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.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
What Is Your Beggar's Cloak
Reference Reading Mark 10:46-52
A disability is defined as a lack of adequate power, strength, or physical or mental ability; a handicap that prevents a person from living a full, normal life, or from holding a gainful job, legal disqualification or incapacity. In the story of blind Bartimaeus, Bartimaeus had a disability that prevented him from living a full normal life and holding gainful employment. He was reduced to a beggar. And was given a garment, a beggar’s cloth to excuse his situation allow him to ask of others what he was unable to get for himself.
How many of us are like Bartimaeus. We are disabled and have a handicap that keeps us from living a normal and full life, and having gainful relationships with people. Some of us may lack power, whether spiritual or social, we lack the power to make changes and decisions in our lives. Others may be too weak. Too weak for men or women, too weak for money, too weak for drugs, too weak for power, we have become slaves to things and people because we are too weak. Some of have physical situations whether medical an actual disease or disorder or ailment, or are the victims of physical tragedies, abuse, violence, accidents, and the like. Or maybe the situation is mental, depression, fear, nightmares, pride, arrogance, selfishness, narcissism and pessimism, spiritual confusion, and so on. Either way our disabilities keep us from achieving a full life and having gainful relationships.
The garment that Bartimaeus wore was a cloak given to him to wear by the church that permitted him to be a full time beggar. How many people have been given permission to be full time beggars by a garment or cloak of an excuse. “Oh because she was abused”…… “His father wasn’t around”….. “She has been hurt in relationships” …… “It’s because he’s gifted”. Whatever the excuse or the reason, that cloak signified Bartimaeus and your excuse to stay crippled and depend on others to help you fulfill a normal full life. Without the garment he could not beg on the main street and in the marketplace. That’s why when Jesus came along and he threw it off, it was a pure act of faith believing that Jesus had the power to not only heal his sight, but also restore him to a place to live a normal life. He believed that whatever Jesus was going to do was going to give him the ability to do for himself and live the life he had been hearing all around him.
What is your beggar’s cloak. What keeps you bound to depending on people or things to live. What keeps you bound to the bedroom, bound to the bottle, bound to the pipe, bound to the pills, bound to people, bound to emotions. Throw off your beggar’s cloak and allow God to heal your disability and give you an opportunity to live a full normal life. The life you hear about from others can be the full and normal life you see happen in your own life!
Enjoy this song by Fred Hammond, Please Don’t Pass Me By. It’s Bartimeaus’ Story.
A disability is defined as a lack of adequate power, strength, or physical or mental ability; a handicap that prevents a person from living a full, normal life, or from holding a gainful job, legal disqualification or incapacity. In the story of blind Bartimaeus, Bartimaeus had a disability that prevented him from living a full normal life and holding gainful employment. He was reduced to a beggar. And was given a garment, a beggar’s cloth to excuse his situation allow him to ask of others what he was unable to get for himself.
How many of us are like Bartimaeus. We are disabled and have a handicap that keeps us from living a normal and full life, and having gainful relationships with people. Some of us may lack power, whether spiritual or social, we lack the power to make changes and decisions in our lives. Others may be too weak. Too weak for men or women, too weak for money, too weak for drugs, too weak for power, we have become slaves to things and people because we are too weak. Some of have physical situations whether medical an actual disease or disorder or ailment, or are the victims of physical tragedies, abuse, violence, accidents, and the like. Or maybe the situation is mental, depression, fear, nightmares, pride, arrogance, selfishness, narcissism and pessimism, spiritual confusion, and so on. Either way our disabilities keep us from achieving a full life and having gainful relationships.
The garment that Bartimaeus wore was a cloak given to him to wear by the church that permitted him to be a full time beggar. How many people have been given permission to be full time beggars by a garment or cloak of an excuse. “Oh because she was abused”…… “His father wasn’t around”….. “She has been hurt in relationships” …… “It’s because he’s gifted”. Whatever the excuse or the reason, that cloak signified Bartimaeus and your excuse to stay crippled and depend on others to help you fulfill a normal full life. Without the garment he could not beg on the main street and in the marketplace. That’s why when Jesus came along and he threw it off, it was a pure act of faith believing that Jesus had the power to not only heal his sight, but also restore him to a place to live a normal life. He believed that whatever Jesus was going to do was going to give him the ability to do for himself and live the life he had been hearing all around him.
What is your beggar’s cloak. What keeps you bound to depending on people or things to live. What keeps you bound to the bedroom, bound to the bottle, bound to the pipe, bound to the pills, bound to people, bound to emotions. Throw off your beggar’s cloak and allow God to heal your disability and give you an opportunity to live a full normal life. The life you hear about from others can be the full and normal life you see happen in your own life!
Enjoy this song by Fred Hammond, Please Don’t Pass Me By. It’s Bartimeaus’ Story.
Friday, February 19, 2010
The Best In Me
1 Samuel 16:7 But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for [the LORD seeth] not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart
Marvin Sapp recently released a song, The Best In Me. The words say, “he saw the best in me. When everyone else around me could only see the worst in me.” Then the song goes on to say, “he’s mine, and I’m his, it doesn’t matter what I did. He only see me for who I am.”
This song blessed me tremendously and made me think so much of David during his first anointing. When Samuel was sent to anoint the next King over Israel, Samuel was looking for the same kind of king that he anointed the last time – a Saul like king. Samuel was so programmed with his assumed appearance of a King, that when he came upon Eliab one of Jesse’s strongest sons, God had to tell him, don’t look at his appearance, or his height, because I am have refused him. What a place: have the perfect look, the perfect height, the perfect circumstance, but be refused by God.
In this next season, it won’t be the perfect candidates by outward appearance but it will be the perfect candidates by heart! God saw David’s heart, and that’s why of all the sons of Jesse he was chosen to take Saul’s place.
David’s heart was revealed during the battle against Goliath. Saul ran, the Israelite soldiers ran. All of them that had the outward appearance to fight and win against Goliath ran. They were soldiers. They had the equipment, the title, the position, the weapons, the perfect outward appearances. But only David had the heart. He said, “I fought a bear and a lion, and this uncircumcised (unholy) philistine will be like one of them…..The Lord delivered me out of the paw of the lion and the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this philistine.”(1 Samuel 17:33-36)
David had a heart to win that battle. When everyone else ran from the challenge he ran to it. It was his experiences out there keeping the sheep that made him worthy to be KING and worthy to defeat Goliath. God knew that, and that’s why during the anointing, God saw the best in him, when everyone else around him only saw him as a ruddy, little, trouble starting, sheepkeeping boy.
What are your sheep keeping experiences? How does God see you? What is in your heart? Not that lame scapegoat, “God knows my heart” but what really does He see. For those of you who don’t have the outward appearance, be encouraged. That is not what God is looking at or for. Nor is it necessary to be anointed and promoted for your Kingly position. Everything about you, all your experiences, your gifts, your good qualities and “bad” creates the BEST IN YOU! And that’s what God sees.
Enjoy The Best In Me Video by Marvin Sapp
Marvin Sapp recently released a song, The Best In Me. The words say, “he saw the best in me. When everyone else around me could only see the worst in me.” Then the song goes on to say, “he’s mine, and I’m his, it doesn’t matter what I did. He only see me for who I am.”
This song blessed me tremendously and made me think so much of David during his first anointing. When Samuel was sent to anoint the next King over Israel, Samuel was looking for the same kind of king that he anointed the last time – a Saul like king. Samuel was so programmed with his assumed appearance of a King, that when he came upon Eliab one of Jesse’s strongest sons, God had to tell him, don’t look at his appearance, or his height, because I am have refused him. What a place: have the perfect look, the perfect height, the perfect circumstance, but be refused by God.
In this next season, it won’t be the perfect candidates by outward appearance but it will be the perfect candidates by heart! God saw David’s heart, and that’s why of all the sons of Jesse he was chosen to take Saul’s place.
David’s heart was revealed during the battle against Goliath. Saul ran, the Israelite soldiers ran. All of them that had the outward appearance to fight and win against Goliath ran. They were soldiers. They had the equipment, the title, the position, the weapons, the perfect outward appearances. But only David had the heart. He said, “I fought a bear and a lion, and this uncircumcised (unholy) philistine will be like one of them…..The Lord delivered me out of the paw of the lion and the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this philistine.”(1 Samuel 17:33-36)
David had a heart to win that battle. When everyone else ran from the challenge he ran to it. It was his experiences out there keeping the sheep that made him worthy to be KING and worthy to defeat Goliath. God knew that, and that’s why during the anointing, God saw the best in him, when everyone else around him only saw him as a ruddy, little, trouble starting, sheepkeeping boy.
What are your sheep keeping experiences? How does God see you? What is in your heart? Not that lame scapegoat, “God knows my heart” but what really does He see. For those of you who don’t have the outward appearance, be encouraged. That is not what God is looking at or for. Nor is it necessary to be anointed and promoted for your Kingly position. Everything about you, all your experiences, your gifts, your good qualities and “bad” creates the BEST IN YOU! And that’s what God sees.
Enjoy The Best In Me Video by Marvin Sapp
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