Character Challenge: Find one person who you normally don't speak to and genuinely ask them how their day is going? Wait for a response, and respond positively.
You never know where a person is in life, a simple hello and smile, or the feeling that someone genuinely cares, can change a person's day or world.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Monday, June 14, 2010
What Do You KNOW?
It is said that the mind is the most powerful tool. However I recently learned it’s not just the mind, the head, the conscious entity, but it is also the heart, the subconscious entity that rules. Brian Klemmer, an International Leadership and Character Development trainer, explained in one of his trainings that if the heart doesn’t agree with the mind, you can know something and still not do it. The word know as it often used is used being “aware” or “to have knowledge of,” that is head knowledge. But when the bible speaks of know, it means to know by experience, revealed, or made acquaintance with, which means to know by head and heart. This term is often used in the bible to explain sex, because it is an intimate understanding of something that comes in and goes out, exchanged, and experienced.
How many people know how to eat right, but don’t? How many people know the relationship is unhealthy but stay? How many people know the activity is illegal but do it anyway? How many people really believe they are who God called them to be and act like it? When you know something, not just aware of it, but have become acquainted with it, it has been revealed, perceived and imbedded inside you act on it. When you knew in your mind and heart that Christ was Lord, you acted on it, you got saved.
The goal of the enemy in this hour is to challenge what we know. That’s why the scripture says, FORGET NOT THE LORD….and FORGET NOT HIS BENEFITS. When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, (Matthew 4:1-11), the first the devil said was, “If thou be the Son of God….” Jesus was hungry, tired, stressed, and by alone, and the first thing the enemy says if you are who you say you are, then feed yourself. But Jesus knew (head and heart knowledge) man cannot live by bread alone. Then the devil said to Jesus you know (head knowledge) if you through yourself off this mountain you won’t die angels will run to your rescue. But Jesus knew not to tempt God. The devil knew who Jesus was and Jesus knew who the devil was, and in his final temptation he said look since you’ve come to be a king, I will make you king over all the kingdoms of the world if you bow down to me. But Jesus knew, that only the God was worthy of worship and his purpose was to be King over more than this world. Furthermore, he knew that this tough time was but for a little while to fulfill a greater purpose. So he did not give in.
The problem is many of us are aware, but we don’t know. If you know God is your provider, then a job loss is not an end to provision or a place of hopelessness. It means that God has chose another route to provide. If you know God has plans for you, plans to prosper you and not harm you, then a deal that didn’t go through is not rejection, its protection for future woes you could not see. If you know God is a healer then a bout with sickness is just an attempt to get you off track, and you God will not allow you to die a day before your time. If you know no weapon formed against you shall prosper, then you won’t worry but trust God even to the final hour. If you know God is your peace, then you will go to sleep at night and stop stressing. The enemy wants to pressure you to give in.
I was told of the story done by a university on heart disease. They took two groups of pigs and induced heart disease on both of them. They put one group in a pen with relaxing music and in a peaceful setting. The other group was put in a pen in a stressful environment. The stress – dogs on a leash with ferocious barking. Sad to see that within weeks all the pigs in the stressful environment died. And all the pigs in the peaceful environment lived. Don’t die because of a dog on a leash. As with Job and with Jesus, the enemy can only pressure you to give up but he can do no harm to you. All he can do is occupy your mind and influence your thoughts and make you stress yourself to death. As with Eve when she was tempted he put the words in her thoughts and she went and got the fruit and ate it. It never said the serpent knocked it down, chopped it up and served it to her. She had head knowledge of what was right but her heart did now KNOW what God said so she ate it.
Now is the time to act on what you KNOW and believe with all your heart. Above all else, guard your heart with all diligence for it is the wellspring of life (Proverbs 4:23, NIV). If you guard your heart it can agree with your head and you will live your life as if you KNOW who you are, whose you are, what you can do, what you have access to, and what His plan is for you. If you know in your head but are having trouble knowing in your heart, ask God to reveal to your heart what you know in your head.
Enjoy this song by William McDowell, I Give Myself Away.
How many people know how to eat right, but don’t? How many people know the relationship is unhealthy but stay? How many people know the activity is illegal but do it anyway? How many people really believe they are who God called them to be and act like it? When you know something, not just aware of it, but have become acquainted with it, it has been revealed, perceived and imbedded inside you act on it. When you knew in your mind and heart that Christ was Lord, you acted on it, you got saved.
The goal of the enemy in this hour is to challenge what we know. That’s why the scripture says, FORGET NOT THE LORD….and FORGET NOT HIS BENEFITS. When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, (Matthew 4:1-11), the first the devil said was, “If thou be the Son of God….” Jesus was hungry, tired, stressed, and by alone, and the first thing the enemy says if you are who you say you are, then feed yourself. But Jesus knew (head and heart knowledge) man cannot live by bread alone. Then the devil said to Jesus you know (head knowledge) if you through yourself off this mountain you won’t die angels will run to your rescue. But Jesus knew not to tempt God. The devil knew who Jesus was and Jesus knew who the devil was, and in his final temptation he said look since you’ve come to be a king, I will make you king over all the kingdoms of the world if you bow down to me. But Jesus knew, that only the God was worthy of worship and his purpose was to be King over more than this world. Furthermore, he knew that this tough time was but for a little while to fulfill a greater purpose. So he did not give in.
The problem is many of us are aware, but we don’t know. If you know God is your provider, then a job loss is not an end to provision or a place of hopelessness. It means that God has chose another route to provide. If you know God has plans for you, plans to prosper you and not harm you, then a deal that didn’t go through is not rejection, its protection for future woes you could not see. If you know God is a healer then a bout with sickness is just an attempt to get you off track, and you God will not allow you to die a day before your time. If you know no weapon formed against you shall prosper, then you won’t worry but trust God even to the final hour. If you know God is your peace, then you will go to sleep at night and stop stressing. The enemy wants to pressure you to give in.
I was told of the story done by a university on heart disease. They took two groups of pigs and induced heart disease on both of them. They put one group in a pen with relaxing music and in a peaceful setting. The other group was put in a pen in a stressful environment. The stress – dogs on a leash with ferocious barking. Sad to see that within weeks all the pigs in the stressful environment died. And all the pigs in the peaceful environment lived. Don’t die because of a dog on a leash. As with Job and with Jesus, the enemy can only pressure you to give up but he can do no harm to you. All he can do is occupy your mind and influence your thoughts and make you stress yourself to death. As with Eve when she was tempted he put the words in her thoughts and she went and got the fruit and ate it. It never said the serpent knocked it down, chopped it up and served it to her. She had head knowledge of what was right but her heart did now KNOW what God said so she ate it.
Now is the time to act on what you KNOW and believe with all your heart. Above all else, guard your heart with all diligence for it is the wellspring of life (Proverbs 4:23, NIV). If you guard your heart it can agree with your head and you will live your life as if you KNOW who you are, whose you are, what you can do, what you have access to, and what His plan is for you. If you know in your head but are having trouble knowing in your heart, ask God to reveal to your heart what you know in your head.
Enjoy this song by William McDowell, I Give Myself Away.
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