Category Archives: Thoughts

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Confession From Romans

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I am dead to sin and alive in Christ.
Sin is not my master, for I am not under the law, but under grace.
I am free from sin and a slave of righteousness.
I will exult and triumph in times of trouble, and rejoice in my suffering knowing that it is working patience in me.
I am not condemned.
Because I am led by the Spirit of God, I am a child of God.
His Spirit bears witness with mine that I am his child.
I am an heir and a joint heir with Christ.
I will suffer with Him and be glorified with Him.
The suffering of this present time are not to be compared to the glory that will be revealed in me.
I will wait with patience and composure for those unseen things I hope for.
God causes all things to work together for my good, because I love Him and am called to His purpose.
I am predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ.
God is for me, so no one can be successfully against me!
I am convinced! Nothing can separate me from the love of God!

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What Will Your Harvest Be?

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“Then I heard a strong voice in heaven, saying, Now it has come, the salvation and power and kingdom (the dominion, the reign) of our God and the power (the sovereignty, the authority) of His Christ, the Messiah; for the accuser of our brethren, he who keeps bringing before our God charges against hem day and night, has been cast out! And they have over come (conquered) him by means of the blood of the Lamb and by the utterance of their testimony, for they did not love and cling to life even when faced with death-holding their lives cheap till they had to die [for their witnessing]. There for be glad (exult), o heavens and you that dwell in them! But woe to you, o earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in fierce anger (fury), because he knows that he has [only] a short time [left!].” ~ Revelations 12;10-12 Amplified Bible

As we begin the new year, 2014, I can’t help but get excited about what is happening in the world. Things are getting bad, and from the pulpit we hear things like, “this is a time of harvest”, “a time of release”, and “what has been sown will be reaped.” For some the harvest will be death and corruption. Or as Hosea says in 8:7a “For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind…” But it means that all of those who have gone before us and planted the word of God, planted love and mercy, and those of us still planting and watering, will be bringing in a harvest of souls! The harvest is ripe! Pray for workers, but be one yourself!

The devil is full of fierce anger! Why? Because he knows that his time is short! How do we come against his fury? By the blood of the lamb. It has already been shed. The work on the cross is finished. That blood brought us back into right relationship with the Father. We have our authority back. We can declare God’s word and His will and it will come about. We also overcome by the word of our testimony. Tell yourself how good God is, remind yourself of the things He has done for you. Then tell anyone who will listen. In fact tell those who seemingly aren’t listening. Time as we know it is speeding up. Just like Christmas comes up so fast every year, the end is fast approaching and will be upon us quicker than we think. Do we want to leave all those deceived souls in the enemies camp? Or do we want to go in and bring them out? Bring them to the Father’s love. To the sacrificial love of Jesus.

A football team can’t continue to win if they only defend their goal. They have to go out on the offensive and take the ball, then run and fight their way through enemy territory to get the score. It’s the same way with the family of God. We may be assured of our place in heaven, but God forbid we are content with that and allow so many countless others to suffer an eternity separated from the Father’s presence. So they may be reaping what they sowed, but didn’t we all sow some of those same seeds at one time? Thank God, in His mercy and compassion that He didn’t make me bear the fruit of my sin! I am no more deserving of heaven than any of those others who perish in their unrepentant state.

It’s time to stop worrying about what others may think. Be bold, (not rude), and share your faith. Help others, be generous, slow to judge, quick to love and cast off all self-righteousness! We aren’t better than them! We just have a better Father.
So this is a year of harvest. What will your harvest be?

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If you read my last blog about an attitude adjustment, you may have noticed some things that need changing. It occurred to me that I left you hanging… So, let’s say we need some adjusting, how do we go about it? First, repent. Ask God, and anyone else who may have been a witness to your bad attitude, to forgive you. That is always the first step to change. Next, you have to choose to change the way you think and speak. Before church, thank God for your Church Family, your Pastors, leaders and those who serve. Be honored and thankful that you get to serve yourself, (if you aren’t ask if you can, volunteer.) Ask God to help you serve with His Joy. Choose to go to church because you love Him and look at your service as an extension of that love instead of a duty or obligation.

We also need to change the way we look at others. When a negative thought comes in, before you blurt it out, cast it down and replace it with something positive. It may be hard at first, but even if all you can think of is “they have nice shoes”, then so be it. It’s a start. Never despise small beginnings. At work, be thankful for a job! Choose to see your employer as a vessel that God chose to use to bless you financially. Remember, your boss didn’t start that business to provide for you- he started it to provide for himself and his family. He has just accepted your request to work in exchange for an agreed upon amount of money. You can’t get mad because he drives a jag and you a pinto. He has all the headaches that come with owning a business and the responsibility. He also made all the investments to get the business up and running. Respect and honor your bosses and supervisors at work. Refuse to participate in the grumbling and complaining. Pray for those in authority over you. Not a “change them” prayer but a “change me” prayer.

Ephesians 6:5-8 “Slaves, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as to Christ; not by way of eye service, as men-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart. With good will render service, as to the Lord, and not to men, knowing that whatever good thing each one does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether slave or free.”

When you adjust your attitude, with God’s help, you will see great changes. You will have more joy, have more patience, less worry and stress. You will love people more, hear God clearer and you will definitely be more fun to be around!

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Need An Attitude Adjustment?

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We tend to think of an attitude as a bad thing. We commonly hear parents of teenagers saying things like “he has an attitude”. But we can have a positive attitude or a negative attitude. We can have an attitude of gratitude or a complaining attitude. We can have an attitude that changes the world for the better or one that will change it for the worse.

Many things can affect our attitude… but only if we let them. Because, truthfully, our attitude is our choice. We may not be able to control everything that happens around us, or even to us, but we can control how we react to those things. We might even start out with a good attitude, only to find that it has gone sour somewhere along the way. How can we rightly judge our attitude? It’s always easy to see someone else’s, no always so easy to determine our own.

Matthew 12:34 says, “For the mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart.” A great place to start is to listen to what you are saying and before we can speak it out it goes through our heads first. So our thoughts are even more important, but usually it is easier to listen to our mouths as a starting point. Are you a “negative Nelly”? Are you quick to find fault in others, yourself, with your job, your finances…the weather? When discussions come up about changes, a new project or plans for the future, are you the one saying, “it will never work.”

Our attitude also affects our service to God. Over the years, I have seen many people (including myself) who have committed to serve in some way, greeting, ushering, or maybe working in the nursery, wanting to help out and be a part of the family, only to hear them speak negatively about it down the road. It started with the comments (or thoughts) of “I’d like to stay home today, but I have to usher again,” Next comes the “I greeted three times this month, can’t someone else ever do it”, and before you know it they become dissatisfied with almost everything. Those comments are red flags for an attitude adjustment. When serving becomes your only reason for attending church, instead of a genuine love for God, His word, and fellowship, you’re in trouble. If we don’t get our attitude right, soon we will be dropping out of serving, feeling burnt out and resentful, feeling like we don’t have a reason to go to church anymore. I’ve seen individuals and whole families fall victim to this bad attitude. Serving God, in any capacity is an honor, not a duty, obligation or a drudgery. The motivation has to be love.

It can be the same at your job. If you are working just for a paycheck, your attitude can quickly go south. You’ll think the hours are too long, the pay isn’t enough, your boss is selfish and the other workers are lazy. God hasn’t put you in that job just to provide for you financially, but so that you can be a light and show the love of Christ. Be a blessing to your employer. Set an example, work hard,(Christians should be the best workers in any job). Otherwise you will start to join in the complaints, maybe even become disrespectful to your supervisors or boss. This attitude doesn’t glorify God and eventually you will quit or get fired, or worse yet, just live a grouchy unthankful life.

“Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.” (Colossians 3:23). Sounds pretty simple. We should help others, at church and in our personal lives. Make hats and mittens for the homeless and don’t complain about the cost of yarn or shipping (that one is for me). Serve in the church , joyfully, gratefully, knowing that you are blessing others and pleasing god. Be that city on a hill at your job, light the way to Jesus.