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5 Life Lessons I’ve Learned This Year

 

Experience isn’t the best teacher, evaluated experience is the best teacher. -John C. Maxwell

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. -Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

As 2015 comes to a close some of us had a great year and some had a bad year, some maybe saying ,”So long befriend!” and some may be saying,”Good riddance! Bring on 2016 please!” Regardless of where you are on the spectrum, we need to take time and look back over our year and write down what we’ve learned. I love that John Maxwell quote because many people experience good and bad but they don’t learn from it because they don’t evaluate what need to be different the next time around. For me I have a couple “second things” I’ll be experiencing in 2016 so that means I need to learn from the “first things” that didn’t work out! When we take the time to pray and meditate about our past experiences with the sole motive of growth, then God will speak to us and give us wisdom about what we can do next time.

1. Don’t Get Stuck in a Moment
Many people have such bad experiences throughout the year they end up getting stuck in a moment. A moment is just a part of our past that we are currently experiencing. Think about it. We are in the moment and then the moment passes. That moment is gone forever and has become part of our past. We need to leave the past in the past. It can be an indicator of our future but it’s up to us to change or not. Our goal should be to keep moving forward and not get stuck in a moment. We need to forgive and truly forget!

2. People Say One Thing and Do Another
I know I sound negative on this one but it’s just my experience with people. They say one thing and do another. For me, I’ve found people completely under-deliver and over-promise. So I could take it personal and get all offended but instead I use it as a lesson. I’m going to do what I say I’ll do. If I don’t intend to do something then I’ll just keep my mouth shut. Don’t get me wrong, most people intend to do well but they fall short, It’s actually biblical. We are preprogrammed to fall short. This where we have to trust and put our faith in God. God is faithful and true. People… well not so much. Again I believe in people but I’ve learned to set my expectations correctly. This guards me from being offended and getting into bitterness and living angry.

3. Be Interested in Others
This past year I’ve run into a ton of self-involved people. Not saying “selfish” but just overly fixated on themselves. I don’t know if there’s a difference but I guess I’m just trying to be nice. HA! At any rate, being focused on yourself will do more harm than good. Eventually you focus on what’s wrong with you and this can easily lead into depression, guilt, greed, and other self-motivated problems. The best way to get our minds off us is to serve someone else. This lis one reason why I’m a big propionate of the local church. It provides an easy way for us to get in there and serve someone else. When we take the time to be interested in God’s fondest creation (people), God takes the time to get interested in our heart’s desire. When we help someone else reach their dream, God bring’s people along to help us reach ours.

4. Guard Who is In Your Inner Circle
Allowing people in your life who are trustworthy. This was such a huge lesson for me this week. Some people need an entire “support system.” How funny. You really only need a few people who can make up your inner circle. These people are tried and true. Battle-tested. When you go through the big storms of life these are the people who are there with you. All tattered and beat-up… these are the people that bind your wounds and walk with you through the healing. I have a few of these people and they are not the people I thought who would be with me. It’s sad when you are on top of the world everyone is with you and when the world is on top of you it seems they’re all gone! Your inner circle though, those are the people who stick with you. You have to be on guard with these people.

5. God Moves By Faith
The biggest lesson I’ve been refreshed with this year is that God moves by faith. He doesn’t move because we complain or whine; He doesn’t even move because we have a need. He does meet our needs but God moves by faith. He responds to faith. When I started rebuilding in the beginning of 2015, I made some big steps of faith and a year later, I’m astounded at God’s work in every area of my life. It is all because I continued to take steps of faith. I’ve always seen God move like this throughout my life and it’s not over. 2016 promises to be another year of mountain-moving faith because I have big dreams and serve a big God!

God has great plans, purpose, and destiny for us. His plans are always for our good and His glory. God wants us to learn from evaluated experience. Take some time this week and write down the most significant experiences, good and bad, that happened this year. Then take the time to write out what you learned from each. God will reveal to those lessons! He’s a good Father who is just waiting to give you these teachable moments.

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Please leave your thoughts if you feel led and let’s continue the conversation! May God bless you!

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Beating Depression this Christmas

 

Christmas can be the most wonderful or the most awful time of year.

“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). -Matthew 1:23 NIV

Ahhh the holidays… hot coffee, warm blankets, Christmas trees, the smells and the sights of the season of Christmas. We all know the reason for the season of Christmas is Jesus but there are all the trappings of Christmas that come as well. Some of these are most enjoyable like Elf and The Christmas Story and then the food like peanut butter fudge and chocolate chip cookies. Of course presents are nice too. But most of all it’s family, seeing and spending time to those closest to us. Unfortunately, this time of year can be painful for those who have experienced loss, hurt, divorce, or abuse in the family dynamic. The pain is real and processing it is important for us to make it a wonderful time of year. The great thing about this time of year is that we can make it wonderful or awful but it is completely up to us. I’m going to give you a few ways to help keep the joy in Christmas and to keep emotionally fit. It’s up to us to be happy.

Adjust Your Focus
If our focus is to have the picture perfect Christmas then we will be let down. Our focus should be on Jesus, Immanuel, God with us. Just like any other time of year, when we stay focused on God then our hearts are at peace.

Set the Right Expectations
We love the idea of a magical Christmas… all the Hallmark movies kind propagate this idea too. Maybe because of the day of Christmas everything can be healed and ok right? Well maybe, but it’s unlikely. Christmas can stir the emotions in us to want to forgive and be forgiven but we must set our expectations correctly. I’ve learned to set mine low on people but high on Jesus. Keeping our expectations realistic is healthy for us. Think about it, if the lost family member hasn’t reached out to you all year, they may not reach out to you on Christmas. If they do, great… but if they don’t, do not allow your emotions to be affected by their lack of care. This is where we must have faith. We pray and ask God to move on their hearts. This keeps our expectation on the Lord and not the person. People will always let us down but God never will.

Stop Comparing
Instagram and Facebook are definite emotion tweakers! Don’t compare someone’s highlight reel to your behind the scenes. What you see on social media isn’t the full picture. It’s just a snapshot. Don’t compare your Christmas experience to and Instagram picture. How silly! And don’t compare your Christmas experience to someone else’s either. Comparison is a killer. A killer of gratefulness, creativity, and your own experience. If we are constantly comparing our experience to someone else’s then we’ve actually missed out on our own experience! If you can’t stand not being on social media then maybe you need a break from it! I’d actually challenge you to not even look at it until 2016! This will help keep you happy, focused on your own life, and keep your emotions in check this Christmas.

Watch Your Appetites
With the holidays comes celebration. Most celebrations have alcohol. Watching our appetites in the area of consumption would do us well this Christmas. Obviously I’m a recovery advocate so I don’t partake in drinking, but many people do. An occasional glass of wine or beer isn’t going to do much harm but if you find yourself seeking solace from the bottle then you are sure to have a depressing holiday. Alcohol is a depressant naturally so of course it will affect your mood. There are different chemicals triggered in our brains that cause us to experience emotion. I know it’s not popular but instead of another helping of mashed potatoes or a cocktail, maybe we should hit the treadmill or go for a walk. Exercise produces the chemical serotonin which causes us to feel happy. Laughter also produces serotonin so maybe watching a comedy is a good way to go too! We need to know our triggers and avoid them.

This truly can be the most wonderful time of year, but it’s up to us to choose that! My prayer is… this Christmas you experience the joy of the birth of our Savior Jesus.

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Please leave your thoughts if you feel led and let’s continue the conversation! May God bless you!

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It’s Never Too Late

 

It’s never too late to live your destiny and your purpose.

All the days planned for me were written in your book before I was one day old -Psalm 139:16 NCV

Every person on earth has a destiny, future, and a purpose. Every person’s life can make a difference. Most people go through life, their entire life, without ever scratching the surface of their God-given destiny. You can never abort God’s destiny for your life but you can postpone it or miss it altogether. People do it all the time. In fact, you can go through your entire life and miss God’s purpose for your life — by your own choices. On the other hand, you can achieve God’s best for your life by choosing to. Oh… and it’s never too late.

I’ve gone through hell and back. I’ve experienced abuse and molestation as a child. I’ve gone through a car accident that should have killed me. I’ve been through two drug treatment centers. I’m the product of a divorced household and have experienced divorce myself. All of these things are experiences that happened to me either by the choice of another or by my own but regardless God still has a destiny for me and it’s not too late! I’m still here tweeting the love and hope of God. I’m still here writing and periscoping to hundreds of thousands of people each week giving encouragement. I’m still here traveling and speaking in churches and organizations all over the nation bringing the good news of Jesus and grace to those who desperately need it. I’m still here writing books that have and will change people’s lives, people I will probably never even meet! I’m still here using the creative gift on my life to build websites, produce video, and help further the local church! I’M STILL HERE! I’m far from done, I’m just getting started! That means I’m here for a purpose. If you are still here and have breath in your lungs then you are not finished! Don’t quit and give up on your dream!

People may hurt you, disgrace and disrespect you but it doesn’t matter! You are still here! As I read through the bible I notice people like Joshua who was approximately 60 years old when he finally entered the Promised Land. I notice people like Solomon who completed the building the Temple at around age 50, a temple he was promised to build from birth! I notice people like Abraham who was 100 years old when he had Isaac! Modern day spiritual heroes like Smith Wigglesworth didn’t even start his ministry until after the age of 40. Then there are the modern day business successes. People like Colonel Sanders who was over 65 when he franchised the first KFC. And there’s Ray Kroc, the founder of McDonald’s who was over 50 when he purchased his first McDonald’s. We all know Samuel L. Jackson, but did you know he was in recovery from cocaine and heroin just before he landed his breakout role in Pulp Fiction at the age of 46?! We’ve all been to Wal-mart but not many people know that Sam Walton didn’t open his first one until he was 44! The list goes on and on!

It’s never too late for us to step into our gifts, calling, and passion. These are things God has given us to live our destiny. Don’t let life beat you up and tell you you’re done. I find it laughable that people have walked out of my life at the age of 40! I’m just getting started and those who have stayed with me will get the benefit of God’s blessing on my life. Listen, that isn’t arrogance it’s humility knowing that God is the blesser and I am being blessed! God wants to use us until the very end. It’s our choice to step into that great adventure!

It’s never too late!

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Please leave your thoughts if you feel led and let’s continue the conversation! May God bless you!

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The Power of Pain

 

Pain can make us stronger or weaker, it’s our choice.

I am certain that I never did grow in grace one-half so much anywhere as I have upon the bed of pain. ~ Charles Spurgeon

Pain is an interesting thing. It drives people to do things they wouldn’t normally do. Pain is the reason people stay addicted. It’s the reason people relapse. Pain causes people to harm themselves or others. It’s the reason there are so many pharmaceutical drugs that people take whether for physical or emotional reasons. Our natural instinct is to avoid pain. We want to live a comfortable life without pain or the threat of pain. We fashion our lives accordingly. We have air conditioned homes because being too hot or cold is painful. We drive cars because walking miles on end would become painful. We see psychiatrists and they prescribe us medication to help us numb our emotions so we don’t have to deal with the pain.

Pain causes us to seek out revenge and to make someone else hurt just as bad as we do. The problem is hurting someone else will never fix our pain. Seeking out healing through destruction is about as backwards as you can get! I’ve been there before. I’ve wanted to hurt those who brought some major pain to my life. Honestly, some days I still do but I’ve learned to release and forgive. I’ve learned a lot about pain over the last year and a half and I’ve discovered that pain has grown me as a man, as a future spouse, as a father, as a minister, and as a leader. I love that Charles Spurgeon quote. The bed of pain has grown me immensely. Not because of just the pain but because I dealt with the pain correctly.

This is where most people get into trouble. They don’t deal with pain correctly. We try and numb the pain through illicit sex, drugs, alcohol, eating, cutting, shopping, etc. and we find ourselves in even more pain than when we first started down that journey of self-medication. I’ve learned over the years that the best way to deal with pain is head on. To feel the pain in all it’s weight and darkness. To allow the pain to penetrate every part of us. It’s like a child getting a shot or taking medicine, the initial shock of the pain is awful but on the other side of the pain is great healing and health. When we truly feel the pain, we then have the opportunity to process the pain. Pain is an indicator that something is wrong and it can’t be fixed by another band-aid, it must be dealt with. This is where people find freedom from all kinds of addiction. They deal with what causes them the pain.

yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. – 2 Corinthians 7:9-10 NIV

There is a power in pain that can drive us to Jesus. The apostle Paul is discipling us in this area of pain. We must identify the cause of the pain that we feel in our life. Maybe someone hurt us, maybe it was self-inflicted but regardless we can take that pain to God and He can heal us. Sometimes the healing is instant and sometimes it is through a process but regardless God is a healer and He wants to heal you. God wants to be the One you run to. When, not if, but when you experience pain, feel it, process it, and then release it. Don’t live with pain! Give it to God. When those thoughts come up of the experience that hurt you, immediately release it to God and speak over your life that you are healed!

When you get into this habit of releasing and speaking, then God’s word and promise of healing does it’s perfect work in you. Our life will never be pain-free but we don’t have to live with pain in our souls anymore. I proclaim this week, as you step into the Christmas season, that you will not experience pain in any area of your life but you will experience healing and wholeness in your soul, in your relationships, in your finances, and every area of your life. You will be healed in order to bring healing to others!

 

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Please leave your thoughts if you feel led and let’s continue the conversation! May God bless you!

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Say YES!

 

Our God is a “YES” God!

For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for his glory. -2 Corinthians 1:20 NLT

Words have power. There is power in the word YES. I love hearing the word “YES.” I guess ever since I was a little kid the word NO did not exist in my vocabulary. Even when the word NO was presented there was always going to be a YES at some point. Don’t get me wrong, there is a time and place for saying, “NO!”  We should say, “NO” to sin, fear, intimidation, and things that keep us from God’s best. So having the word “NO” in our vocabulary is very healthy. “NO” can keep us from major trouble but at the same time having a “NO” mentality can shut down opportunities for us.

God and His promises are “YES”. As we’ve learned in the past three weeks and posts, God allows the wait to mature and grow us. Sometimes were think that the “WAIT” is a “NO” but it is usually a “YES”. God is a “YES” God who wants to bless us with His promises. YES empowers people. When we say, “YES” it empowers people to win and succeed. Giving people the room to fail also gives them the room to succeed. Giving people the freedom to operate in their God-given gifting is what happens when you have a “YES” mentality. We get so used to being negative and usually our first response is NO. It becomes our reality so we think that’s how God is. We pray and ask God for something supernatural all the while believing that God is saying, “NO.”

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. -Hebrews 11:6 NIV

When we are in relationship with God we must realize He is a good God who wants the best for us. Sometimes what we think is best isn’t. Sometimes what we want is necessarily what we need. He is not only our God, He is our Father. He is a good good Father just like the Bethel song says! HE wants to say “YES” if it is in accordance to His will for our lives. If it’s a promise in the bible then God is saying, “YES and Amen!” We must approach God with a spirit of faith and an attitude that He is for us and not against us! He cares for you and I and He is a blesser. If it’s good it’s God!

This week, make sure you are approaching the Lord with a spirit of faith, believing that God is saying, “YES” over your life.

 

 

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Please leave your thoughts if you feel led and let’s continue the conversation! May God bless you!

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One of God’s Favorite Four Letter Words Pt.2

 

6 Things to Do When You’re Waiting on God

As mentioned in last week’s post, and the week before that, there are many things we can be doing while we are waiting in the meantime. It’s beneficial for us to not sit around and just wait on the couch. That’s not the kind of waiting I’m talking about. I’m talking about the kind of waiting that someone does when it helps other people. Remember back in the day when we used the term “waiter” and “waitress” for people who helped us at restaurants and diners? These days they go by a different term. They go by the term “server,” isn’t that interesting? See, when we “wait” on God, we aren’t just standing around, we are serving Him in every capacity possible.

I’ve listed 6 things we can do while we are in the meantime, waiting on the next big thing to happen in our lives. These things, I believe will actually propel you into that next big thing. So let’s jump in!

1. Worship God
Worship will get you through anything. Worship has gotten me through the darkest times of my life. You may feel like you are in a prison of depression, loss, devastation, and hopelessness but through the power of worship you can break free. Paul and Silas were imprisoned for sharing the gospel in Acts 16 and when they worshipped, the Holy Spirit broke through so explosively, it caused an earthquake! Worship can cause your world to shake under the power of God! Don’t give up or throw int he towel but break through in the power of worship!

2. Walk with the Holy Spirit
The best times I’ve ever experienced weren’t surfing or going on a trip or being on vacation. Those were awesome times… but for me, the best times I’ve ever experienced are on my back porch with a cup of really strong coffee. It’s those times when it’s just me and the Holy Spirit. I’ve been to revivals, knocked out in the power of God. I’ve answered and given altar calls where hundreds of thousands of people responded. I’ve seen the power of God mightily. More than all of those times though, there’s nothing like hearing the sweet whisper of the Holy Spirit and having a friendship with God.

3. Work Hard
When I say, “Work hard”, I’m not talking about the 9-5… although being a good employee or boss is a biblical thing and it’s extremely important. Remember the waiting on God thing… it seems kinda silly but I think of it like this…. We don’t call people who bring us or food in restaurants “waiters or waitresses” anymore… what do we call them? That’s right… “servers”… I’ve found that if we serve while we wait then we are much happier and fulfilled in the process of waiting on the promise of God. What I’m talking about is working hard in the House of God. I’m not talking about butt-kissing the pastor either. I’m talking about serving God through the local church. When we serve our local church or faith-based volunteer organization with no other motivation except to further the vision for the house then God takes notice!

Galatians 6:7
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.

LISTEN! The success in waiting is in serving!

4. Win at Life
This is the part when we must continually “do good anyways.” Regardless of what’s happening we live life and we win at life. We keep our houses clean, we pay our bills on time, we take date nights with our spouse, we make time for our kids, and we do what we love, even if it’s in our spare time. We move forward with the living of life rather just constantly worry and fretting about the dream God gave us. The dream will come to pass when we win at life.

5. Wonder about What’s Coming
We can never lose sight of the dream God gave us. We must keep a sense of awe and wonder that God will do what He promised. And more often than not, it is way bigger than we could’ve ever imagined. Enjoying the goal is great, but enjoying the journey is better!We must keep a sense of wonder and awe about God and His dream for us. Hope propels us to dream.

6. Watch for Opportunities
I believe that the more steps of faith we take the more God meets us in those steps. God will bring us opportunities and it’s our responsibility to take those opportunities. We need to watch out for being opportunistic though. Opportunists use people as opportunities. This is selfish and God doesn’t honor it. People are the only redeemable thing on this earth and they should be treated that way. As we steward our relationships correctly God brings us more opportunities.

Galatians 6:9
And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

 

So in conclusion, let’s keep waiting and working and God will bring the increase in our lives. Don’t give up and don’t get discouraged! Your time is just on the horizon so keep SHINING for Jesus in this dark world!

 

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Please leave your thoughts if you feel led and let’s continue the conversation! May God bless you!

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One of God’s Favorite Four Letter Words Pt.1

 

God has a few favorite four letter words and here’s one of them.

God has a few four letter words that, in my opinion, are His favorite. One of them is LOVE but I think another is the word WAIT. I’ve recently had to get some lab work done and I’ve found myself in many waiting rooms. How many of you hate waiting? More specifically, how many hate waiting rooms? Waiting rooms are a part of life. And really if we think about it, the waiting rooms aren’t the bad part, it’s what we do while we wait that matters. In life there are many seasons that are like waiting rooms. If you read my last post, then you’ll understand sometimes we are in the meantime. Like the meantime, we have waiting rooms. We have to turn our waiting rooms into preparation rooms… into working rooms. When we work hard while we are waiting, we are sowing seeds into our future.

The wait can wear us out though. I’ll admit there are some days I’m ready to throw in the towel. Sometimes we wait so long that we end up just giving up on the dream. It’s crucial that we don’t though. It’s crucial that we keep working while we are waiting. God hasn’t given up on you so don’t give up on the dream He has for your life! As I’ve grown in my walk with God, I realized there are some promises that take longer than others to get fulfilled. But one thing I know for sure is God doesn’t lie!

2 Corinthians 1:20 NKJV
For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.

Let’s check out a guy I think most of us are familiar with. Joseph.
I love the story of Joseph… assumption, betrayal, drama… like a worship team fighting over skinny jeans. 🙂

Genesis 37:5 NKJV
Now Joseph had a dream, and he told it to his brothers; and they hated him even more.

Joseph had a dream that went unfulfilled, for what some scholars say, for over 25 years. It’s like Joseph’s whole life is a “Good News – Bad News” story…. You know those… I’ve got news and I’ve got bad news…

  • Good News… God gave Joseph a dream, Bad News… his brothers hated him for it and he gets thrown into a pit.
  • Good News… he gets promoted to second in command in Potipher’s house. Bad News… he accused of sleeping with Potipher’s wife… Hotipher.
  • Good News… he interprets some dreams for a couple guys in prison. Bad News… his “friend” forgets about him for two years while Joseph sits in prison.
  • Good News… he interprets Pharaoh’s dream… and finally more Good News… his dream is then fulfilled.

The good news bad news scenario is something I think we can all identify with because it happens to all of us. And sometimes it seems like we just wish the bad news part of life would go away. When is it going to be my turn? When am I going to get the big break? When will I start to see the dream in my heart come to pass? Maybe it always seems like we’re waiting on God. If it seems like that, it may not be a bad thing… waiting on God is actually something that can give us great hope.

Isaiah 40:31 NKJV
But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.

Sometimes we think we’re waiting on God, when He’s actually waiting on us.

For what?
Maybe we need to forgive
Maybe we need to shore up our character
Maybe our fears have overtaken our dreams
…whatever it is there’s always something that we can be doing while we’re waiting.

Here’s the deal… sometimes we’ll never understand our WAIT. Our job isn’t to understand it, our job is to be obedient and have a good attitude in it. Why God why? When God when? We need to move from whining to waiting patiently. Next week we’ll talk about six things we can do while we WAIT.

 

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Please leave your thoughts if you feel led and let’s continue the conversation! May God bless you!

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In The Meantime

 

Everyone hates the meantime, except God.

Some us are stuck in the meantime. We wonder when is our time to move forward? When is it our time to get rich? When is it our time to be famous? When is it our time to succeed? All of those questions ARE NOT selfish but they do tend to lean towards our motives. God is a God of the “meantime.” I kinda wondered where that phrase came from anyway, what does “in the meantime” mean? “Meantime” is one word. The word dates back to the early to mid-14th century and means a time between two events. It is using the mathematical definition of “mean” meaning the center or middle point. So it’s the time between significant events. I like events, I look forward to them. They mark the beginning or an end of a season sometime. BUT what about the meantime? What happens in the meantime?

The meantime is where God prepares us. God is a God of preparation. God doesn’t want us to fail. Failure happens when we can’t control certain situations or we make really bad decisions but regardless it’s not God’s “fault.” God is a good God and he doesn’t make bad things happen to us. He does allow things in our life because like a good Father He disciplines those He loves. Even that word “discipline” leans negative. Discipline doesn’t mean we get punished it means  to train and guide. At the root of discipline is “disciple” which is what God calls us to be when we follow Jesus. We go through the learning process and are empowered by being prepared in the meantime. The meantime is actually the tension we so often wrestle with when we want something to happen. If you’re like me you can hardly wait on the microwave much less the Lord! The meantime is when we are pushing for the next event but maybe God is the One with whom we are wrestling. Remember what happened to Jacob when he decided to wrestle one of God’s angels… he lost and walked with a limp the rest of his life. I’ll admit wrestling with God in the meantime is a valiant effort but it usually ends with us harming ourselves. So what do we do “in the meantime?” Well I’m in the meantime and I’m learning what to do, this is just my experience but here ya go.

1. We trust.

Trusting God is hard for people who are used to depending on themselves. I’ve been so let down by church, people, family, etc. that I’ve had to depend on myself. The old saying, “If it is to be then it’s up to me” comes to mind. Unfortunately this is how I’ve lived for a long time. But trusting God is the exact opposite of this sentiment. Why? Because He wants the glory. It’s God’s glory we take and put our grubby little fingerprints on when we make things happen. So “in the meantime” just sit and trust God.

2. We pray.

Speaking and believing and praying God’s promises over your life are a powerful daily exercise we should all employ. This isn’t so God will have pity on us and bless us. This so we get our minds right and vocalize the power and promises of God in our life!

3. We partner.

“In the meantime” we partner with God and others. If we aren’t seeing our dream to come to pass then it may be an indicator that we help someone else with theirs. In my meantime I’ve built websites and trained people in social media, this in turn has helped multiply the influence of organizations and leaders. So I am helping people! For me, my destiny has always been a partnership with God. I do my part and work hard and He does His part and brings the growth. So we should stop striving for our own selves and start partnering with others. You’ll be surprised what happens in the meantime.

So this week and in the meantime, don’t give up on God or His plan for your life, your next life-changing event is right around the corner but it’s up to you to not wrestle with God in the meantime, but instead rest and trust that He is working all things out for your good and His glory.

 

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Please leave your thoughts if you feel led and let’s continue the conversation! May God bless you!

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There’s No Such Thing as Normal

 

Everybody is just freakin’ weird.

Let’s just face it, everybody’s weird. Normal is just a setting on a washing machine. I used to think I just want a normal life but then I realized I’m not normal at all. I’m weird and so are you. It’s ok though because there has never been a standard set as to what is normal and what isn’t. Thank God. To think that we have relationships with “normal” people is just delusional. Everybody has something just a little “off” about them. There’s this weird mole on their face, a mannerism that isn’t like everybody else, a tone of voice that you’ve only heard once in your life. Every person has a uniqueness to them. Acceptance is a huge part of knowing people are weird. Love and acceptance comes with loving and accepting what our perception of someone else’s weirdness may be. Normal is actually a matter of opinion, in my opinion. God knew what He was up to when creating the human race and when he gave us a choice to follow Jesus.

But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: -1 Peter 2:9 KJV 

That one word says a lot. Peculiar. Have you ever known someone who was peculiar? All throughout the bible God used peculiar people. That’s what God does. He takes the people who are weird and uses them. I’m ok with being weird. I’m also ok with being used by God. Sometimes what we view as weird God may view as normal. Just because we grew up a certain way or had all the breaks doesn’t mean our way is normal or even right. When we view ourselves as God sees before we are forgiven, it should be a humbling experience.

Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. -Philippians 2:12 KJV

The apostle Paul is telling the Philippian church and us to view ourselves rightly. Without Jesus were are nothing and that fear and trembling should help us realize that we are so desperate. Desperately weird. Desperately lost and desperately broken with out Him. BUT with Him we are…

A NEW CREATION – Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. -2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV

RIGHTEOUS – But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, -Romans 3:21-24 NKJV

We must understand that God has uniquely created us with gifts and abilities that make us, us. He is calling us all to be ourselves and  go ahead and just be weird. That weirdness is what He wants to use because it is what he built in you to be set apart from everyone else. So the next time you think it’d be nice to just have a normal life, ask yourself, “Normal to who?”

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Please leave your thoughts if you feel led and let’s continue the conversation! May God bless you!

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Making Good Decisions

 

Your decisions determine your future.

Making right decisions isn’t a spiritual gift. It isn’t just something someone is blessed with like good genes or a great voice. Making good decisions is a skill that is developed over time and experience. Sometimes our bad decisions can cause us to gain great knowledge if we learn from it. Experience isn’t the best teacher. Evaluated experience is the best teacher. Making good decisions is the key to a great life, and a great future. A good decision today can produce a great outcome tomorrow. So let’s talk a bout how to make good decisions. There are three reasons why people make bad decisions. These aren’t the only reasons obviously but there that I’ve find to be important.

1. The Lack of Wisdom – Some people think that gaining knowledge and having wisdom are the same thing but in fact wisdom is the application of that knowledge. Asking the greatest question in the world, the most important question in the world is, “What is the wise thing to do?” I sometimes sit back in regret because I’ve made some bad decisions that have resulted in devastating consequences. These days my decision-making process is a lot slower and more forethought is used. If I’m in a situation where I have to make a decision quickly and I don’t have the proper information or haven’t had time to consider options, then the answer is no.

2. The Lack of Knowledge – Ignorance is a huge reason why people make bad decisions. You don’t know what you don’t know. The lack of information can ruin a business, relationship, or marriage. This is why it’ vital for us to be hungry for knowledge, constantly learning something new. Go to a conference, read a book, take a class but regardless of how you get it done. Make steps to deepening your knowledge base so when a situation comes up you can apply the knowledge you’ve learned in the form of wisdom.

3. Pride – The inability to humble ourselves can cause us to make bad decisions. Sometimes I’ll want to make a decision and I run the idea by Jess and more often than not she’ll give me a couple different ideas that may be a better way to go. She usually is right. Guys, when God places a woman in your life, do the wise thing and listen! This takes humility though. When you have an idea in your head and you make the DECISION that no one is going to change your mind, you are probably right. There are times that we must have an open mind otherwise we are destined to continue to make bad decisions.

This week let’s make some good decisions based on wisdom, knowledge, and humility. Don’t ever base your decisions on emotion. When we make emotional decisions they usually will get us in trouble. My prayer for you is that you will make some great decisions this week!

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Please leave your thoughts if you feel led and let’s continue the conversation! May God bless you!

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