WE HAVE ALL CHANGED

THOUGHT:
Some of us are really hard on ourselves. We have high expectations. This can lead to great disappointment. The greater the gap between expectation and reality, the greater the disappointment of failure.

A high self-critical nature can lead to a high expectation of others, and this nearly always leads to being disappointed in people. Whilst we don’t want to make excuses for people’s bad attitudes and disgusting behavior, we do need to realize that we have all changed. We are now in a fallen world that is so broken, most of us don’t even realize we are marching to the same beat as everyone else.

Our reading today shows that all humans are like sheep, and we just wander off with everyone else. There are not many Christian communities that are all wandering toward God together. Most of us live in a society and feel like we are swimming upstream, against the tide that pulls us down.

This is why church community is so important. Gathering together regularly in church settings helps you not wander off with the rest of society. It’s ok to follow godly people toward God. One day (if you’re not already) you will be leading people to God.

TIME TO THINK:
Are my expectations of others too high?
Am I leading people to God, or am I still following?

PRAYER:
Father, it must break Your heart that we have all wandered at some point in our lives. Thank you for being so patient with us. Thank you for waiting for us to come back to You. Help me to not get stuck in the flow of the culture around me. Help me to swim against the tide and toward You.

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The Process…

Despite all of the hype, we still love the fact that the New Year can be an opportunity to wipe the slate clean and start over. We are free to finally lose that 10 pounds, commit to daily devotions, win more games, train harder, pray more faithfully, spend more time with family, pay off bills, raise grades or even share Jesus Christ with more teammates and friends. But the reality is that those long lists of resolutions rarely become a reality.

One solution is to strip it all away and boil it down to one key word for the upcoming year, making it basic and simple.

So, let’s get to the practical side of the One Word theme concept. Here are steps to help you discover your One Word theme. Keep in mind that the process takes time, but it is worth it. Whether you are an athlete, coach, parent or business leader, this process can facilitate breakthrough for you in every area of your life.

The One Word process has three simple steps – Look In, Look Up, and Look Out.

Step 1 – Prepare Your Heart (Look In) – This is where you take action to unplug from the hectic pace, noise and clutter. Finding solitude and silence can be a difficult task, but to hear from God is essential. As we let God examine our heart, He will give us clarity.

Step 2 – Discover Your Word (Look Up) – This step helps us plug in and listen to God. Taking time for prayer—that simple conversation with God—is the place to start. Ask Him this question: What do you want to do in me and through me this year? This question will help you discover the word meant for you. Don’t pick a good word; receive a God-word.

Step 3 – Live Your Word (Look Out) – Once you discover the word that is meant for you, it’s time to live it out. Your word will have impact in all areas of your life: physical, mental, spiritual, emotional, relational and even financial. Keep your one word front and center. Tell your accountability partners and your family your word for the year. Write it in your journal. Post it on your refrigerator. Talk about it with your family at the dinner table. Do whatever it takes to keep it in focus and keep it fresh.

We pray that this year is a breakthrough year for you as the Lord takes you to the next level and uses your One Word to bring Him glory!

Go
1. What is God saying to you now about your One Word theme?
2. Commit some serious time to praying and asking God to speak to you.
3. Go through the three steps and let God reveal the word meant for you.

Workout
Psalm 27:4, Psalm 84, Psalm 139

Overtime
“Lord, I pray for a breakthrough year. Use this One Word theme to bring You glory. Stretch me through this process. Reveal to me truth and revelation. Please make it plain to me. Speak, Lord, Your servant is listening. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

Are you a fool?

How do you begin to live a one-handful life? Start with Jesus’s parable of the rich fool in Luke 12. Don’t build bigger barns to accommodate all of the unnecessary things in your life. Instead, throw stuff away as if your life depended on it. There is no need to worry and put your trust in things that don’t matter because God promises to meet your needs.

Luke 12

13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” 14But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” 15And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” 16And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, 17and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’18And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.19And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”‘ 20But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ 21So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”22And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. 23For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. 24Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds!25And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 26If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? 27Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.28But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! 29And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. 30For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you. 32“Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys.

TRUST: You Really Can Trust God!

Trust. We can get so sidetracked by our own perspectives of how things should be that when life doesn’t turn out exactly that way, we lose sight of what God is doing, how he’s fulfilling his promises to us. And so we end up unhappy. But we don’t have to stay in that place.

One way to talk ourselves happy is to readjust our conversations by not talking about the failures of man and instead talking about the faithfulness of God. If God said it, he’s going to do it, but we need to ask ourselves honestly if God said it in the first place. I can’t tell you how many times I set my mind on something, begged God to make it happen, and then ended up wallowing in a cloud of disappointment because what I expected didn’t happen.

As believers, sometimes we get into the habit of placing expectations on God that he never agreed to. Then when we don’t get what we want, we blame him, telling ourselves that God let us down. When we feed that mind-set by speaking that lie to ourselves and to others, it’s as if we are creating a strike against God’s trustworthiness. That’s why we need the Word of God to counteract the lies of the enemy and the lies we tell ourselves. We must pursue the truth, because the truth not only sets us free, it ushers us into a place of happiness.

God shows himself to us. Not only through his Word, but through the evidence of his Word that is alive, active, and unmistakably present in our lives. Every time he shows us that he’s trustworthy, we need to encourage ourselves with that evidence by talking about it!

What are some of the things God has done in your life that confirm who God is to you? No matter how small or seemingly insignificant, use those moments to encourage yourself in the difficult seasons when your faith takes a nose dive.

NOW TAKE IT, SPEAK IT, AND LIVE IT!

1. Make a conscious effort to silence the lies of the enemy about God’s trustworthiness with the truth of what you know about God.

2. Go to one of your partners in Christ and ask that person to keep you accountable for your words: the words you’re speaking and also whose words you are believing.

“Establishing a Sound Mind.”

Meditation on God’s Word is the foundation to a successful life. Our main focus and pursuit must be the Word of God. The main reason our lives should revolve around the Word of God is because the Word is actually our life source that feeds us, nourishes us, and causes us to be healthy in our soul.

There should be no doubts in our minds that the Word of God is Jesus Christ, and that is why our focus is on the Word. When we read the Word of God we see Jesus in it, and when we see Him we are able to see the pattern for our lives. In order for our God-purpose to come to fruition, we must be able to maintain the mind of Christ, and as his mind is formed in us we would then be fully able to manifest his presence to the world.

A constant input of the Word himself – a constant looking to Jesus and his kindness, goodness, love, and mercy toward us – will keep us in a balanced and humble place, and this place is actually where we will be able to release the life-giving Word to others that will affect change.

My friends, there is no other way to be reconstructed, renewed, or transformed but by and through the Word of God. The Word of God gives life. According to John 10:10; Our Savior is life giving, and once we are connected to him, that very same life should be flowing to us and through us to others.

I love the fact that Jesus did not come to just give life for existence sake, but he describes it as abundant life, an overflowing life, a more than enough life, and this kind of life shows and speaks volumes to the world that he is alive and well.

Power Thought: Jesus is the Word of God and I look to him to be transformed.

Trusting God…OnPurpose!!

H.O.T. Trust

Trust is a HUGE factor in friendships!  Time will tell you just about anything:  the truth or correctness of something will (only) be established at some time in the future.

I have a few serious friend-friends.  People that I am 100% Honest ~ Open ~ Transparent with.  I am comfortable calling them out on their “mess” and they are obligated to call me out on mine.  Our agreement is: “If you care about me, then you have a RIGHT to call me out.”

If you are in a relationship/friendship where you are lying to keep the peace – it is only a matter of time…some time in the future you will be tried and tested.

Life is short!  Get Real, Get Right, Get H.O.T…OnPurpose!!

On my way to PERFECT!

2 Corinthians 4:18 ~ So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

All this, I mean everything that our eyes can see is temporary,including ourselves. All these things on earth will come to pass. The sooner we know and except that, we will become more able to except some of the downs of this life, and move on.

We know God has prepared a glorious place for His Saints and it is eternal.  It has no end. Therefore, we have no need getting so “caught up” in the pursuit of this world’s treasures. Now don’t get me wrong, the scriptures do say, “He came to give us life,(this life)more abundantly…” and My faith makes me hold on to His Word.  He promised it, and His Word is all good.

O Lord, Open my eyes to see where you would lead me.
Awaken my ears that I would hear your voice guiding me.
Inspire my mind that I may comprehend your love for me.
Soften my heart that I would offer grace to those I meet.
Watch my feet that I would tread upon your kingdom paths.
Guard my heart from selfishness that I would give freely.
Inspire my words that I may speak of hope and healing.
O Lord, I follow you. Amen!

I’ll see you in the “eternal”resort, where we WILL be made perfect…OnPurpose!

Are you silent or loud?

​To be #insecure is to lack #confidence or #trust, whether in ourselves or someone else. There are many causes of #insecurity, but chief among them is our failure to fully trust God (Jeremiah 17:7-8). 

As believers, we have this assurance: “And those who know Your name put their trust in You, for You, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You” (Psalm 9:10; also see Deuteronomy 31:8; Lamentations 3:57). 

If we know God is with us, why do we still experience feelings of insecurity, doubts, and fears? 

#Trust #Love #Action #Obedience #Discipline #Commitment
Confidence in God…OnPurpose!!

5 SIGNS OF STRONG RELATIONSHIPS

[Repost: Pastor Jay Patrick]

1. When you say “NO” they don’t switch up.

2. If you “WIN FIRST” they don’t switch up!

3. When you tell them the “TRUTH” they don’t switch up.

4. When they get new friends or a “NEW BOO” they don’t switch up!!

5. When you challenge them to do better, they don’t switch up but thank you for the EXTRA PUSH!!

SHARE/TAG
TYPE “AMEN” IF THIS BLESSED YOU!!!!!!!

Strong and healthy relationships will add years to your life!!

“Open rebuke is better than secret love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.”
Proverbs 27:5-6 KJV

Don’t Switch Up…OnPurpose!!

What role are you playing in my destiny?

What is your role in this story of my life: Are you Abraham, Issac, the Ram, the Thicket, the Alter, the Knife, one of the two Servants or God?  In fairness, it would depend on what role I’m playing…I’m constantly changing… (Praise God)

In this season of my life I am being intentional in everything I do and purposeful in what I say.  As God deals with me and my fears, I am being bolder in my faith and in trusting Him with what He gives me to do and say.

One of my first stories from the Bible that I understood as a child is Abraham & Issac: the Testing of My Faith.  Each time I read it, I get something new.  I have been stuck on the “THICKET” for a while.  Just this morning it came to me…the thicket in my life are the people who I have allowed to dilute my dreams and poison my hopes. I have lived in fear of everything my entire life! I have held back from doing great things because I allowed other people’s fears and doubts of their life to shape mine.  I remember the first time I stepped out on faith and did something HUGE that someone said I shouldn’t do – I DID IT!!  That was 11 years ago.

Since then, I have accomplished things that were centered around my son. When it comes to him, nothing is impossible for me to do for HIM, in the past I didn’t have that same drive for myself…Until TODAY!

On this day, I will play the role of Abraham – I will do what God asks me to do.  My passion (Issac), I will offer it up to God, trusting Him with it…stay tuned to see how the rest of my story unfolds!!

After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.”  Genesis 22:1‭-‬5 ESV

Pray this prayer in agreement with me:  Heavenly Father, I am having trouble putting all things into your hands. I am having trouble trusting you. Things are unraveling right before my eyes and there isn’t anything I can do about it. How do I trust? How do I take all things and put them over to you? Do I just sit here and let things slide while I tell myself you will take care of things? I can talk to you but generally speaking you don’t talk back to me in an audible voice. You can see me but I can’t see you. Do I wait until there is nothing to be done? What do I do and how do I do it? I know I am rambling, Lord. Sometimes things pile up over me until I am gasping for air and I don’t know what to do. So, I need your help.
Like always, I need your help to trust you. Sounds pretty pathetic to tell you I need help trusting you. However, the really great thing is that I know you will help me.
Is this goofy or what? Already I am beginning to get one of those little moments from you.
Already I hear you tell me to use what I have for your glory. Already I hear you tell me to glory not in myself or be depressed about myself but to glory in You. As always, you are right. Thank you Lord. You never disappoint.  All these things I humbly pray in the name of my most Blessed Lord Jesus Christ, Amen!!

Written by: Michelle while in the cocoon!

Walking into my destiny…OnPurpose!!

Happy Birthday to my son…Mommy Loves You, Kiddo!!