Hi everybody! I know I'm a few days late on this post, which is completely my fault. I had planned to write another post about my journey like I said I was going to, but God had other plans. So there was a little bit of a debate between Him and I. Guess who won that one?
Anyway, this would have been something I wrote about at a later time. But for a reason only He knows, I think somebody needs this message now.
Along with getting control of our thoughts we also need to be studying Gods Word everyday. Doing it first thing in the morning gives you all day to reflect on what you read, but another time may be better for you. After 2 1/2 years of doing my Bible study I refuse to start my day any other way.
Now some of you may think that it's enough to just believe in God, but it's not. How can you believe in something or someone you don't even know?
Yes I know you have to have faith, but the only way you can really believe in God is to get to know Him on a personal level. And the only way to do that is to read and study your Bible. It tells you everything you will ever need to know about God, and all of the promises He has for you, if you are obedient to His Word.
When I started my Bible study I probably did it aimlessly for 6-9 months. I just knew that this was my next step in my journey and I had to keep doing it in order to see results. After awhile I began to implement His Word in every area of my life and not confining Him to that 1 hour of study time.
I stopped watching TV shows that weren't in line with His Word and I stopped listening to music that went against it to.
See, it's not okay to say you believe, and expect Him to do for you, when you can't set time aside for Him or stop acting in ways that go against what He wants in our lives. We have to stop doing things just because they're around us everyday and because the world thinks they're okay.
We have to grow enough, through His Word, to say no to the way of the world and start saying yes to the way of God. And again, you won't know that way if you don't know what His Word says about it.
The Bible is our handbook for everything we will ever experience in this life. He tells us how to love others, raise our children, be good Christians, and how to receive all of the blessings He has for us.
With the way the world is right now, He even shows us how we can change it and how we don't have to live according to the world. Because He is bigger than the world and He isn't affected by the economy or the job situation. He's God! He can do anything, which is where faith and knowledge of the Bible comes in handy.
The verses He has shown me for this posting are from Philippians. If you have a Bible look up Philippians 4:6-13.This is where, if you are getting control of your thoughts, you can put it to use.
You have to treat God as a real person in your life. Someone who wants to be everything for you. A Father, a Friend, a Companion, and anything else you may need. He's with you always and He's just waiting for you to come to Him in the good times and the bad. Just don't forget Him in the in-between times, because He's there too.
I can promise you that if you give Him a chance, He will show Himself to you. And if you've been struggling in your life like I was, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. So start working your schedule around God. He needs to come first. If you do that He will make sure that you have more than enough time left to do what you need to do.
We take the time to plan so many things in our lives, like vacations or going out to dinner. Isn't God more important? He should be the One thing that we plan to spend time with before all else.
So if you decide to pick up your Bible, I suggest, as somebody did for me, that you start with the New Testament. I believe if you do that you will start living the life He's had just waiting for you and you'll wonder how you did it without Him all this time.
They say you develop a new habit in 28 days. So set some time aside for Bible study each day and you can find a study program that works for you online. Do it for a month and see what happens. It may not be what you expected, but it will be something He planned.
Everyday that goes by, you maybe filled with worry, stress, or anxiety. Give God a chance to help; pick up your Bible and watch your life begin to change.
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Thursday, March 8, 2012
The 2 Keys To True Freedom!
I'm excited about this week because I have so much to share with all of you! As I said last week, these next few weeks are going to be about the things that I have learned about myself, about God, and how we can change our lives.
I know that the tools that the Lord gave me won't work the same way for any of you because the Lord has a different journey for each one of us. But you may be able to get something, that I didn't out of the very things that I used.
As you set out to get control of your thoughts and your life, don't be in a hurry. We spend way too much time rushing around trying to figure things out and trying to keep up with the world. And it's in that rush, that we miss some of the most important things.
Set about everyday as a new chance to gain control of the random thoughts that come into your mind and getting them under control. Again, the more you make yourself aware of them, the easier it gets. Do whatever works for you to replace them with positive affirmations. Whether they're Bible verses or positive attributes about yourself. There is no wrong way to do this!
Now while you are working on that I want to give you the second tip that will help you on your journey and will heighten your awareness that there is a God, and He is in control.
If you're one of those people that finds yourself in situations where you say,"What a coincidence," stop saying that! There is no such thing!
Every step you take, place you go, and person that you meet, is all part of God's plan. And, again, if you're not aware, then you may miss the biggest opportunity of your life and never even realize it.
If your remove the word "coincidence" from your life and treat these occasions like doors being opened by none other that God Himself, you will begin to see something AMAZING! He is at work in your life everyday, everywhere!
Look at the people you meet and the places you end up by coincidence as things that were supposed to happen. People you were supposed to meet at that particular time and places that you were sent to for a reason.
Ask yourself if that person maybe needs your help, or the place that you ended up in kept something bad from happening to you. Or the many other questions that you can think of that may apply to the situation at the time. It may even be something so important that God lets you know, without a doubt, why you're there.
Just pay attention to those thoughts that keep coming up that are maybe telling you to do something that you've been putting off. Those are the thoughts that you need to pay attention to.
A good example is my writing this blog entry. I knew it was something that I was supposed to do along with an email I've been meaning to write to a friend. But I kept putting it off until God just wouldn't leave me alone until I did it.
I was doing some work, that I thought was more important, but my mind kept going back to this and the email. It got to the point that it was pretty clear what He wanted me to do. So I stopped what I was doing and after I get done with this, I will be sending that email. And only then will He let me focus on my work.
So until next time remember these 2 key things: Focus on your thoughts and there is no such thing as a coincidence. We will meet back here in a week for the next few steps you can take to gain insight into your life. And until then, if you know anybody who can use this wonderful knowledge that the Lord has blessed me with, please share this with them. I would live to have more readers:)
Thanks again for all of you that take the time to read my blog. See you soon!
I know that the tools that the Lord gave me won't work the same way for any of you because the Lord has a different journey for each one of us. But you may be able to get something, that I didn't out of the very things that I used.
As you set out to get control of your thoughts and your life, don't be in a hurry. We spend way too much time rushing around trying to figure things out and trying to keep up with the world. And it's in that rush, that we miss some of the most important things.
Set about everyday as a new chance to gain control of the random thoughts that come into your mind and getting them under control. Again, the more you make yourself aware of them, the easier it gets. Do whatever works for you to replace them with positive affirmations. Whether they're Bible verses or positive attributes about yourself. There is no wrong way to do this!
Now while you are working on that I want to give you the second tip that will help you on your journey and will heighten your awareness that there is a God, and He is in control.
If you're one of those people that finds yourself in situations where you say,"What a coincidence," stop saying that! There is no such thing!
Every step you take, place you go, and person that you meet, is all part of God's plan. And, again, if you're not aware, then you may miss the biggest opportunity of your life and never even realize it.
If your remove the word "coincidence" from your life and treat these occasions like doors being opened by none other that God Himself, you will begin to see something AMAZING! He is at work in your life everyday, everywhere!
Look at the people you meet and the places you end up by coincidence as things that were supposed to happen. People you were supposed to meet at that particular time and places that you were sent to for a reason.
Ask yourself if that person maybe needs your help, or the place that you ended up in kept something bad from happening to you. Or the many other questions that you can think of that may apply to the situation at the time. It may even be something so important that God lets you know, without a doubt, why you're there.
Just pay attention to those thoughts that keep coming up that are maybe telling you to do something that you've been putting off. Those are the thoughts that you need to pay attention to.
A good example is my writing this blog entry. I knew it was something that I was supposed to do along with an email I've been meaning to write to a friend. But I kept putting it off until God just wouldn't leave me alone until I did it.
I was doing some work, that I thought was more important, but my mind kept going back to this and the email. It got to the point that it was pretty clear what He wanted me to do. So I stopped what I was doing and after I get done with this, I will be sending that email. And only then will He let me focus on my work.
So until next time remember these 2 key things: Focus on your thoughts and there is no such thing as a coincidence. We will meet back here in a week for the next few steps you can take to gain insight into your life. And until then, if you know anybody who can use this wonderful knowledge that the Lord has blessed me with, please share this with them. I would live to have more readers:)
Thanks again for all of you that take the time to read my blog. See you soon!
Thursday, March 1, 2012
"My Journey"
Hi everybody! I'm hoping that this New Year has been a blessed one so far for all of you who take the time to read my blog.
I thought that it was about time that I get back to regularly doing what I enjoy most, and that is trying to help others. So I will be doing weekly posts for March and April, and possibly more than that.
The Lord has put on my heart that I need to share my story of some things that I've learned and experienced over the past few years. All of which led me to where I am right now.
As you can see, in the title, these postings will all be about my journey. A journey of forgiveness, love, generosity, salvation, and many other things. Some more painful than others. But some that have been so amazing, that I hope I can find the words to describe them.
This venture will be a partnership between myself and my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Because without His presence in my life, I could do nothing successfully.
Just a glimpse of what's to come is this: Several years ago my oldest daughter, Lacey, told me about this DVD she watched called "The Secret." So I bought the book and read it.
Little did I know that the Lord had already started working in my life and had conveniently placed this book in my hands.
That was one of the first life-changing experiences that I would have on my journey.
It wasn't too long after that, that I decided to start writing a newsletter about how, despite the negative things that were happening in the world, there were some awe-inspiring things taking place as well.
So I began to write about some of my own personal observations of God's goodness, that I thought could help others through the tough times.
Now here's the best part. For those of you who really know me, you know that my OCD is a joke in my family; especially with my kids.
How could I write this newsletter without a good title? Not just any title; the perfect title. That, of course, wouldn't be and easy thing for me.
After many different ideas, the one name that kept coming up was "The Good News." And since that was the focus of my newsletter, it seemed like a good fit.
Now, fast-forward to October 2009.
The Lord kept working on me to start studying His Word. So I bought a simple book called,"How To Study The Bible For Yourself," by Tim Lahaye.
I was shocked when, within the first week of my Bible study, this name kept coming up, over and over again. The name was the Good News! Which I learned was another name for the Gospel.
I'd never read the Bible, let alone study it. But considering how I kept coming back to that name, I just knew that it was God speaking to me.
This, my friends, was only the beginning of my relationship with the Lord. To this day, He is my Strength and I know He has a purpose for my life, so great, that I never could have imagined!
The Good News? He's offering all of you the same thing. All you have to do is accept it and accept Him. Then study His Word so you know what else He has for you.
This was the beginning of a major life-change for me, and just the first leg of my journey.
I thought that it was about time that I get back to regularly doing what I enjoy most, and that is trying to help others. So I will be doing weekly posts for March and April, and possibly more than that.
The Lord has put on my heart that I need to share my story of some things that I've learned and experienced over the past few years. All of which led me to where I am right now.
As you can see, in the title, these postings will all be about my journey. A journey of forgiveness, love, generosity, salvation, and many other things. Some more painful than others. But some that have been so amazing, that I hope I can find the words to describe them.
This venture will be a partnership between myself and my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Because without His presence in my life, I could do nothing successfully.
Just a glimpse of what's to come is this: Several years ago my oldest daughter, Lacey, told me about this DVD she watched called "The Secret." So I bought the book and read it.
Little did I know that the Lord had already started working in my life and had conveniently placed this book in my hands.
That was one of the first life-changing experiences that I would have on my journey.
It wasn't too long after that, that I decided to start writing a newsletter about how, despite the negative things that were happening in the world, there were some awe-inspiring things taking place as well.
So I began to write about some of my own personal observations of God's goodness, that I thought could help others through the tough times.
Now here's the best part. For those of you who really know me, you know that my OCD is a joke in my family; especially with my kids.
How could I write this newsletter without a good title? Not just any title; the perfect title. That, of course, wouldn't be and easy thing for me.
After many different ideas, the one name that kept coming up was "The Good News." And since that was the focus of my newsletter, it seemed like a good fit.
Now, fast-forward to October 2009.
The Lord kept working on me to start studying His Word. So I bought a simple book called,"How To Study The Bible For Yourself," by Tim Lahaye.
I was shocked when, within the first week of my Bible study, this name kept coming up, over and over again. The name was the Good News! Which I learned was another name for the Gospel.
I'd never read the Bible, let alone study it. But considering how I kept coming back to that name, I just knew that it was God speaking to me.
This, my friends, was only the beginning of my relationship with the Lord. To this day, He is my Strength and I know He has a purpose for my life, so great, that I never could have imagined!
The Good News? He's offering all of you the same thing. All you have to do is accept it and accept Him. Then study His Word so you know what else He has for you.
This was the beginning of a major life-change for me, and just the first leg of my journey.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)