Beauty in your life- change your thoughts for a positive outlook
What tattoo do you want and where would you put it?
What tattoo do you want and where would you put it? I have a tattoo on the calf of my leg. It’s a panther.
I have absolutely nothing against tattoos. But some people don’t have much sense when getting them. If you’re going to get a tattoo put it somewhere you can hide it or let it show. If you want a successful job such as a manager position there is a chance you won’t get hired for that position if you have a tattoo on your neck or face,
Once we believe something with heart, it becomes fixed and steadfast and no one, including ourselves, can talk to us out of it -even when it’s not the truth.
Unfortunately, many people believe the truth of the good news of Jesus, but they have not been persuaded of the truth by the Spirit within their. hearts.
When the Spirit persuades us of the truth of Jesus we have the assurance of salvation and cannot be moved. It would take God Himself to convince us otherwise.
We come to believe all that we believe because someone or something persuaded us to believe it to be true. This is the “Trust and Authority Principle.
Faith from the heart is enduring. Once we believe something with the heart, it becomes fixed and steadfast The steadfastness of heart belief is made evident by our certainty of the Lord’s salvation. When we believe the good news with our hearts, we are made right with God as the scriptures declare.
“For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved” -Romans 10:10.
When we become persuaded of God and convinced of the good news, it is “the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.” Romans 1:16).
Intellectual belief is not saving faith. Intellectual delivers often struggle with feeling assured of their salvation. It is possible for them to be swayed by persuasive arguments, knocked off course by a difficult life experience, and if they don’t feel saved they deny what they do feel and try harder to believe,
They do their very best to “be saved” by trying to believe the good news of the Gospel, but because they have not been persuaded of this truth by the Spirit within their hearts, they lack “assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). When we know the truth in our hearts we have the assurance of salvation and cannot be moved. It would take God Himself to convince us otherwise. When the Spirit has persuaded us of the truth in our hearts, we are confidently assured of our place with God. If we do not believe with our hearts, then we are not saved.
No person or circumstance can ever talk me out of what I believe to be the truth in my heart. I did not decide to believe and become saved, the Spirit convinced me off the truth and as an outcome. I believed.
People who struggle with the assurance of their salvation may want the assurance may want to determine if they have believed with their heart, or they only have a mental assent of the Gospel (good news).
We are persuaded by the truth, not by effort or determination to believe, but because we have been convinced of the truth by someone or something that we trust and know has greater knowledge and understanding than we possess ourselves. This is why unless someone with greater influence than God comes along and convinces me otherwise, I will continue to believe and be assured of my salvation. I believe because the Spirit convinced me the truth of the Gospel.
We come to believe all that we believe because someone or something persuaded us to believe it is true. Everything that we currently believe was because we were persuaded of it. Belief is always the outcome of having been persuaded by some outside force. Once we are persuaded it requires someone or something that we trust and who holds a higher authority of knowledge to talk us out of what we believe.
We can know how to become a believer in Christ with knowledge and study of the. Bible. But, unless God shines His light into our hearts and brings about this belief, we cannot be saved.
We can believe the scriptures with our intellect and still never be transformed by them. Unless God “opens the eyes of your heart,” We cannot have faith. God said, “Light shall shine out of darkness is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 4:6).
If I was to describe myself in one word it would be quirky.
Some try to hide their quirks to fit in with the crowd, while others embrace their unconditional side.
I have a unique fashion sense. I could care let about what’s in style and what’s not. If I like something I’m buying it.
I have unusual hobbies and interests. I like to iron my money. I hate dirty money so if I get dirty money, I try to get rid of it as soon as possible or wash it in the sink. I also hate wrinkled money. So I it on it. I picked up this habit from my Nagymama. She did the same thing.
Most people love television I have no desire to sit in front of the television for hours. Life is short, get out and enjoy it.
I March to the beat of my own drum. Some people act differently for the sake of being different, I am just myself.
I knew from a young age j was not like anyone else. It took me a long time to learn to be myself and not try to fit in with the crowd.
God created everyone differently for a purpose. How boring would it be if we were all the same? And it’s exhausting trying to be something you are not.
How feeding the flesh can destroy you
If you feed a stray can, you know it’s going to come back. The truth is whatever you feed follows you, it comes back to you. The same principle applies to feeding your fleshly desires.
The Bible tells us that feeding the flesh can lead to feelings of bitterness, perfection, addiction, and even anger, which leads to destruction. The fruit of feeding our desires is rotten and can start to destroy us. When we feed our spirit it leads to life, peace, and joy
Culture tells us, there’s time to be serious and settle down. You only live once so live it up. And pursue whatever you want now and don’t worry about the consequences. This is called “present bias.” Present bias favors the rewards today over the rewards of tomorrow.
At the moment, things seem fun and care free. But the longer we do it tho more it encourages us to take risks, doing things we wouldn’t normally do. We can end up unknowingly feeding our flesh that the desires we have leads to potentially destroy us later.
When we only feed our worldly desires it will sooner or later become a problem. They become all we think about.
God wants us to enjoy life, but there has to be a balance of spiritual and worldly.
The Law Of The Harvest
The law of the harvest is you reap what you sow. Whatever you plant will grow. If you feed the flesh, you will reap corruption and destruction.
Galatians 6:7-9 says,
“Do not be deceived. God will not be mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will from the flesh reap corruption. But he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Let’s not be weary of doing good, for we will reap in due season, if we don’t give up.
The word “mocked” in this verse means to turn your nose up at God. Paul cautioned us to think twice about the laws God created for us to live by, and to apply them personally. We might think we are “getting away” with something now, but the law of the harvest says we will reap what we sow at some point.
That you sow a thought, and you real an action. You sow an act, and you reap a habit. You sow a habit, and you reap a character. You sow a character. And you reap a destiny.
Ralf Waldo Emerson
Feeding the flesh generally doesn’t start as a feast, it begins with a little nibble.
A couple of drinks after work can lead to a 6-pack every night, then a 12-pack. And the snowball gets bigger as it rolls down hill.
Pain from the past that’s never been dealt with leads to bitterness and anger that leads to triggers that can destroy friendships, marriages, and even the children and over time that unforgiveness in the heart and you push everyone away.
Paul gives this warning in Philippians,
“Whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame -who set their mind on earthly things” – Philippians 3:19
One thing we shouldn’t be feeding is sin. Feeding sin allows decay and destruction into our lives. Sin is anything that separates us from God. Sin always leads to death. The Bible says that when we choose to sin, though we might not die right away, we open doors and invite decay into our lives.
Being balanced in our spirit and flesh means carving some time out to get into God’s Word and practicing what it says. Hebrews 12:11 says,
“Righteousness and peace are for those who have been trained.”
The training is practicing. Discipline unleashing the power of God in your life.
When you stop feeding your flesh and decide to feed your spirit God releases His power in your life.
We were not meant to run the race of life alone. The church body is here to encourage us and hold us accountable. When we choose God He says “He will never leave us or forsake us.” (Hebrews 13:5).
“Kind words are like honey sweet to the soul and healthy for the body” – Proverbs 16:24
We live in a world with an increasing lack of personal interaction with others. Sure, we may speak to others via text on social media, but we have fewer opportunities to truly be encouraged by the presence and words of another.
Words have more power than we sometimes realize. As children, many of us learned to quote common phrases “Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” While this may be a witty defense it isn’t true. Words are powerful. They have the ability to inspire someone into greatness, to spur someone into action, or to completely crush us.
We all need the life-giving power of encouraging words in our lives. They lift us up when we feel discouraged they keep us going when we want to give up, they touch our hearts and renew our spirits.
“Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs it down, but a kind word makes it glad” -Proverbs 12:25
Anxiety seems to be a daily thing in our normal lives anymore. Most people use social media to take their minds off the anxiety. But it’s just covering up the root cause of the anxiety. We as humans would rather cover it up. Instead of finding a root cause if any issue. Doctors tell us our blood pressure is high and here’s a pill to cover up the problem. They don’t tell you less salt and watching sodium levels on our foods will get to the root cause of your high blood pressure. -too much salt.
If you turn on any news program today, you can become very discouraged. The news commentators spew discouragement because they want you beaten down. It’s important to be connected with people who build us up and keep us encouraged. Who will speak life and truth into our soul, who will remind us of God’s grace and truth when we forget
I have a family member that will only listen to one news station. She is so upset all the time it’s actually very sad. She gets so upset that she makes herself physically sick. I’ve told her instead of watching the news constantly to go take a walk outside or find a hobby,
Encouragement is like oxygen to the soul, and everyone needs it.
We need to try and encourage each other lives. The world is hell bent and bound to discourage us. So, we as human beings need to start encouraging each other rather than discourage them.
It seems social media is good at letting people beat people up they don’t even know because of their political beliefs, or religious preferences etc…. It is appalling to watch.
No matter what we have a ultimate encourages, one who is out greatest fan – The Father God. Through Him we can be remained of His great love and that we His great masterpiece.
“Now our Lord Yeshua the Messiah Himself and our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish you in every good work and word” -2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
We require power to become what God has made us to be, and to live the lives He has called us to live.
Dunamis power is God’s electric power generator. This power is essentially the ability to get things done.
“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you you” – Acts 1:8 (NASB)
The Holy Spirit is the power of God that lives in the believer. He is the same power that raised Jesus from the dead. Dunamis power is “inherent power,” There is divine ability operating within the believer and God wants us to learn to operate in that power.
The power of God within the believer is activated by the Word of God (the Bible). As you meditate and act on the Word in faith, this power is then activated and released.
Ask the Holy Spirit to help you come to the realization that the power of God is inside of you.
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,
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