Tag: #godfocus

WORDS

Romans 4:17 (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.

Abraham called things that were not as though they were and it was counted as righteousness. In other words, he was exercising his faith. He would pray for something to happen, then would speak out of his mouth and talk about what he prayed for as if the prayer were answered. This is what the old timers called putting legs on your prayers. Let’s say for example, there was a drought and people got together to pray for rain. Who do you think God would answer? The one carrying the umbrella, ofcourse. Because they had enough faith to bring the umbrella. By doing this, they were saying, we are praying for rain, I am going to believe God is going to cause it to rain. I better take my umbrella.

Heb 11:6 -But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

We look around at the crazy state of the world. Things seem impossible that they will ever change and be right again. This is what we see with our natural senses. If we go by sight, the world is full of evil and there is nothing we can do to stop it. This is the lie the enemy has been feeding to the church for too long. We need to look at things and take the authority given to us as Spirit-filled children of the MOST HIGH GOD. We need to call things out in prayer.

“Lord I thank you that you are turning around things in our nation. I thank you that right is right and wrong is wrong again. I believe you when you said, our words have power. We are pulling down the enemy’s strongholds in the name of Jesus. There is nothing too hard for you Lord. We ask that you set the captive free. Many are bound by addictions of all types, we thank you Jesus for breaking the chains and setting the captive free.” If we look with our eyes these things have not taken place yet. But we have to call things as not as though they were; we walk by faith.

II Cor. 5:7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)

We do not realize how powerful our words can be; this is a lesson I learned when I was dealing with depression. Depression happens when we look at things in our lives and feel the negative emotions that come from negative thoughts. It is like a reel in our minds over and over again, like listening to a tape on continuous playback. Every time, we think about how hopeless we are, the deeper we dig and the worse things appear to us. In reality, things probably had not changed. With the enemy whispering in our ear constantly, negative things they will seem to be getting worse everyday.

Take heart, if you find yourself in a hopeless place, like depression or filled with anxiety or fear. The same principle applies to all. Start telling yourself it’s not as bad as it appears. Pray and ask God for help and then call things as not as though they are and say, I have peace and not anxiety. I do not have fear; I have courage. I am not in the pit of depression where I am surrounded by darkness; I walk in light.

It takes a little bit of practice to walk in faith and speak positivity. But it can be done, I promise you. Our words have the power to motivate, to encourage, to share hope. They can also have the power to discourage, teardown, make angry or cause those around us to be negative and depressed.

Prov. 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

Go out, make a difference by speaking life into someone’s day. You never know how much it may mean to someone that is bound by the enemy. It could mean the difference between literal life and death. I often tell the story of a friend of my husband. He worked at a convenience store in his early twenties. This friend was a Christian and decided he was going to be more bold about his faith. He started saying God bless you to some of his customers.

One day, he felt compelled to say to a man, “God loves you” the cashier went on about his day like normal. Two weeks later, he was working and that same guy was back. He reminded the cashier of what he had said to him and told him he was planning on committing suicide. Those words made him stop and think. He questioned if God existed and really did love him. He stopped in to thank the cashier for his kind words. The man found a preacher to talk to and had dedicated his life to Christ, all because that man said, “God loves you.”

Go make a difference in your world. Speak life and faith. Be bold, be brave and keep your God focus.

GREAT WISDOM

The book of Proverbs is full of wisdom.  It is believed to be written by King Solomon. If you remember his story, he asked God for wisdom and God gave him vast wisdom. Many people in our lives have wisdom; these are the ones we want to spend time. We gain wisdom by being around wise people.

Proverbs 30:24-28 speaks of four wise animals.

Prov 30:24 There be four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise:

Prov 30:25 The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer;

We can learn a lot of lessons from each of them; ants are very small creatures. They communicate and work well together.  Their cause is greater than their individual needs.  They know winter is coming and they need to store up for winter.

We need to be laboring to get souls saved before it is too late, and we cannot work. The harvest ready and the laborers are few. 

Many things could be said about saving or storing up for winter. We try to save money for emergencies or for something we want to do, like a trip to the beach. The greatest thing we can store up is treasures in heaven. 

Matt 6:19-20

 19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:   20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

Prov 30:26 The conies are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks;

Conies are small creatures that look like rabbits with short ears. They find holes in rocks to hide from the weather and get protection from larger animals and birds that may want to have them for dinner. They are wise in the fact that they make the rocks their home, their hiding place.  We can be wise, too when we make “the rock” Jesus our hiding place. He will keep us safe from the storms and will protect us from satan who is like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.

Prov 30: 27 The locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands;

Locust are grass hopper like creatures, that are docile on their own but when they get in a swarm of others can be quite destructive to crops. The lesson we can learn from them is to band together. When we come together with a single purpose in mind, more gets accomplished than each of us can get done on our own.

Prov 30: 28 The spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings’ palaces

There is nowhere a spider cannot be found building her web; even kings palaces. One of the lessons we can learn from the spider is determination.  They will build a web and you can sweep it down and by the next day there is another web in its place.

What if we were so determined to build the kingdom of God? What if every time the enemy knocked down what we were trying to do, we didn’t complain. What if we just got up and tried to build it stronger.

Another lesson is, what comes out of the spider is what gets it where its going. Sometimes it is what comes out of us that determines our destination.  Are we talking defeat or are we talking faith? We can only go on if we have the faith that we will overcome the enemy and be able to build God’s kingdom.

The book of Proverbs is definitely worth reading, even if you have read it before today. Each time we read God’s word we gain new insight, strength and wisdom.

James 1:6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

BEAUTY

The world has a definition of beauty. What the world defines as beauty is not anything more than superficial beauty. They want to look at what is on the outside. If you have wrinkles or spots they don’t define you as beautiful. They look at youth as being attractive. We all spend a lot of money to wash, moisturize and enhance our physical attractiveness. It is all for nothing, our fleshly body still gets old; youth fades.

God looks not on the outside but looks on the heart. God is looking for a bride without spot or wrinkle of a spiritual nature. He wants a pure heart and one that is covered by the blood of Jesus. A heart that is hungry for him. He wants the beauty of our love for him. Prov. 31:30-31. (30) Favor is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised. (31) Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.

The fruit of the Spirit is beautiful; Love, Joy, Peace, Long Suffering, Gentleness, Goodness, Faith, Meekness and Temperance. When the church rises up and learns to walk in the Spirit the fruit will follow. Walking out a life full of God’s power and Spirit is the truest form of beauty.

God takes our messed up lives, our broken pieces and puts us back together into beautiful vessels. Ones He can use for His glory. When it is all said and done, true beauty comes from the Lord.

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

GOOD THOUGHTS

Every day we are tested. Some days more than others. That reminds me of a quote. “I try to take life one day at a time, but sometimes several days attack me at once.” It is not accurate, in reality, but sometimes it feels like it is very true. Matt 6:34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

And it’s hard sometimes not to allow anxiety to overtake us. It is easy to worry about stuff so much that we miss today. Things can look grim. Many emotions can creep in and get the best of us if we allow them to take control. Self-control is the fruit of the spirit. It is hard to not allow our minds to get bogged down in details that want to overtake us.

Phil 4:8 –Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Instead of worrying about things we cannot control, we need to focus on God. The word tells us to think on good things. Positive thinking can turn around situations. God doesn’t want us to be anxious or depressed. He wishes for us to walk in peace. He wants us to forget the past, it is gone and we cannot change it.  Defeated people think about the past. Victorious people choose to believe the best is yet to come.

HUMBLE VESSEL

The potter makes a vessel. He creates it in the shape he wants and designs it with a specific use in mind. Let’s say he makes a vase. He fires it and makes it strong and to hold water. If we compare a natural vase to Christians as a vessel this will help us to understand pride.

The vase would have no business being prideful of the flowers inside. The vase didn’t make the flowers. People don’t look at someone who receives flowers and say,”Oh, look you got a vase.” They say, “Oh look, you got flowers.” The vase is just to hold the water to keep the flowers fresh.

In like manner, we do not have a right to be prideful when God uses us. We are simply a vessel that carries His Spirit. We carry his love. We are just empty vessels without Him. Because he uses us doesn’t mean we should feel superior to other vessels. After all, it is what God places in the vessel that has the beauty; His love and His Spirit. Just as the flowers make the vase pretty. A proud vase would say, “Look at me, I am so wonderful that God decided to place his Spirit in me.” A humble vase would say, “Don’t look at me, look at God’s Spirit, He is the one that needs the attention.”

James4:6–6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

Luke 14:11 – For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

God gives grace to the humble, which is basically the opposite of pride. People that are full of pride have such a high opinion of themselves that they do not have room for God to move in their lives. Pride often comes with a religious spirit. Look at all the Bertha Better than you’s. They are judgemental and full of pride. While they are looking down their noses at others they are committing sin by being so full of pride and judgmental.

To be humble is to not brag or be self-important. God will exalt the humble. The prideful will be brought down. Humble people listen to others. They are not too proud to ask for help. Humble people are grateful for what they have been given. The humble are pleasant to be around and very helpful.

We are called to serve, but we cannot do that if we are prideful. Even Jesus humbled himself and became a servant. He had every reason and right to be exalted and prideful. But instead, he showed many acts of humility while he walked this earth. Jesus is our example, we need to check ourselves and see if we are a vessel that God can use.