Live on Purpose! (Cont.)

I have often heard Joyce Meyer say that if Satan can’t have your soul he’ll try to take your joy. That is what all the little annoying stuff in life is all about…you get in the car running late and realize you’re out of gas. You just finished preparing a meal and you drop it on the floor on the way to the table. You pull your favorite shirt out of the dryer only to notice a big stain on the front. All these little things can zap your joy if you let them.

Next time something like the above happens just stop and say, “Satan, you will not get my joy!” Realize that God knew this would happen and He has already made a way for you to get out of it with peace and joy. (Psalm 94:12-13) And you may even grow a little in the process! The scripture says submit to the Lord and resist the devil and he will flee from you. (James 4:7) We’ve got to get our resisters back in working order!

Determine right now to enjoy your days. It doesn’t matter what happens. Try this…Come what may, I’ll rejoice anyway!

“Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man whom You discipline and instruct, O Lord, and teach out of Your law, That You may give him power to keep himself calm in the days of adversity, until the [inevitable] pit of corruption is dug for the wicked.” Psalm 94:12-13

^“Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is for one to eat and drink, and to find enjoyment in all the labor in which he labors under the sun all the days which God gives him--for this is his [allotted] part.” Ecc. 5:18

Live on Purpose! (Cont.)

"Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man whom You discipline and instruct, O Lord, and teach out of Your law, That You may give him power to keep himself calm in the days of adversity, until the [inevitable] pit of corruption is dug for the wicked." Psalm 94:12-13 (AMP)

Humm...power to keep ourselves calm...

I heard a great sermon on Sunday. One thing that jumped out at me was the pastor said, "Most of our problems (struggles) stem from a failure to apply the gospel."

I know the Lord has been telling me that when I find myself in a negative mood or acting in a way that is less than Christ-like, I don't always need to get to the bottom of why I feel the way I feel and waste time and energy over analyzing myself. I just need to check my actions against the teachings of Christ and get about doing the things He has called me to.

He gives us power to keep ourselves calm. In the Holy Spirit we have self-control. Let's take the Word for the absolute truth it is...dump the bad attitudes, wrong mindsets, and dishonorable actions, and just do it!

Determine this year to show the power and love of Christ in all you do to all those you come in contact with and not let how you feel affect how you live!

Live on Purpose! (Cont.)

Another thought about not letting the worries and cares of the world (day to day life) choke you…Have you ever started a new job with gusto and excitement and then looked around a year down the road and found yourself bored, stressed, and complaining? Or perhaps you got so draw to a missions outreach and knew with no doubt that God had put this call on your heart, only to find yourself begrudging the meetings, planning, and time it takes. I’ve been there, and I’m sure most of us have.

I know that I know that the Lord has placed a call on my life for ministry. But with any call there is some work to be done, and I know that I will never be completely ready to step into the fullness of that call without the preparation the Lord has in mind. This includes studying, practicing, learning, and much more. One day, again in the kitchen, I was feeling extremely overwhelmed and doing a mental check list of all that I should be doing when the Lord spoke this to me, “Don’t let Satan turn your calling into a burden.”

That is exactly what I had been doing! God had placed a call on my life, but I had become so weighed down by the process that I lost my focus and drive. Soon my “powerful calling” became more like a chore and was just one more thing I was behind on and condemned by. You know Satan loves this! In this state I am no longer a powerful force for the kingdom, but rather a stagnant soul burying myself in a grave of self pity, in too deep to see or reach out to any other needs or opportunities around me. (I am still working on this, but I am much quicker now to stop myself and remember the Lord’s words when I begin to count the burdens instead of the promises.)

You see, every day won’t be a mountain top. Every day won’t be a day of a huge promotion or an exciting opportunity. But if we are truly committed, every day is a day to grow, learn and develop. Every day is a chance to improve and become more prepared for the next great thing the Lord has for us. And because He loves us, the Lord won’t give us the next big thing until we are prepared.

So determine today to refocus. Jump back into your life with gusto! Make each day count and start living each day on purpose! Give it your best and God will do the rest.

“being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6

“And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” Galatians 6:9

Live on Purpose! (Cont.)

Don’t let the worries and cares of the world (day to day life) choke you!

“And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop.” Mark 4:7

Grab a hold of the joy and confidence that is rightfully yours in Christ and refuse to let go. We have to stay on the offense! Be prepared and willing to fight for the life God has for you. Don’t just go with the flow and take whatever Satan throws at you and throw up your hands saying, “Well, there’s nothing I can do. It’s just the way life is.”

We are told to “take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ.” (2 Cor. 10:5) This is active aggressive language. We are told to be alert always. (1 Peter 5:8) We are told to fight with spiritual weapons. (2 Cor. 10:4) And we are simply told not to let our hearts be troubled.

“Peace I leave with you; My [own] peace I now give and bequeath to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. [Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled.]” John 14:27

You simply cannot live your life as a bystander and expect to have victory and joy. Be like my Baltimore Ravens and keep going strong even when things get ugly and the battle gets tough, even if you do make your share of mistakes and it’s not your best day! J Stay focused and keep pressing on. (Phil 3:12) I love my football, but in life we have a greater guarantee. If God be for us who can be against us? (Rom 8:31) We are more than conquerors through Him!

“Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” Romans 8:37

Live on Purpose! (Cont.)

So, more about living our lives on purpose. Let’s not merely get by or get through. Let’s determine to make each day of 2012 count for the kingdom! To this end, here are some verses we can apply each day.

“Cause me to hear Your loving-kindness in the morning, for on You do I lean and in You do I trust. Cause me to know the way wherein I should walk, for I lift up my inner self to You.” Ps 143:8

“UNTO YOU, O Lord, do I bring my life. Show me Your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths.” Ps. 25:1&4

Ask the Lord to order your days and show you how He wants you to spend your time so you are doing the things that are most important to Him and His kingdom.

The Lord wants to help us make the most of our time and He is more than willing to help us prioritize all the “have to’s” in life. The key is to spend time with Him. As we spend more time in his presence His will and His ways become more and more clear to us. Don’t diminish the importance of daily, consistent time with Him. You may think you don’t have time. If that is the case then something is out of order.  Just something to think about…

Live on Purpose!

Ok, we are a week into the new year, and I hope you are finding it fulfilling and energizing. I want to share something today that I hope you will take with you into this year and that will help you get the most out of each day. Live your life on purpose!

There is a trap I often find myself falling into. It is the “just getting through each day” syndrome. I’m sure many of you have been there. You feel as if you are merely fighting to keep your head above water from day to day. Fighting just to stay caught up (or to catch up) and not really making any significant progress in the areas of your dreams, vision, and purpose. But the fact is, once a day is gone, it is gone. Each day is a gift from the Lord, and once we have spent it (or wasted it) we can never get it back. We have to learn to make today count! We have to determine to live with intention and purpose. Live like you mean it!

I was contemplating these things one day just before Christmas. I was thinking about the calling I know the Lord has placed on my life, and how little progress I have made lately. As a mom of a potty training two year old (who isn’t making much progress of her own! J ), with one on the way and a very “active” dog who makes cleaning seem like a never ending task (as he is sure to track in dirt as soon as the floors are clean), I find myself saying, “It is just where I am in life right now. I LOVE being mommy, and I’ll accomplish something once the day to day “stuff” doesn’t consume every second of my day (or at least the part I have the energy for).” Of course I realize this was an easy excuse even before kids. And I know that everyday life stuff will always be there. Once one thing is no longer necessary two more will take its place. So here I was cleaning the kitchen for the 5^th time that day and planning to “someday” accomplish something when the Lord clearly said to me, “Never use life as an excuse for not living!” WOW! And OUCH! J

I have more along these lines but I’d like to stop here for today. Let the above statement soak in over the next few days. Write it on a note card and place it somewhere where you will see it often. We’ll continue with a few more thoughts in this area the end of the week, but for now take some time to evaluate how you are filling your time. Are you wisely spending it, haphazardly wasting it, or sitting down at the end of each day and wondering where it went? (I most often fall into the last category.)

New Year – New Walk

Happy New Year! I hope you all had a wonderful, relaxing Christmas season and that you are ready to dive into the new year ahead. I love the turn of the new year. It is a time for reflecting but also a time of looking forward with hopeful expectation to all the things God has in store for the coming year.

“Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]—“ Ephesians 3:20

In the midst of making your plans, goals, and/or resolutions, don’t forget to stop and ask the Lord if He has any He would like to add to the list! If we fill our minds and our days with the things He would have us focus on, this year, regardless of economic or political climate, will be a year rich in blessing, peace, and power!

So New Year – New Walk…I hope you will take some time as we embark on 2012 (crazy, I know) and think about how your walk with the Lord should be focused this year. Is there a specific area(s) you need to work on? How can you spice it up a bit to help keep your time with the Lord engaging? (A new study, a new location, a new group to grow with...) God doesn’t intend for our time with Him to be a chore. It is not for His benefit that we spend time in His Word. Rather, He has so much He wants to do in and through us that only drawing closer to Him can accomplish. Remember what we tell our kids, “You will be like whomever you hang out with the most!”

So make this year the year of grabbing and maintaining a powerful walk with the Lord. If you’ve been putting it off, this is the perfect time to take the plunge. Make the commitment and get ready for a year of excitement, growth and  adventure that only He knows the full extent of! No more playing at growing. The time has come! Be intentional and be committed. It’s time to grow up in Him and get real about it!

^“Rather, let our lives lovingly express truth [in all things, speaking truly, dealing truly, living truly]. Enfolded in love, let us grow up in every way and in all things into Him Who is the Head, [even] Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).” Ephesians 4:15

“When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tables of the Testimony in his hand, he did not know that the skin of his face shone and sent forth beams by reason of his speaking with the Lord.” Exodus 34:29

May all those you come in contact with in 2012 know you’ve been with the Lord!