Have a successful day!

A successful day is one in which you have stayed in touch with Jesus, even if many things remain undone at the end of the day. It sounds almost to good to be true, doesn't it? I almost never end the day with out a sense of failure to some degree. Dishes aren't all washed and put away, laundry waits to be folded, bed didn't get made till time for bed. There are hundreds of things that I could have not gotten done. Or just one of them didn't get done. I still can feel like a failure if it is only one.

The various means and measures of wordly "success" pull on you constantly, leaving you in an unfocused condition.

To avoid the confusion, you need a rule of thumb: Seek to please God first! When you do that, nothing else matters. You will accomplish what He wants you to do today and you won't believe the lie from the devil that you didn't do enough. God will redeem the time you spend doing the things He wants you to do. His will is for you to take care of your family, so He will help you with those things also. It is always a successful day if we spend it communicating with God.

Here's to success !
God's idea of success!

Are you content?

Heb 13:5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.

If you have a sweet tooth, you're probably familiar with the power of fresh baked chocolate chip cookies. The scent of them cooking fills the entire house. When they are finally done you (I) don't wait the recommended time for cooling and have to eat one right out of the oven. For the time it takes you to eat that cookie (not as long as you would imagine) you are content. But when it is gone you desire another and another,etc. If you give in to that at some point:

a. there are no more cookies
b. you are overfull and
c. you wish you wouldn't have eaten so many cookies

To much of a good thing is not good. Contentment is an invisible line between I need and I want.

No matter what it is, a cookie hot from the oven, a better job, a bigger house, identifying that line begins with a heart check. A heart that is filled with gratitude for God's daily blessings is less likely to long for mere wants which do not have the ability to provide deep, lasting satisfaction.

James 1:7 Every good and perfect gift is from above.

These are the kind of gifts that are longed for by the heart, not the eyes. These gifts nurture both thankfulness and contentment.

If you can be happy with "enough" you have the power to simplify your life. You will find it easier to declutter your home if you need to. You won't compare your life to those around you. And you will appreciate and take better care of the things that you do have.

A contented life begins with a thankful heart. Spend time every day thanking God for all He's given you and be content with that.

Relax!

Romans 8:39 Neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

John 10:10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

John 16:33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulations; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.

When we enter into God's presence there is rest and we are able to relax, knowing that nothing can separate from the love of God. To me that would be the absolute worse thing that could happen. It is not even in the list of possibilities. We should rejoice as Christians that we don't have to perform well enough to earn God's love, or to keep it. It is a pure free gift, from God to us.

Because of this assurance, we can relax and live more abundantlyWhen things are going well in our life, we need to enjoy those good times, without worrying about what is on the other side. When we are facing tough times, we need to remember He is there to help and strengthen us with His love. Even though we live in a world where trouble is inescapable,  we can be of good cheer, for He has overcome the world!

Gratefulness

1 Thess 5:18 Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

Every time you give thanks to God you are acknowledging He is your Lord and Provider.

Every time you receive with thanksgiving, you demonstrate your relationship with Him.

We are called above to give thanks in all circumstances. Even the not so pleasant ones. Do your words sound hollow in those circumstances? It is hard to be thankful for bad things happening to us or those around us isn't it?  Do you ever say thank you without truly being thankful? When everything appears to be going wrong around you? You know those days, we all have them.

You know what? God knows when we truly feel thankful and when we don't. He can also see in the depths of our heart is a desire to please Him by offering thanks even when you don't feel like it.

When you find yourself in a situation that it is hard to give thanks and mean it from your heart, remember who He is: The Author of your life and faith. We are dependent on Him even for our next breath. If we persevere in this thankfulness, resisting the temptation to grumble, you can find peace and joy in the midst of your struggles.

James 1:17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

Discipline Your Spirit

Matthew 28:18 - And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost:
:20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and , lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Some Christians believe that these verses mean leaving their home and traveling across the world to witness to others about Jesus. While some are called to do that, many are called to do that in their own city, home, neighborhood, family. Some will never leave a 100 mile radius of their home, yet will lead many to Christ.
It is not about going to foreign places to tell about Him (although that may be what He calls you to do) but about telling everyone you meet about Him.

Disciple means to be a disciplined learner and follower of Christ. As we learn His ways we are to share that with others.

The disciplines in God's word bring great security into our life. Discipline is not a bad thing. Look at little children. If there is no discipline in their life it is obvious very quickly. They don't listen to anyone. If we are not disciplined as Christians, will we listen for God's still small voice? Will we even hear it? Disciplined children are a joy to be around, and it is the same with us and God. If we are disciplined in the ways of God, we are a joy for Him to be around.

Just like a stool with three legs, we are made up of spirit, soul and body. Just as a stool with one or two legs shorter then the other, the stool will be unsteady, if we are not disciplined in all three areas we will not be steady either.

Here are some ways to be disciplined in your spirit man.

Jeremiah 17:5-8 Thus saith the Lord; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord.
:6 For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited.
:7 Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.
:8 For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.

God uses everyday things to teach us important things. It is how He makes it understandable to us.  He shows us how it applies to the spiritual part of our life.

We need to look at things through our spirit man. There are things God wants to teach us using things in our every day life. Sometimes we miss the little lesson. It is why sometimes we think why am I having to deal with this again? Probably because we didn't learn that lesson the first time.

Just as a plant that is doing really well has a good root system, our root system needs to be in God and flourishing. It will show on the outside.

How do we do that?

4 Purposes of a spiritual root system:

1. It is unseen. Just as in a plant our root system is unseen to others. Only visible to God. No one knows what your heart looks like except God. You can fool people, but not God. The way you act when you are no longer around "godly" people, that shows your root system.  We must faithfully nurture that area. Jesus was the same in public and in private. Can we say the same thing?

2. It is for taking in. When we spend time with God, we are taking in to our root system of our heart. We are nurtured and fed. It is how you prepare for going out into other situations that are not gonna be easy. Your root system and making sure it is fed and nurtured is your responsibility. Only you will stand before God at the end of your life and answer for what your heart looks like. It is no one else's fault the what  condition your heart is in but yours.

3. They are for storage. They serve as a storage unit for what we are gonna need later on for situations we will find ourselves in. We are all gonna find ourselves in tough situations. But if we have prepared our root system in God, we will survive.

4. They are for support. Without a well developed root system we become pretty to look at, but no strength underneath. We can put on a good show. People will think we are strong in the Lord, but it is just for show. That doesn't mean everyone who looks like they are godly aren't, but not everyone who appears to be are. Some people can put on a good show for a little while. But if you could see them when they think no one but family is watching you would be shocked at who they really are. Do we really believe God isn't there hearing / seeing what we are doing / saying? We blame it on the other person. It is because they did/ said ... Do you think God is gonna judge you that day by how someone else acted? What they said? Absolutely not. He will however judge you on how you reacted to what they did or said. That's tough isn't it? Cause we get hurt, upset, angry when we are mistreated or feel like we have been mistreated. But we are still required to act as Jesus would. Would Jesus hit that person? Would He curse them? Would He throw things at them? Would He use His words to strike them? Recently I read something that said Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will hurt forever. It's true. The children's saying says words won't hurt. Words are forever. Bruises and broken bones hurt, but they eventually heal. I am not saying physical abuse is not as bad as words, just that they both are just as painful and destructive. Both are wrong. God will require us to answer for every word out of our mouth. Something to think about the next time someone upsets us isn't it?

How to develop a strong root system:

1. Develop the habit of drawing near to God

James 4:8 Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you, Cleanse your hands ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

It requires action on our part. A small step. How do we do that? We attend church, bible studies, but it is more then that. We must spend time every day with God. Pray, spend time in His word, listen to worship music. We should remember He is always with us. It is continually putting God first in your life. We act and talk differently when we remember God is right there with us.

2. Design a personal time for drawing near to God. There is no perfect time to do it. Some will do better early in the morning, some at lunch time, some late at night. Some days it may be early, another day it may be before bed. It may only be 5 minutes. It may be an hour. The amount of time is not important, what is important is the quality of time you spend with God. Where you focus just on Him. Where you listen to Him. He speaks to you through His word, worship music, prayer time, listening for His still small voice.

3. Desire to become a woman after God's heart. God said this about David. I pray God says that about each of us. All that matters is what God says about us.

What kind of woman spiritually do you want to be in the next year? Only you can work toward that. If it isn't important to you it won't happen. None of us should be satisfied where we are in Christ. None of us are perfect or will be till Jesus comes. If you aren't growing closer to Him you are moving away from Him. He hasn't moved. It takes action to get closer to Him.

Proverbs 3:6 In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy paths.

It is our responsibility to acknowledge Him, and then He will direct us. In this verse we and God have a responsibility. If we do our part, God will do His part.

Communication

The more you communicate with Jesus as you go through a day, the more you walk in His ways. He wants constant communication with us. Short prayers, long prayers. But most importantly prayers from our heart.

He already knows our needs but it requires us to step out in faith to ask Him. Be careful though. Don't just go to Him all the time with a shopping list. While our needs are VERY important to Him, He wants to spend time with us in worship, and in love. He already met every need we have when He hung on that cross. He is down from there making intercessory for us. And we do need to ask for what He did on the cross to be applied to our life. (our needs) But we were made and created to fellowship with God. Think about that for a minute. Our time with Him should not just be about us and our needs/desires/wants. It should also be a time of us giving thanks for what He has already done. Don't ever forget God gave His Son for us. To DIE for us. Do you love people (or do I ) enough to do that? For sinful people? For that person who ALWAYS rubs you the wrong way? I honestly don't think I do. But God isn't finished with me yet. And He knows that as well as I do. When I start thinking I have arrived and He is finished with me and I am perfect, then I am arogant and proud. Lord help me to never be either.

Jeremiah 6:16 This is what the Lord says: "Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls."

Wounds?

We all have wounds. Some deep, some superficial. Some new. Some old. Some hidden, some obvious.

The one thing in common is the pain.

7 Things we wrongly believe sometimes about our wounds:

1. Denial - I am not wounded.

2. Shame - Can't talk about it to anyone

3. Identity - The wounds reduce who I am or what I can do

4. Blame - It is God who did this to me

5. Pride - I won't seek help

6. Hopelessness - Others can't help

7. Abandonment - If God cared He wouldn't have allowed it

Ever think any of those things? I have unfortunately.  Sadly, these beliefs give your wounds more power then they deserve. We can't change the past. We can change how we view the painful realities that have touched our lives.

God heals. Pain need not last forever. Your life may not be easy, problem free, or painless but it can be abundant.

God never promised to keep us from wounds, but He did promise to be with us and to help us heal. God didn't prevent Jesus from receiving wounds. Do you think He deserved them and you don't? There is that pride again if so.

Some have wounds so deep in their soul they think they can't make it another minute. But once you are on the other side with God's help, you will have an amazing testimony. Just remember God's part in it when you reach the other side. Many forget to include Him once He has carried them through.

Remember God said in Deut 3:16: 6 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."

God's Purpose For Women

God has created our body, soul and spirit. We come in all different shapes and sizes. Our spirit is where God lives. That is where God speaks to us. Our soul is our heart, our will, our emotions, our mind. That is where our feelings come from.

What does God say about those 3 areas of our life?

We can be very spot on in one area and out of whack in the others.

Jer 9:23 Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches:

:24 But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth Me, that I am the Lord which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord.

If you are going to boast about something it needs to be about God, not yourself.

God's word is for us to learn about Him, His ways, His heart, His character. The more we know and understand Him, the more we will understand His will for us.

2 Tim 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

:17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

2 Pet 1:20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.

:21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

The bible was written by men. But God inspired them about what to write. He gave them the words and they wrote them.

God never creates anything without a purpose.

Ps 139:13 For Thou hast possessed my reins: Thou hast covered me in my mother's womb,

:14 I will praise Thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are Thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.

:15 My substance was not hid from Thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

:16 Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in Thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.

God knew us before we were even conceived! How amazing is that. There is not another person exactly like you. You are a one of a kind.

Purpose - to refer to an intention or determination

God's purpose for our life is His intention for our life.

He had a purpose in mind for us before He formed us. You (and I) were created for a specific divine purpose. As you study the word of God, you will start to determine what your purpose from God is.

We have to stop comparing ourselves to one another. God didn't create you like the lady sitting next to you at work, at church, etc. He has a different purpose for her then He does for you. Whenever we compare ourselves to others there will always someone we will find that is better (or so we think) then us and we will be insecure.

Or we will compare ourselves to someone who is not measuring up to us for whatever reason (or so we think). We walk away from that proudful.

Neither one of those bring glory to God. We need to be thankful for the way God created us. We are quick to put ourselves down for how we look. God doesn't make a mistake. That doesn't mean He doesn't want us healthy.

God has given us each gifts that we should be using to further His kingdom.

There are general purposes God has laid out for every woman.

1. Develop an intimate relationship with God.

Gen 1:26 And God said, Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

:27 So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them.

:31 And God saw everything that He had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

It is not just knowing He is in heaven, He wants to have a relationship with us this side of heaven also. He wants you to get to know Him now. If He is important to us we will spend the time it takes to make Him a priority in our life.

Priority - to prefer
We will still make mistakes. But we need to make God our first priority.

We need to spend time daily learning about Him. In different seasons of your life you will have different times, different amounts of time, you can spend with Him. But you should be mindful all the time that He is always with you. It is easy for us in the midst of everything going on in our lives during the day for us to forget He is always with us. He hears every word out of our mouth. We will be held accountable for each of them.

Ps 62:5 My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from Him.

Nothing and no one can ever take the place that is reserved for God. He created us that way.

In God alone, can we find the rest for our soul.

2. To be a helper or influence for others

Gen 2:18 And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone: I will make him an help meet for him.

This is not to be a helper only for our husband. We all have it in us. If we see someone in need, we go help if we can.

Eve influenced Adam later on with the fruit.

We choose to influence for good or not good. By chosing to not influence we are still influencing the people in our surroundings.

Our mood, our demeanor, our attitude will influence even if we don't want to .

Even if you have no example of what a godly woman looks like in your past, God will guide you how to be one.

Don't mistake manipulation for influence. Influence is having the right heart and the right motive and representing God well in all you say and do. Manipulation is getting people to say or do something for your own benefit. And God will never bless that.

3. Is to be a crown to her husband.

Pr 12:4 A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband; but she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones.

Some versions of the bible says disgrace instead of ashamed

disgrace - dishonor, to lightly esteem, to bring shame or reproach on someone

Being a godly woman is for all women, not just married women.

crown - to encircle against attack

We should be protecting him from attack not attacking him ourselves.

Are our husbands perfect? Absolutely not, but neither are we. Why is it so easy to accept God's mercy and grace for ourselves but not desire it for our spouse when we are upset with them?

We can't change our husband. We can only change our own heart. When we stand before God we will only be judged by how we acted or reacted. Not how they acted or reacted. But yet we justify our reactions by what they do. God will not accept that. If we concentrate on dealing with our own hearts and release his to God we can step out of the way and allow God to work. We try to do it and alot of times we get in God's way. We say " God I got this." When in fact we should be seeing what God is telling us is our part in the situation. We are called to act in a godly way NO MATTER what our husband does. That is not always easy is it? But it is what we are called to do. We can justify to ourselves and try to justify to others when we don't react in a godly manner when provoked. We can say, no one could withstand that and react in a godly manner. Yet it is what we are called to do. We are not called to stay in a physically abusive marriage. Don't misunderstand me. But when there is an argument and we get as ugly with our words as he does, that is not being glorifying to God. We will have NO justification when we stand before God. I try to remember that every single moment of every day. Some people (not just our husbands) are hard to deal with. But we must if we are going to influence those He puts in our path.

When people change because God changed their heart it will be a permanent change. People will change temporarily to make us do what they want, etc. But it will only be permanent if it is a heart change done by God.

Are you shining your husband's crown or beating it up?

None of us have arrived. God is still working on all of us. But once we learn something God has called us to do we must do it because then we will be held accountable. Don't beat yourself over the past before you knew what God called you to do in an area. You won't be held accountable for things you didn't know.

　

Just Say No

Matt 3:8-9

John was not afraid to talk about the wrath of God.

It is an unpopular topic among proud unrepentant people. Go to the next person. Sometimes people won't accept the gospel as truth so we make it acceptable to them. We adjust the message we were given to tell. We are not supposed to change it. We are warned in the Bible to not change it. Yet people change it to fit what they want it to say.

John was very holy and they knew it or they would have called him out for whatever he was doing wrong.

Some are teaching that you can repent and yet not change. That is so very false. There must be fruit showing you truly repented. When you repent it is not a one time thing. God will continue to show us areas we have to repent. That is normal. We are not perfect.

People try to claim their ancestors repentance as their own. That doesn't work. There comes a time when you are of age and held accountable for yourself. Once old enough to be accountable you (and your children) can't get into heaven on your parents coat tails. You must stand on your own. You must work on getting holy by doing what God has told you to do, And then DO IT! Repent of those things you know God has called you to change. And then change them. For good. Remember the devil will return with the package again to tempt you. He knows your weakness. Don't open the door. It is ok to not let him enter.