Intuition And Belief In Adversity

Intuition can be a powerful ally in sustaining positive belief. Most people intuitively know what is right. Most people intuitively know a positive and hopeful belief is the right belief. However, it is easier to acknowledge the negative and to believe the worst rather than acknowledging the positive and believing in the best. When facing every adversity and when facing every obstacle, you have a choice. You can choose hope and believe in the best or you can choose hopelessness and believe in the worst. Any belief fostering hopelessness has to be eliminated or you face the consequences of making the adversity far worse than the adversity already is. Negative beliefs can be, in themselves, more dangerous and devastating than the adversity or obstacle faced. Because positive belief is such a powerful and overwhelming force, a positive belief certainly can and many times often does become biology within your body and life. If you steep our heart, mind, and soul in negative belief, your negative belief can become a part of your body. If you steep your heart, mind, and soul in positive belief, your positive belief can become a part of our body. Here is an example of belief in action. Experts or doctors play God when they tell you that (a) you only have a certain number of years to live, or (b) you will always have a condition, or (c) there is nothing you can do, or (d) all you can do is live with it. In total truth and in total reality, all the expert or doctor is able to do is give you only a mere opinion about how long you have to live, only a mere opinion about whether you will always have a condition, and only a mere opinion about whether there is anything you can do about a condition. If you believe the negative expert or doctor as if the negative expert or doctor is God, your negative belief directly impacts your life, your body, and your health in a negative and sometimes disastrous way.

Victory Over Circumstances

When we learn to live from the inside out rather than from the outside in, we can live with and conquer any kind of life circumstance.

The outside circumstances are the sources of darkness, suffering, and pain in our life.

We can deal with these outside forces by living inside ourselves.

We can deal with the forces of darkness, suffering, and pain by recognizing the inside part of us is the only place from which the Light can come, because inside of us is the kingdom of Heaven.

Faith and Courage

Having faith requires courage. Sometimes in our lives, walking in the dark takes courage. Sometimes we need the courage to travel on paths we have not trod before. In our life, we need the courage to act in situations where there is no earthly possibility of an action being taken. Sometimes we need the courage to yield everything to God when we want to keep everything to ourselves. In Hebrews, the apostle Paul talks about the life of faith, and Paul tells us in Hebrews 11:13 the Old Testament patriarchs lived by faith. All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth.  Living by faith takes a form of courage because when we live by faith we extend ourselves outward by trusting in God. Living by faith is what we must do. We live by breathing and in the same way, we must courageously live by faith because faith keeps us alive in our spirit. We live by eating food and drinking water and in the same way, we must courageously live by faith because our faith gives our spiritual nourishment. We live by residing or seeking shelter and in the same way, we must courageously live by faith because our faith gives us shelter from the storms of life.

Need For God

How important is theology when your mother, or father, or sister, or brother, or uncle, or cousin has just been taken away and thrown to the lions in front of thousands of people? How important is theology when thousands of people will laugh and have a good time while watching your loved one be attacked and torn apart by wild animals? The early Christians needed God in ways we do not understand today. What is so amazing is that they hung onto the faith and the promises of Christ during this time. Look at the attitude of the mass of people in the world today about Christ and their attitude toward the church. There is no way to compare where people are today in their need for God and where the early church members were in their need for Him. You need God, but do you know it? If you do know you need Him do you tell Him?

Opening Your Heart

You can think or say the words "Lord Jesus, please come into my heart." However, just because you say these words does not mean that you really mean them. Too often, people want Christ in their hearts solely for an emotional benefit for themselves. To have His love in you and to sense His presence you must open the door of your heart. Your reason for opening the door of your heart must not be connected to you and what you need. Your reason for opening the door of your heart must be because you have seen the Savior, that you love Him, and that you are willing to surrender all you have and are to Him. You can think or say the words "Lord Jesus, please come into my heart." However, just because you say these words does not mean that you really mean them. Too often, people want Christ in their hearts solely for an emotional benefit for themselves. To have His love in you and to sense His presence you must open the door of your heart. Your reason for opening the door of your heart must not be connected to you and what you need. Your reason for opening the door of your heart must be because you have seen the Savior, that you love Him, and that you are willing to surrender all you have and are to Him.

Where The Line Is Drawn

When do we know where and how the line is drawn between being the victims of our own sin and being victims of Satan's power? The reality is, there is no real difference because Satan is working to make us the victim of our own sin AND to make us one of his victims. We can say we refuse to be a victim but saying is one thing and actually freeing ourselves from Satan's grip is another.

To free yourself and erase the line, here are the priorities:

1. Christ must be your savior

2. You must receive Him as your savior.

3. Everything you are and everything you own must belong to him and to Him only.

4. You must live for him and not for yourself.

Instead of a new house, a new boat, or a new car, some of your money ought to go toward building the kingdom of God. Some of your money should go toward some kind of Christian ministry.

Time To Grow Up

For every person, whether Christian or not, it is time to grow up spiritually. It is always a time to mature, for all of us have room to grow. All of us have untapped spiritual potential. For all of us, it is time to get off the baby bottle. In growing spiritually, there is good news and there is bad news. The bad news is you may live your life on this earth and always be poor, sick, downtrodden, meek, humble, and a failure in the eyes of the world. The good news is that in the eyes of Christ, you can be poor, sick, downtrodden, meek, humble, and a failure in the eyes of the world and still be His most important lamb on earth. The good news is that no matter what the exterior appearances of your life might be like, God's presence changes everything in your life from the inside out. No matter how your life appears on the outside, you can still be full of the love of God. No matter how things appear to others, you can still be happy, fulfilled, and overflowing with joy. The sufferings of life may take away some of the joy for the moment, but God's eternal joy remains. The poverty of life may grind you down for the moment, but the eternal wealth of God's love remains forever and ever. The devastation put upon you by Satan may empty your heart for the moment, but the fulfilling love of Christ fills your heart for eternity.

Actually Knowing The Will Of God

1 John 2:17---The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.

You know right from wrong because you know His will.

You have always known right from wrong because of deep, deep, down you know His will.

There is so much to know about the Lord.

Never deny His will for you, even when you want to be in denial.

Never escape His will for you, even when you want to escape.

Never run away from the truth of His will, even when want to run away…even when you already know His will deep within your soul.

Never think there is a mystery about His will when there is no mystery because you know His will already.

DEAD CHRISTIANS

For reasons no one may ever know, a woman, who enjoyed a lively form of worship, went one Sunday to a very staid and formal church. As the preacher reached the end of his first prayer, she said quietly but firmly, "Amen, Lord. Amen." A deacon who was in the same pew leaned over his wife's lap, and whispered, "Lady, please try to control yourself! We don't allow that kind of thing in this church!" However, no sooner had the next hymn come to a close, when the woman shouted, "Amen! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!" The deacon quickly leaned over his wife's lap again. "Lady!" he hissed, "You must quiet down immediately or LEAVE!" "Oh, I really didn't mean to DISTURB," said the woman, "but I'm just so HAPPY since I found the LORD!" "Well, you may have found the Lord," hissed the deacon, "but I am quite certain you did not find Him HERE!"

TIME TO WAKE UP!!

Words Of Encouragement...

Philippians 2:1-2--- If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.

The words for your life and faith today are love, encouragement, comfort, fellowship, tenderness, and compassion. Strive to be this kind of person with this kind of character. The benefits to you and for God are enormous. Speaking words of love, encouragement, comfort, fellowship, tenderness, and compassion are important. What is more important is being and exuding these words in the way we act and live. When we are these words, Christ is glorified.

Winning Over Trials And Circumstances

 Psalm 18:35--- Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath holden me up, and thy gentleness hath made me great.

Circumstances in our life can bring us intense suffering. However, we can win out over suffering if we give thanks. How can we live in terrible circumstances of suffering and still give thanks? We can all give thanks for the gift of life itself. No matter how difficult our present life might be, we can give thanks for the opportunity to live, breathe, and work for Christ to serve others. The greater our trials, the greater the opportunity we have to achieve His victory. When we give thanks, even giving thanks in the darkest of moments, we have already won the victory. Even when we cannot see past pain's devastation, we can rest in Christ's assurance knowing all things will work out for His glory if we fit our life into His plans. If we believe we have no power over pain, we believe a lie. We have power over every circumstance of suffering when we use our suffering to give thanks for our ability to give to others. Our present difficulties can be overcome when we use our faith to bring Christ into our life by giving thanks in suffering.

Releasing God’s Love

Luke 17:21 …the kingdom of God is within you."

Romans 5:5---And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

Just as God is within you, so is love. Have you ever felt empty inside? Have you ever felt you would never feel love? The truth is you have all the love you could ever stand to have or ever stand to feel already within you this minute. You contain this minute all the love any person could ever experience. Within your heart, mind, and soul, there is an infinite love transcending every explanation of how or what love is. Within you, this instant is a love going to the outer reaches of our reality. This love within you keeps on going forever and ever into infinity. God's love is infinite and the center of His love is in the center of your heart. When you are hurting and broken for all the reasons people have hurts and brokenness in their heart, you can get the hurts healed and brokenness fixed by releasing the love that is already bubbling within you and waiting to be released.

IF GOD SHOULD GO ON STRIKE

How good is it that God above has never gone on strike, Because He was not treated fair in things He didn't like, If only once He'd given up and said, "That's it, I'm through! I've had enough of those on earth, so this is what I'll do: I'll give my orders to the sun cut off the heat supply! And to the moon give no more light, and run the oceans dry. Then just to make things really tough and put the pressure on, Turn off the vital oxygen till every breath is gone!" You know, He would be justified, if fairness was the game, for no one has been more abused or met with more disdain than God and yet He carries on, supplying you and me with all the favors of His grace and everything for free. Men say they want a better deal, and so on strike they go, but what a deal we've given God to whom all things we owe. We don't care whom we hurt to gain the thing we like; But what a mess we'd all be in if God should go on strike.

Bad Times

Everyone has bad times in life. No one is immune from adversity. For some people, the adversity may come late in life and these people are devastated. For other people, bad times surround them at birth and adversity follows them for life. It is critical we all understand bad times fall on a person's life regardless of their race, creed, economic status, age, or origins. We must never expect the good times to roll on forever. We must never expect good times to come to us and stay forever. For if we expect the good times to roll on forever, we will be in shock when disaster strikes or bad times fall upon us. Our willingness to admit bad times do happen enables us to prepare our heart, mind, and soul in advance for what may come. Indeed, the person who prepares in advance today for the bad times in the future has a decided advantage when bad times fall. In addition, the person who prepares in advance for bad times has a greater sense of well-being and security during good times because necessary preparations have been made. We must not delude ourselves into thinking everything will be comfy and cozy in the future. A construction manager in parts of the world where bad weather strikes should prepare in advance for bad weather conditions. A person who needs to fight traffic jams every day should prepare for their adverse traffic by leaving at an appropriate time. Knowing bad times may fall does not need to make us unhappy. Knowing and preparing in advance for adversity can give us peace, happiness, and security no matter what happens to us in the future.

The Love Of Jesus

●The love of Jesus heals the wounds left when we have been abused and mistreated. Nothing hurts as bad as seeing or experiencing abuse at the hands of others. For many people, nothing makes people angrier than seeing abuse. For many people, nothing makes people want to forget they are a Christian more than seeing abuse. However, striking out at abusers do not heal anyone. In circumstances of abuse, healing is needed, not more violence in the face of abuse. The love of Jesus can even heal the wounds left by abuse.

●The love of Jesus heals the wounds and pain we feel when we make mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes. Sometimes we make big mistakes. Sometimes others get hurt by our mistakes. Sometimes we have to live with our mistakes our entire life. However, the love of Jesus minimizes the pain from our mistakes

●The love of Jesus turns our heart to His way while turning our heart away from going our way. The love of Jesus calls us to surrender and open ourselves to Him. The love of Jesus helps us get through the day without fighting.

●The frustrations of life can make us angry. However, the love of Jesus heals us and keeps us from lashing out at others.

A Fix For All The World's Problems

Our lives are plagued by problems, adversities, and challenges which often seem never to end. In many cases, we can adjust to and work around our adversities. We can even get a cure for what ails us in our life. We could even get a cure for what ails everyone in the world. However, what would be changed if all the problems and ails of the world would suddenly be made to go away? Would there be no more war or could war come again? Would there be no more poverty or would poverty reappear? Would there be no more pain or would pain come again? Would there be no more darkness or would darkness come again? Tragically, even if we solved all of the world's problems today, tomorrow the old reasons for the present problems would begin eating away at us and all the problems would return. The old problems would return because what the world does not need is a quick fix to problems. What the world needs is a permanent fix for our hearts and souls from the hand of God…the hand of God delivering His healing Light…the hand of God seeking to touch us with His Love. This hand of God, this hand full of so much love, did come to us, but we nailed this hand to the cross in the most tragic crime we have ever committed.

Look For Small Positives

Looking for small positives is not a matter of thinking positively in negative circumstances. Looking for small positives is an attitude that helps us seek out the best opportunities and the best resources in every setting. If all we ever see is the negatives, we end up reacting only to the negatives. If we look for small positives, we have an opportunity to use the small positives to our advantage and use the small positives as a resource upon which we can build. Our life is filled with small positives but when we are in a negative frame of mind, we too often do not even look for the small positives, let alone see them. You cannot build upon a negative circumstance as easy as you can a positive circumstance. Most often, a negative circumstance requires time and resources to turn the negative into a positive. Negative circumstances like mistakes require fixing if fixing is possible. Positive circumstances not only require no fixing, but positive circumstances can be used to overcome those matters, issues, and events that are negative. In your life, you can do great things with your positive attributes, your positive talents, your positive traits, and your positive abilities. Your positives are your assets. Your negatives are your liabilities.

Speeding

Speeding

Have you ever been driving and not paying attention to your speed until you noticed the Officers lights flashing in your rearview mirror? Here are a few excuses that have been given by motorist who was speeding.

•My gas pedal got stuck.

•Don't I get a couple miles per hour over when I'm taking my grandchildren to the airport?

•I didn't know I was speeding because my lights were off.

•My speedometer is broken.

•I had a bee in my car.

•I've been drinking and I wanted to get off the road quickly.

•I am driving my friend to the hospital. He has alcohol poisoning. (The driver was also found to be intoxicated.)

•(After crashing) I put high test gas in my car and it caused me to lose control. (He was also found to be intoxicated.)

•I'm trying to catch that UFO. Will you try to catch it for me?

•I get 10 extra miles per hour in the fast lane.

•I'm wearing shoes that are really heavy and they make the gas pedal go down more.

•My doctor gave me the wrong medication.

•I'm headed to a divorce proceeding and if you met her, sir, you would understand why I'm in a hurry.

•I just got my license back after having it suspended and I'm not used to driving.

Many are speeding spiritually also and never take the time to slow down and enjoy their Christian life. Even Jesus slowed down from time to time notice what the Scripture says about that. Mark 1:35---And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed. If the Lord needed to do it don’t you think that you do too?

Changing The World

We do not always understand why God does what He does or how He does what He does. When we look at the world and see what the birth of Jesus in humble beginnings did for the world, we begin to get just an inkling of how God’s wisdom and love work in our life. In a worldly sense, you would think Mary and Joseph would have deserved better than a stinking cave where livestock was kept. In a worldly sense, you would think the king of the world should have been born in the world’s largest castle with hundreds of thousands of people standing by for the news. In a worldly sense, you would think the birth of Jesus should have set off some kind of beautiful revolution that changed the world in an instant with no pain and no suffering. However, in the worldliest way of looking at how things make sense, the world does not make sense. In the worldliest way of looking at the world, the world has gone insane. In our insanity, God is always trying to change the world from its insanity to sanity by the love brought to the world by a baby being born to simple people, in a stinking cave where livestock was kept.

A Breaking

Not Getting What We Want

Every person is born with a sinful nature. In addition, Satan has the power to make you want or even crave material things.

We too often confuse the power of evil or the ways of Satan with our not getting what we want in material things. If you are suffering because you did not get a new material thing, it is not Satan who is making you suffer, it is your greed, avarice, and love for things causing the suffering. If you are suffering because you did not get a new material thing, you are suffering because of your sinful nature. Your sinful nature causing your suffering can be eliminated when you surrender all you are to Christ. Satan does not always have to work to get you down by not giving you material things. You can get yourself down when you do not get what you want. In addition, you cannot come against Satan and use God to get your material thing. However, you can break the deadly grip of wanting material things by giving up all you are and giving up all you have to Christ Jesus. When you live totally for Christ, the deadly grip of wanting material things is gone. You are then free. You are then living a life of victory and dominance.

Our Mission

When we fully believe the love of Christ heals all wounds, then our life and our church become an instrument for God and of God. When our life and church becomes an instrument for God and of God we have a mission for God. Each of us has a part to play in helping people lead better, fuller, more holy, and more devout lives. When we fully believe the gospel, great things start happening. Tragically, we don't have more people in the Christian faith. Even more tragic, we don't each have an individual mission we have accepted from God. In the Southwestern United States, during the region's formative years in the 1800s, a mission was both a building and also a group of missionaries. Can you imagine the impact and excitement a little group of people could have in your city or neighborhood if everyone in the group had the zeal of a missionary? Another definition of the word "mission" is the meaning associated with a course of sermons and services designed to quicken the faith and zeal of Christians or to convert unbelievers. Who gets quickened today? Religious fire and fervor sometimes come out in a church service with a lot of vocalizing of Amen's and hallelujahs. But the fire and fervor of the Christian faith must also come out in what the church does in the world. The evangelical fire that only stays in the church sanctuary does not help the work of God as much as letting the Light of Christ's love burn brightly in the world outside the church walls. Love must be taken to others who are not in church. Our mission should be to let Christ's love burn within us outside the church walls.

QUESTIONS

I asked God to take away my pain. God said, no. It is not for me to take away, but for you to give it up.

I asked God to make my handicapped child whole. God said, no. Her spirit was whole, her body was only temporary.

I asked God to grant me patience. God said, no. Patience is a by-product of tribulations. It isn't granted, it is earned.

I asked God to give me happiness. God said, no. I give you blessings. Happiness is up to you.

I asked God to spare me pain. God said, no. Suffering draws you apart from worldly cares and brings you closer to me.

I asked God to make my spirit grow. God said, no. You must grow on your own, but I will prune you to make you fruitful.

I asked for all things that I might enjoy life. God said, no. I will give you life so that you may enjoy all things.

I ask God to help me LOVE others, as much as he loves me. God said... Ahhhh, finally you have the idea.

A Handle On Life

Life for many people is like riding a raft down a river without any poles or oars. For many people, life runs to extremes. The circumstances of life can be like riding on raging rapids or like being stuck in a stagnant pool with no movement. An essential truth of life is that either you control life or life will control you. There is, for many people, no choice over their circumstances and they have no voice to express their pain. An eighty-five-year-old person in a nursing home, it would seem, has few choices about life. However, there are a few choices a person confined to a nursing home can make. A nursing home resident can love God, love others, and pray. The reality for every person is that if you don't have a handle on life, life will handle you. There is always a choice about how you will be. You may not have a choice about what you do in a circumstance, but you do have a choice about the kind of person you are. You may be caught on a raft on a raging river with no control over where you are but you can control how you respond to that circumstance. The great tests of life are the tests that require humility, courage, love, compassion, mercy, and forgiveness. You control the result of your test. You pass or fail based upon what you desire. You have a choice about being a child of God. You have a choice about loving God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your might. You have a choice about accepting Christ into your heart and life.

Controlling How You Live

Although we do not control where or when we die, we can control how we live and what adversity in life does to us in the meantime. The idea of taking charge, of taking on life rather than letting life take on us, is not so revolutionary an idea on the surface. However, the idea IS revolutionary underneath. The idea of controlling our life is revolutionary when we take charge of our heart, our mind, and our soul. For many of us, our life seems to be controlled by powers and forces beyond our control. We do not control our aging. We do not control some of the issues we face in our health, in our relationships, in our finances, or in many of the other aspects of our life. However, if we want to do so, we can control how we respond to what we face in life. We can control whether we respond with despair or with hope. We can control whether we respond with weakness or with power. We may not control many of the exterior circumstances of our life. We can control our interior circumstances. We always have a choice in controlling our life. We always have a choice every minute over how we will and can respond to every circumstance.

Finding Hope and Security Now

In the adversity of life, we can and do ask… "How can I be secure where I am? How can I feel like good things will happen when everything has always gone bad? How can I find hope and security when life has devastated me so?"

In response to these kinds of questions, we must remember things change and times change. As Christians, we can look over the horizon knowing the paradise of God waits to receive us. All human beings and all living creatures come to an end. In addition, with us coming to an end, so will our pain, hurt, disappointment, and sorrow as we sail upward to our new home in heaven. Moreover, when things are at their worst, we can always take charge enough to go to God. In God, we find rest from the turmoil and strife we must endure. God is a shelter from the storms of life if we will only go to Him and trust in Him. Trusting in God may not change your circumstances on your outside. However, trusting and having a hope in God changes everything on your inside. There are many things on the outside we cannot change, but the inside is God's territory or kingdom. He will rule there if we give Him a chance and learn to keep out of His way as we go His way.

Psalm 9:18---For the needy shall not always be forgotten: the expectation of the poor shall not perish forever.

From Possibilities to Events

Psalm 139:16-17--- Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!

When we see possibilities in the tough times of life we can act upon these possibilities.

Possibilities can become probabilities when we act on the possibilities.

Then, when we act on the probabilities these probabilities can become certainties.

We can make things happen when we see this chain of events going from possibilities to probabilities, to certainties, and then we act upon the possibilities.

When we see the chain of events and the connections, our level of expectation can reach its highest point.

Possibilities can become certainties in our life because we have an intangible substance within our heart and soul called faith.

Real faith in the Light of God and the Light's tender care for us is a positive expectation grounded in the certainty of our human experience.

Real faith in the Light of God's tender care results in a positive expectation so strong even impossible circumstances become actual events.

Being The Light

Matt. 5:14---You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.

It only takes a tiny light to illuminate the darkness. In scientific terms, darkness is nothing, light is something. Darkness is the absence of energy. Light is the presence of energy. In your life, no matter who you are or where you are, you carry the energy or spirit of Christ to all those around you. That spirit is passed on from person to person, illuminating the darkness of their lives. If we could track it, your transmission of Christ’ spiritual light could be traced as traveling all over the world. When we face reality, each of us is critically important to God. We are important because we are His way of getting His love into the world. God’s love is best delivered by you, in all the ways you can think up, in all the ways you can create, in all the ways He leads you. You carry the torch of the Love that sustains all that is. Too many of us do not want to believe we could ever be this important, but we are. If those of us who love the Lord deeply were to disappear from the earth, what would be the effect? You know the answer. If those of us who deeply love the Lord were to disappear, what would be the effect upon our friends, co-workers, contacts, and family members who remain? You know the answer. You are indeed "the light of the world." Let it shine.