Beauty in your life- change your thoughts for a positive outlook
What was the best compliment you’ve received?
What was the best compliment I’ve ever received was when I was helping someone at the swimming pool one day. I grabbed her arm to steady her and said wow, “I can feel an energy of positive light coming from you. You are a very good person.” I wasn’t sure how to respond to that. So I said thank you.
You’re going on a cross-country trip. Airplane, train, bus, car, or bike?
If I were to go on a road trip it would definitely be in a car. When you go in a car. There’s a whole stream of things that happen.
Driving in a car you can create memories, and bond with others in the car. There is always something new to discover that’s unexpected. You have the flexibility to go where you want. The freedom of being able to stop and go on your terms makes it more relaxing. And you can enjoy the music on your own terms.
“The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let you’d requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” – Philippians 4:5-7
I would love to have the peace of God that surpasses all understanding. That Shalom peace that removes everything that the enemy is trying to do to me.
Supplication is an old-fashioned word for requests that is used in old literature. The word duplicate originates from England in the 14th century. It means to pray humbly. Supplication is a request that is made to God that becomes a prayer.
But, supplications aren’t those quick prayers at dinner time or bedtime. In a supplication, we pray until God gives us an answer. It’s a prayer of desperation and prayer of humility.
Humility is crucial to getting our prayers answered. Every time Jesus encountered humble desperate people, He immediately met their needs. In Mark 5 Jesus heals the demoniac. raises Jarius’s daughter from the dead, and eradicates the woman’s bleeding that lasted 12 years. None of these requests were too hard or demanding for Jesus, Ge willingly met them with compassion and power.
When we are humble before God, we acknowledge our sinful condition as well as God’s holiness. Humble people pray with the right motives. (James 4:1-3). We will pray on the behalf of others intercede for other p. We believe in God’s wisdom and timing because we won’t presume to understand God’s overarching plan.
Supplication arms us with the strength and courage to suffer and wait while we ask for relief. If we are truly humble, we ask in faith and continue to believe even when life doesn’t turn out like we’ve hoped. (James 1:5-8).
In Jeremiah 33:3 Jesus says, “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”
And Matthew 7:7-11 says, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”
Here are a few examples of Supplication in the Bible,
We must not silently accept our lack of fruitfulness and somehow justify it as God’s will for us. Imagine if Hannah had said, “Well, I guess I’m not supposed to have a baby.”
As hard as it was Hannah honestly faced her circumstances and then desperately prayer for God to change them. She made a desperate plea that was coupled with her faith in God. Hannah had no place to turn, in her great anguish and grief she cried, “Make me fruitful, or I don’t want to go on. She was at the end. “Give me a child or I will die.
Hannah’s prayer became the pathway to divine intervention. When God is sought I. Desperation, He responds.
We all have areas in our lives where we desperately need to experience a breakthrough.
Who is the most confident person you know?
As I thought about who was the most confident person I know. I can think of a few but only one stands out. That one would be my Pastor,
Many pastors feel confident in their ministry but struggle with their interaction with others. My pastor doesn’t struggle with interacting with anyone. He is self-assured and knows his strengths and weaknesses. is gentle and humble.
Everyone doubts and has insecurities and pastors are no different. And no one is perfect. I’ve seen some pretty self-centered pastors. My pastor is not, he is confident and helps people everywhere. He brings a smile to people’s faces everywhere he goes. He would give you the shirt off his back to help anyone.
I might be a bit biased because I consider my pastor a close friend as well.
We can increase our knowledge of the truth apart from God’s help, but only God can increase our faith.
Faith is a heart belief that we believe to be true with absolute certainty. It is only established with God.
We will “see” whatever we believe. When we know the truth in our hearts, we can “walk by faith and not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7).
When we know the truth in our hearts, our emotions will match the truth we believe, and we will live out this truth spontaneously.
It will require no more effort to live out the truth than it did to live out any lie we may have believed.
God gives faith to each believer. Paul alluded to this faith when he admonished the church saying,
“For I say through the grace that was given me, to every man who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; as God has apportioned to each person z measure of faith” -Romans 12:3
Unless God illuminated our understanding of the truth we can never know it by faith. Paul prayed May” “the God of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him.” (Ephesians 1:17-18).
Unless God does what these scriptures declare, we will never know the truth with out hearts. This is the essence of pure faith.
I always pray Ephesians 1:17-18 before opening the Bible. Without the spirit of wisdom and revelation, we will not hear God speak to us through His Word.
We all have faith, but not all of our faith is pure. God is in the process of purifying
Once our heart belief becomes established, it becomes the source of our emotional state, but it also becomes the lens through which we interpret life. We will begin to see the way God views things from a heavenly perspective.
The same holds true when we believe a lie in our hearts. We will walk by this lie even if we are provided with a logical and rational explanation as to why it is a lie. This is because heart belief will always overcome intellectual belief no matter how compelling or convincing the latter may be.
Some people react negatively to the notion that not all faith is based on the truth. If this were not the case, there would be no need for our faith to be refined. 1 Peter 1:7 says,
“That the proof of your faith, which is more precious than gold that perishes even though it is tested by fire, may be found to result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Yeshua the Messiah.”
When we believe something with our hearts, it becomes our faith.
For example, when I was a child, I had faith in my heart that my abuse was my fault and everything she said to me was true. I didn’t cause the abuse to happen, I knew the truth, but my heart believed the contrary.
It depends on what we believe in our hearts. God designed it to be this way. He created us to feel whatever we believe in our hearts. When we know the truth on our hearts, our emotions will match the truth we believe, and we will live out this truth spontaneously. It will require no more effort to live out the truth than it did to lie out the lie we may have believed.
Doing a reset in our lives is not something we can do with human energy. Only God can produce that kind of transformation.
Someone could make a law that says, “No more hate.” But no law is ever going to turn a bigot into a lover. Only God has the power to do that because it requires an internal change, and only God can change a heart.
We can tell ourselves that we really need to change, but nothing will happen. Nothing will ever happen that will last and has eternal significance with the help of the Holy Spirit.
Zechariah 4:6 says “You will not succeed by your own strength or by your own power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord.”
Just like you can’t turn yourself into a tiger, you can’t transform yourself to be like Jesus. You can’t change your life on our own power. Willpower is it enough.
You didn’t collect your hurts, habits, and hang-ups overnight, and you’re not going to be able to eliminate them overnight either. It takes time. It’s a slow process and on your own you never patience or endurance to finish strong.
Making changes involves a lifelong process that requires the power of the Holy Spirit. As he works within you. God transforms you into who you were created to be.
When God wants to make a mushroom it takes 6 hours, but when He wants to make a mighty oak tree He takes 60 years.
Do you want to be a mushroom or a mighty oak tree? God wants you to grow into an emotionally mature, spiritually strong, happy healthy person.
God is willing to accomplish a radical transformation in our lives, but many people won’t let Him. We need to be willing to let Him change our hearts and minds so that He can heal the broken places, clean out the emotional baggage we tend to drag around with us, and set us free and transform us into a new person by changing the way we think or look at things.
Proverbs 21:1 says, “Only God has the power to change the heart of men.”
God uses the Holy Spirit to change us. The Holy Spirit provides the power, the conviction, and the direction for life change,
What strategies do you use to cope with negative feelings?
I like what Eleanor Roosevelt said, “Great minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events. And the smallest of minds of all criticize people.
I was a horrible negative person for nearly 37 years. One day I decided I wanted to change. I was tired of the dark cloud always following me everywhere I went. So, I decided it wasn’t worth it anymore. I began to respond to negative feelings and situations instead of reacting.
What is true with nature is true of human nature? 95% of the seed you plant is good and 5% is bad. You can trust 95% of the people and the other 5% of the people are crooks, cranks, cheaters, and crackpots. Do you live your life ruled by the 95% or the 5%?
My coping mechanism is quite simple, I tune them out. And if I can’t I ask God to help manage them. While it is impossible to avoid negative feelings or situations completely. It will happen and we will have to deal with it. Offense and discouragement fall into the trap in which we must not fall. The best way is to practice selective hearing.
“Take no heed unto all words that are spoken, lest you hear someone curse you.
We cannot control what people say to upset us, but we can control if we accept or reject it. I did not give people a chance to say something that would give me a negative feeling. I just smile at them and walk away.
What activities do you lose yourself in?
In modern society, it’s easy to get burned out. The busy lifestyle we live is bound to stress us out. The cycle of responsibility and distracts isn’t is exhausting, it can be detrimental to our mental health,
Mental health breaks provide a sanctuary from the stimuli that exhaust us.
The activities that I lose myself in are reading, writing and music. Along with some meditation practices I’ve found that relaxes my soul when I get too overwhelmed.
The Holy Spirit gets a bad rap. He is often referred to as it. He is mistaken for the force from Star Wars. He is confused with a ghost in paranormal activity.
Often times He just ignored or forgotten about. Since he is an invisible spirit, it can be hard to relate to him and his work on our lives.
We know him by name and know that he’s mentioned during a baptism but many have no idea who he is, or how he is at work in our lives, or whether we should even care.
This isn’t a good thing.
It’s important to be clear about who the Holy Spirit is and how he works in your life.
While there is a degree of mystery surrounding who the Holy Spirit is and that he’s not impersonal or strange. You just have to get to know him.
There are 13 characteristics of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity.
The Holy Spirit comes to live inside of us after we are baptized (born again).
This means the Holy Spirit is God, co-equal with God the Father and God the Son.
In John 16:7 Jesus says, “It is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t. The advocate won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you.” (NIV)
God as revealed in the Bible is one and eternally exists in 3 distinct persons. This means each person within the Trinity shares the same divine attributes.
The Holy Spirit is more than a force -He’s a person. As the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit is referred to as “he,”” and throughout the New Testament, he’s referred to as a person, we see this in John 6:33, 14:26; Romans 8:11, 16, 26; 1John 5:6. In these scriptures we can see that the Holy Spirit can be grieved, resisted, and even insulted. An impersonal force cannot do these things. Only a person can.
In John 14:26, before ascending to heaven, Jesus said He was going to send the Holy Spirit to be a counselor like Him. The Holy Spirit is also capable of teaching we see this in Luke 12:12. “For the Holy Spirit will teach you on the same hour what you must say.” Unlike gravity -an impersonal force can neither counsel or teach people the Holy Spirit can do both.
But what in the world does the Holy Spirit do today
There are 9 ways the Holy Spirit works in our lives today. He isnr an idle spectator.
1. He makes known the presence of Jesus
His primary work in our lives and the works today is to mediate the presence of Jesus. All of his works are rooted in his aim to bring glory to Jesus not to himself or us. He leads us away from loving ourselves to loving God and others. He gives us a new purpose to love God and enjoy Him forever.
2. He makes us more like Jesus
There is one important point to make about the Holy Spirit. He is Holy.
In a general essence, the Holy Spirit produces holiness within us.
He convicts us of sin and leads us to be more like Jesus (John 15:8-11),
As with walk with the Spirit and stay in step with Him, he will strip away our love for sin and make us more like Jesus. (Galatians 5:16; 5:25; 5:18).
3. He helps us understand the Bible
A relationship with the Holy Spirit along with the Bible is twofold.
He inspired the writing of the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21) and helps us to understand the Bible (John 16:13; 1 Corinthians 2:9-11; Hebrews 3:7; 10:15).
When it comes to understanding the Bible the Holy Spirit will help us understand what it means and how it changes our lives.
The Holy Spirit will work through our personal reading of the Bible, family, and friends, and especially through the proclamation of the gospel and the Bible (Romans 1:16; 10:14-16).
So ask for the Holy Spirit to help you understand the Bible as you read and study it’s message,
It’s also a good idea if you’re teaching the Bible to family or friends, small groups, or church to ask the Holy Spirit to help your listeners understand the scriptures you are sharing.
4. He calls you to work
The Holy Spirit not only calls people to faith in Jesus, but he calls us to a specific job or task.
This means that the God of the universe will guide us in the vocational decisions we make. Sometimes our life will appear to be a random hodgepodge of loosely connected events tied together, but this is not the case at all. God is directing our steps and guiding our lives – even when it comes to work.
Sometimes the Holy Spirit will supernaturally guide us in the decisions we make. But normally, the Holy Spirit guides us through the ordinary ebbs and flows of life. As you trust God (Proverbs 3:5-6), read the Bible (Romans 12:2-2) and seek godly counsel (Proverbs 11:14) the Holy Spirit will guide you into the work he has called you to.
5. He empowers you for service
This means he enables us to do what we’ve been called to do.
In the pages of the Old Testament, we can see the Holy Spirit’s empowering presence in the lives of Joshua (Numbers 27:8, 1 Samuel 11:6, David (1 Samuel 16:13: and many others, to accomplish what they were called to do.
In the New Testament, we can see he empowered Jesus’s earthly ministry (Like 4:14), the early disciples (Acts 1:8), and the preaching of the gospels (Acts 4:8, 31;6:10, 1 Thessalonians 1:5).
The Holy Spirit is capable of empowering our natural abilities and improving upon them for a special task or purpose. This explains how God is able to accomplish His work through our average ordinary and even rejected members of society. Peter and John were considered unschooled, ordinary men, yet God powerfully worked through their lives (Acts 4:13).
Paul in the Bible as Saul persecuted Christians, yet God used him to teach the gentiles Acts 13:13).
God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise. God chose what is weak, in the world to shame the strong” – 1 Corinthians 1:27).
6. He helps you pray
The Holy Spirit is active in aiding us in our prayer life (Romans 8:26-27).
There will be times in your life As a believer that you may feel inadequate in your prayer life or have no idea what to pray for. In these moments the Holy Spirit will help you when you do not know how to pray for God’s will in a particular situation.
During these times remember to ask for the Holy Spirit to help you in your weakness.
7. He guides us
The Holy Spirit guides us ( Galatians 5:16,25; Acts 8:28; 13:2; 15:7-9, 16:6; Romans 8:14).
He led Jesus into the wilderness, provided direct guidance to Philip, and even later physically transported him (see, Matthew 4:1; Acts 8:29; Acts 8:39-40).
The HolySpirit is at work guiding us on a deep personal level, the scriptures do suggest that we are responsible to cooperate in his guidance by “walking according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:4; Galatians 5:16).
Don’t just pray and wait for a particular feeling- pray and prepare for action.
8. He empowers you for building the church
Jesus is alive and He is building His church
His church isn’t built through political engagement or military might. His church is built through the proclamation of the gospel. Thankfully God hasn’t left us alone in His work. He sent the Holy Spirit to empower our efforts.
The Holy Spirit empowers us to be a witness, and directs our efforts. The Holy Spirit aim is glorifying Jesus abs is fulfilled by Him enabling, guiding, and empowering our proclamation of the gospel.
9. He gives you spiritual gifts
The Holy Spirit works through us by giving us spiritual gifts 1 Corinthians 12:11).
He does not give us these gifts for our personal benefit, either. He gives us gifts for the common good of the church (1 Corinthians 12:7). This means that we receive spiritual gifts for building up the body of the church. He gives us gifts so we may serve others (1 Peter 4:10),
God gives some spiritual gifts, such as tongues and prophecy tongues is a gift is widely confused today because it is so powerful and Satan tried to give misinformation about it. These are given as a sign for unbelievers (1 Corinthians 14:22). At times God will reveal His glory to unbelievers through a supernatural display of spiritual gifts.
The Holy Spirit is not as mysterious as people make it out to be, and is very helpful .
He actively works in our lives by making known the presence of Jesus, helping us to understand the Bible, and calling us to work, while helping us to pray, guiding us and giving us spiritual gifts.
There are 10 keys Bible verses on Spiritual Gifts, they are:
Instead of overlooking the Holy Spirit, we should embrace the attributes of the Holy Spirit and who he is as part of the Trinity and learn to better walk with him.
The Bible says in Acts 2:44-45, “All the delivers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.” No one sacrificed like the early church. The early church didn’t just give their money. They were generous with everything they had.
God doesn’t just give us resources for our enjoyment but to make a differing the world around us. God never blesses us just so we can sit on what we have. He blesses us so we can bless others.
America is so spoiled with possessions and money, yet there are needy people all around us. How many times have you walked by someone in need and thought nothing of it? I know I sure have. I make the excuse I don’t have time or only have a few dollars on me.
There’s a song I love that’s called “Keep it in the Moment” by Jeremy Camp. There’s a verse that says, O Lord keep me in the moment. Help me live with my eyes wide open, ’cause I don’t wanna miss what You have for me. O’ Lord show me what matters.” I heard this morning I thought WoW I am really missing it. I get so busy with life sometimes I am missing what God has for me.
Philippians 2:4 tells us, “Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.” This is the first law of blessing. It must flow outwardly.
When we focus on helping other people. God assumes responsibility for our problems. That’s the real blessing because He’s much better at handling our difficulties than we are.
Luke 6:38 says “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be put into your bosom, For the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”
We cannot out-give God. I can imagine God saying to me, Let’s play a little game, Let’s see who can give the most. But I’m always going to win.” Because the more you bless others, the more I bless others the more He will bless me. And the more I’m blessed by God, the more He expects me to bless others.
We are blessed to be a blessing. That’s an encouraging truth to remember.
While we are supposed to be a blessing and help the needy. The world is becoming a scary place. A good rule to follow is if you see someone in need ask God if He wants you to help them. Following God’s will will keep you out of danger.
Ask Him,
Father God, Do you want me to help this person? If you do give me a feeling of peace.
If you are not at peace never approach the person or situation alone. Is a good rule to follow.
What movies or TV series have you watched more than 5 times?
Answer prompt: What movies or TV series have you watched over 5 times?
1. The Mule by Clint Eastwood
2. The Apostle Paul
3. The Life of Jesus
4. The Longmire Series 1-5
5. The wizard of Oz
6. The Mummy and the mummy return
7. The 10 Commandments
I have completely dropped this word from my vocabulary because my understanding of God and His Word has led me to believe there is no such thing.
You might think I’m crazy – be hear me out
God is in control of everything
The largest overarching theme in the Bible is God severeinty.
God’s sovereignty is a concept that refers to the fact that God is always in control of everything that happens. God’s will is always done.
“Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please” – Isaiah 46:10
Did you hear God speaking saying that whatever He wills to happen will come go be, and because He is God with unlimited power and authority over the universe He created, it will happen.
Everything is under God’s sovereign control.
“The heart of a man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps” – Proverbs 16:9
“Many are the plans in the mind of man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand” – Proverbs 19:21
“Who has spoken and it came to pass unless the Lord had commanded it? “ – Lamentations 3:37
God is in control and makes everything happen. Therefore I cannot say something of a coincidence because nothing happens by random chance.
God has set it up to happen like that. He has made it happen with His ultimate control.
People call something a coincidence when they don’t understand what or why it happens.
From Pity to Praise