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Viewing 1 - 8 out of 8 Blogs.
This is the Day the Lord has Made by Dr. David C. Cooper In his book, To See the World in a Grain of Sand, C.L. James tells the fable of a wise old cat that notices a kitten chasing its tail. “Why are you chasing your tail so?” asked the wise old cat. The kitten replied, “I have learned that the best thing for a cat is happiness, and happiness is my tail. Therefore, I am chasing it; and when I catch it, I shall have happiness.” The wise old cat said, “My son, I too have paid attention to the problems of the universe. I too have judged that happiness is in my tail. But, I noticed that whenever I chase after it, it keeps running away from me, and when I go about my business, it just seems to come after me wherever I go.” Jesus promised us real happiness and true joy. “I have spoken these things to you that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete” (John 15:11). Happiness results from positive emotions such as joy, gratitude and hope. Negative attitudes are toxic to the mind and body. Research shows that negative emotions narrow thought. We can’t dream or envision new possibilities when we are filled with negative emotions such as fear, resentment and pessimism. Positive emotions make thinking more creative and resourceful. Everyday is a celebration of life. Begin every day with this affirmation of faith: “This is the day the Lord has made we will rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24). First, today is the day the Lord has made so receive it with joy and gratitude. Thank God for today. “In everything give thanks” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Second, God only gives you today, not tomorrow, so focus on today. Don’t get distracted by the failures of yesterday or the worries of tomorrow. Third, He has made this day especially for you. Today is not an accident; not just another 24 hours. Fourth, everything in each day is made for you — the ups and the downs, the joys and the sorrows. God is involved in every aspect of your today. So, “give thanks for everything” (Eph 5:20). Finally, expect something good to happen today. Then go out and make something good happen. You’ve got to make something happen in order to be happy.
What Have You Done Lately? Bishop Keith Butler But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. James 1:22 (KJV) Our obedience to the Word releases the power within the Word. You have to act on the Word in order to release the healing power that is in it. Now, James chapter 1 tells us to be doers of the Word or else we deceive ourselves. You can come to the place where you think you are ''all that'' spiritually. Perhaps you have stood on the Word in the past. You learned the Word. You heard the Word and have had manifestations of healing and other blessings in your life before. But something happens to us that we do not recognize. Over time we come to a place where we are living off our past triumphs, teaching, and revelation, when we have to deal with a current problem. You have to have current faith, current Word, and current revelation to deal with the current problem. If you do not, you will wind up trying to catch up. Yet, mentally you will think, "Well, I don’t understand. I know this situation. I understand this, I have been taught this... but you are not current. Operating in the things of the Spirit is ''What have you done lately?'' What have you done lately to build yourself up in faith? What are you doing right now? In spiritual things, you are either getting stronger all the time, or you are getting weaker. Yet, mentally, you are thinking, "I’m all right." But you are not all right. You are self-deceived. And you do not find out that you are self-deceived until you get up and attempt to shake it off, and it does not shake off. It’s like Sampson, he got up one day and tried to shake himself loose and had no power. But the power comes when you continue to look in the Word of God. James 1:25 says, “But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.”
The Word ''looketh'' implies constantly looking into. I am still looking into this. Looking into what? The ''perfect'' law. That means there is no flaw in it. There is no lack of power where healing is concerned. And there is no lack of power where the Word of God is concerned. It is the perfect law of liberty. It will always set you free when you continue to apply it every day of your life. Scripture References: Judges 16:20-21; John 8:31-32
A long, thin line
by Jon Walker
“We look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are unseen. The things which are seen are temporal and the things which are not seen are eternal.” (1 Corinthians 4:18 NIV)
When life begins to squeeze us, what we truly believe is revealed through our attitudes and actions.
And, if the truth be told, most of us live by sight more than by the hope and certainty of our faith. It’s as if there were a long, thin line threaded throughout the realm of reality that divides the seen, the temporal, the things surrounding us, from the unseen and eternal. Shoved by our circumstances, we become distracted from the eternal and focus below the line – on those circumstances.
But God tells us repeatedly that we’re out of focus when we’re looking below the line. As Christians, our focus should be above, on the unseen, eternal kingdom of God . That doesn’t mean we should deny or repress what we see happening around us, but we must also be led by the Holy Spirit to look beyond the seen and temporal into the unseen and eternal.
You can see references to this line throughout the New Testament. As people approached Jesus, talking about their circumstances, he would say: “You’re looking for bread, but I am the living bread. If you eat of me, you’ll never go hungry again. You’re looking for a drink of water, but I am living water. If you drink from me, you’ll never thirst again.”
We can’t trust what we see, and when we’re focused below the line, we become trapped into thinking that what we see is truth. We become prisoners to our perceptions. Time and time again we see Jesus moving the focus from the seen to the unseen, from the temporal (the temporary!) to the eternal. He knew that for those who walk by faith, appearances are never the ultimate reality.
Are there parts of your life that have you discouraged or depressed, that have you wondering where God is? Consider this gentle reminder that God is present, even in the midst of your confusion and pain. He’s tapping you on the shoulder, reminding you to look up beyond the horizon into eternity.
So what?
· You can’t trust everything you see – God, Jesus, and heaven are reality, even if they are unseen for now. The things we see are temporary; the things we do not see are eternal. (1 Corinthians 4:18 NIV)
· Put life in perspective – Realize that your emotions will fail you, and stop allowing them lead you. When your perceptions begin to take you down a depressing path, challenge them. Could there be another way to see? To feel?
· When you become discouraged – Stop and ask God, “Am I seeing this situation through your eyes, or my own?” The Message paraphrase renders Colossians 3:2 this way: “Don't shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ – that's where the action is. See things from his perspective.” © 2007 Jon Walker. All rights reserved.
Brain Blips, Mishaps, and Feelings of Failure
By Lysa TerKeurst
Matthew 7:24-27, "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash." (NIV)
Devotion:
Do you know what amazes me about these Scriptures? Both the person doing right and the person doing wrong experienced hard times. In both cases, the rains came, the streams rose, and the wind blew and beat against the house.
Just because we're Christians living out God's principles for life, does not mean we won't face difficult circumstances. The difference being a Christian makes is how the difficulties affect us. If we are hearing and heeding God through our prayer time and reading His Word, then we will be able to stand strong in the storms of life. Our faith will not be shaken and our identity will not be rattled.
I once heard my pastor lament to my husband that sometimes he only feels as good as his last sermon. I can so closely identify with his comment because as a friend, wife, and mother, sometimes I only feel as good as my last interaction with someone close to me. A friend tells me I hurt her feelings and suddenly I feel like a bad friend. I forget to take the cookies I signed up to bring to the church nursery. Suddenly I feel unreliable and disorganized. My husband asks me where his passport is and when I can't find the file, suddenly I feel like a wife that can't be trusted.
The passport thing is still very fresh on my mind because it just happened yesterday. My normal reaction would have been to get frustrated, short-tempered, and beat myself up while tearing the house apart looking for it. But God's Spirit knocked on the door to my heart and said, "Let me invade your natural flesh reaction. Call your husband and pray about the passports instead of getting angry." So, Art and I prayed. I went from defining myself as a failure of a wife to being a godly wife who faces hardships in a godly way. The frustration was diffused and we determined to look at this from God's perspective. If we find the passports, we'll praise God! If we don't find them, we'll see this as God's protection not to go on a planned trip later this month and we'll still praise God.
When hard times come and beat against our stability, we must be determined to hear God's words and put them into practice. Then nothing can topple our peace, security, or true identity.
Dear Lord, thank you that my identity does not have to be determined by the circumstances of my life. Help me to hear Your Words, put them into practice, and stand firm on Your truth. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Related Resources:
Listen to Today's P31 Radio Show
The Confident Woman by Anabel Gillham
Do You Know Him?
Application Steps:
Write down something you've been mentally beating yourself up over. Find three Scripture verses that deal with this issue and commit to praying these Scriptures into your situation. Stand firm on God's solid truth that you are a godly woman who will face this circumstance in a godly way.
Reflection Points:
Romans 8:35 says, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or sword?"
How do you feel knowing that there is nothing you could ever do to make God stop loving you? Even if you've hurt others, once you have sought their forgiveness, you can turn to God for it as well and trust that your slate is wiped clean.
Power Verses:
Job 1:21, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised." (NIV)
Proverbs 10:25, "When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone, but the righteous stand firm forever." (NIV)
Romans 8:17, "Now if we are children, then we are heirs – heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory." (NIV)
Ephesians 6:14 "Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist." (NIV)
The Mom in the Mirror
By Karen Ehman
"However, … the wife must respect her husband." Ephesians 5:33 (NIV)
Devotion:
I'll never forget the day I saw myself in that mirror. Even though over a decade of time has passed since I caught the glimpse, the image is still vivid. And I'm sorry to say that it wasn't a pretty one. My then six-year-old daughter and her three-year-old brother were playing together in their room. I strolled down the hall to check on the baby who was due up from his nap soon. It was then that I saw it.
As I approached the room where my kids were playing, I heard Mackenzie's voice pipe up as she expressed to Mitchell her immense displeasure. You see, he was not stacking the colorful, snap-together, plastic blocks in a manner that suited her. As I neared the door I heard her sharply declare "No, Mitchell. Not that way! Oh, just give it to me! Anybody with a brain knows they go like this, not like that. Can't you ever do anything right?" Her words, though unkind, weren't the real issue. What bothered me most was that they were spoken with a caustic, condescending tone. I was not going to let her get away with it.
I stepped into the room and with classic mom form - hand on hip, finger pointed, throwing the child's middle name in for emphasis???I gave it to her. "Mackenzie Leith Ehman! Young lady, I don't ever want to hear you talk like that to your brother again!" Without even looking up from her pile of blocks, she quickly and calmly retorted. "Why not, Mama? You talk like that to Daddy all the time."
Ouch! My kids often serve as a painstakingly honest mirror when it comes to my attitudes and actions. The offense my daughter had committed that day paled in comparison to what I feared my kids were witnessing in our home as they saw their mom interact with their dad in a disrespectful manner. I cried and prayed and cried some more. I told my husband what had transpired. I then told my moms' Bible study group. Turns out I wasn't the only mom who had a little mirror in their house. Many of us had seen ourselves vividly reflected through the voices and actions of our offspring. We vowed together to keep our words and tones in check. Of course, we found out this is often easier said than done.
The word "respect" in today's verse can be one we wives assume we are obeying because we have a limited view of its true meaning. A quick reading of this verse in the Amplified Version of the Bible sheds a deeper light. Its parenthetical description of the word "respect" reads, "that she notices him, regards him, honors him, prefers him, venerates, and esteems him; and that she defers to him, praises him, and loves and admires him exceedingly." Whew! No wonder God wants marriage to last a lifetime. It might take us women a lifetime to learn to exhibit all those qualities!
It's been a long time since I spied my ugly self in that mirror that day. I still struggle at times with a sharp tongue, often saying things in jest that in reality are unkind. And my kids now reserve the right to call me on the carpet for such behavior. We moms need to remind ourselves that there are little and not so little eyes watching, and in many cases imitating what they see. What's in your mirror?
Dear Lord, Forgive me for the times I have used my words, attitudes and actions as weapons of disrespect toward my husband. Empower and enable me to live a life that accurately reflects what a godly wife should be. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Related Resources:
What a Husband Needs from His Wife by Melanie Chitwood
Capture His Heart by Lysa TerKeurst
Do You Know Him?
Application Steps:
Pay close attention to your words and tone this week as you interact with your husband. What would you see if you were videotaped and then had to watch a playback of how you speak to him? Would others be able to tell from your encounters that you respect your spouse?
For the brave at heart only: Ask your children to be honest with you. Question them about what they observe when you speak to your husband. Is there anything they think you should clean up? What grade would they give you when it comes to how you treat their father? Tell them that you are trying to obey the Bible by showing dad respect. You just need a little report card from them to know how you are doing and to enable you to make the necessary changes.
Reflections:
Name a wife who gets a good grade in this subject. What is different about her? What does she do, and not do, that makes her a good example?
Ask yourself, "Is there one person who would be a good fit to hold me accountable in this area?" Pick someone who will be honest with you and who cares enough about you and your marriage to tell you the truth and point you to God. Contact her to see if she'd be willing to check in with you periodically to inquire how you are doing.
Power Verses:
Ephesians 4:29 , "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." (NIV)
Proverbs 10:19, "When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise." (NIV)
After starting a new diet I altered my drive to work to avoid passing my favorite bakery. I accidentally drove by the bakery this morning and as I approached, there in the window were a host of goodies. I felt this was no accident, so I prayed ... "Lord, it's up to you, if you want me to have any of those delicious goodies, create a parking place for me directly in front of the bakery." And sure enough, on the eighth time around the block, there it was!
God is so good!
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Help
Posted On 03/22/2007 10:40:15
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Hi all! Ihave been trying to put a background on my page since I opened this account. Can any one tell me what I am doing wrong??? I select a background, go to my account, edit my page, paste it in the about me section at the top of everything. (I actually have tried all of the sections...lol), Then I click save. Then I paste the chosen background. I go to design my profile and set the main background colors to transparent, click save, but when I return to my page the background is white. I am getting really frustrated. I have gone to the how-tos section and I tried to message a couple of people, but the message selection on their contact tables do not work either. I don't feel like a novice at these pages, as I have other sites already decorated, however I am getting totally frustrated. What am I doing wrong on here???  Thanks in advance for any help from anyone. Blessings...Bobbie
All Sail and No Anchor
by Dr. David C. Cooper The English historian Thomas Macauley warned the American people decades ago that our Constitution ran the risk of being “all sail and no anchor.” In other words, the lofty ideals of the Constitution would only have merit as they remained anchored to moral absolutes. George Washington remarked, “It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible.” As opposed to being firmly anchored to the truth of God, we as a society are being blown back and forth by the winds of secular ideologies which threaten to shipwreck our hearts, homes and nation.  This is why Alan Bloom, professor of Philosophy at University of Chicago, has indicted the American educational system for failing to teach moral truth to its students. In his best-selling book, The Closing of the American Mind, he points out that our educators utilize a new language of “value relativism” which prevents us from “teaching with any conviction about good and evil.” He goes on to say that our universities offer “disconnected disciplines” without a focus on developing the whole person. Hence, students obtain degrees, but are “unfurnished persons” lacking the moral base needed for sound judgment.
The family has forsaken its once-held position as the seat of religious and moral teaching. The eternal conflict of good and evil has now been replaced with the language, “I’m okay, you’re okay.” Instead of paying for our choices, Bloom tells us that “America today has no-fault automobile accidents, no-fault divorces, and is moving with the aid of modern philosophy toward no-fault choices.” As a result, most Americans are dissatisfied with the moral tenor of the times. According to the Princeton Research Center, 64 percent of Americans are dissatisfied with ethics and morals. Seventy-three percent are dissatisfied with the level of honesty and standards. Eightythree percent are dissatisfied with care for the poor and needy. In times of moral confusion, we hold to the moral absolutes found in God’s word (read Psalm 19: 7-11). Let us resolve anew to keep our faith and values anchored firmly to the unchanging word of God.
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