Because God is very good we should not waist our past, especially our past failures. The things that we face this today, and tomorrow, are placed into our lives so that we live beyond and above them. To do this God has lead us through our past to our present, so that we might live as Kingdom people.
Make a list of all the miraculous things that have happened in your life. This list comes at the crossroads of desperation and conflict. The things that occurred in these moments are some of our most critical training. But we tend to blow it off and relegate it to "bad experiences" or "miraculous events". They are more. They are a big part of the training of God.
If you have been healed, as I have, then you have been trained in God's power to intervene in our bodies. If you have been given gifts of provision, as I have, you have been trained in God's school of supply. If you have been liberated in your mind, as I have, from negative condemning controlling thoughts then you have been trained by God in the renewing of the mind and the reforming of inner life.
So it is not a matter of just getting through a season of life or of having God get us out of a pickle. We are being trained in the ways of the Lord so that we can deal with the storms and issues of life. Let's not go to school for years and then live as though we have no education, no training.
Take your list and open your heart and mind to the equipping of the Lord. He lead you through these things so that you would not just "know about" the possibility of God's ways but so that you would "experience them". You are a living testimony of God and His ways. Now don't waist them. Boldly live daily life in such a way as to allow the training you have received from God to touch the lives of others. Sure no all people will be touch in the same way God touch you. Sure you can not guarantee the outcome. But you can be just like Jesus and make intercession for others to encounter God in His miracle working manner.
Friday, April 18, 2008
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Having Hope
Having hope is so vital to daily life.
One day of being encouraged can make a tremendous difference in how we see things, how we feel about things and how we encounter ourselves. I find that most of my hope is related to my personal happiness and feeling that the things I desire will happen. But with so many people and so many desires, isn't someone bound to be disappointed?
The only way to avoid the big "NO GO" is to be connected with God. When my hope is in Him, I win. I win not because I get what I want more, but because when He is my desire I can always have Him. This may seem basic, and it is. But the more we live with our hope in Him the more we set others free from our con trolls, ruling spirit and expectations.
Here is a recent application
Speeding down I 65
Close behind, close beside
Talking on cell phone at high speed
Feeding my face
Seeing no need
To Slow down
Loving Dad and child
Setting in rear
Seeing the car
Fearing the fear
Wondering if driver, while feeding their face
Sees any danger
Would slower the pace.
Yet God in the heart
Reaches the soul
Helping the Dad
Release his control
Fearing not death or dismemberment
Eats his own fries
And now is content.
"Out on life's Highway, living with God"
One day of being encouraged can make a tremendous difference in how we see things, how we feel about things and how we encounter ourselves. I find that most of my hope is related to my personal happiness and feeling that the things I desire will happen. But with so many people and so many desires, isn't someone bound to be disappointed?
The only way to avoid the big "NO GO" is to be connected with God. When my hope is in Him, I win. I win not because I get what I want more, but because when He is my desire I can always have Him. This may seem basic, and it is. But the more we live with our hope in Him the more we set others free from our con trolls, ruling spirit and expectations.
Here is a recent application
Speeding down I 65
Close behind, close beside
Talking on cell phone at high speed
Feeding my face
Seeing no need
To Slow down
Loving Dad and child
Setting in rear
Seeing the car
Fearing the fear
Wondering if driver, while feeding their face
Sees any danger
Would slower the pace.
Yet God in the heart
Reaches the soul
Helping the Dad
Release his control
Fearing not death or dismemberment
Eats his own fries
And now is content.
"Out on life's Highway, living with God"
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Great Guy with Issues
I'm a great guy, with personal issues. I can't hide the greatness or the personal issues. What you see when you see me is what you are looking for. Oh, and sure the "greatness" might not be all that great, but I got what I got.
Each one of us has personal issues. God allowed these into our lives to keep us stirred up. If you want life to be simple and easy going, you might want to try Buddha or some other eastern no conflict religion. Christianity is full of blood, sacrifice, war and those nasty crosses.
But me and my stuff is what makes the cross delightful. At the cross I get an upgrade on life and that makes me excited. At the cross I get to take the me that I am and upgrade to the me I should be. It is like taking the old thing that you purchased at Walmart a year ago, and getting a new one. Walmart is like God in that way. They may give you a nasty look, but you still get to exchange the old for the new. Most of the time God doesn't give us a nasty look, but we feel like He does.
That feeling is a personal issue. We have (living people have) a lot of them. They are what we collect on our soul when we live. Some of us have issues of fear, anger, unforgiveness as well as mercy, love and hope. The personal issue is what grows in your inner life when you, as a person, have something happen to you.
I can recall in college when I was in a snowball fight in the dorm. when you have an indoor snowball fight you are a little more cautious about throwing your snow balls. It is hard to make them out of carpet, hard - but not impossible.
Well something like a carpet ball hit me in the face. It was actually a rock in the snowball thrown by a guy with personal issues. What happened is that His personal issues and mine got all tangled up and life was very exciting for some time. It all worked out though as we got to go to the cross and upgrade. I got more forgiveness and he got some bigger rocks. He needed them because my forgiveness was more progressive and instantanious.
So you can see or imagine that Christianity is more exciting because of personal issues. I suppose that some people think life is all about setting quietly and having perfect peace. But if you take the time to talk to these people who have perfect peace they are worried that people don't like them, or if they are humming to loud or not setting quietly in the right way. They also have issues about who has the greater perfect peace and who's perfect peace is being noticed.
One of my goals is life is to be a project. God loves to create and build, He is always restoring something and if I help Him hang around me, work on me, restore me, that's great.
I once had a prophetic word give to me. It went something like this.... "Rod, God knows that you are screwed up even more than you know, but He likes being with you". Right there is a testimony of a true word. Who but God could love a guy with personal issues.
Each one of us has personal issues. God allowed these into our lives to keep us stirred up. If you want life to be simple and easy going, you might want to try Buddha or some other eastern no conflict religion. Christianity is full of blood, sacrifice, war and those nasty crosses.
But me and my stuff is what makes the cross delightful. At the cross I get an upgrade on life and that makes me excited. At the cross I get to take the me that I am and upgrade to the me I should be. It is like taking the old thing that you purchased at Walmart a year ago, and getting a new one. Walmart is like God in that way. They may give you a nasty look, but you still get to exchange the old for the new. Most of the time God doesn't give us a nasty look, but we feel like He does.
That feeling is a personal issue. We have (living people have) a lot of them. They are what we collect on our soul when we live. Some of us have issues of fear, anger, unforgiveness as well as mercy, love and hope. The personal issue is what grows in your inner life when you, as a person, have something happen to you.
I can recall in college when I was in a snowball fight in the dorm. when you have an indoor snowball fight you are a little more cautious about throwing your snow balls. It is hard to make them out of carpet, hard - but not impossible.
Well something like a carpet ball hit me in the face. It was actually a rock in the snowball thrown by a guy with personal issues. What happened is that His personal issues and mine got all tangled up and life was very exciting for some time. It all worked out though as we got to go to the cross and upgrade. I got more forgiveness and he got some bigger rocks. He needed them because my forgiveness was more progressive and instantanious.
So you can see or imagine that Christianity is more exciting because of personal issues. I suppose that some people think life is all about setting quietly and having perfect peace. But if you take the time to talk to these people who have perfect peace they are worried that people don't like them, or if they are humming to loud or not setting quietly in the right way. They also have issues about who has the greater perfect peace and who's perfect peace is being noticed.
One of my goals is life is to be a project. God loves to create and build, He is always restoring something and if I help Him hang around me, work on me, restore me, that's great.
I once had a prophetic word give to me. It went something like this.... "Rod, God knows that you are screwed up even more than you know, but He likes being with you". Right there is a testimony of a true word. Who but God could love a guy with personal issues.
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