Thursday, December 16, 2010

Take Off The Limits...

“I have seen that everything [human] has its limits and end [no matter how extensive, noble, and excellent]; but Your commandment is exceedingly broad and extends without limits [into eternity.]”
(Psalm 119:96, AMP)
Did you know you can actually limit your life by dwelling on the wrong things and thinking God’s commands are negative? We get pulled into the game that people play that dictates life with limits and that God has an agenda to do nothing but constantly punish you, beat you down! The result for most of us is that we choose to walk thru life with a negative outlook based on what we have heard or think we know. The power of an ongoing relationship with Christ is that Gods commands become liberating, providing direction, strength, hope and wisdom for decision making! In that relationship we find trust, truth and a foundation to build on that is solid. God does His part but we have our part and that, for many of us, is learning to overcome the battle of the mind and conquer the misconceptions and the man-made limits we have placed on our life.
Thus the battle is in the mind, and the enemy knows the capabilities and potential that is within each one of us. We have the ability to be creative. We are people with imagination coupled with ability to use our ingenuity to create. Don’t forget that. Keep in mind, the mind can be a powerful tool. But fill it with negatives and our outlook gets messed up. The challenge is that we tend to gravitate to negative thoughts and in most cases negative people, and we get pulled into a downward twister pulling us in deeper. It is easy to fall prey to this because we move towards being pessimistic rather than optimistic. I find it amazing as I listen to people discuss their journey of life they tend to dwell on the negatives and miss the small but healthy things that can propel them forward. So often, wrong thinking keeps people stuck right where they are. If you think you’ll never accomplish your dreams, then your life will follow your thoughts. If you think you don’t have the talent, the connections or the funds, then you are limiting yourself. We have to remember that God’s promises are forever settled in heaven. His Word stands true throughout all eternity!
Don’t limit what God can do in your life by focusing only on what you see in the natural realm. You have to realize that you serve a supernatural God, and just because you don’t see a way doesn’t mean that God doesn’t have a way. God can bring one opportunity across your path that will launch you to a whole new level. He has his plan in store that can blast you out of where you are and into a place of freedom, positive thinking and abundance. If you’ll shift your focus from this earthly realm and start looking at God’s supernatural realm, you’ll see His unlimited possibilities for your future. Take the limits off by setting your thoughts on what He can do in your life today!

Blessings,
Joel and Terri

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Hope in What???

There are times in all of our lives when things just aren't going our way. Our relationships seem to be breaking down. Our finances take a hit with some unexpected expenses. The job or promotion you've been waiting for is given to someone else. We begin to measure our lives according to things. It begins to challenge what we believe because we get caught in the trap of the material world and what we gain. The weight scale gets out of balance and with Christmas right around the corner and it feels like this season we don’t want to celebrate, it just looks pretty bleak.

In moments like these, you can't depend on your circumstances to encourage you, and you sure can't trust your feelings to pull you through because they are constantly changing. There are truths that we can hold onto—the promises of God that come from the Word of God, not some person making them up—truths that are rock solid. We must make the choice to not allow ourselves to go deeper into a tail spin but re-evaluate the issue of hope!

FACT: In the face of it all, you can hope in God.

Hebrews 6:19 gives you this promise "… hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls" (NLT).

All hope comes from God. His favor and His goodness in our lives give us the ability to expect great things from Him, even when the odds against our dreams are huge. Our hope is not in our abilities or resources but rather our hope is in the Lord. Hope in God is our strength and for me hope in Jesus can be trusted. As I read this passage two powerful words stand out strong and trustworthy. “Strong” gives the impression of capable to sustain and support. “Trustworthy” represents dependable and factual—not a myth but proven.

Romans 15:4 says, “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope”.

The word that stands out is “patience.” What I think of is that I am going through something and I can t give up but patiently press on knowing my hope is in God and I can trust Him. He has the ability to change me or the circumstances! My hope is in him and that is rock solid!

Terri and I know that we are called to plant seeds of hope wherever we are and in whatever we do. We also know that we have the God-given opportunity to plant these seeds in the hearts of people everywhere we go. We must be responsible for our part. The message is not hope in me but our hope is in Jesus!

The message of hope must be shared. This only happens when you and I partner together. We've all got to do our part. Jesus' hope was never meant to be enjoyed alone; it was intended, and will always find its greatest expression, when you give it away. This season let the message of hope be lived out by your actions then by your words.

No one should go without hearing about how much God loves them and the hope that He has for each one of us.

Blessings,
Joel & Terri