Home » Posts tagged 'Christianity'

Tag Archives: Christianity

Really, you gave yourself away…

Posted on by | Leave a comment

given away

 

For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. Luke 9:24 KJV

Have you really given yourself away? Has God found you in the hurricane, or are you on the cliff watching-looking at what you have climbed out of by the grace and mercy of God. Have you giving yourself away enough to stop complaining about what it means to be given away?

Most of us have given something away. It could be in the form of clothing, food, money, our love or even our blood. When we do these acts of charity we know that we are not going to get those items back and we will not get paid, they are gifts. We may feel good about ourselves in knowing that we have helped others, but that is about it. Some of us even take on the understanding that when we give things away we cannot decide what happens to those things once they are out of our possession. The kind of authority belongs to the receiver. I came to realize this myself when I chose to give away something I favored.

I had a sweater that was given to me by my sister. I wore the sweater several times pairing it with jeans or leggings and making fit my style. I really liked the sweater, but I eventually stopped wearing it and it became more of a sentiment because it was a gift from my sister who has passed away. About a year ago I decided to give it to charity. It took a couple of charity truck pick-ups before I stopped taking it out of the give-away box and storing in my basement. Once I gave my treasured sweater away I could no longer decide if it would be washed in Woolite, Tide or a bargain brand detergent. I couldn’t tell the new owner to lay it flat to dry and never to hang it on a hanger. It was no longer up to me to decide what looked great with it and what didn’t. I had given it away to be used by someone else.

If our lives are given away to God, we are completely his. Our life is not ours, but it is in the complete care of God. We are no longer guided or instructed by previous owners or ourselves, but by God because we have received the life of Christ as a way of transformation for us. Don’t be confused or deceived about giving your life to God. We are not given away while we are complaining , lacking love, cheating, gossiping, killing the lively hood of others, lying, being self oriented, having ungodly anger, or while looking for recognition after helping others for God. These are just a few examples of the characteristics that keep us from being completely and unselfishly given away.

Your life is given away to God if you are subject to his Holy Spirit, the love he exudes and do the opposite of what keeps us from being completely given away. You have no problem with new ownership if you find yourself doing what is not always the easiest of most popular choice, if you ride the waves instead of swimming away from the direction God gives to you. If you can call on Christ, (because you know this is where strength generates) when it is rough instead of going to a high place and leaving those in need behind, you are given away. When you know you can rest in God’s glory when needed, and keep an ear to his voice to be ready to work as he see fit you are completely Christ-like, you are his.

There is more to saying you are given away for Gods use. Words get us there mentally if we hear them, but actions and responses kept us there. Are you given away enough as of today?

Scripture Inspiration; Luke 9, Ephesians 2

Every Day is New

Posted on by | Leave a comment

These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. John 16:33 KJV

walking

There is a peace in Christ that settles your emotions and reactions. Recognize that he stays with you as long as you do not resist him. He desires to keep you strong and able to make it through life, from the beginning of your day to the moment you release the day into his hands and rest at night. God has created Christ for this purpose and there is nothing you are experiencing that God has not considered.

Lift your head and do not be afraid to hold onto your future. If you are holding onto to your future your hope is in what is to come. God has a best for you, go forward and live as though you want that best until you are living in it. Affirm yourself on today, you have a worth and a purpose; don’t allow the enemy to steal it away from you.

Scripture Inspiration; John 16

Are you one of those…

Posted on by | Leave a comment

overcome

 

He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God. Revelation 2:7

In all that we fall short in and all that we achieve Christ knows that a certain amount of us will overcome.

In his message to the seven churches he says exactly that. He states what will be given to those who overcome. He does not say “if” we overcome, but he uses the words “to him that overcometh” or “he that overcometh”.

There are issues and accomplishments within each church that Christ speaks to and he tells them in plain language what they are doing and where they have deceived themselves into believing that there status has made them whole or held them back from the completeness that is desired through Christ.

Though their actions are known and revealed Christ gives them instructions on how to receive what is to come by being overcomers. He promises something to all who are able to overcome.

If you are doing the good you know to do and it aligns with the righteousness of God continue along the path. Christ is willing to teach and guide you; he will place the right resources on your path and in your hand to help you along the way. Listen for God’s voice so that you will not be deceived or forget his righteousness and live in contradiction.

If you have never lived a life reconciled to God through Christ you should consider your options. Consider living a life that offers eternal life and a way to make it through everything you face here on earth rather than living a life feeling like something is missing and never finding it. Living a life reconciled to God will allow you to take on life differently. You will see your successes and obstacles through new eyes.

What if you are one of those who Christ speaks of? You, the one who overcame until the end; how can this happen if you never choose to live a reconciled life or if you being reconciled to God fall into a lukewarm state of being and never push yourself to change. Smash the deception trap and stop giving the Devil the advantage over your life. He already has an outlined goal to derail and destroy you don’t help him succeed, but pay attention to what is taking place in your life every day so that you can eat from the tree of life. You got this!

Inspiration Scripture, Revelation 2 and 3 

Overcome To Live

Posted on by | Leave a comment

Overcome: to defeat someone or something, to gain control of something difficult, to affect someone very strongly (Merriam-Webster, 2014).

Satan is not for you, he is not excited about your victories. He feels good when you fail, are overtaken by life, and find yourself crawling instead of standing. He enjoys seeing you injured. When you are injured you have potential to be eliminated.

Recall a time when you were stumbling over the rocks on you path and chose to voice your issues to others; what response did you get? If you have witnessed others sit up with excitement and tuned in to hear your misery you can use that kind of response to gauge exactly how Satan is behaving when he has injured you and is waiting to overcome you. He is enjoying with anticipation, circling his prey, preparing to devour you. Some of the people in your circle or those you communicate with may not want to devour you, but if they seemingly perk up at your troubles they have a similar spirit. They may not appear to be harmful, but they are. People of that nature bring negativity and negativity drains life of energy, energy that you need to keep from being defeated.

Now consider when you have succeeded or overcame, you shared the good news about the promotion you received, the insight you gained from a recent failure or the debt you paid off, and what happens? Does the body language of your audience change; does the voice of a certain friend or acquaintance become monotone or maybe these people cannot get a vocabulary word out that exudes congratulations or a “way to go friend”. It could be that you have excelled where they have not, however it is not a positive responds and this is how you can expect Satan to respond. He is disappointed and is not going to congratulate you, but he is thinking of how to overcome you for the future. He is planning an attack, a way to injure you, or a way to eliminate you through the way you deal with life events.

You can stop the process of elimination, you can overcome. You can overcome sin and be reconciled to God. You can overcome obstacles and day to day blows and leave Satan defeated. When you are able to overcome in such a way you can then feel and live out the meaning of the scripture that reads like this: “If God is for us, who can be against us” (Romans 8:31KJV). If you are an overcomer you are becoming more intimate with God. You have learned to be equipped by Him through prayer and fasting and he is for you. You are his called, and his chosen, and his faithful; God is for you, but Satan can be against you. If you are living as a diluted version of the power Satan has in the earth by way of the sin you have not yet escaped, he can come against you, but with God you will overcome.

Live to be an overcomer and overcome to live.

Scripture Inspiration; Romans 8, Revelation 12, 13 KJV

God’s Glory

Posted on by | Leave a comment

For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the Lord; and there is none else. Isaiah 45:18 KJV

For His magnificence, His richness, the thickness of His power he is deserving of my worship and my adoration. He is God, and I exalt him.

He made man from dirt, and sculpted the woman from a bone. He designed us with perfection in mind; with a breath, life was created. Our life continues because of his air; we are examples of his power. What he has constructed is grand; the sun, the moon, the stars, the waters, and the land. His glory is divine. The day brings light and without hesitation night arrives at its appointed time. The power of God is at work each day and it goes unnoticed at times. The grass grows in spring and flowers bloom. The leaves of the trees lend shade and a colorful back ground before they fade. The snow falls and it melts. The rain feeds the land and we are provided with food. The sun supports life of living things. His glory surrounds us every day. The heavens he has waiting for us to occupy; a majestic place where all is excellent. The streets are radiant and filled with mansions that beam because of his light. When we arrive to that place will be able to praise him without interruption. We will not get tired, our voice will always be strong, and we will not have the cares of the world in our thoughts. We will have all the strength and help we need. Peace and joy will be among us all. We will be free to worship him always.

He is a magnificent God and I love to be in awe because of him.

Greatness

Posted on by | 2 Comments

Thou art my God, and I will praise thee: thou art my God, I will exalt thee.  Psalm 118:28 KJV

Greatness

Lord your deliverance is one of a kind.

Your perfect actions bring praise to my heart.

My song cannot be kept inside.

It is sweet to be in your care.

When I stumble you keep me from falling.

When I am in danger you become a shield.

Your comfort expands when I am hurt.

Lord you keep me from destroying myself.

I love your deliverance.

I am standing because you told me I could;

I am encouraged by you alone.

I soar, because of your greatness.

I honor you, I magnify you,

I praise you, I worship you, and I exalt you.

Clinging To Life

Posted on by | Leave a comment

whole year (11)

Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. Psalm 16:11 KJV

It may be hard to hold on when everything seems to be leaning in the direction of defeat. Defeat may even disguise itself as peace, but there is no real peace when you give up on your life. It is usually not difficult to give up, you can simply stop. To keep striving takes commitment and strength you exude these. You want to make it and you are fighting to live, fighting to change, if not you would be gone by now and change would not be a concern.

Although you are fighting sneaky thoughts come in and you think no one is there, but you have pulled your own hand back from circulation; you have crossed your arms and left no opportunity for those who care. Don’t be deceived any longer someone still has a hand hanging in the air, waiting for the warmth from your life. Someone still needs you as much as you have been in need. Tell someone that you need help someone who will listen closely. Speak like this is your last chance; speak like you are clinging to life as it dangles over a cliff with nothing beneath to break the fall.

You can live and progress and love your life enough to grip it and hug it tightly, like you want it. There is a path to lead you out of the darkness that is drowning you. It is a path just for you, it is not exactly the same as anyone else’s, but there are many like things on that path to bring you into a better state of living. There is a repairer for every breach that has separated you from the love of having a lively soul and life that does more than exist. His name is Jesus. He stands between you and God waiting to reconcile you, even when you thought things were solid because you have known God for so long. He is there for every breach. Begin to speak.

Almost every time I kneeled to pray I was in need, but then I found pleasure there and eventually I rested on my knees just to commune and feel the mystery of God. Search for Him, open your mouth and let God hear you, open your heart for change, and listen for the opportunity to grow. What you do not know He will teach you.

Scripture Inspiration; Psalm 16:1-11 KJV

Check The Foundation Of Your Praise

Posted on by | Leave a comment

By him therefore let us offer sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.  Hebrews 13.15

It is rare to find someone who has not thanked another person for one reason or another. We all have shown our appreciation in some way, it may have been for a gift, a compliment, or for the help that we were offered. The gratitude that we exhibit to one another sometimes rolls right off from the tongue by habit. We are helped, we feel good, and we express our feelings. When we recognize that we express our appreciation in this way to people on any given day we will also realize that we are capable of releasing great thanks. Thanks that comes from deep within our hearts, a thanks that only God deserves. In time this thanks becomes your worship to him which is initiated by your increasing praise.

God deserves the kind of thanks that he creates in your heart. The thanks inside of you will not be the same as anyone else’s, it is personal. It has been developed inside your heart over time. Everything that you have experienced with God builds up your thanks and turns into praise before progressing into worship. Once you have a clear picture of what God is to you and how God has been great to you the need to praise him will become alive.

To know what God has done for you, you must take time to know and understand him, his miracles, and his son. You cannot worship God the way that he wants you to (in spirit and in truth) if you do not know who or why you worship (John 4:24). After accomplishing these things you will be able to give a meaningful praise to God because you will know who you are praising and why. When a meaningful praise exists inside of your heart you will be open to experience an extreme praise. Your heart holds the background for your extreme praise and you can releases it with a simple background check.

When you authorize a background check you allow your extreme praise to exit your heart. An extreme praise does not consist of any hold backs. As it builds you will notice your intense love for God and see your need to worship him. This worship happens when you are devoted.  Being devoted means your love for him is greater than your love for any other person, place, or object in your life.  It is your honor and fear for him. A true worship experience with God ignites feelings that no other can achieve for you. The experience will cause you to want to release more praise to him and it will give you another memory to store in your heart.

To praise and worship God is a part our purpose. When our praise flows freely from our beings we please God, and he in return blesses us with more of his greatness. We have thanks, praise, and worship inside of us, but what are they to have if we do not release them to our creator. In our thanks we find delight, strength and hope. Through praise we receive our needs and desires. During worship our love for God grows, our faith increases and we become aware of a rest that is surrounded by peace and joy. We need all three of these qualities to be active in our hearts. If we find that they are not, we must do whatever is needed to develop a background that will bring these qualities back to life.

Scripture Inspiration; Psalm 145

 

God Sees Opportunity

Posted on by | Leave a comment

Do not be limited to what others imagine you as. Everyone is free to have thoughts and their own opinions, but you do to have to live within the jurisdiction of anyone’s mind. It does not matter what gifts, skills and abilities you have or what you have done people will categorize you. If you try, and strike three times some will label you as out even if they have knowledge that God can do all things and change all things. People limit God so why would limits not be put on you.

There are some who will see that you are on your third strike and they smell failure and expect it to reign. God sees opportunity when others are drawing a blank. He sees that you do not give up when you are challenged and that you are not ashamed to start over when you fail. Others see your failure without knowing your struggle. They do not know that during your adventure you acquired new information for the future although you struck out. Many will not read your story as success they will only see your strike and what you have not accomplished.

God see the success. Each time you have failed God knew that there would be a greater opening in your heart, mind and soul for him to enter into. He knew that you were not out, but ready to come into something new. God knew that you were in no rush to get to the top because he hid the concept of growth in your heart for you to find. While others thought you were crumbling and were waiting for you to be swept away you were progressing. God was molding you and developing you. Now you have a strong resume for the job ahead of you.

Keep trying, keep moving, and keep your ears on God’s voice. Anyone can come along to attempt to break you while you are already broken. Let them waste their energy, their best efforts do not compare to God. There is no piece of you he cannot find and make whole again. God sees all of you while others are only there for some of your plays and innings. They blink, day dream, and focus on the imprint you left the last time you fell, and that sums up what they are able to imagine for you.

However, with God you are free, free to live in God’s vision and you are not limited to what anyone else believes to be your reality. Look at all that you have, and top it with God’s ability and he will show you what you can do with what he has given to you. Stand, shake off the excess, tuck in your blouse or straighten your tie and walk past every strike and false limitation ready to live through God’s eyes.

Scripture Inspiration; Psalm 56:1-13 KJV

The Dust That Settles

Posted on by | Leave a comment

If you were to rub your fingers across a dusty shelf there will be evidence on your fingers that dust is in the atmosphere. Likewise, if you have been with God, seeking him and receiving him there will be evidence that you have been with him (Romans 8:11). There should be enough evidence covering you that someone else in your life should get a contact exposure to God.

The life of the people you encounter should be impacted in some way because you represent God. If you were one to stick your foot out to watch others fall over it, because of the dust of God covering you, you will no longer have your foot out. Now, due to change, when you see someone fall you will reach to the person with a firm intention of helping the person to his or her feet. To keep that state of transformation you must exercise a changed life and build on the new character you have taken on. You cannot be transformed and react the same way that you would have before the transformation. If you do you are living with a double mind, and you cannot serve both good and evil when you are covered with God’s spirit. (Luke 16:13, James 1:8)

Every day it is good to check for the dust, the residue that says “God is here”. Sin comes easy because we were born in it. We have practiced it and perfected it. It will take a push from the core of our beings to exercise living a transformed life. Any goal that you set in life has steps and a finish date. Growing as you are living a life reconciled to God will also take steps and goals to reach daily or weekly depending on your needs. Waking up with a phrase of being changed in the front of your mind (I am not the same person I was, I am becoming more of what God created me to be daily) can help you to recognize your change as you work on your goals (Romans 8:26). You will have good intentions in your mind as you awake and go about your day.

You are God’s representative, what are others saying about God’s Kingdom when you cross their paths. Are there high volumes of customer complaints or are they normal. Check to see if you are transferring God by contact. If you see that you are not, get in God’s atmosphere and get covered again.