Beauty in your life- change your thoughts for a positive outlook
Do you need time?
I break my screen time into this blog which is active time. My active screen time is productive and creative. It’s usually in the early morning hours.
The there is my passive time. This is watching podcasts on things that entertain me, things that really are not beneficial or engaging. I usually do this in the evening.
Time is a non-renewable, finite resource that we can never get back. I choose my time wisely. Managing it effectively is crucial if we want a successful life.
People choose lies over truth because they believe information that aligns with their pre-existing beliefs, and the desire for simple narratives over a complex one. Lies can provide short-term emotional gratification. People can also be influenced by the desire to belong to a group. It can also be caused by intentional manipulation from people who spread disinformation.
Lies can be simpler to understand or presented with conviction, especially in situations where the truth would cause discomfort or conflict.
During the holocaust, it is said that a man by the name Joseph Goebbels, a minister of Adolf Hitler said, “If you tell a lie big enough and long enough people will start to believe it.” It is called the illusory truth effect. Repeated exposure to a lie can make it seem more believable, even if it’s false. The more a lie is repeated, the more likely it is to be accepted as fact.
People may not want to expend the mental energy to research information, especially if it seems easy to understand or popular.
It’s easy to think that only others are susceptible to lies. The search for truth is are rejection of lies begins with us.
We should all become passionate about finding the truth. Questioning everything can lead to growth, innovation, and a deeper understanding of the world.
The Bible commands us to “test the spirits” to see whether they are from God (1 John 4:1). The purpose is to distinguish between the spirit of truth and the spirit of error, because deception is a significant problem in the world. By testing the spirits, we can avoid being led astray by false information or misleading messages.
Satan never directly offers us a chain, but provides a series of links or choices that, when connected, form’s our own metaphorical chains of bondage. It’s not an obvious chain because knowing that we would reject it, instead he provides a seemingly insignificant or harmless choice.
One choice leads to another, and soon a series of bad choices builds upon the first. Through this accumulation of choices, we can essentially build our own chains of bondage through our own actions and habits.
It’s the bait and switch. A strategy that involves over promising and under delivering which can lead us to a place that we never intended to go.
To overcome the chains Satan tries to put on us we must first recognize the lie. One of Satan’s greatest lies is that we can be entirely self-detected without listening to anyone but ourselves.
We must make a conscious choice to listen to God and obey Him instead of satan.
We must resist temptation. Through spiritual disciplines like reading the Bible, praying, and even fasting along with humility we can build the strength to resist the temptations we face.
God gave us power and authority when things bring us into bondage, we can declare the name of Jesus. When we do Satan and his minions have to flee when we humble ourselves before God. Luke 10:19 says,
“I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy, nothing will harm you.”
It is important to remember that Satan uses us to exercise his own power. So, be mindful of the choices you make, because each one can be a link in the chain that can lead to either freedom or some kind of bondage.
What will your life be like in three years?
In three years I hope I will have grown and learned much more than I know now. Without growth and knowledge, the passage of time would be worthless.
Hopefully, I will have learned how to respond better to situations on my journey through life. Every circumstance allows us to reframe our mindset to ultimately make our lives happier.
Many people are focused on achieving fleeting things like wealth, success, or fame. These only provide temporary happiness. I would out of all these things I can work towards personal growth which leads to contentment.
Personal growth is about overcoming our natural tendency to respond quickly to negative situations. Controlling how we respond to any situation opens up a world of possibilities.
There are concepts that are interpreted from the gift of discernment. It’s being able to see past the superficial and recognize what is truly significant.
People who have this gift often include a deep love for God’s presence, a strong sense of truth, the ability to recognize deceit, and peace in the midst of turmoil. This gift is often connected to wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, and a fear of the Lord.
There are signs associated with the gift of discernment like a strong unmistakable craving to be near God, where the person feels most alive, and at peace.
It’s recognizing truth from imitation. The ability to see past deception and recognize truth from lies.
A sensitivity to spiritual realities. It’s an awareness of what is happening in the spiritual world.
They sense the true motivation of a person and recognize if they are genuine or acting in accordance with God’s will. It’s an ability to see beyond the superficial and recognize what is truly significant.
It comes with a feeling of calm and peace when a decision aligns with God’s will, even when it’s challenging. It gives a moral clarity that’s the ability to distinguish between right and wrong and to stand firm on one’s beliefs, even in the face of opposition.
I believe the gift of discernment is crucial as we approach the end of the ages because it helps believers navigate deception, interpret current events in light of biblical prophecy, and make wise God aligned decisions.
Jesus warned of increased deception in the last days. Discernment helps believers identify false prophets, distorted doctrines, and misleading signs, and protect them from being led astray by the “smooth voices” or deceptive spiritual packaging. This is described in Proverbs 3:5-6, which encourages trusting in the Lord and not one’s own understanding.
It can be seen as being burdened by the ability to see and identify good and evil, which can lead to being overly suspicious, judgmental, and ostracized. So, it needs to be balanced with love, honesty, and humility. The curse of discernment is a result of having very high standards.
Invent a holiday! Explain how and why everyone should celebrate.
Let’s imagine there is a holiday called Day of Open Hands. It’s a chance to celebrate humanity shared capacity for kindness, generosity, and connection. A day where everyone practices active compassion through giving, helping, and understanding.
It would be a gift of good deeds, shared food, stories of generously, and gratitude.
The ways of the world can sometimes feel dark and lonely. It seems anymore it’s any more one man for himself alone. No one else matters.
If you watch the news it seems the hate, killing and greed are every where. Until people learn how to be selfless instead of selfish things will not change.
Purchasing power is the number of goods or services that can be purchased with a unit of currency. I remember as a child times were tough in the 1970s. Times of inflation, a stagnant economy and rising cost of essentials caused very frugal households. It was tough in a family of 7 on one income.
My father wouldn’t give money very often but sometimes he would give me 75 cents for a A on my report card and I felt like I was rich. I would run to the corner store and experience real purchasing power. In those days candy costed a penny, and a coca-Cola as a dime. Back then we have greater purchasing power.
Since then I’ve learned that purchasing power can fluctuate. What you could afford with a dollar back then sure isn’t happening today. Many factors affect purchasing power, like inflation and erratic swings in the stock market.
But unlike many, the blood of Jesus has purchasing power that is not affected by inflation or erratic stock market swings. This power does not fluctuate depending on what happens or where you are in the world. The purchasing power of Jesus is the same wherever it goes.
The question is what did Jesus’s blood purchase? Or better yet who did it purchase? According to Acts 20:28, He purchased the church. And, Paul on the eve of his departure from Ephesus he gathered the elders together and encouraged them to “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock. (and), be shepherds of the church of God, which He bought with His own blood.” He warns them of “fierce wolves” who will come in and mislead the people, urging them to be vigilant.”
The Bible reminds us that Jesus purchased of people for His own possession. We understand the nature of possessions. When we purchase something, we expect to take possession of it. We own it. No longer does it belong to the seller. Even when we buy things on credit we don’t really own them. We’re making payments on them, we treat them as if they were ours. We think, “ these are in my possession because I bought them.” The Bible says that Jesus has paid the price for us. He bought us. He owns us. His purchase of His people was not on credit but was paid in full.
The Bible frequently remind us of the nature of our Lord’s purchase, as in which now belongs to Him. In Titus 2:14 and 1 Peter 2:9, the church is called a people “a people His own possession.” In 1 Corinthians 6:19, the church is reminded “you are not your own,for you were bought with a price.”
“What is your only comfort in life and in death?” -Heidelberg
This question rings with the truth of the purchasing power and possession of Jesus. That I am not my own, I belong to my faithful Savior Jesus, who has fully paid for all my sins with His precious blood.
Jesus’s blood has purchasing power, not only to obtain us but also to cleanse us, wash us, sanctify us, and to make us righteous and holy. We must remember that heaven does not deal in dollars, pounds, euros, or even gold or silver. The only currency that is of value in heaven and throughout eternity is the blood of Jesus. It’s the only currency that is going to get us in.
The blood of Jesus has purchased me, and I am His and He is mine forever.
I’m today’s culture, the Holy Spirit is one aspect of God that isn’t often discussed. However, when it is left out of our lives we leave open doors to Satan and his minions. Because the Holy Spirit is part of the Godhead who dwells within us and equips us for battles. When we don’t understand the power of the “full armor of God” we can be left unprotected.
Not only does the Holy Spirit equip us but He also guides us towards achieving the divine purposes that God has for each one of us.
John 14:26 tells us,
“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, he will teach you all things, and will remind you of that I said to you”
The Holy Spirit is eternal, Hebrews 9:14 says,
“How much more will the blood of Messiah, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without defect to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God.”
The Holy Spirit is of promise, Ephesians 1:13 tells us,
“In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.”
The Holy Spirit seizes us out of darkness and purifies us by His fire so that we can have more of God. Have you had those encounters with God where you feel His presence surrounding and consuming you? If you have you know it’s a profound time of peace. When that time passes, we tend to, long for that feeling of power and peace again.
I believe that this encounter doesn’t have to be short-lived. But when we expand our expectation of the Holy Spirit, we can operate in it as a lifestyle. We need to broaden our expectations of the Holy Spirit’s fire.
When it comes to the Holy Spirit’s fire, it needs fuel to stay lit and keep burning. To keep the Holy Spirit’s flame burning in us every day. This requires of fuel of God’s Word and allows the Holy Spirit to breathe God’s Word inti our soul so that it aligns with the Spirit of God within us.
“Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord” -Psalm 150:6
Fire requires a balance between fuel, oxygen, and heat, this is the same for our spiritual walk. And we have a responsibility to balance the elements that keeps the fire going.
If you want the fire of the Holy Spirit to be lit within you and never go out, you first have to know what it’s for and how to use it.
The Holy Spirit guides us to position our souls with God’s Spirit. He instructs us in our faith walk. When we lay down our lives for God, the Holy Spirit uses His fire to purify and cleanse our old ways, making us into a new creation in Jesus.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, old things have passed away, behold, all things have become new” -2 Corinthians 5:17
Psalm 37:4 tells us to,
“Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.”
This verse is about aligning with Him, and the fire will shift your heart and give you all that it desires.
What are your favorite websites?
There are two main websites I go to on a weekly basis. They are mandyinthemaking.com. It is a cooking website from a lady from South Carolina. If I’m looking to fix something new she is my go to. She also does YouTube and walk you through 2 news recipes a week.
My other favorite website is jackhibbs.com. He is a preacher from Southern California. He is down to earth and teaches on biblical authority and Christian living.
Is there an age or year of your life you would re-live?
If I could relive a year I would like to relive age 32.
I could relive it with the wisdom I have now to make better choices and appreciate the things I overlooked.
Through it all I have become at peace with my past. The past shouldn’t dictate how we see our future.
They are there’s a reason the windshield is larger than the rear view mirror.
Would you agree the God knows everything? If that’s the case, then it seems like He could answer every question we ever had about life, and help us win every time. Which He can.
When I talk about being led by the Holy Spirit of God, I’m talking about seeking God for His direction in every area of our life -having answers, making the right decisions, and being the most effective in everything I do. No more wondering or wavering or frustration.
God wants to lead us, in fact we were designed to be led by Him.
Before we were even born, God had s blueprint for our lives. Jeremiah 29:11 says,
“For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
There is a plan for each of our lives, and it’s a good plan. God created us to do good things. And He wants us to do them, even more than we want to.
Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we could walk in them.”
He has promised to lead each one of us into them when we seek and obey Him. There are many scriptures that promise God’s direction we should meditate on these to feed our faith. These scriptures are:
Asking for God’s direction and being led by His Spirit is so worth it. There is nothing better than being in the center of God’s will for your life. His plan is always the best. The key is we have to be determined to be led by God and nothing else. That may sound like a no-brainer, but let’s face it we’ve all been led by other things. We’ve let things like money, circumstances, pressure, and outside opinions make decisions for us.
Instead of being led by those things, we must look at the inside where the Spirit of God lives in us. Proverbs 20:26 tells us that our spirit is the light that shows us the way. That means, instead of making a pro/con list or reasoning things out on our own, we determine to seek God until we understand what He wants us to do.
I can pray and ask God about something and I can feel His spirit (the Holy Spirit) bring peace or upset to me. It’s a feeling I get when I need to do something or not.
When we are led by things on the outside we are relying exclusively on our own natural senses and ideas to lead us. We are trying to make decisions and go in a direction on our own.
Our human understanding is so limited. But God knows everything. Yes, He gave us a brain and wants us to use it, but sometimes His leading and the so-called logical direction don’t match. Always go with His direction. We don’t want to rely only on our understanding because we just don’t know everything we need to know.
I know that I know nothing. That doesn’t mean I lack literal knowledge, but the profound wisdom of recognizing that God knows everything.
From Pity to Praise