Love or Anger Rippling Out To Others

1 John 4:19---We love because he first loved us.

Your love or anger touches other persons. When you show anger toward others, anger ripples out across the hearts of others and out into the world. However, when you show love toward others, the emotion of love, so full of light and goodness, also ripples out across the hearts of others. Love ripples out across the universe and into the very heart of God. Every hour we have a choice about who we are and what we do. Every hour we have a choice of showing others love. Love brings joy to God, to others, and to you. Love changes the world because love is God and God is love. Every moment you need to choose to love. Every moment you need to choose to send out the substance of God. We must send out love because Christ loved us while we were yet sinners. An astounding truth is this…you can choose. You can choose to send out God. You can choose to give God away to others and to the universe. God wants you to share Himself. God wants you to give away all He is. Send out the substance of God. Send out God and He will come back to you many times over. We send out the substance of God not because we want something back but because God loved us before we first loved Him.

Keep Your Balance

The food of the heart is love. We thrive upon love. However, where is God's love when disaster strikes, or when we lose a loved one? Where is God's love when we are staring at death's door? Where is God's love when we and those we care about become innocent victims? Where is God and His love when we are alone in our private pain? Where is God and His love when we are besieged on every side by every spiritual enemy? We have all been in places in our life when these questions occur. The reality for most of us is we ask these questions because there are times when His love seems absent. There are times when God is silent when we talk with Him. There are times when it seems God has forgotten us. Many of us have wrestled with these questions for years. The Bible is full of answers for us and most of us know what the answers are. We know in our mind God is with us all the time. However, there are times when we need another way of looking at the way God works. Think of God's presence in your life like training wheels on a bicycle. Sometimes you lean to one side while you are learning to ride the bike and the training wheels keep you from falling over. At other times, when you have your balance the training wheels never touch the ground. In either case, if you are so busy just trying to keep your balance, you are never aware of the training wheels. Many times in our life, we are too busy trying to keep our balance to know or notice how Christ is still there supporting us.

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.