Tag: purpose
Breaking Away From They
As you start your day, your week, your mission, this new season, be sure that what you are laboring for is also laboring for you!
If you’re a bit sick to your stomach from all that is going on around you and a bit heavy laden from what lies before you on that never ending “to do list”, rest assured that all of us are also feeling very much overwhelmed.
While this pandemic is by all means relentless, we must not forget that the love of our heavenly Father is far more relentless and that He is mighty to save.
How can one be saved though if they refuse to call out for help?
How can we go on about our daily lives in fear, while pretending we have it all together?
This happened every year when they went to the Lord ‘s house in Shiloh. Peninnah would say bad things to Hannah to cause her to cry.
Then Hannah would not eat anything. Hannah’s husband, Elkanah said to her ‘I do not know why you are crying. I do not know why you are not eating. You should not be sad. I am better than 10 sons.’
One day they were at Shiloh. They had finished eating and drinking. Hannah stood up. Eli the priest was sitting by the door of the Lord ‘s temple. Hannah was very, very sad. She cried very much and she prayed to the Lord.
And she said a promise to God. She prayed, ‘You are the Lord Almighty. See how sad I am. I am your servant. Remember me and do not forget me. Please give a son to me. If you do that, I will give him back to you for all of his life. Nobody will ever cut his hair
– 1 Samuel 1:7-11
All the times you think you are waiting on God He is actually waiting on you…to speak up!
God cannot address the sorrow, the pain, the bitterness or the confusion we choose to bury down in our hearts and try to block away from our minds.
The enemy is a thief and a liar, but sometimes it’s God that allows us to walk though unpleasant circumstances in order to provoke us to reach our breaking point.
The point where, like in the above passage, Hannah finally reaches after years of being provoked and prevented from properly giving her sorrow over to Lord.
The point where we ourselves stand up and open our mouths to confront Him about things that have been weighing us down.
We cannot stay in the place we are or operate the same anymore and shout
THAT’S ENOUGH!
God…
“I cant do this anymore!”
“I want to know why my friend is sick?”
“Why did my family have to go through this?”
“Why is all this happening to me when I had it all together?”
This direct confrontation with Him about our private pain, sorrow or rage not only brings us back from self reliance and back into His arms and protection, but it allows us to be honest with ourselves about the things we often try to distract ourselves from, but then wonder why things never seem to change.
A direct confrontation with what is holding us back is what will allow us to walk forward into Gods promises over our lives.
We must ask God to use our suffering as a seed. The fruit that grows from sharing our story with others does not go to us it goes back to God where in belongs.
He gets the credit not us and His people seek His face not the strength of us or other people.
Asking God to relieve you of your circumstances so that you can feel better about your own works or to spare your ego will leave you unanswered and in turn resentful.
I too am very familiar with what it is to be priority challenged. Sometimes, actually, most of the time, I find myself easily getting lost in the world’s whirl wind of distractions.
Now more than ever it is critical that we focus on today and that we begin to
Break Away From They
“They” are those that tell you it is hopeless or you never will.
“They” are toxic relationships or friendships that block you from spending time with God so He may reveal to you the mighty purpose He has on your life.
Today, no matter how small it may seem to you in comparison to the big mess our world Is in, make sure that you make it a priority to do something to
Break Away From They
“They” being old patterns of your own behavior that have you stuck on settling.
Most of us work so hard at anything to try and feel alive and that we have a bigger purpose. We often toil in vain and are only left feeling drained and defeated while doing a whole lot of nothing at all.
There is no peace without purpose and there is no purpose without a plan.
As we walk through this season let us ask the Lord to restore in us our passion and reveal to us our purpose.
Let us never stop praising Him in our progress and loving one another in our pursuit of breaking away from they.
To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily.
(Colossians 1:29 NKJV)
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In All Seasons
We worry, fear, stress, and feel alone. If we are in the hands of God, creator of Heaven and Earth, why then wouldn’t we trust He knows our needs?
God loves us so very much, we are included His workmanship.
Next time you feel like you have no purpose, consider the One who gave you one. Consider the power, the wisdom, and love of God. He is always the same, never changing. Although we may change, our circumstances may change, and as the seasons change, God orchestrated it all from the beginning. We need to trust Him not our own understanding.
We may be small, but our God is bigger than our problems!
For more inspirational photography visit my photography blog, My Moments
Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day. (Genesis 1:5 NKJV)
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen (Ephesians 3:20 – 3:21 NKJV)
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The Harvest
It is so very important for us to remember who we are and why are here. Many people are so lost and unable to see that we are not here by accident or for no reason at all. We are part of God’s very powerful, very purposeful and very real design.
The people who walked in darkness Have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, Upon them a light has shined.You have multiplied the nation And increased its joy; They rejoice before You According to the joy of harvest, As men rejoice when they divide the spoil.
For You have broken the yoke of his burden And the staff of his shoulder, The rod of his oppressor, As in the day of Midian. For every warrior’s sandal from the noisy battle, And garments rolled in blood, Will be used for burning and fuel of fire.
For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
(Isaiah 9:2-7)
Just as the farmer sows seeds, tends to his crops with care, and in time reaps a bountiful harvest, our time here should be taken very seriously.
God has placed us here to tend to the work of Lord who is the Lord of the Harvest.
As we go through the various seasons of our lives we can rest easy knowing that He has given us the promise of reaping an eternal reward for our efforts in the Lord’s absence and in His Name. We all have a place in service for Him, we all have the opportunity to partake in the harvest, but there are many people who will refuse to work.
We are each seeds planted here by God:
We are to nourish ourselves with the Word, grow in our faith and spiritual maturity in order to bear the fruits of the Spirit. Like the seasons of the year to the seed, our lives should repetitively consist of growing, maturing, enduring, and bearing fruit in Jesus Name.
MAKE EVERY DAY COUNT!
DON’T WASTE YOUR TIME OR TAKE IT FOR GRANTED
THE ONES WHO ARE IN THE FIELD WILL PARTAKE IN THE FEAST WHEN IT IS TIME FOR THE HARVEST. THE ONES WHO REFUSE TO WORK WILL BE LEFT WITH NOTHING TO EAT
-BRANDON HEATH- THE HARVESTER
“But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable. And He said to them, “To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables,
“so that ‘Seeing they may see and not perceive, And hearing they may hear and not understand; Lest they should turn, And their sins be forgiven them.’ “
And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? “
The sower sows the word. “And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts.
“These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word’s sake, immediately they stumble.
Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.”
(Mark 4:10-20)
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A Silent Film
Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!
(Psalm 46:10 NKJV)
So many times we think we must say or do things in order to understand or hear God’s voice.
Silence is often the most effective means of both hearing and worshiping our Creator and simply observing nature in itself boldly testifies to His love and tender care for what He has created, ourselves included.
In a non stop world sometimes it’s necessary to JUST STOP. Let God show you who He is.
The video below plays a huge part in this message so I encourage you to stop, listen, and allow God to show you.
“Think not thy love to God merits God’s love to thee; His acceptance of thy duty crowns His own gifts in thee; man’s love to God is nothing but a faint reflection of God’s love to man.” -Francis Quarles
“My heart resembles the ocean; has storm, and ebb and flow; and many a beautiful pearl lies hid in its depths below.” -Heinrich Heine
“Say well or be still.” -Unknown
“The slender capacity of man’s heart cannot comprehend, much less utter, that unsearchable depth and burning zeal of God’s love towards us.” -Martin Luther
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Chasing The Light
“Man is not born to solve the problems of the universe, but to find out what he has to do… within the limits of his comprehension.” -Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
Life has a way of kicking us when we are already down.
So many people are suffering in so many ways.
Whether we are sick, tired, stressed, lonely, lost or living in fear… all of us are searching.
We are all trying desperately to see the point in the midst of our pain.
We say to ourselves “There has to be more to all of this than the bills, the stress, the pills, and the tears”
The truth is that there is a very real, very unique , and very powerful purpose for each and every one of our lives.
There is an order to the chaos, a remedy for all that ails us, and a light at the end of our long, dark hallways.
God is not absent when you feel like you are all alone. He is listening to you when you call out to Him, He loves you regardless of if you love Him back.
The real question here is “Do you love Him back?”
Working in retail I see first hand the hundreds of people who are downright miserable.
I see people angry and greedy during this holiday season instead of being grateful or taking time to rest and be with their loved ones.
It has never been whether or not God is there for us, but rather are we even available to Him?
We cannot chase paper or people or status and expect to feel validated. We cannot choose to remain in our current circumstances and wonder why we have not progressed.
We cannot pretend we are in invincible yet negate the only One who is.
God loves you more than you can even try to understand.
Life is tough, but what exactly are you living for ?
If we settle for what the world offers, or fixate on what it takes away, then I would suppose that is why so many self medicate, walk around resentful or harbor ill will for its creator!
If we chase after the light of our lives, the source of our being, then we will find just that!
Are we really wanting that light or are we too lazy look for it?
If you are searching for the dark then I’m afraid it has already found you first!
Don’t give up your purpose on purpose.
Regardless of what life has become for you, with God you are unstoppable.
Pray for not just the things you want, but for the you that you want.
Don’t let your circumstances dictate your future. God is the only one with that power and we are fortunate to know that He loves us so much.
When you feel overwhelmed or irritated it means you are spending too much time with the World and not enough time with God. Trust Him and step out of your comfort zone!
“A ship is safe in harbor, but that’s not what ships are for.” -William Shedd
Keep running after the light. You were born to shine like the stars are remember, no one is ever so far left that God cannot make them right.
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Spiritual Eclipse: One Foot In The World
There is a light that lives peacefully in a town of darkness. A candle that burns happily in it’s own company while surrounded by show stoppers and candle wax wickedness. The flame of our spirit continues to fiercely flicker, not a bit intimidated by the uncertainty the darkness brings.
Each of us has a very rich nature and can look at things objectively, from a distance, and at the same time can have something more personal to say about them. I am trying to look at the world, and at myself, from many different points of view. I think many poets have this duality.
Wislawa Szymborska
While love kindles the fire of our spirit, God tirelessly protects it from burning itself out and from the winds of change always trying to catch it off guard. The light respects the need for it’s drab counter part, but the dark grows increasingly irritated by the sparkle constantly in it’s eye. Eventually it devises a plan to smother the spirit resulting in what I call a spiritual eclipse.
Jesus continued, “You are from below; I am from above. You belong to this world; I do not. That is why I said that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I AM who I claim to be, you will die in your sins.” “Who are you?” they demanded.
Jesus replied, “The one I have always claimed to be.” -John 8:23-25(NLT)
Duality. I think of it more as complexity. Some say it is a dilemma, but in reality it is war. For everything that is there must also be that which is not. Light and dark, good and evil, faith and fear, God and the enemy. It is impossible to have one without the other and as children of God living in the world, we are prime hosts to internally feed conflict and confusion.
For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. – 2 Cor. 4:6(NLT)
We must realize the light burning inside each of us is that of the spirit of God! There is nothing which can separate us from His protection or warmth of His love. We are all created to face the same challenge which is duality of self and spirit. We all have to try our hardest to burn brightly and confidently in spirit during constant worldly blackouts masked as trial. I can personally tell you the struggle to see in the pitch black of being unemployed is exhausting. If I simply allow God to work instead of always trying to figure things out, I would be led by His light instead of fumbling in necessarily over every obstacle the enemy places in my path to prosperity. The blockages to my blessings are my own reactions to trial and fear. To believe is to receive and it is not possible to believe God and live in fear of the enemy at the same time. We usually sabatoge our prosperity simply because we waste time trying to understands with our finite minds what God only could manifest.
For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone.
Audrey Hepburn
So many of us want to progress, but refuse to change moving forward. That is not how it works. We must be looking confidently ahead and be willing to surrender all fear and whatever else we are asked to by God to leave behind in order to walk into His will for us.
God is the same today, tomorrow, and always despite our constant changing. He will always light our way as long as we do not block His plans out with our own. We remain in the shadow of a self created spiritual eclipse.
The enemy will use every trouble you can imagine to make you forget the peace that God has already given to you with Jesus. Get behind the light and in front of your destiny which God has promised. Embrace what you go through and who you are for the Kingdom. Believe Him when He tells you He loves you in life and In death. You are forever protects and do not have a need to fear.
Allow the shadows to shade you , but never allow them to fade you. Be brave, be blessed, burn bright!
Related articles
- VS by Billy Rood: a world of duality (fashionising.com)
- WakingTimes – Linda George – The Field – And Us – 7 March 2013 (lucas2012infos.wordpress.com)
- Dealing with Duality (wwtid.com)
- Duality (misterinfinite.com)
- Stand Up and Fight Back – Book Review (rebeccaaarup.com)
- A Stealth Spiritual Warfare Weapon Satan Can’t Stand. (greatriversofhope.wordpress.com)
- Demonic Schemes (rebeccaaarup.com)
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Ring Around The Rosie
Ring-a-ring-a-roses,
A pocket full of posies;
Ashes! Ashes!
We all fall down.
Ring Around The Rosie-Wikipedia
Much like the song we sang naively as chidren, our world seems to be singing this same familiar tune today. A song that meant pretty much nothing to me growing up except that I knew I would be getting dizzy, has my head spinning now that I am all grown up!
It is said the song was in reference to the black plague and the decline of the population in the 1880s. If i had known that back then, i probably would have refused to sing it, but I didn’t and sang it countless times while laughing and thinking it was just a silly game to play with my friends.
I found this to be almost parrallel to the way we live our lives in these days. While a majority of people are aware of the meaning of this life and why we dance, there are countless others simply spinning around in circles thinking there is nothing to the song.
God has been extremely patient in dealing with our attempts to shun Him out of society, but He has never been oblivious to our actions and will not be so leanent in holding us responsible for them when the song is over and we “all fall down”
Much of our energy is used in trying to force things which are not meant to be, attain things which are not ours, and rejecting the very things that are available for us to be happy. Now more than ever it appears people are trying their hardest to reject the very source of our existence and the One who controls this song and dance called life.
It is imperative in these times that we are aware of the meaning of the lyrics to the song we sing and understand that we will eventually fall and God will remain. There are no posies to protect us from our own actions and no remedies to the plague we willingly spread in attempts to negate God from what is His.
Do not spin around in circles while others are progressing happily and honestly with faith and compassion. So many of us feel so close to happiness, but ultimately realize we have been getting nowhere for a long time.
This new year is important and so are you! Sing your life’s song to God and let Him manifest the dance! Give others your love and attention, accept it when others love you and above all GET GOD in the process!
We are almost there. Do not get distracted by the tune. Make your lyrics count!!
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Every Party Has a Pooper
Then said the LORD, Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for the which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night: And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more then sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle? (Jonah 4:10-11)
I will be the first to admit that I have, many times, been the pooper of the party. I walked in with a sour attitude and left others with one due to my ungracious heart. It is so easy to feel like the world is against you and when you believe it, it shows in your outward actions. We get caught up in our own head and create a very negative and false sense of reality. We snap at the any and everything, become ungrateful, and there is nothing anyone can say or do to get us to change our mind when we are in self-destruct mode. Very much like walking nightmares, it is probably best to stay far away from us in this kind of mood.
We usually regret the things we say and do in this state once we realize the foolish way we have behaved. I have made many mistakes in life due to my own bad attitude. Failed relationships, lost opportunities, and lonely nights are a few of the results of my selfishness. It is the enemy’s favorite game: You against you!
Jonah is a great example of the contrast between an angry heart and the kind heart of the Lord. Jonah-EBible.com. Our behavior is the the polar opposite of the way God is to us. We forget sometimes how much we are loved and how blessed we are to have the lives we do. The love of God is a great deterrent from mistreating ourselves and others when the enemy picks a fight. The reminder of the grace, the second chances, and the eternal peace we receive from God are enough to knock the nasty right out of your thinking. He loves all He has created from the flowers to your worst enemy and we are to respect that when we go about our daily lives. If He can pity us after all we do then surely we can sympathize for others versus judge them or ignore them. If He can forgive us for the things we do then we can forgive ourselves when we make mistakes. If He values the world and all in it then we are to value what He values.
The next time you find yourself at the pity party, remember the love God has for you and the power that goes with that love. In Him, you are unstoppable. You are intended to be happy, successful, and free of worry in times of trial. He did not sacrifice what He has for failures, pessimists, or haters. He did it for the humble, the honest and the faithful.With Jesus, we all are free of the struggle with the world, but we are the ones who control the struggle with ourselves. Don’t forget who you are and don’t stop others from being who they were born to be either. This life is God’s party. Don’t be the pooper.
Related articles
- The Angry Christian (pt2 – #6 of 6) (j2theblack.wordpress.com)
- Luke 11. Jesus’s Teaching On Prayer. The Model Prayer. Our Lord’s Prayer (bummyla.wordpress.com)
- Party Pooper (scrappysam.com)
- What if Ninevah had not listened to Jonah? (loopyloo305.com)
- Commentary on The Book of Jonah Chapter1:13-14 (studyoftheword.com)
- 2 Chances To Get It Right (mytotallyother.wordpress.com)
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His Fire
“It is a common error to suppose that the Higher Life is a matter of reading, and the adoption of theological or metaphysical hypotheses, and that Spiritual Principles can be apprehended by this method.” -James Allen
God is seeking us out of our comfort zones right now. It is because He knows that He created a masterpiece in each of us, but we hide away. We wait until we think no one is looking before we thaw out the ice around our hearts desires and allow our passion for life to be seen.
God is looking silly! He is always looking! We cannot escape His heart because we are the pulse! We are formed to pulse through this planet and beat so loudly that the frozen and most hardened hearted are forced to crack and feel God’s heart. We are called to all participate in the making of God’s fire. We find the dried wood, the dried out, chaff of this place. . We add accelerant, but God’s love is the fire that furiously engulfs all that is His and purifies it.
Let Him engulf you and burn your strongholds down. He will bring the heat. It is hot in the spotlight. Do not run from refinement. Do not cower away from your destiny.
When the winter comes, do we look to freeze instead of be warm and cozy? No. Does God want us to be warm and cozy? No. He wants you on FIRE and that is anything but comfortable.
Be the pulse of God’s heart and participate in His destiny for your life. It is disrespectful to forget the One who should have let you freeze a million times, yet still asks for your company in the warmth of Heaven. You know what I mean. The coldest of your days when you were locked out in the storm and no one else would offer you even a jacket? He brought you in and gave you tea, wrapped you in His love and slept safely. The days no one even knows about. He is why you made it out before the wilderness could devour you. You remember, so then remember why we OWE Him. We OWE HIM praise because we know we only survived those days because He delivered us! Not because WE did it. Ya right. We would have been bear bait or an avalanches aftermath if He did not tell both to remain in their place.
Favor is not to be confused with freedom. You only have the talents, the treasures and the time He has allowed you to have because He gave you favor. The bears will smell you, but won’t find you. The earth will shake you, but the fresh powder on the mountain will not be allowed to take you. YOU OWE HIM. Don’t crystalize the pulse He created His own heart to beat by. 
