Posts Tagged ‘Freedom’
Tuesday, December 1st, 2009
Do you want to enter your own “Promise Land”?
Are you familiar with the story in the Bible about Joshua and Caleb and their reconnaissance mission into the territory God had led them to, The Promised Land…filled with milk and honey…a land full of promise, opportunity, and safety.
Joshua and Caleb were part of a group of 12 sent into The Promised Land to see if it could be taken as God had promised. The other 10 gave a bad report that instilled fear in the people. They had a spirit of fear, and the ultimate result of their fear-based actions was rebellion among the people and ultimate death of an entire generation; they never made it into and were never abel to enjoy The Promised Land. Joshua and Caleb, who are described as men who had a different spirit (the Spirit of the Lord), were the only two who gave a report saying that the land could be taken just as God had promised. They were the only two of their generation to enter The Promised Land.
Are you a person led by a spirit of fear or are you led by the Spirit of God?
God says of Caleb and Joshua, “because my servants have a different spirit and follow me wholeheartedly, I will bring them into the land they went into, and their descendants will inherit it.” God’s Spirit led Joshua and Caleb; they were not led by fear!
Fear is powerful. It can paralyze us. Many of us fail to enter into our own Promise Land because we have failed to be led by the Spirit and are instead led by fear. Fear prevents us from entering into what God has reserved for us…a life and an inheritance that is exceedingly good. God described The Promised Land as a land of milk and honey. Our own Promise Land is the same, but The Spirit must lead you in.
Romans 8:13-14 says it this way:
“For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.”
To learn more about living a fearless life led by The Spirit, we reccomend the following resource
Tags: Abide, Abiding, Be Happy, Contentment, Courage, Fear, Fearless, Freedom, Happiness, Happy Life, Joy, Living a Happy Life, Obedience, Success, successful career, Victorious Life, Wisdom
Posted in Be Happy, Family | No Comments »
Friday, November 13th, 2009
A very dear friend of mine, after reading the November 11th post, Happy Life and Work Through Sowing Tears, sent me the following message of encouragment from Os Hillman. It is the perfect follow up to the November 11th post; I hope it encourages you to be Happy in life and at work!
“The second son he named Ephraim and said, ‘It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.” Genesis 41:52
When Joseph was elevated to rule over the Egyptian kingdom, he revealed some profound truths gained from the experiences of his years of adversity. He named his first son, Manasseh for, he said, “God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household” (Gen. 41:51b). His second son was named Ephraim because, “God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.”
Whenever God takes us through the land of affliction, He will do two things through that affliction: 1) He will bring such healing that we will be able to forget the pain, and 2) He will make us fruitful from the painful experiences.
God does not waste our afflictions if we allow Him the freedom to complete the work in us. His desire is to create virtue that remains during the times of testing so that He can bring us into the place of fruitfulness in the very area of our testing. He has never promised to keep us from entering the valleys of testing, but He has promised to make us fruitful in them. He is the God who turns the Valley of Achor (trouble) into a door of hope (see Hos. 2:15).
If you are in the valley of affliction, now is the time to press into Him. When the time comes to bring you out of this valley, He will heal your memories and bring fruit from this very time.
Sugessted resource: Fear Fighters by Jentezen Franklin
Will you live in FEAR? Or will you live by FAITH? Fear has the deceptive ability to influence and affect our daily lives and the world we live in. What do you fear most in life? What are the greatest threats facing you? Crime? Violence? The economy? Failure? Death? Eternity? Fear Fighters will help you identify and defeat the very source of fear that threatens you from living in peace and joy. This incredible book will open your eyes, build your faith, and empower you to reach out to those around you with the light of truth and hope.
Tags: Affliction, Be Happy, Build Your faith, Contentment, Courage, Discouragement, Failure, Faithfulness, Fear, Freedom, Fruitfulness, Get out of the pit, Happiness, Happy Family, Happy Home, Happy Life, Happy Marriage, Happy Relationship, Healing, Hope, Joy, Life Crisis, Life Trials, Living a Happy Life, Overcoming Discouragement, Pain, Peace, Prosperity in Affliciton, Success, successful career, Victorious Life
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Monday, November 2nd, 2009
Do you have distractions in your life? Of course, we all do.
Distractions are the poison of life. Thye keep us from seeing and being a part of God’s work in and around us. Author Leighton Ford knew this, so he began a journey of longing and looking for God. And it started with paying attention.
In the pages of his book, The Attentive Life: Discerning God’s Presence in All Things, he invites you to journey with him as he seeks to rid himself of distractions and live the joyfilled, purposeful life God intended.
I encourage you to read this book!
Ford will walk with you, helping you pay attention to God’s work in you and around you throughout each day and in different seasons of your life. He will help you to realize that spending time alone with God, away from the normal distractions of life, will bring you a peace never before experienced. You will learn to abide rather than strive. You will learn to trust God more and worry less. You will learn to hear God’s still, quiet voice and be confident in your focus and pupose each day.
So, If you’re busy, distracted, discouraged, disillusioned, and tired of rushing through each day, you might be feeling disconnected from God, unable to see how he’s working and how you fit into his work. But the way toward him starts with a pause and a prayer with intention and attention and becomes a way of life, awake and alive to the peaceful, powerful presence of God.
I hope you enjoy The Attentive Life by Leighton Ford.
Tags: Abiding, Attentive Life, Balanced Life, Be Happy, Contentment, Discouragement, Freedom, Get out of the pit, Happiness, Happy Family, Happy Home, Happy Life, Happy Marriage, Happy Relationship, Joy, Living a Happy Life, Obedience, Overcoming Discouragement, Peace, Pressure at Work, Rest, Success, successful career, Victorious Life, Work Life Balance
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Saturday, October 31st, 2009
You may have heard the saying “plan the work and work the plan”. It is a great reminder that, in order to experience success, it helps to have a vision and a plan for what you hope to accomplish, to remian focused and committed to your plan, and to be purposeful and intentional in working toward accomplishing the plan.
This adage is most commonly applied in business, but I believe we shoud all consider applying it within our families. Our families need a vision, a mssion, and a plan. A good place to start is to establish your family values, a set of guiding principles that help steer eveyone as they makes decsions about what you do, what you say, who you select as friends, and how you spend your money and time. Below are some examples of family values that I have collected from freinds that will give you some ideas and help get you jump started. You can develop your own (as a family); make it fun, let eveyone participate and contribute, and make sure you have consensus before finalizing. Post them on the refrigerator, on the family bulletin board, and on bathroom mirrors so they are consistently top-of-mind with everyone, and use them when making decisions, and to mentor, coach and discipline your kids. Good luck and remember to walk in love!
Family Values:
- We will love honor and obey God in all that we think, speak, and do
- We will, in humility, love, respect, and serve each other and those around us
- We first listen, then think, then speak
- We try our best in everything we do
- We look for the good in every situation and maintain an attitude of thankfulness
- We will forgive and make every effort to live at peace with everyone
- We take every opportunity to share God’s love and the hope we have in Jesus
- We make memories together
- We keep our family time as a high priority
- We nurture a generous heart by living simply and sharing with those in need
- We invest ourselves in building God’e kingdom
Tags: Abide, Abiding, Balanced Life, Be Happy, Communication, Conflict Resolution, Contentment, Faithfulness, Freedom, Happiness, Happy Family, Happy Home, Happy Life, Happy Marriage, Happy Relationship, Joy, Life Trials, Living a Happy Life, Obedience, Peace, Resolving Conflict, Success, successful career, Thankfulness, Victorious Life, Wisdom, Work Life Balance
Posted in Be Happy, Family | No Comments »
Friday, October 30th, 2009
Lifa and work can get complicated and steal our joy. When that happnes we can’t discover and experience the greatness God intended for us. Here’s a little reminder about maintaining your joy…not letting your circumstances determine your attitude, remembering to pray and move your feet, continuing to chase after our dreams, remaining courageous and perseverant, holding onto our faith, never growing weary of giving and sharing, always being kind and gentle, cherrishing the simple things and moments with friends and family…being who God created you to be!
To be encourged, inspired and comforted, please click on the banner…
Tags: Be Happy, Contentment, Courage, Discouragement, Faith, Faithfulness, Freedom, Get out of the pit, Happiness, Happy Life, Hope, Joy, Life Trials, Living a Happy Life, Peace, Pressure at Work, Rest, Secrets to a Happy Life, Victorious Life
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Wednesday, May 6th, 2009
“Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain.” – Psalm 127:1a
What does it mean for the Lord to build the house? It almost seems a contradiction when we consider that we might be the builders in this passage. God wants us to allow Him to build the house. He explains further:
“Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain. In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat – for He grants sleep to those He loves” (Psalm 127:1-2).
God is telling us there is a way of living and working without striving. There is a way to go about our lives and to conduct business without sweating and toiling for outcome. His warning to each of us is to avoid thinking that outcome is based on our sweat and toil. Outcome is based on faithfulness and obedience. That outcome is sometimes more than we deserve. Sometimes it is less than we hoped for. His desire for each of us is to see Him working in our daily personal and work life. He wants us to avoid looking to our own effort to gain an outcome.
One day Jesus called out to Peter from the shore of the lake and suggested he throw his net on the other side of the boat. It was this simple act of obedience that yielded a tremendous catch that he would not have received unless he obeyed.
We are called to live life and work; He is called to bring forth the fruit. He is the vine. We are the branches. Fruit comes forth naturally from a healthy tree.
Today, ask God to show you when you enter into striving, in your personal or work life. Ask Him to show you the difference between loving trust and obedience and striving for outcome. It can be challenging for us to balance this in our daily life and work experiences. He wants to help us walk in this freedom and rest. when we do this, we will be happier and have immeasurably more peace and joy in our lives both at home and at work.
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The 9 to 5 Window: How Faith Can Transform the Workplace
By Os Hillman / Gospel Light
What happens when we take the Word of God literally and begin to apply it where most us spend 60 to 70 percent of our waking hours? What happens when we move in a spiritual dimension in our work lives as few have endeavored to do before now? Lives, workplaces, cities and nations become transformed by the power of Jesus Christ!
Called the “next great movement of God,” ministry in the workplace is like a sleeping giant that is starting to take the nation by storm. In The 9 to 5 Window, Os Hillman, one of the leading authorities on “faith at work” today, introduces you to the new breed of worker who has gone beyond the status quo to become a transformer. Learn the facts on the current movement, how to bring God’s presence into your life and your workplace, how to transform your life, your workplace, and city. This offer includes a terrific study guide suitable for either individual or small group use.
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Tags: Abide, Abiding, Balanced Life, Be Happy, Contentment, Faithfulness, Freedom, Happiness, Happy Family, Happy Home, Happy Life, Joy, Living a Happy Life, Obedience, Peace, Pressure at Work, Rest, Success, successful career, Work Life Balance
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