Blog Posts

how to win in the game of life with god

5/5/2019

Life is like a game of chess. Without God, you can take a pawn and change it into any color, yet it is still the same pawn, making the same moves. But… if you take that same pawn and turn it into a Queen, imagine how the game changes. That is life with God.

How you live now, in this moment, will either help bring light to the world or it will not. It’s up to you to make each moment count.

You can live your life as a pawn in this world, and be moved one square at a time, following others around, only taking steps when others say it’s ok, or when you feel it’s acceptable or when you think no one will notice, or when you think it will bring you closer to the next “acceptable place” in society - and in the process take the chance of losing yourself because you can only move one step at a time -

Each day we move a step and we think, “is this what God wants us to do”? And we make our lives so much more difficult moving one step at a time.

OR.....You can live your life as the royalty you are. You can have faith in God that he will help you become that Queen piece in the game who believes in their self worth - because you know, and have the faith that you are a part of God, that you are a child of God, and have that light inside of you - that you can make each move with strength because you have God in your life.

What God does is, through his will and guidance, he allows us to move multiple steps to get to where we need to be. He fills the board game with just the right amount of pieces which are people or events that help propel us to where he wants us to be - all to protect the King.

Romans 8:17 - Now if we are children, then we are heirs - heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

Why the Queen?
Chess is logical and strategic. As you’re moving these pieces around, each piece has its’ own function, but the Queen can move anywhere and do anything on the board. (within the games’ guidelines, which we talk about below)

So if we look at ourselves as that Queen piece that God is guiding anywhere he needs to guide us to, then we will have the ability, through God’s will, to move anywhere we need to fulfill the purpose God has for us.

The process of the Queen moving anywhere is to protect the King at all times - Jesus Christ. In other words, bring God’s message to those who don’t believe, or even to those who do believe.

Where Do You Begin?
(Or Re-Start Wherever You Are In Your Life? - it’s never too late)
You may be thinking that you want to believe this, but you don’t understand how to even begin to think this way, or apply this to your life. We’re about to explain that to you…. If you are religious or not, in your 20’s or your 80’s, this should help you take the first step that you know your heart wants to try - because you’ve read this far, and because you’re here. Thank you for making that choice.

Where To Start:
We will start by explaining our basic human needs and how we can tap into these proven scientific human needs to help jump start or revive your life towards a more fulfilling, peaceful life with God.

Then we will explain the analogy of a game, how it applies to our lives and most importantly, we will then show you how God can and will help you through.

Each section you are about to read will help inform the next section. We hope you walk away from this article with a clarity about how God is there for you - especially during the hurtful or hard times. If you are willing to follow God’s path for you, while it may be difficult, the destination is more rewarding than you can imagine.

RULES OF THE GAME

Whose Rules Are You Playing By? Rules shmules. Who cares about rules right!? Actually, every human being needs the rules of the game, even if you think you don’t, or even if you’re instinctual thought right now was “rules, I was born to break them” - well, that is just a conditioned belief to make you feel that if you break the rules, that means you are strong and independent - when in fact, did you know that your primal human need is to have rules? - because - clear rules, or goals, allow us to know whether or not we are making progress - and progress provides us with a reward. For example:

Why We Need Rules (Based On Evolution)

Evolution shows us that we are fundamentally in search of experiencing pleasure and/or avoiding pain with each activity we chose to do. For example, when you are hungry, you eat and your body rewards you with dopamine to encourage you to repeat the same behavior next time you are hungry.

With emotional needs, such as gaining acceptance from others, this is where we need a little more guidance, because, without any guidance, it would be up to our own perception of our own progress. An example would be actually knowing you have won a car, and “thinking” you have won a car. Both will trigger dopamine in your body to give you the same physical pleasurable reward, until you want to drive the car that you don’t have.

So you can see that rules are important to help us keep boundaries between knowing what is right and wrong. With all of the options and distractions we are offered, it can be very difficult to know what the right thing is to do that will give us the most reward in the end. We want to do the right thing and become the Hero in the end of every game. This is why it is most important to have a relationship with God - because God’s rules or guidelines for you help elevate you above the noise so that you can be guided righteously towards your unique purpose.

There Are 3 Sets Of Rules You Can Play By In This Life:

1 - YOUR OWN - (living a life self absorbed)
2 - THIS WORLDs - (living a life on what others want of you)
3 - GODs - (living the life God designed for you to live)

YOUR OWN RULES:
Background: This is when you live your life with a focus on your own self gain. Each relationship or interaction you have focuses on what you can get from it. For example:

Will this person help me look good (vs. do they encourage and support my purpose)
Will this person help me make more money? (vs. do they believe in me and my mission)
Will this person drag down my status? (vs.how can I lift them up during their journey)

In that process, sometimes you stab other people in the back, you step on people’s toes, and you may even lie to gain the things you want.

This false sense of fulfillment or self gratification, creates a cynical part of you that thinks that everyone else will try to do the same thing to you. “If I’m willing to do this to get to where I am, than that means other people are going to be willing to do it to me.” - and how could you have true peace in your life when you’re always feeling like you need to look over your shoulder to see who the next person is going to be that might stab you in the back?

In the end, when you gain those things, you don’t feel the emotional reward in your heart, because of the way you did it. Physically, the body does not produce the neurochemical dopamine that gives you a feeling of fulfillment which naturally occurs when you establish genuine, positive relationships.

Instead, you are hooked on the adrenaline - the rush of getting away with something for own self gain. You don’t believe that this feeling of fulfillment from good deeds even exists, or that you deserve it, so you continue down the path of getting that quick adrenaline rush, even if for a small moment in time, it feels ‘good enough’ to you.

Don’t be blinded...there is a way to break that cycle. You know you’ve seen good people gaining many blessings for doing the right thing - you choose not to acknowledge there is another way.

By following God’s way and making moves through God’s will for you, he will put people in your life that will truly help you, and not try to gain from you or stab you in the back. God will give you the gift of discernment to tell the difference between who is there to genuinely help you vs. those that want to gain from you.

Matthew 7:7-8: Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you; For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh, findeth and to him that knocketh it shall be opened

THIS WORLD’S RULES:
Background: In this world, we have our choices - usually worldly thoughts are our options under these rules - that can only help us one step at a time.

These worldly desires usually are:

fame
wealthy/riches
promotion - (for wealth/riches vs.for making a positive impact/difference)
marriage + family - (for admiration/acceptance vs. for true love and peace)
looks - (going out to get plastic surgery to look like someone else, because you make that person or definition of beauty your idol vs. loving and accepting yourself)

When you start to follow the expectations of others, another person’s path and try to do the same thing they are doing, you’re not becoming who you are supposed to be. So you lose yourself in the process....

When....God has a purpose for you - not to be someone else, but to be yourself, and he has a path for you, individually.

Romans 12:2: Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Look at the statistics of wealthy people that are unhappy. "research shows that giving to others leads to greater happiness than spending on oneself. The one factor that makes some of them happier than their equally wealthy peers comes as no surprise -- making the money themselves instead of inheriting or marrying into it." - Inc.com Harvard Study

They gain every ‘thing’ but the one thing they don’t have is God. That’s when you realize you’re just a pawn, giving or taking favors from people that have hidden agendas, all to get what you think you need. And always wondering when you will hear “checkmate” meaning, you will feel the need to stay on your toes if you will get fired, or have enough money to take care of what you currently have, or if your friends or family truly care about you.

When you follow the path God has for you, you’ll find other like minded people who care from the heart, and you don’t worry about checkmate anymore, in fact you enjoy being a part of the board of players because you are royalty in God’s eyes, and you know each move you make will be in good hands, in God’s hands.

Isaiah 41:10: Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand

GOD’s WAY:
Background: God’s way,or God’s word (in the bible) provides all of the guidelines you will need to receive the pleasure and fulfillment we are looking for.

Every move we make in our life can be based on things we want to do - or what God has in store for us. A lot of times we find that when we do things for our own self gain, most times it doesn’t turn out the way we expect it to, and sometimes it can lead us down a really bad path. But when we start to follow the moves that God has for us, we start to look and say ‘Wow, I can’t believe these things are happening”, and we see things falling into place that we would never expect to happen.

Psalm 119:105 - Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.

After all, you don’t play a game in the dark.

Here are some of the guidelines God’s will and love for you provides. When you have faith in God, and trust in him for your life’s purpose, he will provide all of these aspects to work in your favor:

11 Opportunities You Are Given By Choosing God’s Way:
(many more can be found in the bible as you read and learn the word of God)

1. Minimize the impact of the element of Chance With God providing you guidance, you can trust in his will to prevail. Proverbs 19:21: Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails. Proverbs 16:33 We may throw the dice, but the LORD determines how they fall.

2. Become Less Self Absorbed: When we concentrate fully on an activity there is no room for self-reflection. All of our attention is used to perform the activity. Afterwards, we can look at ourselves and notice we have grown from the experience - our mind has been enriched with new skills and new accomplishments

3. Develop The Right Skills: Helping you to develop skills that teach your opposition and outmaneuver them when needed.

4. Goals Are Set At A High Level where we need to invest our skills to reach the goal - otherwise the goal will become meaningless. God has the most faith in us.

5. Receive Well Needed Feedback Along The Way by how others are impacted, improved or helped from your God given talents and purpose

6. All Progress Needs To Come From Our Free Will - If we feel forced to do an action to progress, then we become less involved in the task. Each decision we make for and with God, must be from our own free will to do so. The more challenging a task, the more we focus. If it were easy, and repetitive, then human nature has shown us, we would not want to continue with it. God is the master planner, and knows exactly what we need to help us grow, learn and contribute - righteously. And want to continue along on his path.

7. Using Enemies For Good - What’s amazing about playing the game in God’s rules is your opponents who are trying to beat you, even if they are not playing by God’ rules, God has the ability to use your enemies to help you win.

Romans 8:28: And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

8. It’s Not About Having Control, or having a feeling of control, but rather the confidence that you are developing such a great skill that the risk of failure is dissipating - through the faith of God and in the process brings more peace.

9. Our Perception Of Time Becomes Altered because while we concentrate fully on the purpose God has at hand for us, it doesn’t feel mundane - it makes our days feel like hours, and our hours feel like minutes.

10. Not Knowing All Of The Moves Or Even The Outcome - While Maintaining The Faith That It Will Be The Right One For You - we have a desire to understand and seek new knowledge, which is why we enjoy hearing new stories, reading the news and watching movies. We also want to know every move and see our future. BUT….

Thriller Movie Analogy: Think about a mystery or thriller movie. We watch the first scene by learning about the crime, walking through with the investigators and collecting all of the evidence along the way. We meet possible suspects and our brains begin to fill in the gaps with potential scenarios for who might have done it. Towards the end of the movie, we are presented with the final evidence that brings all of it together and our brain completes the pattern for the murder that we watched in the very beginning of the movie. Now, if the movie started off with a confession from the murderer, it would not interesting, there would be no surprises. And we would stop the movie right away.
Video Game Analogy: if we use cheat codes to get ahead in a game, we can get to the end faster, but then people will find out that we don't have the knowledge that we should have gained in the process because we cheated our way there instead of learning and developing skills that will help us in our life.

In this same way, we are receiving guidance from God, but he can not reveal the entire picture to us. God will give us just enough of what we need to bring us through each stage of our development towards our purpose, to keep us moving on the right track.

11. God’s Timing Is In Your Favor- In that same process, each person has a certain talent or purpose that they like or they think they want to do, and that doesn’t happen without educating and practicing and learning along the way. If we didn’t learn a new game, if we sat down with people who are already playing a game and didn’t know how the game worked, we would have to sit and understand how the basics worked in the game.

If we didn’t understand the basics it would be uncomfortable for us to start where the others were at, so we wouldn’t want to play, and possibly miss out on learning a new skill and new activity. Each of us is built differently - some of us enjoy handling multiple challenges at once, while others don’t want new challenges until we have conquered the first challenge. You’ve heard of the phrase “God doesn’t give us more than we can handle”. God knows exactly what we need, and how we need it. As long as you trust in him, he will show you this.

Psalm 37:23 - The LORD makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him.

Psalm: 16:11 - You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

With all of this - remember….

Winning is NOT the purpose. Living In God’s Will IS.

There is much more to winning that makes competition an important socializing experience. There is teamwork, cooperation, commitment to others, respect for your opponent, and, learning to play by God’s word and will for you. You may want to break those rules, to ensure your own victory, to “get ahead” during the course of the game.

Losing is only temporary and not all encompassing. You’ve heard the phrase; “It’s not whether you win or lose it’s how you play the game”.

You will learn more about your peers, your colleagues, your family and friends, playing skillfully with the rules, observing, listening and discerning your next move. If you are preoccupied with your own win, with coming up with schemes and ways you can skip a step, or break the rules, than you miss out on learning who is around you to help or to hurt you. Once you get to that next spot, you may be surprised to see who is waiting for you, to drag you down, or to question your arrival.

Let God help you. You have ambitions and desires purposefully planted in your heart by God. Why do you think every person in this world has a different hope, a different passion? Just like a fingerprint, God has planted in your heart what your purpose is and if you let God know that you will trust in him, he will help you make all the right(eous) moves throughout the game, to help others - while helping yourself.

Ask God: “God, I know my heart wants to understand you, and know you, but I don’t know where to begin. I ask you with this prayer, to please help me get closer to you. Help me to believe that I deserve your love and your guidance in this life. I want to believe that I am royalty in your eyes, and I want to be able to live the life you have created for me. Please give me the guidance to show me the way Lord. I am grateful for all of the blessings you have given me, and I thank you for your love and faith in me. Please help me to release my worry and anxiety unto you. Lift my burdens that I may have a clear mind to hear your guidance. Please show me how to be closer to you Lord. - Amen”

STOP - listen in silence - still your thoughts - and wait to hear him to answer you. Take at least 10 minutes to breathe in silence, and wait to hear the guidance in your heart.

Philippians 4:6-4:7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

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5 STEPS to knowing god and living your life purpose

3/24/2019

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You may believe in God, but do you have faith in him with your life?
In this blog post, we will walk you through 5 steps that will help you to identify your readiness for the journey towards knowing God and anticipating your life purpose. Know that God is waiting for you, whenever you are ready.

Before reading this, realize this is a step by step process. This does not happen overnight. Some portions of this process may feel too good to be true, or not realistic from your current perspective, but know this; we are speaking from our direct experience and from the direct promises made in the bible.

If you read a certain step and feel it may not be possible for you in your life, we challenge you to try each step, one step at a time. We are confident in the words we share because of the knowledge we are learning through the word of God

STEPS TO BELIEVING: You will see this chart shows you with each step, the amount of people that stay through each step is less and less. It’s hard for each of us to patiently go through these steps in the time that God has planned for us.

We put time limits on our progression through life, without realizing that each step has it's course to help us be the most prepared for the next. We’re here to tell you it is worth staying the course.

STEP 1: AWARENESS: BELIEF - is when you know in your heart God exists, and/or that Jesus is the son of God. To expect or hope with confidence; to trust - that there is a God. You have come to that conclusion based on circumstances or teachings in your life that have you feel in your heart, there is a God. Mindset: “I’m aware that there is God, and/or that Jesus is his son.”

STEP 2: INTEREST: FAITH - is beyond just believing that there is a God or that Jesus is the son of God. Faith takes your awareness of God and connects it personally to you. Faith allows you to understand that God is here for you, and for you personally, to guide you towards your life purpose, which he created you for. Faith allows you to trust in the word of God and trust in it each day. It is full confidence in God, knowing that he has a plan for you. Faith allows you to grow in an understanding of the word of God and it’s meaning for you. We know in this world today, it can be hard to “keep the faith” because man, through his lack of faith has designed so many elements to distract you, deceive you, deny you of the truth. Your choice to have faith will keep you connected to God. We’ve spoken about this briefly in our previous blog post “Trust in God’s Plan for you: He always fulfills his promises”

STEP 3: DESIRE PURPOSE - Now that you have faith, you have a desire to get to know God and build a relationship with him. You have a desire to understand what your purpose is in this life. God created each of us with a specific task on this earth, and through God, you can find the answer. The only way you can get to know God is to understand his word. The bible was left for us to really get to know God. He waits for you to read his word and ask him for his will in your life. The first step to build that relationship with God is to come to an understanding of how he wants us to live and how he wants us to treat others, and to do this all out of love, and the only way to do this is to read his word, the bible. When we start to study the bible, we slowly come to more of an understanding of what he expects from us. In Proverbs 3: 1-35 says it all. Here is a portion that will show you what we are saying:

1 My child, don't forget what I teach you. Always remember what I tell you to do. 2 My teaching will give you a long and prosperous life. 3 Never let go of loyalty and faithfulness. Tie them around your neck; write them on your heart. 4 If you do this, both God and people will be pleased with you. 5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Never rely on what you think you know. 6 Remember the Lord in everything you do, and he will show you the right way.

Many people are lost today because they are stuck in the ways of the world and they don’t even realize it. They do not have the belief, faith, or desire to understand God’s way. If you’re reading this, you’re taking the right step, just look up Proverbs 3: 1-35 and you will see what God has waiting for you. If you’re interested in learning more details, see one of our previous blog posts on “How to Have a Personal Relationship With God”

STEP 4: TAKING ACTION - Once God reveals the plan for you in your life, all you want to do is take action, and start living it. The more you read his word the more direction he gives you in your heart of what your true purpose is. You wake up each day wondering what can you do to make progress on your revealed purpose.

Everything begins to fall into place and your path becomes clear as you gain more knowledge. You will not have a complete map laid out for what the rest of your life will be, but, you will have an absolute direction, day by day, through God’s will for you as long as you ask him what he wills for you in your life. As you continue to build your relationship with God he will reveal more to you and give you more direction.

If this seems foreign to you, then you may only be on Step 1 or Step 2, but please know that God’s timing is perfect. He knows when each of us is ready for the next step on our path. He is always there by your side, guiding you each step of the way. As you go further along on the path he intended for you, you will find more peace and gain more wisdom with your daily interactions. Each day you will start to live the life God intended for you. This will bring you much joy and happiness. At some point the peace and joy you’re feeling will give you the want to share this with others.

STEP 5: ADVOCACY A WANT TO SHARE IT - When you start to experience this joy, all you want to do is help others experience it too. Just like when you find love and you want to shout out loud about it, or when you win a game, and you want to tell everyone about your triumph that you’ve overcome. Finding God, finding your purpose, and living your life in truth feels so good, like “good medicine, healing your wounds and easing your pains” Proverbs 3:8 - all you want to do is become a beacon for God and share his light with others. Did you know that when you experience God’s light, others will see it and feel it? They may not realize that’s what they are experiencing, but they will be drawn to it anyway.

At this stage, you are so fulfilled in helping others. The learning continues, the growing and wisdom through God continues, and helping others becomes even more enriching.

A book that helps you realize God's hand in your life, from messenger international, by John Bevere entitled "God, where are you?" shares through personal examples, how God prunes and strengthens us for our purpose - each step of the way.

Which step are you on today? If you are about to start at step #1, you've made an incredibly positive decision to even think about starting the journey with God in your life.

Amen and God Bless.

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why should you live in the will of god?

1/27/2019

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WHY?
Why do you view kind hearted people as weak, or loving people as gullible? What makes you perceive people who are smiling and saying “hello” to a stranger as being naive or lacking “street smarts”? In fact, isn’t it just the opposite? Isn’t kindness and love, and the confidence to speak up all experiences you want to have most in your life? When you see someone else experiencing what you want to experience, or receiving what you want to have, you distance yourself and say “That can’t be real..they must be weak”.

In the world today, we're shown how to do the wrong things, how to take the wrong path, and then we are rewarded for doing so. We're rewarded for walking further away from God. We're taught: Let's not commit to a person because that allows us to sleep with someone else. Let's not open our heart to someone then we can't be hurt. Let's not trust someone, because then we can't be let down. And these are the cultural acceptances we learn to live in the world.

If you can relate to this, then you have been stuck in the ways of the world for too long, and it's time for you to take a stand for yourself, and to start noticing when a strong righteous person is standing next to you, or when a door of opportunity is presented to you for you to participate, ask and learn. When you learn, you grow closer to the new experience you felt you could never reach and with God’s help, you can receive it.

Peter 2:19 says “people are slaves to whatever has mastered them.” Seeking to live in God’s will can help you break free from the entanglement of world views. You have an opportunity to experience God’s blessing with each deciding moment in your life. You see, it would be much easier to do the wrong thing then to do right thing in God's eyes. This takes STRENGTH and COURAGE.

STRENGTH FROM GOD

When you pray for the Will of God, he provides that strength for you. The more you get to know God, the more strength he gives you. Eventually, he gives you so much strength, that when people look at you as weak, you just laugh it off because you realize "They do not know what they do".

If someone drops a one dollar bill on the ground, and the person continues to walk far enough away, would you stick the one dollar bill in your pocket? Or.. would you run to chase that person down and give them their one dollar bill? If you said you would give it back, awesome, you're on the right track! And if you hesitated... that's ok, you're here reading this which is one step closer to helping you reclaim your strength with God. You see, it's easier to take it and say "It's only $1.00". It takes integrity to run and give that $1 back - and you know it's the right thing to do.

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH
Maybe it will be hard for you, because your friends may pressure you. You see, one thing you will find with a flock of sheep is no matter where they're guided, they will follow. Even if it's into dangerous territory. So if you're following the world and what they deem as right, you could be following them into a very bad situation that you may not be able to get out of. But what God will never do, is guide you into a danger. What's great about God's love is that even when we stray, he will guide us out of it. In 1 Peter 4, it shows that God knew this already, that when you make the choice to live a better life, there will be opposition, but you will win in the end...

1 Peter 4:
“For you have spent enough time in the past….living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. They are surprised that you do not join them in their reckless, wild living, and they heap abuse on you. But they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead”

God has your back! When you choose him. You may not think you deserve God’s blessing, or that you will be given blessings, but if you make every effort to seek to live in God’s will, seek for forgiveness and act by helping others, this propels you forward, closer to the joy and happiness you truly desire.

YOU CAN START TODAY:

I challenge you today, to try.
Try asking yourself “What would Jesus do? What would God do?” And in each deciding moment that you find yourself in - about to judge, about to smirk, about to close the door - Stop.
Think. Decide. Decide to live in God’s will. See what happens. You will be surprised at the relationships you start, the love you open yourself up to, the friendships or loved ones you start to strengthen.

7 Small Steps that make a HUGE difference:
1 - say hello to your neighbor, a co-worker in the hallway, or just say hello back, and mean it.
2 - hold the elevator, subway, bus or train door open when you see someone walking towards you. You may just change their day/life #slidingdoors
3 - call a friend or family member you haven’t spoken to in a while,
4 - have a coffee with an acquaintance
5 - comment on social media - share your thoughts to help lift someone up or encourage more people to speak to each other
6 - pray....thank the Lord and ask for his will in your life
7 - listen...

To learn of more small steps read Jennifer Waddle’s article: “How to be a light in the darkness”

CONCLUSION

1 Peter 5 says:

"For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness, and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.

For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.

Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble. And you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."

SHARE YOUR COMMENTS
What do you think?

- Are you having a hard time getting started?
- Have you experienced a transformation recently?

Let us know. We can all learn when you share.

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New year resolutions: god's timing for each of us

12/27/2018

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In this new year, we make promises to ourselves that will help us create a better future.

We all have dreams and goals we want to fulfill. So we take this holiday season up to the 1st of the year as our starting point. We create plans, write down tasks and steps that will help us prepare to reach those goals, to finally make it to the finish line.

All of this preparation is important for us to do, but, we should not be surprised if the time frame we set for ourselves does not match up with the timing God has in store for us.

As humans beings, part of our nature is impatience. We pray for something and if it doesn't happen within the time we set for ourselves, we go onto the next thing. We begin to logically explain why it didn't already happen, and we still move on because we feel God didn't come through. Don't give up! God never gives up on us, so why should we give up on ourselves?

What we fail to realize is, God does things in his time, not in our time. God's timing is thoughtfully done to prepare us for our purpose in this life.

Noah waited 120 years before the predicted rains arrived
Abraham waited 25 years for a promised son
Joseph waited 14 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit
Job waited perhaps a lifetime, 60-70- years for God's justice

Each of these men knew that God has his own time. But, what's more important than the awaited goal is the work God does in us while we wait.

Waiting deepens our level of perspective, and matures our understanding.

In this new year, think of what you are preparing and waiting for. Think of the work God has done in you already to get to where you are today. Make a list of all of the things you have grown in, learned from, during this time of waiting, and know that God always come through.

Proverbs: 16:9 9 NIV "In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps."

Jeremiah 29:11 11 NIV "For I know the plans I have for you", declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Psalm 37:7-9 NIV Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret - it leads only to evil. For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.

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trust in god's plan for you: he always fulfills his promises

11/5/2018

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We are all searching for God. For the understanding of why we are here and what our purpose is. We know deep in our core that there is something bigger than us, and we want to understand how we are a part of it. So we begin our search.
But when we are lost, we become anxious and desperate and begin to create our own map in our own way. We create an invisible race with time. Time becomes our indicator of progress and our determinant of success. But this has us walking in circles, creating a ditch we may not realize we’re stuck in. And so we start putting a list in ours head of all the “things” that will help us:

MONEY: Working your job early in the morning and late at night to get that next promotion to make more money
LOVE: Getting into a relationship based on the outside appearances rather than the heart. A comfortable relationship with someone for 15 years based on looks or money only to find out that the love is not real, does not last.
POWER: you only want to be around people who can help you or who make you look good in your social status

Then we look around and find we are not fulfilled. We start to recollect all of the bumps along the way, and we begin to blame God for the way our life has and is turning out.
It’s never too late to search for God and learn how he has created the roadmap for our heart’s desires already.

TRUST in GOD’s PLAN for you - When things are extremely hard, and you feel there is no one you can trust, how can you believe God has a plan that will help you through what seems to be impossible. This is where our faith is tested, and God shows us all things are possible through him.

During these times, we have a choice to either doubt God, or trust in him. In the bible there are numerous stories of people who also struggled to believe in God’s plan for them. But we are shown time and time again, that God makes what looks and seems impossible in our minds, possible. And that his love for us is never ending.

God’s plans for us often takes shape outside of our line of sight. His plan is often greater than our current understanding. Each story in the bible shows us, when we keep faith, and in God's’ time, that he has greater plans for us than we can imagine today alone. For God knows our yesterday, our today and tomorrow. He wants more than the best for each of us.

EXAMPLE #1: SARAH - The Promise of a Son - GENESIS 18:13:14, 21
God’s Promise
Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh? Why did she say, ‘Can an old woman like me have a baby?’ Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return about this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”

Genesis 21: God Fulfills His Promise
The Lord kept his word and did for Sarah exactly what he had promised. She became pregnant (at 90-91), and she gave birth to a son for Abraham in his old age. This happened at just the time God had said it would. And Abraham named their son Isaac. Eight days after Isaac was born, Abraham circumcised him as God had commanded. Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac was born.

The Understanding and Declaration of God’s Blessings
And Sarah declared, “God has brought me laughter. All who hear about this will laugh with me. Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse a baby? Yet I have given Abraham a son in his old age!”

EXAMPLE #2: - The Promise to Moses setting the Isrealites free
God’s Promise Exodus: 3: 7 - 20
“I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt….I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians…. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out….I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand compels him... I will stretch out my hand and strike the Egyptians with all the wonders that I will perform among them. After that, he will let you go.”

God Fulfills His Promise Exodus: 31
During the night Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Up! Leave my people, you and the Israelites! Go, worship the Lord as you have requested.32 Take your flocks and herds, as you have said, and go. And also bless me.”

EXAMPLE #3: - The Promise to make David a great king

God’s Promise -Samuel 7: 8-17
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” “Rise and anoint him; this is the one.” “I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people Israel. I have been with you wherever you have gone and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make you a great name, like the names of the great men who are on the earth. I will also appoint a place for My people Israel and will plant them, that they may live in their own place and not be disturbed again, nor will the wicked afflict them any more as formerly, even from the day that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies.

God Fulfills His Promise
And he did. He took David as the youngest of the eight sons of Jesse, and made him a great King. David was humble and never asked to be King, but his faith in the Lord and willingness to fulfill God’s will, had God have the faith in him to anoint him throughout history.

EXAMPLE #4: - The Promise to heal Hezekiah’s illness 2 Kings 20
God’s Promise
This is what the Lord, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the temple of the Lord. 6 I will add fifteen years to your life. And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for my sake and for the sake of my servant David.’”

God Fulfills His Promise
Isaiah answered, “This is the Lord’s sign to you that the Lord will do what he has promised: Shall the shadow go forward ten steps, or shall it go back ten steps?”
“It is a simple matter for the shadow to go forward ten steps,” said Hezekiah. “Rather, have it go back ten steps.”
Then the prophet Isaiah called on the Lord, and the Lord made the shadow go back the ten steps it had gone down on the stairway of Ahaz.

The Understanding and Declaration of God’s Blessings
Hezekiah was told by the Lord at first to get his house in order for he will surely die. But, when Hezekiah prayed with all his heart, explaining how he has been a faithful man, living in the will of the Lord, the Lord heard his prayer and gave him 15 more years to his life, healing his illness.

Don’t wait to receive the blessings God has for you.
“lean not on your own understanding,” (Proverbs 3:5).
In the end we don’t want to spend a lifetime avoiding God just so that in the end, we find ourselves pleading, wishing we trusted from the start so that we can be with him in heaven. God is waiting to help you create a little bit of heaven here on earth. God’s purpose for you was to have that peace and love from heaven here with you during your day to day life. If you put him first, he will show you how.
The bible explains that even through all of our human failures, there will be a story you can relate to. When people have tried their our own way, they’ve gotten lost and failed. But when they turned to God, he came in and helped them beyond what they could have ever imagined.

REMEMBER GOD’s PROMISE TO US ALL:
Search for God, seek him out. He is waiting for you. God promises he will hear you when you search for him, and help to bring you peace, which was always initially intended for you.

Jeremiah 29:12
Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the LORD, and I will restore you from captivity and gather you from all the nations and places to which I have banished you, declares the LORD. I will restore you to the place from which I sent you into exile.”

GOD spoke it..God made sure it was written… there for…. It will happen. For you, for me, for all of us. Amen.

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how to have a personal relationship with god

10/7/2018

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#1 - READ HIS WORD:
Jeremiah 1:5 “Before I formed you in your mother’s womb, I knew you. Before you were born, I set you apart.
Hebrew 4:12 “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any two edge sword. It penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges through the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

Stephanie and Peter were childhood pen pals from different countries through an elementary school program. They never saw or met each other, only wrote letters to each. Over the years, they fell in love through their letters, within each page, learning and revealing their teenage thoughts and darkest secrets, from school dramas to parental problems and more.

Mary chose a GI soldier’s mailing address (Alvin) to write letters of hope while he was in the war. They wrote to each other through the years, having never met. Mary says “You can say it was love at first write” They met, got married and had a daughter.

There are many more stories like this, where people wrote to each other, and learned about each other through their words and letters. Sharing in detail, who they are, what they’ve experienced and gone through, and have either fallen in love or became best friends.

The written word is a powerful connector for anyone. You can get to know someone through just the written word, and not have to see them physically in front of you.

Just like these couples, God left us love letters. A written word called The Bible. He is waiting for you to pick up his book, and read his words of love, wisdom and guidance - through all of the stories and experiences he shares about himself and about his children. You will find a story on any topic you need help with. To get to know God, the first thing you can do is - Read his word

#2 - LIVE IN HIS WILL
Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you”, declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”
A woman named Linsday, weighed 220 pounds at 5’ 4” and was comfortable sitting on the couch and eating anything she wanted. Then she decided to change her habits and start living. For one year, she started to wake up each morning at 5:45am, ate a fiber rich breakfast and walked on the treadmill for one hour. She lost 40 pounds. She moved in with another woman who encouraged her healthy habits, started weight training, and lost another 35 pounds. She now weighs 145, is at a very healthy weight and is happy.

Jim Carrey talks about his father in a speech to college students, and how his father stayed in a comfort zone at his job, and after 20 years was fired. He said “Why fail at something you hate, when you can fail at something you love”.

So many people take the safe route and stay in a comfort zone that isn’t giving them fulfillment, and is only getting them by. If you break out of the comfort zone, and use your will to do something you love, you could possibly change your life and the direction it’s going.

We form our own habits of what we want and need in our lives. And those habits tend to be our most immediate wants and desires out of our current circumstances. “I need more money, I need another job, I need to get married, etc..”

God sees the whole picture, where we see only what we think we need in the immediate. We can trust in God’s plan for us, and know it is bigger than we can imagine. By getting to know God through his word, he will let us know in our heart what his will is for our lives. His will is our heart’s desire, for he made us, each with a unique purpose. Living in his will, will provide you more than you can imagine today.

#3 - GOD’s REWARDS FOR YOUR LOVE
James 1:12 “Blessed in the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.”

We’re sure you are familiar with the countless stories of celebrities that gained everything in this world, from money to fame, riches and wealth, when in the end, they took their own life because they were so unhappy.

Many of us have followed these same celebrities, buying the things they advertise, thinking it will help fulfill our lives, just like they portray it will. When in truth, it doesn’t.
Having a comfortable home, and being able to share your gifts to help others is a blessing. God wants good for our lives in a way that is truly good, and not a false promise or comfort.

By getting close to God, you will gain PEACE, GUIDANCE and STRENGTH

PEACE - through the knowledge that he is always there for you and will never give you more than you can handle.
GUIDANCE - through his word and through his will for you, knowing how to navigate through challenging moments, and finding what actually makes you happy.
STRENGTH - to endure and go through obstacles that may come upon you through your journey towards happiness, knowing God is there by your side through it all.

By reading God’s word, living in his will, and enjoying the rewards of his love, you will start a relationship with God that gives you understanding of a deeper love, a more committed relationship, and a peace you’ve never felt before.

Try these three tips. We’d love to know your personal journey towards having a closer relationship with God.

He is waiting for you.

Love,
Rachel & Michael
P.S - leave an anonymous comment here, by typing in “anonymous” for your name. No one will know who you are, and you will help start the conversation.

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Helping without expectation

8/1/2018

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I know at some point we’ve all been there, when you're at the bottom and no one cares, or when certain people reach out and you're thankful for it. We just look it over, and we think, they’re just really nice people. But.. that help comes from God.

Are you the same way when someone else is in a bad spot? Are we thankful for the person that reached out to us and try to return the favor, or are we just thinking about what we are going to get in return?

People don’t like to ask for help from someone because they feel they will owe someone something. As a society everyone wants to feel like they are a good person, like they help others, but ask yourself this question: “When I reach out to someone, and help them, whether it be financially, to talk, to be there as a friend, do I automatically expect something in return, or feel that I can hold this over their head if I feel I need something in the future from them?”

If that’s the case, was the real reason you helped them, out of the kindness of your heart, or was it so that you could go back to them later to return the favor? One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want. Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered. Proverbs 11:24-25 ESV

A Person that Gives Without Expectation Has Many Friends
We may associate certain people with being lucky, because they have so many people that want to reach out to them, in their low times and even when they’re doing well. They want to be there for them, they want to be around them, they want to be helpful to them. And people think they’re so lucky they have great friends. But usually the real reason behind that is because that person has a good heart and has probably reached out to those people at some point in their lives and been there for them, whether it’s just to talk, be understanding and comforting. It doesn’t always have to be about finances.

Are you Afraid to help others?
We understand some people may not want to help others for fear of being taken advantage of (again). This comes from past situations that might have hurt you when your intentions to help were genuine. You may have good reason not to help certain people, but others that truly need it may miss out on what God had intended for you to help them with. So how do you tell when to help, and when not to?

God gives you the wisdom to not put yourself in a position where you could be in danger. God gives you the common sense to know not to put yourself in a bad situation.

The most important part of this blog is to know God. because when you know God he will put in your heart who to reach out to and who is taking advantage.
This has to do with not only a stranger in the street that you pass by, but with your friends and family, with your co-workers, with any acquaintances that you know. When you put God first, all of your interactions and reactions, will be guided and you will know who to help and who not to help: Don’t waste what is holy on people who are unholy. Don’t throw your pearls to pigs! They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you - Matthew 7:6.

You will be able to discern the difference by keeping God first in your life. Your actions will be full of God’s love, integrity and wisdom which will strengthen all of your relationships and help those around you to see the love of God through you.

It’s important to know the difference between helping your enemies, and not helping those who cannot be helped. Pray to God for this understanding before you make your final decisions to cut off ties, or to not speak with someone anymore. Everyone deserves a chance. You could be the one person that God had intended to help change a life, or bring that person closer to God.

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Everyone Makes Mistakes

7/8/2018

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Everyone
Makes Mistakes.
Everybody in this world makes mistakes. Even into adulthood they make mistakes and it's a natural thing, we're human and we make mistakes. The only one that has the authority to judge those mistakes and what we've done about them, is God and Jesus Christ.

Every Sin, Poor Action and Reaction Causes God Pain. Because he desires for us to do his will, and when we sin, we're going against his will. Whether it’s a "little white lie" to causing physical harm to someone, stealing, judging another person, thinking bad thoughts about others, gossiping, mocking, even if you do these things in the privacy of your own home it doesn’t make it right. All of these actions are sins and cause God pain. Everyone one of these harden and darken our soul, and build a wall between us and God.

You May Not Even Realize You've Made a Mistake
or that you're doing something wrong. But you can realize it now. The world invites you and encourages you to continue these wrong behaviors, wrong opinions, wrong ideals or values that you have been taught or learned to believe are socially acceptable, but is it acceptable to God? It may be accepted by your friends and family who could be caught up in this world, and so you just settle, seeking the love from your family and friends, continuing to do what they feel is acceptable, thinking it’s ok in the moment because this is “how it is in my circle or with my family”, not even realizing that you might be hurting someone else.

You Have Free Will To Understand and Change
We are all connected, even our thoughts, and every positive action you take can and will effect another, which in turn will effect another, and so is the effect of our free will. It is our choice to think in this worldly manner, or go get to know God and understand how he wants us to think and how he wants us to act towards one another.

You Have a Choice To Live a Better Life. We have a choice to repent of our Sin, to make amends for what we've done wrong and to change how we think, and start thinking in God's will. If you put God first, any evil thought in this world doesn't come from you. If it's out of anger, hatred, frustration, past hurt, none of it comes from God. When we hold onto those emotions and feelings, and when we continue to react and act on those feelings, we are doing the exact opposite of God's will. God expects us to slip and fall, but he also expects us to learn from the negative actions we've made and not continue making them.

Seek God and All You Need Will Be Provided
When we make anything on this earth more important than God such as monetary, objects or other people for our own wants and desires, we push ourselves further away from the love and purpose he has for us. He will give you everything you need. You should seek God and not seek things, because God will open doors for opportunities that may not have existed if you followed your will instead of God’s. It’s not as simple as just asking God for what you want. You have to do what God wants you to do in your life, and seek understanding for what God wills you to do, to help other people, through prayer. And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. (Heb. 11:6)

The love and acceptance you seek from your immediate friends and family may seem unsatisfying without God in the center of it. If you seek God’s love first, then all other needs will come. All you need with family, friends and anything else you need in this world to live will be provided for.

God Wants You To Come To Him On Your Own.
You can't force someone to tell you that you love them. If you are in a relationship, you don't want to tell the person "Tell me you love me today..." you want that person to tell you on their own. as God wants you to come to him on your own, and let him know that you love him. Because he is waiting for you, because he always has and always will love you, and will continue to tell you that he loves you, no matter what, but he needs you to come to him on your own. And then you can start to build a relationship with God, like you have never had before.

People Misunderstand God.
They think he's this great powerful being that's unreachable but he's their waiting, he's there loving us no matter what we do, as long as we choose him as he has chosen us, and we stop our transgressions. There is still time, he is waiting. People go through hardships in life, or they have bad things happen to them, and they feel like God has failed them but what we don't realize is, we are failing God, Because of the choices we make in our lives, the people we choose to surround ourselves with, or what we choose to make important in our lives, or if we choose to be good loving nurturing people or to be judgmental, disrespectful, or dishonorable people.

God Wants Only Good For Us
There are bad things that happen on this earth, but it's not from God. God wants all good for us. We, with our free will, choose the opposite of what God is asking for us to do with our lives, and in the process of that, we bring on our own mistakes, our own pain, for things that we do, choices we make. Whether it's someone who is drinking and driving, someone who starts taking drugs, or someone who chooses to be in a bad relationship, all of these choices are choices that we freely make. We can choose to be with God, loving people who are living a good healthy life in God's will. When you get close to God he gives you the discernment to know who these people are, and to protect you.

There are perfectly sane people in this world that come upon desperate situations and make bad choices. And those bad choices can effect others, even complete strangers, by mental or physical anguish, or even death. But these choices are not of God, it is from these other individuals because they did not have faith in God that he would provide for them, they did not have faith to know his will or to even know who God is. But you can choose God, and know he will help you during those desperate times.

God Protects You
I'm sure you can think of a time in your life where you decided not to drive down a certain road, not to make that phone call, not to take that trip. I'm sure there are situations in your life where you thought "that was close". What people fail to realize is, that was God helping to save you from that next mistake.

I'm sure there's a lot of people that will read this and think, "why did God let these other things happen" there's decisions that other people make that unfortunately effect us, whether it's a doctor who doesn't follow up with a cancer patient and the cancer comes back, or a person that gets desperate for money and decides to steal, rob a bank, and has a weapon and someone gets caught in the crossfire. It may have not been the innocent person's choice, but it was the other person's choice to do wrong. We can't stop people around us from making bad choices, but the closer we get to God, the more he'll let us know when those situations come around to keep us from them.

We Can Help Each Other
If more of us get closer with God, then the easier it will be to choose the good path, and have good around us here in this world. Because in God’s will, we choose the good decisions over the bad mistakes. In doing so, it brings us closer to God, it brings us peace, and it allows God to provide comfort and opportunities because we have chosen his will. So what will you choose?

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Our Worth in his eyes

5/19/2018

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Heaven now and later
Have you ever wondered about Heaven, if there is a heaven and if you will be going there? You see it on T.V, in movies, you’ve probably heard friends and even family members talk about it. But do you believe it? If there is a heaven, if in your heart you want to believe there is a place you can go to be with God, and to be with your long lost loved ones, then how can you get there, be there and feel in peace about there being a heaven?

Think about why you feel good when you do good in this world. Think about why you feel good when someone thanks you, or when someone smiles or laughs because of something you’ve said that made them feel this good feeling. You have the ability to bring joy to others, to bring peace to yourself, now and later.

We’d like to share a very powerful fact that is explained in the bible, and that will help you understand how your acts of kindness here on earth will help you be closer with God.

We are all priceless in Jesus’s eyes.
Imagine us as a golden nugget that has just been found, and he’s refining us, carefully protected through the fire. Our trials and tests of faith here on earth bring us through the fire. In the end, once we are purified, by “good deeds” by the trials, by keeping our faith, and walking in his will, we become such a beautiful pure gold that glitters and shines, representing his light.

The Purification Process
I’m sure you’ve heard before that when you’re under pressure, is when your true self comes through. That is what Jesus wants for us. To have our true selves shine through any impurities that have come from worldly corruption. Imagine a piece of gold when it’s found in it’s roughest form, dirt, sand, pieces of rock, and you can see the gold there, but it's not glowing it's not very shiny.

Your trials by fire will remove the impurities, and inconsistencies, so that when Jesus arrives you will be honoring and glorifying him by what you’ve gone through.

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice in so far as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. 1 Peter 4:12-13 ESV

Pure Gold vs. Fool’s Gold
Fools gold is known as Pyrite. It looks gold but it’s not real gold. It might be shiny, it might look valuable, but in the end it’s worth nothing.

The gold on this earth is referring to any monetary gain that you make your main purpose. When you make money your goal in life, it’s a fools gold and the riches bring you nowhere.

In the end you have a bunch of things, but have accumulated no real wealth. Every good deed adds up.

You may find some comfort, some false friends because they are attracted to the “things” but wouldn’t you prefer that your spouse loves you for who you are and not for what you have, and that your friends are there for you no matter what and not when you’ve received the next new thing.

When you get entangled in this world and what it has to offer, you get lost in this web of lies and deceit, and In the end you have a bunch of things, but have accumulated no real wealth. You begin to lose sight of what you initially wanted in the first place, which is true peace and happiness.

As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life. 1 Timothy 6:17-19

Your Good Deeds
Your good deeds purify your gold in heaven. The more good deeds you do, the more pure your gold becomes. We are the Lord’s gold, and sometimes we have to go through the fire to be purified, but we come out gleaming, when we keep our faith, the light of christ shines through us brighter than you can ever imagine, and his peace dwells within us.

Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.
Matthew 25:40; NIV

Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
Mathew 6:1 NIV

You can have all of the faith in the Lord, but without acting upon your belief, it is not helping anyone, not even yourself.

Your Personal
‘Happiness’
Bank Account
You have an opportunity to deposit and withdraw happiness each and every day from the choices you have whenever you interact with someone else. No matter how big or small, your words and actions can be a withdrawal from your account by saying a negative comment, or making bad decision. You can have a deposit into your account, by picking up the trash, or helping a stranger across the street.

When it’s time to go, you'll never see a moving van behind a hertz. You don’t take anything with you when you leave here, except the relationships and good deeds you have built. And most of all, your good deeds can earn you your treasures, waiting for you in heaven, that will allow you to step through those gates.

God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.
Hebrews 6:10

All of your efforts will be worth more than you know. Every effort of righteousness is a deposit into your everlasting happiness account.

The minimal amount of time that we spend on this earth is nothing compared to the eternity waiting for us in Heaven.

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OPEN THE DOOR, HE IS WAITING; 4 min. read

3/18/2018

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GET TO KNOW GOD + UNDERSTAND HIS WORD & PROMISE = PEACE

Have you ever had moments in your life where you’ve asked yourself “What am I doing here? What is my purpose? The unrest you feel, any anxiety or restlessness you may have, can all be answered through the wisdom and knowledge you gain by getting to know Jesus and God.

The Bible Is Our Helpful Guide
For example; I’m sure that everyone has a family member that has ordered a complicated piece of furniture, or a toy, or even a car part that they tried to put on or put together themselves, without reading the directions. And they wind up with 12 random pieces left, and a part that doesn’t work, or at the end it doesn’t look like the picture, and they say “what the heck just happened?” That’s like trying to get to know God without reading the bible.

We pray when we don’t know what to pray for. We live, when we don’t know how to live according to what he wants us to do. It’s all right there in the bible, explained. And in the end, we look and say, “what the heck just happened”?

When our life is a mess, or when we’re in a bad relationship or bad situation, we don’t understand, but if we only would have read the manual, it would have explained exactly how we can fulfill our individual purpose intended for us by God, and find that true peace in our life.

The bible (the old and new testament) is full of every scenario possible, the good and the bad, in order to help guide you on the right way to react, act and live in order to reach your full destiny.

Get To Know God
God is waiting for you. He wants you to know that he’s always here, waiting for you to get to know him. The bible is an introduction to God.

If you’ve never met someone before, and they’re not physically in your state or even in your country, the only way to get to know them, is by talking to them, or by texting them, or by emailing them back and forth.

So if that person doesn’t have a video camera on their computer, or on their cell phone, and you have to text back and forth, the only way to get to know about them is reading their texts, or reading their emails.

That’s God’s text and email for you. Throughout history, with each person in scripture that heard his word, God was reaching out to make sure that who he is, through his word, would be heard, read, and understood. It is an introduction on how to get to know him, how to navigate through this life and all of life’s situations, and to get to know the path he always had intended for you.

Find Your Permanent Peace
Real joy is knowing that God has your back 24/7. Real joy is knowing that his word protects and defends you.

We are always looking for that perfect vacation spot to get away from the craziness, hustle and bustle. Then you think you found the perfect vacation spot, and you go there and it’s beautiful. It’s a little bit of tranquility, but it doesn’t last. Soon you are on a plane back to your day to day.

Jesus Christ lasts. When you get peace through Jesus Christ, it’s a constant, even during the crisis, you will feel peace through Jesus Christ.

You might even get a temporary peace through a massage or from watching a movie; it’s a minimal quick fix. The only permanent fix, the only permanent way to feel a peacefulness every day and every night, is knowing that he’ll bring you through it. Once you get to know the power of his word, and how his word can help you, then you’ll want to get that peace through him.

Learn His Word
“Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.”Proverbs 30:5 KJV

Get to know God, read his words. His word is his blessing for you. His word is spiritual food for your soul that will explain your comings and goings, your beginnings and your endings, in a way that will guide you in all things. It is up to you to decide, you were given free will, and this is your time to make up your mind what you will do. Will you get to know God? Will you continue to look the other way and live in this world? Getting to know God should not be controversial. It is simple. Either yes or no. Man complicates all things. There is no grey area here. God is here, waiting for you. You will feel it in your heart. You will hear him speak to you through your heart, and you will know.

If you’re too afraid to even open the bible up because of what people think, or you are too afraid to get to know God because of what people may say, then you’re allowing them to steal your right of free will, to learn and understand God’s word. And by doing so, denies you the ability to have Grace from God.

God’s word is a powerful sword that both protects and defends us.It is his gift of armour for us to live in this world. It says in Ephesians 6:17 that the word of God is your sword. “Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” NLT

And in turn, we are from God, and our words have power in them too, if we give our trust to the Lord, and when we speak, if our heart genuinely believes what we are saying, then our words will hold true. What you choose to think and express to people each day, has a lasting effect when you leave the room. It can either uplift and motivate, or push down and defeat someone. Those words leave behind a trail of either righteousness or deceitfulness, and God allowed us to have that free will to choose which path we want to follow.

God’s word created the universe - so why not read his word and understand the power he’s graced on you;

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.John 1:1-3

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. HEBREWS 4:12

Stop Making God Wait
Imagine I’m sure there’s people out there with kids, and you want the best for your children. And you see them continually making mistakes finding the wrong people to hang out with, making bad decisions in their life that causes them to not have peace in their life, that causes them friction, or problems, or lands them the wrong job etc. Overextending themselves monetarily, whatever it is, you want your child to have peace, so you want to give them your opinions on how they can find a better person, a better job, a better way to use their finances, and that helps somewhat, but you’re their parent and that’s what you want, you want the best for them.

God is our parent and wants the best for us. The peace he gives us is everlasting.
It’s not a temporary fix until the next problem comes up, it’s everlasting.

He’s Waiting For You
He’s sitting there. Jesus is standing behind that door, shaking his head, thinking to himself;

“How much more frustrated do you have to get? How much harder does your life have to get? How many more wrong people do you have to go out with? How many more wrong decisions do you have to make? How desperate do you have to be to finally open this door and come to me?”

Just like parents, or your spouse, or anyone that loves you, Jesus wants you to have peace in your life, and he has the only way to give you that peace in a permanent way.

He Will Guide You
He will guide you to the jobs you’re supposed to be at. He will guide you to the places you’re supposed to live, the people you’re supposed to be with, and as long as you continue to do what he wills you to do in your life, you may not be rich in worldly things, but you’ll be rich in peace, in love and in joy.

It’s Up To You;
You Have To Open A Door To Let Him In

"Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends”. Revelation 3:20 NLT

Each one of us has a choice to walk away, or to get to know God. No one is forcing anyone to get to know God. It needs to come from your own heart.

God wants you to learn him on your own, if you want to know him. Just like a parent wants their child to love them, God wants us to love him, on our own, our free will to choose to love him, which in turn, will bring us the peace we long for every day.

So what will you choose to do? Because in the end, the choice is yours. Just know that God and Jesus are always there, waiting for you.

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