Love Is the Greatest Motivator

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pinksherbet/220279254/

"And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith." -Galatians 6:9 & 10

"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." -1 Corinthians 13:13

Do you ever find yourself hunting for motivation some days? The drudgery of life can sometimes make us wonder why we try so hard. Even though some people may have better circumstances than we do, and others may have worse, everyone struggles with a lack of motivation at one point or another. But, what motivation can we rely on that will sustain us through the bumps and curves of life?

When God thought us up before we were born, (Jer 1:5) He knew everything we would need to make the most of our lives here on earth. He knew what we would need to sustain us - He knew what we would need to make our lives count. Most of all, He knew we would need to stay connected to Him, and be sustained by His everlasting love and the salvation of His Son.

Have you ever been in love, or seen someone in love? You'll know that that person will go to any great lengths to show their love to the object of their affection. Love is extremely motivating! Love makes it known that the other person matters to you, a great deal. We feel the most alive when we are in love, or when we feel truly loved by someone we know, love, and trust. How much more are we motivated when we realize that we are the sole object of God's (the author & creator of the Universe) unwavering affection?

Because He loved us, we love others. When we are reminded of His love, we find the motivation we need to serve and bless others with our gifts and talents. Even if we don?t think we have anything to offer, God makes it clear that each thing He creates is valuable - person, creature, or tree. And we are most of all valuable to Him, even more than the sparrows. (Matt 10:31)

Do you need motivation today? Soak up God's promises in His word that He loves you. He wants nothing more than for all of His children to know, receive, and experience His love!

Overcoming Negative Circumstances

"Come quickly, Lord, and answer me, for my depression deepens.  Don’t turn away from me, or I will die.  Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning, for I am trusting you.  Show me where to walk, for I give myself to you." -Ps 143:7 & 8

Sometimes life is hard.  When we go through difficult seasons, we may question God's presence, His goodness, His love for us, or the dreams He placed within us.  "Why on earth would this happen to me, God, if You are loving and just!?" we may ask.

However, this is exactly the posture the enemy wants us to have.  Whenever bad things happen, as they did to Job, the enemy wants to get in the middle and tell us God doesn't love us, He doesn't care about us, and He doesn't have a plan for our lives. He wants us to turn against our God.  These statements are a complete and total lie!

But, how do we get to the truth, when all our circumstances point to the negative?  It may be that we have never known anything besides the negativity that surrounds us. 

First, we need to get in the word, to read what God says about us and our situation.  We need to pray, even if we don't feel like it.  We need to worship, to praise God in spite of whatever is going on - in His word it says that praise is the antidote for heaviness.  (Is 6:13) We need to get around encouraging people.  And most of all we need to believe - to have faith that in spite of any difficulty, our God is still victorious.  We have to realize that we live in a fallen world, and that God does not want us to go through negative things, but He will use them for our good. (Romans 8:28)

Are you going through something negative right now?  Stay in faith, let God be your hope, and even if things don't change immediately stay in faith that God will do what He promised. The answer may not come at the time we expect, but it doesn't change the fact that God loves us, and sent His son to die for us, so that we could live in heaven, eternally with Him.

No Fluff

"Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?" (1 Corinthians 5:6 NIV)
 
Have you ever gotten involved in something only to realize a lot of it was hype? Marketing, promotion, and a lot of people believing in something (even thought it may not be true) can make something into something it's not, resulting in unrealistic expectations and false truth. It's the stuff celebrity obsession and cults are made of.
Jesus understood this leaven, and told people to watch out for it, especially when it came to the Pharisees: Then Jesus said to them, "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees." (Matthew 16:6 NKJV) 

Jesus was always speaking in parables, and sometimes this got the disciples confused. They thought Ge was really talking about bread! But then they finally understood He was talking about the "fluff" of the Pharisees. 

If you think about leaven, it's purpose is to puff up bread, making it up to ten times it's normal size. When Jesus was speaking of the Pharisees, he was speaking of the fact that they taught in such a way to make themselves look bigger, to make themselves look better and more important than they really were. They highlighted their own importance, which disgusted Jesus, and had the people take their eyes off of God and onto them. 

But Jesus was no fluff. He was the real thing. The unleavened bread the Israelites ate during Passover was a prophetic sign of the coming of Jesus, the true unleavened bread. 

Have you ever ran into "fluff" in your life? Pray that God would help you to recognize it, and stay away from it. God desires we stay humble, and close to the truth, which is Jesus.

We Are What We Think

"As a man thinks... so is he." Proverbs 23:7

 

Have you ever had a hard time with the way you think about yourself? I know I have. Fat, ugly, stupid, never good enough - it seems I've "subconsciously" called myself everything. Of course, those things couldn't be further from the truth! 

In reality, most of us think things that are not true about ourselves, resulting in insecurities, fears, and doubts - doubts about how others see us, about our own lives, and about our futures in God. But do you know what this does? It reinforces the lies the enemy tries to make us believe. We can't expect to ask other people to value our worth if we already think we are not worth anything. They will most likely come to that same conclusion as we have. Why? "As a man thinks, so is he."
 
How have you thought about yourself lately? How have you thought of other people? More often than not, these two are related. If we tend to have a negative perspective about ourselves, then this will manifest itself in our lives. We are a mirror for the world around us. Weird, huh. Don't believe it? Ask a jealous person how they feel on the inside. More than likely, (and I've been there), the majority of the time, they will feel as though they have no worth. 

 

The truth of the matter is, we have so much to offer. We don't need to continue to believe the lies about ourselves that we are without value. What do you have to offer? If you can't think of anything, begin with the fact that you are first a child of God.
"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father... So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." Matthew 10:29-31

 

Don't let the enemy steal your destiny from you. Own your worth in Him today. You'll feel much better seeing yourself through God's eyes.


Faith vs. Feelings

"Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, one of the Twelve. And Judas went to the chief priests and the officers of the temple guard and discussed with them how he might betray Jesus." -Luke 22:3&4

Each of us struggles with emotions - emotions are a part of life.  But, what do we do with emotions when we have them? Positive or negative, emotions are powerful forces that can get us into trouble. Are we going to be run by our emotions - or are we going to run them?

The enemy of our souls can so easily distract us by putting a negative though in our mind, which results in a feeling. Often these thoughts are tied to sore spots where we’ve been wounded in the past. Isn't that just like him? We've got to look past our emotions and into faith.  What does the word of God say? What would Jesus say to us if He knew we were thinking that way?

There are many examples in the Bible where people decided to live by their feelings instead of by faith. The Israelites could not enter the promised land the first time because they were afraid. (Numbers 14:23) David lusted after Bathsheba, and acted on his desires.  (2 Sam 11:2)  Judas betrayed Jesus. These are all examples of Satan's activity, deceiving God's people through their emotions, resulting in inappropriate action. We have to realize that even though our feelings may seem valid, they often lie.

When our circumstances speak of rejection, we must go to faith: God loves & accepts us completely and has a plan for our lives.  When our surroundings speak of fear, we must go to faith: God's word says not to worry, because He loves us more than many sparrows. (Matt 10:31) When the temptation seems greater than we can bear, we must look to Him, applying our will to the measure of faith we’ve been given. (1 Cor 10:13)

Are you living by your feelings or by faith?  I pray that each of us would go to faith, so that we will not be run by our feelings.  God honors those who live by faith.  (Rom 1:17)

POWs

“The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners” -Isaiah 61:1

We have many prisoners of war in the body of Christ today. People are plagued by deception, unforgivness, bitterness, and small thinking.  They feel unable to step into a better future, the “spacious place” the Psalmist talks about in Psalm 18:19.  “He brought me out into a spacious place; He rescued me because He delighted in me.”

There is no doubt that there is a war going on - between the forces of the kingdom of darkness and God’s kingdom.  This battle is for souls, for relationships, and for destinies.  The enemy of our soul has no greater purpose than to see you and I destroyed, never able to be the people God intended us to be.

The enemy wants us, first and foremost to believe the lie that God doesn’t love us, that He isn’t good, and He doesn’t have our best in mind.  He wants us next to be isolated, so we are unable to believe the truth.  And, he wants us to continue believing lies about ourselves and about others so that God’s purposes cannot be revealed in our lives, and we cannot in turn set others free.

There once was a Hollywood executive who produced a well-known movie that my dad and his friend went to visit.  My dad’s friend had a word of knowledge about this executive that he was struggling with committing suicide.  The man became visibly shaken. It was true!  How could this successful executive be struggling with suicide? He was a Prisoner of War - in his mind. 

Is there any area of your life where you’ve been believing a lie about yourself, about others, or about God’s good nature?  Pray today and confess that lie to Him.  He never wants us to feel alone in our journeys - talk to or pray with someone you trust that can help you believe the truth.  It may be that you are the key to unlock the truth in someone else's heart.  God’s desire (and complete plan) is that we are victorious!

“For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves” -Colossians 1:13

My Only Hope

"For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect." 1 Peter 1:18-19

When I was younger, I was really seeking God. I was hungry, and my heart was craving a true experience with a living God. I had grown up in a stuffy church that seemed rather phony to me, and I was looking for something real, something authentic. I would pray to God as a teenager, but I had a really hard time hearing Him or feeling His presence in my life. This led me to check out New Age as a way to extend my faith.

Well, it was cool for a while. They did Reiki and meditation and other things that I thought was drawing me closer to God. It was real, for sure. But at one point at one of the meetings, I felt a dark heaviness come over me. I knew it wasn't what God wanted. I cried out to Jesus to help me, and the darkness went away. I determined not to go back there again.

Several months later, I attended a church where the Holy Spirit was active. I really enjoyed that church, and although I had a lot of "church hurt" to get over I really grew and matured there. I had finally found the authentic faith and relationship with God I was looking for that was real. I really felt God's presence in my life and I could feel it in others. This was the truth.

Today we're called closed-minded if we say Jesus is the only way to heaven. But if I gave someone directions to my house and they got lost because they didn't follow them, what can I do? God sent His son Jesus to die on our behalf, and Jesus is alive for our lives today. The Holy Spirit is active on the earth helping us with anything we may need. He is called the helper. (John 14:26)

Sometimes if all we've experienced is superficial religion we can write Christianity off as counterfeit. But we have to get in a place where the truth of God can be ministered to us.

Do you experience God's presence on a daily basis? Have you felt His activity in your life? Have things happened to you that you know could only be God? If you haven't yet, seek Him out. God says we will find Him when we seek Him with all of our hearts. (Jer 29:13) I know that was true for me.

Weapons of Warfare

“The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” -2 Corinthians 4:10

My dad turned to me one day and said something I had never really thought about before. “You know,” he said, “you have so much at your age that I never had.  It’s like you have a tool belt full of weapons against the enemy.”  He was referring to the preparation I had been undergoing through a series of trainings, and the healing work that God had been doing in my life.

“I guess you’re right!” I said. I knew he wasn’t necessarily saying it so I would feel proud of myself, (although I could tell he was proud.)  He was saying it so that I would recognize the responsibility I had to be able to help others.

The Bible talks about weapons of warfare. It makes a clear distinction between the weapons of this world and weapons in the spiritual realm. The Message version states:  “The tools of our trade aren't for marketing or manipulation, but they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture. Our tools are ready at hand for clearing the ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into maturity.”  

 

What are our weapons of warfare?  They include faith, prayer, grace, revelation, love, and God's truth.  Most of all, they are the things we have been through that God has healed and delivered us from.  Once we have overcome and are healed, we have the ability to speak truth to that obstacle in someone else’s life with authority.  (2 Cor 13:4)

When we align ourselves with God’s Word, we are taking a clear stand between us and the forces of darkness.  However, when we speak of weapons, it's not people we're looking to use them on.  It's the darkness.  So often we make the mistake of trying to shoot at the enemy, but we end up shooting the person he is holding hostage instead.

Do you know the weapons of warfare God has given to you? Let us use these weapons to remove obstacles to God, so that people can live free and unfettered in the saving grace and love of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 

Discovering the Source of Anger

"'Be angry, and do not sin: do not let the sun go down on your wrath..." -Ephesians 4:6

Things happen in life that are bound to provoke us to anger. There are parts of life that are not fair, and there are people who may drive us crazy. Consequently, at some point of time we will be dealing with anger. Anger is not wrong - anger is a part of life. Jesus was angry. He was angry that the Pharisees began selling in the temple. His anger was righteous anger (some may call it jealousy) that the priests turned a house of worship into a house of greed. (John 2:13-17)

When we are angry a lot, or when we become angry in the same type of situation, we'll know there's something more to our anger, something that we may need to resolve. We'll need to check under the hood, as our emotional engine is overheating.

We may be angry due to an injustice or due to bitterness and unresolved hurt. Whatever it is, we need to be cautious that we deal with what is causing the anger, and not let it go unresolved. Some of anger's effects are fatigue, rage, and depression. We can easily hurt or isolate ourselves from others if we let our anger get out of control. "A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." -Proverbs 15:1 Anger is always a secondary emotion. Rarely do people who become angry get to the source of true thing that needs to be dealt with. But, effectively resolving these emotions result in more freedom and peace in our daily lives. God tells us to resolve our anger - because He knows we will experience more freedom as a result.

I know someone who used to have lots of anger. She became angry when she felt like too many expectations were being placed upon her. She grew up in a home with a performance-based mindset, that is, love and acceptance was based on her ability to achieve or believe certain things. As a result, she felt that she would only be loved and accepted for what she did. As a teenager she was really depressed and angry at herself but didn't know why. Later in life she realized she had to forgive her parents for placing so many expectations upon her and and give herself the grace to try and perhaps fail without feeling like it was the end of the world. She also had to learn to set realistic expectations to set herself up for success.

Do you struggle with anger? Pray that God would help you discover the source of that anger, so that you can experience more of His joy, freedom, and peace.