“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”(Hebrews 12:1, NIV)
Is there a desire that you placed on the shelf, so to speak? Have you been sitting on the sidelines of your dream, celebrating everybody else’s victories, content to see the promises come to pass in their lives? It’s good to celebrate with others, but God wants to do something amazing in your life, too. He wants you to be celebrated. You don’t have to sit on the sidelines watching everyone else. You have treasure inside of you. Think about the promises that God has spoken over you; dreams that He wants you to give birth to. It’s not too late. You’re not too old. It may look impossible, but our God can do the impossible. When you believe, favor is released. When you believe, hidden treasure comes forth. Don’t waste another day sitting on the sidelines of life. It’s time to get back in the game. It’s time to run your race. It’s time to press forward into the promises that God has in store for you! Father, thank You for the promises You’ve spoken over my life. Help me to rise up, be strong and press forward. Today I choose to let go of anything that would hold me back from boldly embracing everything You have in store for me in Jesus’ name! Amen.— Joel & Victoria Osteen JOHN 8:32 “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
Consider the cold, hard facts that these three people faced: The aunt of a lady in our church saw her X-ray which showed that one of her two kidneys was cancerous. A couple in our church read their medical reports which said that they would never be able to produce a child. A lady in our church who acted as a guarantor ended up being asked by the finance company to pay it S$34 million. When such situations hit us and we allow the facts to settle in our hearts, we end up feeling greatly troubled. But when we let the truths of God’s Word settle them all, we will sense the Holy Spirit bearing witness to the truths that we are believing. He is the Spirit of truth. (John 16:13) He is not the Spirit of facts and does not bear witness to facts. It may be a fact that you are sick. The doctors say that you are sick. The X-ray film shows that you are sick. But God’s Word says that by Jesus’ stripes you are healed! (Isaiah 53:5) That is the truth about your situation. What is the difference between fact and truth? Facts change, but truth —God’s Word—remains! When God’s people choose to defy the facts and walk instead in His truths regarding their situations, the Holy Spirit in them will bear witness to the truths that they are believing. The lady with the cancerous kidney underwent an operation to remove the organ. But praise God, she received supernatural restoration as later X-rays showed two healthy kidneys instead of one! God had formed a new kidney for her! The childless couple received their miracle bundle of joy after seven years. Today, they are proud parents of not one, but four children! The church member with the S$34 million debt told the finance company that it was not being fair to her and that God would protect her. The company’s management miraculously decided to cancel her debt! The next time you are hit by disturbing facts, let God’s Word settle the truth about your situation. And as the Holy Spirit bears witness to the truths that you are believing, the facts will change and you will receive your miracle! HEBREWS 12:2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith...
If you are sick, you must know that you are already healed because of the finished work of Christ. Don’t ask, “Do I have enough faith to be healed? Do I have the right kind of faith to be healed? What if I am lacking in faith?” You are focusing on yourself and your faith, instead of Christ and His finished work. You should be asking, “Did Jesus take away this sickness? If He did, then He must have done a perfect work.” In other words, fix your eyes on Jesus and His perfect work. AB Simpson, who lived in the 19th century, wrote an article entitledHimself. In it, he mentioned his exhausted nervous system, and broken-down heart which could have proved fatal any time. So he sought the Lord for healing. God showed him Matthew 8:17, which says that Jesus “Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses”. AB Simpson said that though he believed that Jesus had borne away his sicknesses, he saw many hindrances which stood between him and his healing. And they all boiled down to one thing—his preoccupation with his faith! He had believed that if only he had the “right” kind of faith, he would receive his healing instantly. He eventually came to the realization that he had to remove that last hindrance—his focus on his faith—and just rest in the finished work of Christ. That revelation marked his complete recovery from his sicknesses. When you ask yourself, “Do I have enough faith?” you have already put faith as a hindrance between you and Jesus’ finished work. The more you focus on your faith, the more faith slips away. But if you focus on the finished work of Christ and see God’s grace toward you, God sees that as faith! Without realizing it, faith is there in your heart to believe that you will not die of what Christ Himself has already borne away completely for you, and you will see your miracle manifest! Want to see a miracle? Take a small seed, put it under several inches of dirt. Give it light, water, and fertilizer. It doesn’t matter that the ground is a zillion times the weight of the seed. The seed will push it back! Never underestimate the power of a seed.
James, the epistle writer, wasn’t a farmer. But he knew the power of a seed sown in fertile soil. “Those who are peacemakers,” he said, “will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of goodness” (James 3:18). How good are you at sowing seeds of peace? Jesus modeled peace through acts of love, washing the feet of men he knew would betray him, and honoring the sinful woman whom society had scorned. Want to see a miracle? Plant a word of love heart-deep in a person’s life. Nurture it with a smile and a prayer, and watch what happens! From The Applause of Heaven Saying "I love you" isn't the only way to let someone know how you feel. Here is
verbal way to express your feelings to your someone special. Verbal Expressions Express consideration. Part of loving someone is wanting what's best for him or her. You can highlight this attitude by asking after your loved one's welfare. For instance, if you know he or she had a hard day yesterday, quietly ask them how they're doing today and how their day is going. Letting them know you care is a great sign of Love. If you're running an errand, ask if you can pick up anything for your loved one while you're out. If they are facing a particularly difficult situation, communicate that you'd be glad to help out in anyway you can. Using your words to show how much you care can go a long way. Don't over-say it. If you're telling someone that you love him or her 15 times a day, it starts to lose its meaning. Cut out a few of those verbal expressions and mix it up with some non-verbal cues instead. When David was told, "Look, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah and are looting the threshing floors," he inquired of the LORD, saying, "Shall I go and attack these Philistines?" The LORD answered him, "Go, attack the Philistines and save Keilah." (1 Samuel 23:1-2)
The Philistines were great adversaries of the Israelites; David was a mighty warrior and with God's help had been successful in defeating the Philistines on many occasions. He had confidence in his calling as a warrior, in his abilities as a warrior, and in God to help him in battle. Yet, when once again the Philistines were causing trouble, David did not rely on his directions or past success. One more time, he sought God's face. He did not assume to know what God wanted him to do. He asked. How often do you ask God what to do? Do you assume to know what He wants based on past experience and make the decision yourself? Are you quick to rush into action and then later ask God to join you? Try asking God first and see how much easier things get. After all, He is the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End (Rev. 22:13). Don't you think He has a better idea of what's next? Nothing will ever be attempted, if all possible objections must first be overcome.-- Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English Author
No matter where you are, the Lord is with you. Even in the midst of your fears, while you are alone in your room, He is there with you. The moment you begin to be aware of His presence and cultivate His presence, all your fears, anxieties and worries will melt away like butter on a hot day, or as the psalmist David puts it, “The mountains melt like wax at the presence of the Lord…”
My friend, you cannot psych yourself out of fear nor can you psych yourself out of worry. You can’t just tell yourself, “Come on, stop worrying. There is nothing to worry about.” It just doesn’t work. It takes the presence of the Lord to keep you free from worry and fears. When you know that He is with you and for you, and you give Him your cares, the once-monumental problems become microscopic against the largeness of His love and goodness toward you! Today, as you consider all that you need to do and the expectations placed on you, see Jesus there with you. He is your supply, your wisdom, your peace and your strength! Please take a moment to relax your mind and humble your heart to focus on Christ.
Allow God, to be the only person on your mind while you read this prayer. If we can take the time to read long jokes, stories, etc., we should give the same respect to this prayer. Friends that pray together, stay together. Dear Lord, I thank You for this day. I thank You for my being able to see and to hear this morning. I'm blessed because You are a forgiving God and an understanding God. You have done so much for me and You keep on blessing me. Forgive me this day for everything I have done, said or thought that was not pleasing to you. I ask now for Your forgiveness. Please keep me safe from all danger and harm. Help me to start this day with a new attitude and plenty of gratitude. Let me make the best of each and every day to clear my mind so that I can hear from You. Please broaden my mind that I can accept all things. Let me not whine and whimper over things I have no control over. Let me continue to see sin through God's eyes and acknowledge it as evil. And when I sin, let me repent, and confess with my mouth my wrongdoing, and receive the forgiveness of God. And when this world closes in on me, let me remember Jesus' example -to slip away and find a quiet place to pray. It's the best response when I'm pushed beyond my limits. I know that when I can't pray, You listen to my heart. Continue to use me to do Your will. Continue to bless me that I may be a blessing to others. Keep me strong that I may help the weak. Keep me uplifted that I may have words of encouragement for others. I pray for those that are lost and can't find their way. I pray for those that are misjudged and misunderstood. I pray for those who don't know You intimately. I pray for those that don't believe. But I thank you that I can believe. I believe that God changes people and God changes things. I pray for all my sisters and brothers. For each and every family member in their households. I pray for peace, love and joy in their homes that they are out of debt and all their needs are met. I pray that every eye that reads this knows there is no problem, circumstance, or situation greater than God. Every battle is in Your hands for You to fight. I pray that these words be received into the hearts of every eye that sees them and every mouth that confesses them willingly. This is my prayer. In Jesus' Name, Amen. A man died, when he realized it, he saw God coming closer with a suitcase in his hand. God said: Alright son its time to go. Surprised the man responded: Now..? So soon..? I had a lot of plans... I am sorry but its time to go. Man Asked: What do you have in that suitcase..? God answered: Your belongings. My belongings..? You mean my things, my clothes, my money..? God answered: Those things were not yours they belonged to the earth. Is it my memories..? God answered: Those never belonged to you they belonged to Time. Is it my talents..? God answered: those were never yours they belonged to the circumstances. Is it my friends and family..? God answered: I'm sorry they were never yours they belonged to the path. Is it my wife and son..? God answered: They were never yours the belonged to your heart. Is it my body..?
God answered: that was never yours it belonged to the dust. Is it my soul..? God answered: No that is mine. Full of fear, the man took the suitcase from god and opened it just to find out the suitcase was empty. With a tear coming down his cheek the man said: I never had anything..? God answered: That is correct, every moment you lived were only yours. Life is just a moment. A moment that belongs to you. For this reason enjoy this time while you have it. Don't let anything that you think you own stop you from doing so. -Live now... -Live your life... - Don't forget to be happy, that is the only thing that matters. - Material things and everything else that you fought for stay here. -YOU CAN'T TAKE ANYTHING Share this reflection with anyone you love or appreciate. Enjoy every second you live. |
Ana & Andre Schoonbee God uses us to motivate and encourage the body. Authors
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