title: All the world loves a winner.
Winners are those whose success comes as a reward of persistence -
staying at the task until it's done. It's amazing how many weaknesses
and inadequacies you can overcome if you are persistent.
Persistence is a state of mind - an
attitude. And it is something each of us can develop.
The first step is knowing exactly
what you want. If you have only a vague idea of where you are going,
it's easy to give up at the first sign of a problem. You must have a
clear goal, an intensive desire to reach it, and a definite plan that
shows the path that must be followed.
You must also have faith in yourself.
If you believe you can succeed in the task you have set for yourself,
setbacks along the way won't cause you to give up. You'll seldom reach
a goal without stumbling along the way; faith in yourself enables you
to get up and keep going.
When considering the future, develop
a plan through research. When you know your plan is sound because it is
based on accurate knowledge, it's easier to persist.
The important thing is to stick to
it. As American journalist Jacob A. Riis once said, "When nothing seems
to help, I go and look at a stonecutter hammering away at his rock,
perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it.
Yet, at
the hundred and first blow it will split in two, and I know it was not
that last blow that did it, but all that had gone before."
American poet, Ella Wheeler Wilcox
wrote: One ship drives east, and another
west , With the self-same winds that blow; 'Tis the set of the sails,
And not the gales, That decides the way we go.
Like the winds of the sea are the
ways of fate, As they voyage along through life; 'Tis the will of the
soul, That decides its goal, And not the calm or the strife.
Final thot: The apostle Paul wrote:
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (Philippians
4:13) When he placed his future in God's hands and was faithful to
those things which took place each day, there was strength for today
and hope for tomorrow. That's called a FRESH START.
Any short comments or thots?
-----------------------------------------
Title: WHAT'S YOUR
TEMPERATURE?
Psalm 146;5 " Happy
[is he] who [has] the God of Jacob for his help, Whose hope [is] in the
LORD his God:"
Hope excites the heart.
Where there is hope there is rejoicing. Think
back to a time in your life where there was great anticipation of good.
For some, this could be childhood, when you were awaiting the opening
of presents at Christmas or a birthday party.
Maybe you were so
excited over a family vacation or the arrival of a family member that
you couldn't sleep. There was excitement and joy. That's the way it is
when there is hope.
Verse five of this
chapter makes a clear statement that those who hope in the Lord are
happy. It is impossible to have true hope without some degree of joy.
We can distinguish true hope from just desire by the joy that
accompanies it.
If we are not rejoicing
at the desired outcome, then we are not truly hoping. Just as we can
tell if we are sick by taking our temperature, we can tell if we have
hope by examining our joy.
If you have a fever, you
don't just shake the thermometer down, you seek to remove the sickness
and then your temperature will return to normal.
If you lack joy, you
don't just force yourself to rejoice; you work on your hope and
rejoicing will naturally follow. Lack of hope is a sickness that will
make your discontentment rise. You should check you spiritual
temperature often, by checking your joy. If it is low, you could be
suffering from lack of hope.
Final thot: Hope comes
from the promises of God's Word (Rom. 15:4). Get in God's Word and let
hope come. Your hope will be reflected in your joy.
Any short comments or
thots?
---------------------------------------------
Title: THE RIGHT RIGHTEOUSNESS
Luke
16;15 " And He said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves
before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed
among men is an abomination in the sight of God."
Justification
is not something to be earned, but a gift to be received. Seeking to
earn salvation is the only sin that will prevent a person from being
saved, because you cannot submit yourself to the righteousness of God
which comes as a gift through faith as long as you are seeking to
establish your own righteousness.
Most
people are unaware that there are two kinds of righteousness. Only one
type of righteousness is acceptable to God.
There is
our righteousness, which is our compliance with the requirements of the
law. This is an imperfect righteousness because human nature is
imperfect and incapable of fulfilling the law.
And there
is God's righteousness, which only comes as a gift and is received by
faith. God's righteousness is perfect. Our righteousness is as filthy
rags (Isa. 64:6).
A person
who believes that he must earn God's acceptance by his holy actions is
not believing in God's righteousness, which is a gift. It has to be one
or the other; we cannot mix the two.
Righteousness
is not what Jesus has done for us plus some minimum standard of
holiness that we have to accomplish.
Right
standing before a holy God is not to be achieved in the keeping of the
law, but in humble trust in the person and work of Jesus Christ.
No one who
is trusting in his own righteousness can have the benefit of Christ's
righteousness. The righteousness that gives men relationship with God
is the RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD, and it comes freely through faith in Jesus
Christ (Rom. 3:22).
Final thot:
It is true that the way we obtained this righteousness is by putting
faith IN what Christ has done for us. But when we place our faith in
Christ, then the righteousness that Jesus obtained by His faith becomes
ours. We are possessors of Christ's righteousness, which His faith
produced.
Any short comments or thots?
-------------------------------------
title: Win or Lose
Winners
in the Kingdom of God are those that are not afraid to come out for
what they believe. They are not lead by circumstances, but by the Word
of God.
Whatever people around them may say or think,
they persevere and confess that God and His Word are always right.
That's not always easy to do, according to the report of the twelve
spies, which were sent by Moses to the land Canaan to spy out.
They came back with a negative report, because
they allow themselves to be lead by the impressions that they got from
the land. They saw men with big heights, giants, the walled in cities
and many other obstacles.
Instead
of paying attention to the words that God spoke, they were intimidated
by circumstances. Instead of putting their faith in operation, they
gave into human reasoning. They were losers!
The
two spies, Joshua and Caleb saw the same things like the ten spies, but
they returned with a total different testimony. They had a winner's
mentality.
The
men of big heights, the walled in cities and other obstacles did not
impressed them at all, mindful as they were to the Word of God.
They
were convinced that God was stronger and greater than all the
imaginable obstacles, that's why they could encourage the people with
these words: "the land is extraordinary good, it flows with milk and
honey and the Lord is with us".
They
did not waste time with talking back and fort about the negative
things, but kept their eyes on the promises of the Lord, their God. The
Word of their God was decisive to take in the land, in spite of the
circumstances. With God on their side they had nothing to lose! They
won!!
Children
of God will never be winners, as long as they are focused on, and keep
on talking about the mistakes of others. The negative talking about
others can only weaken and even paralyze us. He that throws with dirt
will be stained more with that himself.
Winners
are those, which, instead of talking bad, will also thank the Lord for
those that disappoint them. Without keeping our eyes closed for the
things around us, we can say with full conviction: " .. and still God
is greater than the circumstances.
‘Devil,
whatever you say or show to us, we confess and believe that God is
greater. You can't break me down, for God is with me. His rod and His
staff, they comfort me.’
Final
thot to say: ‘ And even when I walk through the valley of the shadow of
death, I fear no evil. My God is with me and He is greater. I am born
again and shall win, for my God is the Winner. I therefore confess not
what I see, but what God says".
Any short
comments or thots?
-------------------------------------------
title: Don't
Serve the Problem
"Let the
wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let
him return unto the Lord, and he will have
mercy upon him." (Isaiah 55:7)
You can't win a
victory as long as the problem is the biggest thing in your life! The Lord woke me up to that fact a few years
ago. At that time I was facing some difficulties in my ministry that
seemed so big to me, I thought about them from morning till night.
Even though
I was standing against them, I was thinking more about those problems
than about the scripture promises I was standing on.
Then I saw
something in Matthew 6;24-25: "You cannot serve God and mammon.
Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life."
I'd read
that scripture hundreds of times, but that day I saw something I'd
never noticed before. I saw that immediately after Jesus said, "No man
can serve two masters," He said, "Take no thought." Suddenly it hit me:
We serve our thoughts!
That's why
Isaiah 55 says for us to forsake our thoughts, and by the Word, take
God's thoughts. That's why 2 Corinthians 10;5 says to cast out thoughts
that challenge the Word and bring into captivity every thought to the
obedience of Christ.
Do you want
deliverance from your problems today? Then quit serving them! Quit
allowing them to consume your thought life.
And don't
wait until circumstances change to do it. Instead, realize that
circumstances won't ever change until you switch from wrong to right
thinking.
I know
that's not easy to do, especially in the midst of heavy darkness and
trial. But you can do it if you'll do these three things:
First,
remember you aren't alone. You have the Word (God's thoughts). You have
the Holy Spirit to strengthen you and you have the mind of Christ.
Second, get
around people who are full of faith. Instead of rehearsing your
problem, let them do the talking. Make yourself listen. Join in with
their faith and resist darkness.
Third,
praise God. Do whatever it takes to make yourself praise. When you
begin to praise, God's presence will turn back those worried thoughts
and make them fall!
Final thot:
Your problems are not the biggest thing in your life. Jesus is. Serve
Him with your thoughts and He will set you free!
Any short
comments or thots?
-------------------------------------------------
title: Praise Is
Beautiful
Praise the Lord!
For it is good to sing praises to our God; For it is pleasant, and
praise is beautiful.
Psalm 147;1
Praise is beautiful!
Witness the words of the angel when delivering God’s message of
salvation to the world, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth
peace, goodwill toward men!” (Luke 2:14).
Hear Scripture’s
testimony of the shepherds, “The shepherds returned, glorifying and
praising God for all the things they had heard and seen” (v. 20).
They heard the angel
and they saw Jesus! After Pentecost the disciples were “praising God”
in the midst of the joyous birthing of the church (Acts 2:47). The lame
man was healed, and he was “walking, leaping, and praising God” (Acts
3:8). But that is not all.
They praised God in
times of distress. Paul and Silas were incarcerated in a Philippian
jail. They were taken to court, beaten with many stripes, thrust into
the inner prison, feet in stocks, still praising God!
Final thot: Our praise
opens the windows of blessing and delights our Father in heaven. “It is
good to sing praises … it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful.”
Any short comments or
thots?
---------------------------------------------
Final ldd for the day:
Title: Parable of the Egg
There once was a
little egg who lived in yonder fridge. Eggston the egg was a survivor
of the cold war.
For seasons, he
dodged the advances of rabid egg scramblers, cake mixers and youthful
pranksters who buzzed his head while snatching up his less witty
comrades.
Therefore, Eggston
fancied himself a clever egg. Unlike the other basic food group
fillers, whose shattered casements lay all around, he vowed to never
let his shell be cracked.
"Knowledge," said he,
"Is the key to longevity. And the fact that I'm still around proves
that I'm right!" Eggston guffawed at eggs
less knowledgeable than he. In fact, he kept company only with eggs of
similar caliber.
These were, of
course, short-lived relationships that ended when his less rational
friends were lured from the safety of the crate into unspeakable fates.
He often lamented that so few were on the straight and narrow path with
him.
"Although solitude is
the price to pay for rightness," Eggston snorted, "I, and I alone, will
remain true." One day, along came a playful lass, dressed in modest
garb. "Come," she beckoned, "for I want to take you swimming."
He was temporarily
disarmed by her playful ways. Then he tried to figure her angle,
confident of his own analytical abilities. "Reverse psychology,"
Eggston concluded.
"She
knows I'm not going anywhere. She really wants me to stay." So he set
out to pull the wool over her eyes and submitted to her whims.
Into the water he
went. He was refreshed by long overdue respite, as he freely floated
around. Then, one by one, he was joined by other eggs, obviously just
as wise and committed as he, taking the plunge into his world.
When
each realized his shell was intact, he breathed a haughty sigh, just
like Eggston, "It's so good to be right."
None of them notice
the tiny bubbles slowly rising from the bottom of the silver pool. Soon
they were uncomfortably bumping against each other. But each boasted
that his shell was undamaged.
Final thot: So Eggston never realized he was on his way to
becoming a despicable deviled egg!
Any short comments or thots?
-----------------------------------------
Title: Listen To The Children
Have you
never read, "Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have
perfected praise"? Matthew 21;16
The
religious leaders were wrong about Jesus as He rode into Jerusalem
(Matthew 21:15-16).
They couldn't have been more off-base if they had tried. True, they
knew a lot
of theology, but they were dead wrong about who Jesus was.
The
children, however, were right. They were the ones in the temple who
shouted,
"Hosanna to the Son of David!" (v.15). They believed that the Person
riding that unbroken colt was the promised Son of David.
They
fulfilled the prophecy of Psalm 8:2 by giving praise to the Lamb who
was about
to die for the sins of the world. It was the children who responded
with
wholehearted joy, even though they may not have fully understood Jesus'
mission
to redeem mankind.
Yes,
children can teach us a vital lesson about faith. In their openness and
innocence, it's easy for them to trust the One whose pure character
touches a responsive
chord in their tender hearts.
As
adults, we think we know so much. We try to be so mature, so correct,
so
religious. I wonder if we would even recognize the Savior if He walked
among
us, working the kind of miracles He performed long ago.
Final
thot: Lord, give us the faith of little children. Big lessons can be
learned
from little children.
Any short comments or
thots?
--------------------------------------------------
title: NATURALLY HOLY
John
5;14, " Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him,
"See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come
upon
you."
In
saying this, Jesus shows that sin causes the tragedies that come into
our
lives. The reason for holiness in the life of the believer is that when
we obey
sin, we yield ourselves to Satan, the author of that sin.
Yielding
to sin is yielding to a person, Satan. God doesn't impute the sin to us
but the
devil does. Our actions either release the power of Satan or the power
of God
in us.
Although
God is not imputing our sins unto us, we cannot afford the luxury of
sin
because it allows Satan to have access to us.
When
a Christian sins and allows the devil opportunity to produce his death
in their
life, the way to stop it is to confess the sin, and God who is faithful
and
just, will take the forgiveness that is already present in our born
again
spirit and release it in our flesh. This removes Satan and his
strongholds.
The
sins of a Christian don't make him a sinner any more than the righteous
acts of
a sinner make him righteous. Sin is a very deadly thing that even
Christians
should avoid at all costs, but it does not determine our standing with
the
Lord. A person who is born again is not "in" the flesh even though he
may walk "after" the flesh.
What
is the motive for living a separated life? We live a separated life
because our
nature has been changed. We were darkness, now we are light (Eph. 5:8).
Many
people argue for holiness in order to obtain relationship with God.
We need to live holy lives because of the
relationship that we already have. It's the nature of a Christian to
walk in
the light and not in darkness.
Final
thot: If Christians were rightly informed of who they are and what they
have in
Christ, holiness would just naturally flow out of them. It's their
nature. It's
our nature.
Any short comments or
thots?
-------------------------------------
Title: HOPE CAUSES
REJOICING
Romans
12;12 "Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in
prayer;"
Hope
is what causes us to rejoice. Yet 1 Pet. 1;8 says, "...yet believing,
ye
rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory." Which is it, faith or
hope that causes us to rejoice? The answer is both.
Hope
is just future tense faith. Hope is believing God for something that is
not
presently manifest. Faith is believing God to bring something into
manifestation now (Heb. 11:1).
So,
hope is faith. It is just faith that has a future fulfillment. If we
really
believe that God will supply what we hope for, we will rejoice.
If I
were to promise you that one year from today, I would deposit
$1,000,000 in
your bank account, and you believed it, then you would rejoice.
Likewise, if we
really believe the promises God gives to us, we will rejoice. Those who
don't
rejoice don't believe.
Expectant
joy is a sure sign of hope. Just as you can distinguish real gold from
other
look alike metals by its characteristics, you can distinguish real hope
by its
characteristic of rejoicing. If rejoicing is not present, then real
hope isn't
present either.
Our
emotions are like the tail on a dog. The tail is not the dog itself,
but you
can sure tell what is on the inside of a dog by watching his tail.
Final
thot: We can learn a lot about ourselves by checking our emotions. Are
we
rejoicing? If we have true biblical hope, we will.
Any short comments or
thots?
-------------------------------------------------
title: Be Clothed
With Humility
".
. . and be clothed with humility, for "God resists the proud, But gives
grace to the humble." (1 Peter 5:5)
Most
believers don't know anything about true humility. If you tell them
they're the
righteousness of God, they'll fight to keep from believing it. You can
give
them scripture references to prove it, and they'll still argue.
"Oh
no," they'll say, "I'm not righteous. I'm just an old sinner saved by
grace." They're making a sincere attempt to be humble. But they're
sincerely wrong. They're so afraid of being exalted by pride that
they've let
Satan trick them into falling right into it.
Let
me show you what I mean. According to 1 Peter 5;5-6, to be truly humble
is to
submit to God. That means when God says something, you believe it no
matter how
foreign to your "religious" thinking it may be.
When He says you've been made the
righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, you say that too. In fact, you
wouldn't
dare say anything else because to do so would be to dare to disagree
with God.
And, when you get right down to it, that's the ultimate form of pride,
isn't
it?
Don't
let Satan keep you groveling in the dust of false humility. Agree with
God.
Find out what His Word says about you, then be bold enough to say it
yourself.
Final
thot: Banish pride by submitting to His truth. Clothe yourself in true
humility. It's sure to look good on you.
any thots or comments?
-----------------
title: User-Friendly Faith
Witness
the merging of technology and theology: Some churches use the PayPal
online
payment service to accept tithes.
The
PalTalk Internet service allows subscribers to participate in Bible
study without
going to church. Churches have started offering Webcasts of their
services, so
that people can stay home and listen or watch. It’s convenient and
easy, but is
it real church life?
Many
ministers, both at these churches and their low-tech counterparts, are
concerned that technology is making it too easy for members, requiring
them to
barely lift a finger to participate in church. Technology is not
inherently
evil.
The
Web has all sorts of cool sites, and if you read Soul Journey online,
that’s
awesome. One of my favorite sites, the Blue Letter Bible
(www.blueletterbible.org), has all sorts of great commentaries and
recorded
sermons by some of my favorite teachers.
But
some of these technological shortcuts seem to take away the devotion
Jesus
taught. When does convenience work against spiritual maturity? Do such
features
encourage spiritual laziness?
Christians
have taken advantage of technological developments for years. First
films, then
videos made well-known speakers available to churches. Radio and
television
ministries also have a wide outreach.
But
there was always the danger that listeners and viewers would skip out
on church
and look to their favorite Bible teacher like their pastor. Many of
these
developments stir the Web into that same mix.
So
much in the Christian life will cost you. But it’s supposed to.
Sacrifice is
the only path to some of the greatest rewards in following Jesus. The
path of
least resistance doesn’t go very far.
Don’t
let the Internet’s convenience turn you into a World Wide Wimp
spiritually. If
it provides you with the resources to live all-out for Jesus,
wonderful. If it
gives you another reason to sit on the couch, log off!
Final
thot: Technology may not lead to better theology.
any thots or comments?
---------------------
Final ldd for the day:
title: Get Thee
Behind Me, Satan!
Submit
yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from
you.—James
4:7 KJV
As
believers living under the New Covenant, we are taught that we have
authority
over Satan and demonic spirits. (Luke 10:19.) Resisting the devil at
his onset
is vital to victory over the enemy. (1 Peter 5:8,9.)
The
Bible teaches us how we can have dominion over the works of darkness.
We can
learn how to open the windows of heaven and close the gates of hell.
The
mouth is either a door to blessing or to trouble. We may open a few
wrong doors
with our mouth; we should learn how to close them quickly.
Repentance
and application of the blood of Jesus
by faith is the way to close doors that have been opened to Satan such
as the
doors of strife, anger, and unforgiveness. We must be quick to forgive;
offense
and strife are not emotional luxuries we can afford.
The
door of compromise is Satan's favorite entrance by which to gradually
draw us
into a web of sin that is devastating for us in the end.
The
Bible teaches us the importance of keeping a tender and clean
conscience.
Without proper respect for the conscience, we will never enjoy
authority over the
devil.
Remember:
Knowing what to do will not do you any good unless you do it!
Do
This: Master sin by doing the Word on a
daily basis. Obey the promptings of the Spirit and keep a clear
conscience.
Any short comments or
thots?
----------------------
FINAL NUGGETS OF LIFE: In true faith,
the proof is not in the profession, but in the procession.