“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.”(Psalm 23:5 NIV)
God’s dream for your life is that you would be blessed in such a way that you could be a blessing to others. David said, “My cup runs over.” God is an overflow God. But here’s the key: you can’t go around thinking thoughts of lack, not enough, or struggle and expect to have abundance. If you’ve been under pressure for a long time and have difficulty making ends meet, it’s easy to develop a limited mindset. “I’ll never get out of this neighborhood.” Or, “I’ll never have enough to send my kids to college.” No, that may be where you are now, but that’s not where you have to stay. God is called El Shaddai, the God of More than Enough! Not the God of Barely Enough. Not the God of Just Help Me Make it Through. No, He’s the God of Overflow! Today, no matter what you may be experiencing, stir yourself up in faith and declare who God is in your life. Declare that He is well able; declare that He is more than enough! Declare that your cup runs over with the blessing and victory He has prepared for you! Father, thank You for Your grace, favor and mercy to me. I know that You are preparing a place of blessing for me. I know that my cup runs over, and as I press into You, I will walk in Your blessing in Jesus’ name. Amen.— Joel & Victoria Osteen Romans 10:10
'It is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.' - Watch what comes out of your mouth. - Don't allow negativity and doubt to come out of your mouth. - Speak life, speak hope, speak purpose and speak His word. - What we say and our confession is vital. PRAYER: Lord, help me not to allow doubt and negativity to come out of my mouth, but rather I pray that You will help me to always speak life and hope. May the words of my mouth be pleasing to You. Amen. A man’s mind plans His way, but the Lord directs His steps and makes them sure.
PROVERBS 16 : 9 BUILD YOUR STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN Step by step you climb day by day, closer to God with each prayer you pray. For the cry of the heart offered in prayer, becomes just another spiritual stair. In Jesus Name, AMEN! God's LOVE is: BLESSINGS Dictionaries usually define conviction as a fixed or strong belief. Conviction is really much more than that. Your convictions include your values, commitments, and motivations.
I like the definition of conviction I once heard from the great Bible teacher Howard Hendricks: “A belief is something you will argue about. A conviction is something you will die for!” Our convictions determine our conduct. They motivate us to take a stand and to act according to our values. When you first become a Christian, you often do things simply because other Christians around you suggest or model them. You may pray, read the Bible, and attend services because you see the examples of others. This is fine for a new Christian; little children learn the same way. However, as you grow, you must eventually develop your own reasons for doing what you do. Those reasons become convictions. Biblical convictions are essential for spiritual growth and maturity. What is ironic today is that people often have strong convictions about weak issues (football, fashion, etc.) while having weak convictions about major issues (what is right and what is wrong). Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (NRSV). What convictions define your faith? 1 JOHN 4:10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
"You have to love God more! You must have more passion for God!” You have probably heard this type of preaching and may have even tried your best to love God, only to fail miserably. But what is the true definition of love? Let the Bible define it for us: “…this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us…” Yes, it is not about our love for Him, but His love for us! “Pastor Prince, the Bible says that you must love God with all your heart, soul and strength!” Yes, that is true according to the law (Deuteronomy 6:5), and even Jesus taught that as the great commandment when He walked on earth. (Matthew 22:37) But that was before He died on the cross. At the cross, He became the very fulfillment of this law for us when Heloved us with all His heart, soul and strength, by laying down His body and life on the cross for us. Today, we are no longer under the law but under grace. And grace tells us that God loves us, not that we love God. Yet, we will love Him when we see how much He loves us. The Bible says that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us! (Romans 5:8) That’s how much He loves us! Beloved, God has seen you trying your best to love Him. And because He loves you, He wants you to sit down and be still, and let Him love you instead. He wants to love you with all that He is and all that He has. He loves you unconditionally regardless of who you are or what you have done because His love is not dependent on you but on Himself. He will never stop loving you. So let God love you today. Don’t worry about loving Him. The more of His love you receive, the more you will fall in love with Him! "God's steadfast love motivates us into covenant with Him. We know in our hearts God is committed to our best interest. Therefore, with confidence we can commit our lives to loving and serving Him. In covenant marriage, it is much the same. We enter our marriage with a sense we are loved and that we love each other; thus, we can freely commit ourselves to each other for life. We are then responsible for maintaining this attitude of love throughout marriage." (Dr. Gary Chapman from the book, "Covenant Marriage")
Steadfast is not a word we use often in our everyday vocabulary (especially paired up with "love"). Webster's Dictionary defines steadfast as being 1. Firm, fixed, settled or established 2. Constant; not changing, fickle or wavering. Does this define the love you show your spouse? Last week Cindy and I (Steve) celebrated our 42nd wedding anniversary (YAY God!!!) and steadfast love is what comes to mind when we look back over the years. It's a love that the Lord has helped us to develop and live out in our relationship --something we hope to inspire others to live out also. It's an amazing ride when we join God in this mission in marriage. We can testify to that! Because Cindy and I openly express our love for each other some might think that steadfast loves "comes easy" for us. I would say that it comes easier today, but you should have seen us earlier in our marriage (even after we made Christ our Savior). Too many times we struggled, threatening to leave, and picked at each other to the point that it's now embarrassing to even think about it. What made us think that this was healthy or honoring to God? I don't know. Even though we eventually removed the word, "divorce" from our thoughts and vocabulary (which helped a LOT), we still didn't display the love of Christ in our marriage. But there came a time when we both realized (Cindy much sooner than me) that we needed to change our behavior. We needed to sincerely honor the vows we made to each other and to God on our wedding day and learn how to truly show love to each other in steadfast ways. In his book, Dr. Gary Chapman, gives a picture of what this type of love looks like when it's lived out in a practical way: "This is not love as a romantic feeling. This love is something far deeper. Steadfast love does have an emotional element, but it is primarily a way of thinking and behaving toward one's spouse. Steadfast love is choosing to have a positive regard for your spouse, choosing to focus on his/her positive characteristics, and expressing appreciation to him or her for these characteristics. It's doing things for him or her that will express this positive attitude." Dr Chapman also says, "Steadfast love refuses to focus on the negative aspects of one's spouse. All of us discover things about our spouse that we perceive as negative. We don't deny them. On the contrary, we discuss them, especially if there is potential for change. Yet steadfast love refuses to dwell on these negative aspects. Violation of this principle has destroyed many marriages. "Few people can survive constant harassment and condemnation of a spouse. Condemnation does not encourage one to change, but rather to give up. When we focus on the positive aspects of the spouse and give verbal affirmation, he or she is far more likely to continue to grow." As I read Dr. Chapman's words I reflect on how God has helped both Cindy and me to choose to have positive regard for each other. He has also helped us develop the ability to refuse to dwell on the negative aspects we each have. Even though this doesn't come easy for either one of us it's worth the struggle because we know it reflects God's heart. God gives us, in the Bible, a practical guide to what it means to live out a steadfast love with each other every day. This is an exercise that Cindy and I have used for many years to help us keep on track. Take 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 ( the "Love Chapter") and personally answer some important questions: - LOVE IS PATIENT: Ask yourself: Am I patient with my spouse? Am I bearing with his/her weaknesses, as Christ would have me? (That doesn't mean that we enable poor behavior, or that we aren't to discuss important issues. But it's important to ask yourself: am I giving less grace to my marital partner by being impatient than God has and is giving to me?) - LOVE IS KIND: Am I treating my spouse with kindness in my attitudes, words and actions? Am I using cutting, sarcastic humor and/or passive-aggressive behavior in how I treat my spouse, being kinder to other people than I am to my wife (husband)? - LOVE DOES NOT ENVY: Do I display a spirit of discontentment or resentment in what we/I have or don't have? - LOVE DOES NOT BOAST; IT IS NOT PROUD: Am I being boastful, arrogant, or haughty? Am I displaying an attitude of being more superior, smarter, or more "in tune" than my marital partner? - LOVE IS NOT RUDE: Am I being rude, intolerant, or harsh with my spouse --treating her/him as less valued and important than others? - LOVE IS NOT SELF-SEEKING: Do I contribute to the health of our relationship, or do I seek my own way and my own interests over the good of our marriage --taking more than I give? - LOVE IS NOT EASILY ANGERED: Am I overly irritable or hypersensitive with my spouse, so that most everything he or she does angers and sets me off in a negative direction in some way? - LOVE KEEPS NO RECORD OF WRONGS: Do I keep "score" or store up resentful thoughts concerning my spouse, of that which a follower of Christ should not? - LOVE DOES NOT DELIGHT IN EVIL BUT REJOICES WITH THE TRUTH: Am I amusing myself and taking delight in that which would grieve the heart of God? Do I speak the "truth in love" --motivated by the love of God, rather than the world's version of love? - LOVE ALWAYS PROTECTS: Do I protect my spouse's feeling? Do I rudely embarrass and belittle, and attack my spouse's character in a way that a Christ follower should not? - LOVE ALWAYS TRUSTS: Am I living a life of trustworthiness (even if my spouse doesn't --giving myself permission to that which I shouldn't)? Am I putting my trust in Christ? - LOVE ALWAYS HOPES: Am I quick to assume the worst in my spouse? Do I have hope in my marriage because of Jesus Christ? - LOVE ALWAYS PERSEVERES: Do I give up too easily, caving into problems rather than persevering THROUGH them? Please keep in mind that we're told in 1 Corinthians 15:58: "Therefore my dear brothers [and sisters], stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord [in your marriage] because you know that you labor in the Lord is not in vain." We hope that whether you've been married 42 years, 4 years, or 4 days, you will be (and will remain) committed to steadfast love in your marriage --to the glory of God! We pray God will help you in the ways you need to get to that place. Steve and Cindy Wright Hebrews 2:18 Since He Himself has gone through suffering and testing, He is able to help us when we are being tested.
- God knows and understands every issue we may face. - Sometimes we have to endure times of testing. - The goal is to pass the test and move forward. - HE will help you and you will be able to say that you passed the test. PRAYER: Lord, help me to be able to pass the test and overcome the challenges that I am facing. Thank You that You understand and You are ready to help me. Amen. ESKOM: I do not care as long as he saved 10% electricity crossing the road.
KINDERGARTEN TEACHER: To get to the other side. JAN F.E. CELLIERS: Dis die hoender, dis die pad, dis al. NATANIEL: Ek was vreeslik op my nerves vir sy part tot hy anderkant gekom het. Ek dink dit was stunning. NAAS BOTHA: Aan die einde van die dag maak dit nie saak hoeveel Keer hy oor die straat is nie. Wat saak maak is die telbord. NELSON MANDELA: It was his long walk to freedom. A true Rainbow chicken. PIETER-DIRK UYS: Was dit 'n he-chicken of 'n she-chicken? Does it Pik? ALLAN BOESAK: How can the motives of a chicken who had done so much for chickenhood be questioned? It must have "struggled" to cross the road. DULLA OMAR: I am sure the chicken is innocent. He did what he did because of the @partheid legacy. NGCONDE BALFOUR: The government will ensure that a fair quota of black chickens cross the road as well. Why should black chickens remain on this side of the road? I only watch black chickens crossing the road anyway... TREVOR MANUEL: Makes me think: we don't tax chickens crossing roads yet.... VAN SCHALKWYK: Let's join the chicken and cross the road! TONY LEON: No matter where the chicken goes, we have the guts to fight back. DESMOND TUTU: We should have crossed the road with him. Together we will make a difference THABO MBEKI: I don't really have an opinion about this... MARK SHUTTLEWORTH: I would have paid a million to see the chicken cross the road! MUGABE: Stop that chicken! It must be repossessed together with the farm it belongs to. And the farm on the opposite side of the road, where It was going, and all the chickens on both farms. Repossess it all. And it's nobody's business what I do in my country.It is Britain 's fault for bringing chickens here anyway. JACOB ZUMA: The showers were across the road MANTO: Whish schicken (hic!) - I saw many ...pink shikkins Look back and thank God.
Look forward and trust God. Look around and serve God. Look within and find God!" "I asked God, 'How do I get the best out of life?' God said, 'Face your past without regrets. Handle your present with confidence. And prepare for the future without fear!'" "Without God, our week is: Mournday, Tearsday, Wasteday, Thirstday, Fightday, Shatterday and Sinday. So, allow Him to be with you everyday!" "Time is like a river. You cannot touch the same water twice, because the flow that has passed will never pass again..." Enjoy everymoment of life. What is the toughest thing you've ever had to forgive? The hardest thing I ever had to forgive involved the time my dad discovered that someone had gotten into his desk and sharpened crayons or pencils leaving a mess everywhere. He was justifiably angry. Obviously one of us four children had done the deed. "So come on kids, 'fess up." But no one would. We weren't usually defiant or unwilling to tell the truth. But on that particular deed,
no one would confess to being the culprit. He gave us an extra chance, and said if no one would confess, he would have to punish us all. The deadline came and went, and still no one would confess. Perhaps a friend had left the mess, unbeknownst to any of us. One of us said we would clean up the mess, even though we hadn't done it. Finally Dad had to punish us all, and he sent us upstairs to kneel down and say our prayers asking God to forgive us for telling a lie. That was hard: asking God for forgiveness for something you know you didn't do. But the really hard part was forgiving my father for punishing me for something I didn't do. I don't blame my father for what was an unresolved issue in our family for many years. I can't remember if we ever found out what actually happened, but I do remember the feeling of being wronged. Now, I realize I have been very fortunate, and if this is the worst story I can come up with, I really don't have anything to complain about. Some folks have forgiven grave issues like infidelity, abuse, the murder of their child. During the past year I've been privileged to be part of a team of persons who produced some radio spots telling some of these incredible stories of forgiveness. Naomi forgave a doctor who accidentally removed both breasts during what was to have been a single mastectomy. Marietta chose to forgive the man who murdered her child after stealing her out of the family tent, and then called a year later taunting them. Why forgive a gross wrong? The old saying is very true: to err is human, to forgive is divine. When we forgive, we are acting like God. I recognize that for someone who is not a religious person, he or she lacks that motivation. Yet there is an increasing body of research that looks at how forgiving others enables you to move on with your life. Persons who dwell on their bitterness and the wrong done to them get stuck on that injustice, and often experience health or family problems as a result. The first thing all these people who have forgiven a gross wrong would tell you is that it is not a simple thing; nor should anyone else tell someone what they have to do. It's a personal thing you get to after a long process of dealing with anger, bitterness and unresolved injustice. They say it is not a matter of letting someone off the hook for what they have done. Wrongdoers need to be held accountable; but for your own sanity, your own health, your own peace of mind, those who have chosen to forgive find that the process enables them to move on with their lives. |
Ana & Andre Schoonbee God uses us to motivate and encourage the body. Authors
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