Don’t Believe in Yourself

Have you noticed we are a generation obsessed with motivation? We have posters and clever quotes, mantras for our daily “self talk” in the mirror, positive affirmations, and the list goes on and on.

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with a positive outlook on life, but be careful where your focus is. When we focus on ourselves, what we can accomplish, what we can do, we are setting ourselves up for failure. Yep, that’s right…Let’s take a look.

Self Focus

Self focus can be a tricky thing. We are sometimes silly creatures (thank God we are so loved by our Creator), but a good thing can often be taken to extremes. Have you ever noticed, when we are down, we often focus on ourselves. “I’m down. I’m depressed. What can the cause be? How can I fix this? Maybe I should try to uncover the deep, dark secrets of my past.” Read more

The Love of God Shed Abroad in Our Hearts

Romans 5:1-5 (King James Version)

Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

 

Did you know that in every circumstance, with every person, at all times, you can be a vessel that transfers the love of God to the situation? It’s true! Not only is it true, but it’s a wonderful and extremely powerful way to live. Love changes things, and 1 Corinthians 13:8 assures us that love never fails.

Romans 5:5 tells us “The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.”

As believers, we have been justified by faith and we are God’s beloved. We are highly favored, deeply loved, and according to Romans 5:5, we have the very Spirit of God living inside us, empowering us with His love at all times.

If this is true, and I assure you it is, then why are so many believers angry, tempermental, and conducting themselves as the world does? I believe one of the reasons is because we are mixing or mingling the pure, exciting and freeing truth of God’s Word, with the rules and ways of man.

Let’s look at love, according to the way man operates.

The World’s Kind of Love Read more

How to I Find My Life Purpose?

Did you know that regardless of the age of the person, most Americans today (and probably individuals worldwide) wonder about what they are supposed to do with their life? They wonder to themselves, “What’s my calling? What career should I pursue?  What path should I take?” Basically, it’s the age old question…What is the meaning of my life and where do I go from here?

I’ve got Good News for you today! It’s not as complicated as you think. While you’re pondering all those deep, meaningful, questions, ask yourself one more…What does your heart tell you?

Many Christians have been taught that they can’t trust their heart. After all, the Bible does say in Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked…” Well, if we believe this verse is for us, it’s no wonder we walk around confused about our life purpose. Fortunately, Jeremiah was speaking to the person who has not yet received Jesus and is not walking in the grace, blessing, favor, and righteousness that we, as believers are. How do I know that this Word is not for believers? I’m glad you asked. Read more

Can I Lose My Salvation?

Do you know this is one of the most asked questions in Christianity today? It’s also one of the most debated topics, which, of course is expected. Salvation is a big deal. Jesus Christ paid the price for our salvation with His own blood, so of course the enemy of our soul would want to minimize, distort, undermine and cause us to doubt this most precious gift.

If you’ve ever asked this question, or if you’re asking it today, I’m going to give you some of the best news you’ve heard in a long time, in fact, it’s called The Good News (or in other translations, the Gospel). Here we go.

Can I Lose My Salvation?

Let’s look at what the Bible tells us.

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — Ephesians 2:8

So, if we’ve been saved by accepting a free gift, and not “from ourselves” this means that entering into salvation is based entirely on faith and trust. Faith and trust in what? Faith and trust in the fact that Jesus is who He says He is (the Son of God) and has done what He said He did (pay the price for our sins by shedding His blood on the cross). That’s it? Yes, that’s it.

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. — Romans 10:9-10

That’s the beginning of a beautiful, life long journey with your Creator! It’s the point of salvation. Read more

Living in the Grace of God

“I really need to get right with God.” Have you ever heard anyone say these words? Maybe you’ve even said them yourself. Maybe you’ve wandered away from a conscious awareness of your relationship with Him, made some poor decisions, or maybe you’ve simply allowed yourself to become preoccupied with life’s busyness and distractions. Before you know it, God seems far.

Even if we do feel like our relationship with God is pretty good, sometimes when a hardship or trial comes into our life we wonder where we “missed it” or where we sinned. Isn’t it funny how we are always programmed to look at our performance and what we have done (or failed to do) that brought a certain circumstance into our lives?

Today I’m going to give you some Good News that will absolutely transform your life and the way you think about your relationship with your Heavenly Father. Are you ready?

It’s Not About You!

If you are thinking that you need to get right with God before you’ll see His hand of blessing on your life, or if you are wondering where you may have “missed it” because of the situations you are currently facing, I want to tell you to stop right where you are! Read more

And the Truth Shall Make You Free

I’ve become pretty impressed with the genuine hunger for God I’m seeing in today’s teenagers. Uncompromising, humble, and filled with wisdom. The other day I was involved in a conversation where one individual was struggling with the correct path to take, while the other party (a teenager) saw the simple solution as if there was really no other option.

They said something to the effect of, “For any problem you have, God has a simple solution. He’s not trying to confuse us. It’s not that hard….The solution here is to go tell the person the truth.”

Isn’t it amazing how a Word from God through another person can bring such complete clarity to a situation that we almost feel silly that we had toyed with the idea of something different. That’s how simple the good news of the Gospel is. Sometimes we just need to be reminded. Read more

Integrity…Walking it Out

Integrity. The dictionary defines integrity as possession of firm principles, steadfastly adhering to high moral principles, the state of being complete or undivided, whole, and honest.

In Christianity, integrity is one of the most important virtues that should influence our decisions, our actions, and steer our everyday lives.

In Philippians 1: 27-30, the apostle Paul urges the church to walk in integrity,

“Whatsoever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the Gospel of Christ…being steadfast and firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the Gospel without being frightened of those who oppose you…For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for Him, since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and that I still have.”

This dictionary definition is a good starting point, but the Biblical picture Paul paints tells me two things. First, it says “Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the Gospel of Christ.” The phrase “whatever happens” lets me know that we can be sure, something is going to happen. We are going to be faced with numerous opportunities throughout our Christianity to make choices to walk in integrity. We may even be faced with these decisions daily. Read more

The Inner Judge…Are You on the Throne?

Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. Matthew 7: 1-2

Seems pretty simple doesn’t it. I mean, read it again…slowly. Especially the part that says, “for with what judgment you judge, you shall be judged.” Ouch. That’s serious business. But don’t we all battle with some form of judgmentalism from time to time.

I find that a judgmental spirit often likes to run around with a “comparing yourselves among yourselves” spirit. First we tend to excuse our own sin, character defects, and problem areas by comparing ourselves to others and saying, “Hey, I’m not that bad…I don’t do what that person does.” Once we effectively excuse ourselves to the point of inner content and smugness, then the judge sits down on our inner throne. We think to ourselves, “Geez, didn’t I hear that Harry cheated on his wife a while ago? I wonder if they are going to counseling. I’d never do that. I mean, I’ve done some things in my day, but I’d never do that.” Did you see that? The two of them just sat down and had a conversation about poor Harry. Isn’t he struggling enough? He’s most likely going through some severe mental torment right now. He’s filled with guilt and remorse over the pain he’s caused. Possibly, he’s going through a divorce. It’s pretty easy to just sit on that smug seat and think thoughts like that without even realizing it. Read more

Success Breeds Success: But What About Failure?

I read a quote the other day that said, “The successful man is the one who falls down six times, but gets up seven.” I’m not sure who wrote it, but it is definitely food for thought, as well as being completely true. Often we hear motivational speeches that tell us that success breeds success, which it certainly does. But what happens when we fail? It’s bound to happen. No one is successful one hundred percent of the time. How you react to failure, and what you do right after you’ve experienced the sting of a setback or perceived defeat is vital to reaching your ultimate goals.

So, when we fail…What should we do?

A perfect place to look for the answers are right in the Word. Both the Old and New Testaments are filled with stories about individuals who failed miserably, but when they made the decision to keep going instead of giving up, success came in the end…and was usually very sweet! Read more

Family Life: Dealing With Difficult Relatives

Summer is almost upon us. It’s time to break out the BBQ grill, the sun tan lotion, and for many, it’s time for family vacations that involve visiting relatives. And while we may dream of postcard perfect times that create wonderful family memories for our children as well as ourselves, that’s not always the case.

For many, these dreams can quickly become a nightmare when challenging personalities are put together for an extended period of time. This is especially true if you have relatives who don’t share the same parenting ideas  or Christian values as your family.

Yes, of course, picture perfect families, who blend very well together and enjoy family vacations, visits, and even hotel sharing without a hitch, do exist…but for the rest of us, here are some tips that will ensure that family vacations and get-togethers can be “relatively” stress free…(pun intended) Read more

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