Just Continue That Thought...

A thought by Steven Furtick, (2010-09-21) from his book, Sun Stand Still: What Happens When You Dare to Ask God for the Impossible (p. 148). Multnomah Books. Kindle Edition. An unexpected crisis can be such a horrible experience or a tremendous opportunity.  I really believe that this financial crisis that our nation has been going through is a tremendous opportunity for us as Christians to show nonbelievers what a difference Christ makes in our lives.  He is great and He is good.  He can change the circumstance or He can change us in the circumstance if we let Him.  in either way,  I don’t want to waste this opportunity. All of us go through these unexpected tough times.  They are a part of life.  As the Bible says, “It rains on the just and the unjust.”    The difference is in how we view it and how we use it. Margaret and I have gone through, are going through, and will go through tough times.  And our experience h...

A thought by Craig Groeschel, (2012-04-24) from his book, Soul Detox: Clean Living in a Contaminated World (p. 65). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. This is so true for so many people.  They burn their toast in the morning and they say inside, “Well this is going to be a horrible day ”  and with that thought they set out to prove they were right.  All they would have had to do was throw the burnt toast away and start over. My day today was great.  Just like yesterday and the day before.  How about yours?

A thought by Craig Groeschel, (2012-04-24) from his book, Soul Detox: Clean Living in a Contaminated World (p. 64). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. Toxic, negative, put down, angry words tear down relationships.  And up-lifting, reinforcing, positive, encouraging words build up relationships.  If you want to know why your relationship is struggling then you need to check out your own words.  Not your mate’s words but your words. Why are you so negative?  Where is it coming from?  Is the problem in you?  Remember, you have no control over them; you just have control over you and your attitude toward them.  Start saying loving words to them and then see if it kindles a spark inside of you.  As the old song said, “It only takes a spark to get a fire going.”    Now I know this is simplistic but why don’t you give it I try? 

A thought by Craig Groeschel, (2012-04-24) from his book, Soul Detox: Clean Living in a Contaminated World (p. 63). Zondervan. Kindle Edition What a great thing to do.  The world does everything it can to put negative things into our mind especially now at election time.  But what if someone needs an encouraging word; they are just about to drop emotionally so God puts a positive thought into your mind to lift them but you let it pass.  What if you had shared it?  What would have happened?  How would they have felt and how would you have felt? Oh we think we are God’s tool to condemn them because they are so down and we are God’s voice to tell them what they should be or could be doing.  We are too quick to be that kind of person because it makes us feel important.  Maybe that thought is not from God but from our pride.  Maybe they don’t need a critic but a fan.  They may need someone who believes in them, who wants to lift them up...

A thought by Steven Furtick (2010-09-21) from his book, Sun Stand Still: What Happens When You Dare to Ask God for the Impossible (p. 153). Multnomah Books. Kindle Edition. That is so encouraging in our times of discouragment and frustration.  Yes prayer is a place of battle but it is where our faith connects with God.  And there is nothing that we bring to God that is bigger than His capacity. We need to spend more time in looking at who God is in order to have our faith strengthened.  He can do it.  Believe it.  What is it that is bigger than you are?  It is not bigger than HE is.  Just connect to Him through prayer. God is good and He is great.  And He wants to be a part of your situation but He won't force His way on you.  It is up to you to ask Him. So are you going to ask Him?

A thought by Steven Furtick (2010-09-21) from his book, Sun Stand Still: What Happens When You Dare to Ask God for the Impossible (p. 153). Multnomah Books. Kindle Edition. That is a real soul searching thought.  And it leads me to the question, am I timid with God and if I am then why? First of all being timid may mean I don’t really know the person.  I mean, I am not timid with Margaret my wife.  I know her better that I know any other person.  I know how she reacts to things, I know what she likes, what she is good at and whether I can trust her or not.  I know that I can because I really know her.  I am not timid with her and I am not timid with God because I have an authentic relationship with them. Now timidity can also come from guilt on my part.  Maybe I really need Him to help me in a definite way but I have been doing some stuff that I know He has asked me not to do.  That would make me timid. Maybe I just don’t believ...

A thought by Steven Furtick (2010-09-21) from his book, Sun Stand Still: What Happens When You Dare to Ask God for the Impossible (p. 142). Multnomah Books. Kindle Edition. We really don’t realize this or appreciate this but crisis can very much be your friend.  It is in crisis that God can become very real to you because of your great need of Him.  We don’t it seems look to Him in our good times.  We look to ourselves as the reason for our good times.  Success builds confidence in ourselves and crisis kills it but the opposite can be true toward God.  Our confidence in God can grow in our crisis.  He has to do it or we will fail. I remember when 9/11 happened, people came to church seeking God but when the crisis seemed to fade then our need of God also went by the wayside.  Crisis is the enemy of security but the great friend of faith. So how strong is your God?

A thought by Steven Furtick (2010-09-21) from his book, Sun Stand Still: What Happens When You Dare to Ask God for the Impossible (pp. 101-102). Multnomah Books. Kindle Edition. I have been holding for the past few months on to the fact that God is good.  Oh I know and believe that He is great but His goodness makes Him more personable to me.  Do you really realize that as a committed Christ-follower everything that happens to you must first go through God’s goodness?  His greatness changes all the bad that is targeted for you by the evil one, He changes it for your good.  He has to because He is good.  That is who He is.  You say, “But it is bad for me.”   No it’s not, it’s good for you.  It has to be good for you because He is good.  And that fact changes our perspective on all of our life.  So is His goodness real to you?

A thought by Steven Furtick (2010-09-21) from his book, Sun Stand Still: What Happens When You Dare to Ask God for the Impossible (p. 123). Multnomah Books. Kindle Edition. Are you defeated?  Do you feel like a failure?  Do you realize that God has not turned His back on you?  He hasn’t quit.  He is still at it.  He is still faithful in His love for you, His belief in you, His availability to you. Just reach out to Him and grab hold of His faith in you, of His faithfulness, of His being involved in making a difference in your life.  His faithfulness can make something out of your failure.  It just might be an opportunity for a miracle.  So what are you going to do?

A thought by Steven Furtick (2010-09-21) from his book, Sun Stand Still: What Happens When You Dare to Ask God for the Impossible (p. 102). Multnomah Books. Kindle Edition. Have you ever thought about the fact that if you didn’t have confidence in the ability for a certain chair to hold you, then you would hesitate to sit in that chair?   I mean, you might fall.  What if you had that fear about every chair then your fear would make it difficult for you to ever sit down? That would be a very frustrating way to live.  I am at Starbucks right now and I’m sitting in a chair.  I sat down with no hesitancy, no fear because I knew it would hold me up.  I have sat in hundreds of Starbucks’ chairs and not once has one let me down.  I believed that this chair could be trusted and I was right. I believe in a greater measure that GOD can be trusted with my life.  HE has never let me down even when life has thrown some unexpected things in m...