please God?  The truth is I do not frustrate the grace of God. The truth is God loves me, and His grace is enough. The truth is God sings over me, HE is not waiting with a big stick to knock me over the head whenever I fall short.

We need to grab those things that exalt themselves higher than God in our lives, those lies we believe because our parents always said, or because we always thought a certain way, and bring them down! Pull down those strongholds by building up our faith. Asserting who we are in Christ is the only way to become free of the lies about ourselves that we believed until now. This will allow us to get out of our own way, and become more like Christ and less like that black sheep. After all, we are HIS sheep and we follow HIS voice!

This is not what I intended to write today. This is not what I studied last night and it is not where I thought God wanted to go when I first sat down at this keyboard. But I know that this is the only thing I could say right now. It was like a groaning in my spirit. I have believed so many lies before, I still struggle with the walls these lies erected between me and God. I want them torn down! I want to live in the freedom of God’s grace. I want to know the truth because it is not just truth that sets me free, BUT THE TRUTH I KNOW that sets me free. Don’t you want the same? Doesn’t your spirit cry out in the wilderness for more of God? 

Be blessed and be a blessing and remember that breakthrough is a VERB!