The Strength Of God

There’s a story of a runaway with no way home and no way out. I threw the best of me away. I had my chance, it’s too late now. Too far gone and too ashamed to think that you would still know my name. But, love refused to let my story end that way. You didn’t wait for me find myself to you. I couldn’t cross that distance even if I want to. You came running after me when anybody else would have turned and left me at my worst. Love moved first. What kind of grace, relentless grace would chase this rebel down. Crawl into this prisoner’s cage, take my hand and pull me out. You knew I couldn’t make the change-so you became the change in me and now I live to tell the story of the God who rescues. -Love Came First.

I didn’t write these words, but O how true they are for me, When you’ve hit rock bottom and have no where else to turn. God is always there to pull us out. Where would we be without His strength.

There’s A big difference between God’s strength and humans strength, and you will never make it by depending on human strength alone. The Lord is the one who will stand with us and strengthen us as we carry His rescue story to the world. We must depend on His strength. Friends and Family may forsake us, and others may fight against us; but we must know where our true strength lies.

So What does the word “strength” mean? First of all, it is the quality of being strong. Second, it’s power that comes from influence, it will give to greater strength. Third, it’s power that comes from authority, and God must be your authority. Then you can use that authority on the devil and trample him underfoot. Fourth, strength is power that comes from resources, and God must be your source of supply, if your going to make it to the end.

We must depend on God’s strength because humans strength runs out to quickly. Human strength rely on the things of the earth- food, sleep, exercise,water, sunshine,and so forth. But those things are not enough to make us strong in the Lord.

You must have and use divine strength of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost; it is never in short supply.

Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit (the Spirit of the Living God), Saith the Lord of Hosts.

Zechariah 4:6

When you depend on God‘s strength, it strengthens the whole person – soul, mind and body.

Paul Used God’s Strength

The apostle Paul knew exactly where his strength came from. He said:

At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me; I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge. Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthenEd me; that by my the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear; and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion (meaning out of the devils hands and his powers of evil).

Timothy 4:16-17

God delivered Paul from all his persecutors. They fought the Gospel, and they are in hell today.

Paul knew that God had called him to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles, and we must know that God has also called us to take up the Gospel to the world. If we depend on God’s strength, we will know as Paul did that God will stand with us and strengthen us all the way.

Paul would have never made it without depending on God strength because he endured more trials and more persecution than any other apostle, yet he never failed. He set himself apart from those who only claim to preach the Gospel saying:

Are they ministers of Christ? (And I speak as a fool) I am more in labours and abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. Of the Jews five times received by 40 stripes saved one.Thrice I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, I suffered shipwrecks and a night and a day I have been in the deep. In journeying often, perils of water, in perils of robbers, in perils by my our countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; In weariness and painful ness, in watches often, in cold and nakedness.

2 Corinthians 11:23-27

He endured much; yet he’s still said,

Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, and reproaches, and necessities, and persecutions, and distress for Christ’s sake for when I am weak then I am strong.

2 Corinthians 12:10

The word “infirmities” here does not mean sickness, it means trials, troubles and persecutions.

The Flesh Is So Weak

The Bible says, Let the weak say, I am strong (Joel 3:10). This Verse refers to the strong in the Lord; and when you are, you are strong and divine love, grace, and peace. There is no ego in any of those things. When the right arm and the right hand of God are moving for you you have nothing to fear. You are “God Strong” and “grace strong,’ never forget those two phrases.

It is true That in the human, we are weak; but Paul said we can live the Christ life through the power of God. For though he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God. For we are also weak in him but we shall live with Him by the power of God towards you. (2 Corinthians 13:4). Jesus was crucified through the weakness of the flesh; but He lives by the power of God. Paul knew he had to live that way, too. He said, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ in me. (Galatians 2:20),

We are strong in Christ through His grace, so we must depend on that sufficient grace. The Lord told Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you: for my strength is made perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). When we are weak as humans, the strength of God will show up in us through His power. His live and His greatness. Paul goes on to say, “Most gladly, therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. I would have to agree with Paul, I would rather live with my weakness and have God power resting with me, then to be strong and not have the power of God.

The flesh is too weak to perform spiritual things or to fight the power of the devil. That is why Paul said, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: For the weapons are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds.” – 2 Corinthians 10:3-4).

Through divine strength, we can pull down the powers of the devil and stomp them under food.

Paul gave God his all; and before he was beheaded, Paul left these words to his son in the Lord, Timothy: “You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to a reliable people who will also be qualified to teach other. Therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ- 2 Timothy 2:1-3.

God Made Paul Great For Him

Paul was an educated man: and before he was saved, he he,o one of the highest seats in the court of the Jews. He depended on his education,his position and his authority; and he had confidence in his own str. But after he was saved, Paul realized how weak his flesh really was; and he no longer had confidence in it. “For we are the circumcision” (that means circumcised in heart), “which worship God in the Holy Spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh (Philippians 3:3).

Paul knew he had been made a minister by God, not man. “Whereof I was made to minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power (Ephesians 3:7).

It is miraculous how God can take a sinner like Paul (Paul being the one who was a part of crucifying Jesus) and make him into a great teacher and preacher; but God has all the power, and Paul realized that. That is why he spend about 3 years in the desert with the Lord before he started preaching.

Paul knew he had to get ready; and he said, “But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mothers womb, and called me to his grace, to reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood; Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned to Damascus. Then after 3 years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him 15 days (Galatians 1-15-18),

Never Trust Yourself

You can never trust the flesh because everything about it is weak, while everything about the Holy Spirit is strong. We have ti depend on the divine strength of the Lord and never our own glory.

Paul said in 1 Corinthians 1:26-27, For you see your calling, brothers, that not many are wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, and not many noble; but God chose the foolish things of the world that he might put to shame those who are wise. God chose the weak things in the world, that he might put to shame the things that are strong.

People with a lot of higher education can become so caught up in what they know that they leave God out. This is why God takes people who are considered simple in the eyes of the world and makes them into magnificent witnesses. No one has to be highly educated to be able to understand the Gospel. It is so simple that any consecrated, dedicated, Holy Spirit filled person can understand it.

God will willingly give you His wisdom, but you must give him time and always give him the glory for it.

Don’t Focus On Your Situation, Focus On Your Path

We all have goals. There’s something we want to do, someplace we want to go, someone we want to be. It appears that we don’t intentionally plan to be stagnant.

But are you progressing towards your intended destination? Or are you drifting away unknowingly? That’s okay, because in reality not everything is measurable. Objectives are difficult to come across for every situation, and are often inconvenient.

The problem is that we consciously choose not to take action despite being fully in control of our situation. We would rather take the past of less resistance because we’re programmed that way. We avoid pain and maximize pleasure, to our detriment.

My pastor would say “you gotta get your flesh out of the way.”

One of the reasons why we don’t do what’s best for us is because we don’t immediately feel the consequences of our actions. Pleasure in the present becomes pain in the future.

Consider how most people gain weight. Ice cream in the present seems fine because you’re not over weight. It makes sense then, that you have an occasional treat. But over time, this treat becomes a caloric surplus that leads to weight gain. Fitness experts recommend counting calories and e exercising to lose weight. But life doesn’t work like that. It’s not possible to always measure the impacts of your actions. Once you’ve set into motion a series of events, it becomes impossible to immediately stop the effects from coming into play. It’s like a spouse cheating on you, once they’ve done it, they can’t retract what they’ve done, they will have to deal with the consequences.

We judge ourselves and base our action on the present, but we should really be looking into the future (What are the consequences going to be if I do this?) Any time our life is on a path that is trending either upwards or downwards we are the ones who decides where it will go.

We’ve all heard the phrase “Rome Wasn’t Built In A Day.” One small problem will alway become large one over time.

I learned this the hard way. When I was younger I thought I had all the money in the world, I never saved any. I had a few bills and a few credit cards that I could pay off every month with no problem. But then kids came and emergencies happened. With medical bills along with credit cards and necessary bills. Money was gone fast I couldn’t pay my bills off every month so I just paid with credit cards plus of course with interest. I found my self deeper in debt and no way to pay. I had to file bankruptcy. I lost everything, my car and 4-wheelers. No car meant I couldn’t get to work. I had to bum a ride for awhile and save to buy another, but I couldn’t get a loan because of the bankruptcy.

In life we have to be certain where you’re headed. Being off course put me, in a mess I never thought I’d be in. It cost me dearly in the long run. Trying to figure of things while not thinking of the consequences sounds like a great idea at the time, but it doesn’t pan out in the long run.

It’s a fundamental irony of most people’s lives. They don’t quite know what they want to do with their lives, yet they are very active in looking for instant pleasure.

Contrast this method of mindless living with the alternative of discipline and purpose. While it takes infinitely more effort, it certainly pays off in the long run.

You can decide where you end up a year from now.

Are your values aligned with who you want to be? Are your habits aligned with what you want to do? Are your actions aligned with where you want to go?

These are the things we have direct control over. At any point in time, we have the power to alter out life path by making small adjustments to ourselves. Unfortunately, we often aren’t thinking far enough ahead for ourselves.

Every move we make has a residual impact on where we’re going to be. The most important thing you can do for yourself is to invest in yourself. That is an investment that will pay for itself many times over; it is by far the most profitable business to be in. Make sure that youare becoming the strongest version of yourself. When making decisions always think about the consequences of your actions.

Why’s ever you do, hold yourself accountable to it. Self-justification is a portrayal of the brain that, despite its stated goals or desires, is not interested in truth, but in self-preservation. It will distort the number of mistakes you’ve made in order to protect the narrative about yourself. Don’t give in.

Make sure you know what you want and actively chase it. Don’t go through life simply reacting to your circumstances. If you don’t know where you’re going then stop, find your bearings and think about the consequences to your action (the path you are taking- where does it lead?)

The Helper

I want to share with a story about The Helper Train in a small railroading town named after the Train – In Helper Utah. In 1870 this railroad train needed helper locomotives to help push the heavy coal trains and freight trains up to a summit that was west of town. The helper locomotives would detach from the from the train at a place called Soldier Summit and then would return to town of Helper to wait for another train. That was there sole purpose.

The Helper Locomotive

In the Bible there is another Helper called the Holy Spirit and His role as a Helper. While there is no connection to the two. It’s interesting.

There’s a saying that goes “It sure is hard to find good help now days.” But we do have a Helper, the Holy Spirit, one who walks along side of you.

D.L. Moody said, “You might as well try to hear without ears, or breathe without lungs, as you try to live a Christian life without the Spirit of God in your heart.”

There is a Ministry of the Holy Spirit, but it’s not what someone thinks, it’s what the Bible says.

The truth are a lot of people who are skeptical concerning the Holy Spirit and I understand why. When I started becoming interested in the Holy Spirit I approached the subject with my guard up, because I had never felt Him or heard much teaching concerning the Holy Spirit.

I want to tell you a story about how I learned who the Holy Spirit is. A story of a certain guide who lived in the Arabian Desert who never lost his way. Because he carried with him a homing pigeon with a very fine cord attached to one of its legs. (The “Cord” represents Faith in the pigeon)

When in doubt as to which path to take, he threw the bird into the air. The pigeon quickly strained at the cord to fly in the direction of home, and thus led the guide accurately to his goal.

Because of this unique practice he was known as “the dove man.”

So, too, the Holy Spirit, the heavenly Dove is willing and able to direct us in the narrow way that leads to the more abundant life if in humble self-denial we submit toHis unerring supervision.

The Holy Spirit -The Helper

Who Is The Holy Spirit?

Too many times the Holy Spirit has been referred to as an “it” rather than a “Person” that He really is.

The very first glimpse of the Holy Spirit is right at the beginning of the Bible. “And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved up in the face of the waters.” (Genesis 1:2),

Again “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…”

The Holy Spirit is a “Person.” Not just a “feeling“ or goose bumps.”

Jesus referred to the Holy Spirit as “He” “Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth.”

The Holy Spirit is a “Third” part of the God head, “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit And His Ministry.

During the Old Testament times, the Holy Spirit was particularly related to service rather than salvation – Only a “Few” had the anointing (enabling) presence of God’s Spirit upon their lives.

But in the New Testament the Holy Spirit takes the “Place of Jesus’s ” physical presence. – Have you ever wished Jesus were here in “Person?” (He is – By the Holy Spirit).

And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another (Just like Me – Jesus) a Comforter, that He may abide with you forever;”

John 14:16

“But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceeds from the Father, He shall testify of Me.”

John 15:26

“And when He comes, He will convince the world of it’s sin, and of God’s righteousness and of the coming judgment.” The worlds sin is unbelief in Me.”

John 16:8-9

John 16:13 says that “When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. He will not be presenting Hid own ideas, He will tell you about the future.”

He will disclose to you what is to come. Therfore He will be your Helper.

These things include the meaning of Christ’s death and resurrection (which the disciples did not fully understand) as things yet in the future concerning His resurrection, the Christian life, and His return.

“ He will bring Jesus glory by revealing to you whatever He received from Me.” (John16:14).

The Holy Spirit gives us the “Assurance” that we are saved. – “For His Holy Spirit speaks to us deep in our hearts and tells us that we are God’s children” (Romans 8:16),

The Holy Spirit is our helper, He guides us in the direction in which way we should go.

Why So Mucb Opposition To The Holy Spirit?

To answer this question we need to state the reason for Jesus coming into this world in the first place. – “For the Son of Man is come to seem and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). Getting people (Saved) is my Jesus came into this world!

Every truly born again Christ owes his experience to the “Witness” of some other Spirit-Led Christian. The natural result of being filled with the Spirit is “Witnessing.”

“When the Comforter (Helper) comes, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth which proceeds from the Father, He shall testify of Me” (John 15:26).

Satan knows when we allow the Holy Spirit to fill us then we will become “Effective” in winning people to Jesus. ( Satan hates this).

Train Your Brain To Be Happy

There’s a lot to be said for being happy. It makes you healthier, better at your job, more likely to have good relationships and you can even extend your life. If you’ve been happy you already know what unhappy is like. Being happy is much more fun.

Yes, there are times in our lives when it’s normal be feel sadness and we shouldn’t try and talk ourselves out of it. If you’ve lost a live one, gone through a breakup, lost a job, or some other adverse life event, feeling unhappy is natural. But being unhappy for a long time isn’t.

Happiness is a habit that we can cultivate. That’s because, thanks to evolution the human brain is designed to pay more attention to negative thoughts and stimuli that positive ones. We can learn how to pay more attention to the positive thoughts in our brains and stimuli in our lives because our natural tendency is to down play them, and that makes us unhappier than we should be,

I will show you some tips I used to change my negative thoughts and increased my positive ones.

1. Ask Yourself If You’re Thinking Positive

Every time no matter how often, Ask yourself “Am I thinking positive?” If a negative thought pops into your head, think of a positive one. This simple act will help you start thinking more positive thoughts. It’s a phenomenon called metacognition, a fancy word for thinking about thinking, which is a powerful memory aid. Asking yourself regularly whether you’re thinking positively will help you remember to focus on the positive. Which is a huge first step.

1. Memorize A List Of Happy Words

It may sound silly that simply memorizing a list of word associated with happiness would be enough to make you happier, but it can.

Because when you force your brain to use positive words frequently you make these words and their meanings more accessible, more connected, and more easily activated in your brain. So when you go to retrieve a word or idea from your memory, the positive ones come to the top more easily,

I’m guessing you can come up with plenty of words that you associate with happiness. Use words like love, joy, blessed, excited, pleasant, optimistic.

3.Use Associations

Ivan Pavlov famously trained his dog to drool whenever he rang a bell, by associating the sound of the bell with food. You can train yourself the same way, creating associations that you can use to your own advantage.

Here’s one I use. I am not a morning person, I usually stay awake until 1 or 2 AM and then sleep in. When I have an early morning meeting. It’s sometimes tough. I began buying my favorite flavored coffee that I enjoy drinking. So, I have learned to associate this delicious coffee with getting up early. You can learn to associate words or things to change your mood. I have a fascination with crows, I love watching these intelligent birds. Seeing them makes me smile.

4. Practice Gratitude

There’s plenty of evidence that being grateful for the good things in your life makes you happier. Everyday think of 3 things to be grateful for,if you have to write them down, for those especially tough days. I used to every night at dinner ask my children what they were grateful for that day. And then I would tell them, what I was grateful for.

5. Spend A Few Minutes each day writing about something that made you happy.

Write in a journal every night about a positive experience you’ve had that day. This exercise gives you greater levels of happiness. So it’s well worth the time to spend a few minutes writing about something that made to truly happy. I used this when I facilitated a mental health group. Each day they would write down what made them happy, and then on the day of the group they would bring what they wrote to the groups and shared it.

6. Each Day Look For Beauty Around You

Even though times are tough right now, we can still look and find something beautiful in our lives. Whether it’s the sunrise or sunset, the flowers in your yard (or your neighbors). When your having a hard time being happy you can bring to your attention back to the beautiful thing you saw and dwell on that .

7. Celebrate Your Successes, Even The Small Ones

We often do not appreciate ourselves enough. Our human tendencies is to berate ourselves. Say you went to the gym today, or went for a nature walk. Celebrate that you did that, fix yourself a healthy smoothie. I set a goal each morning and if I meet that goal for the day, then I celebrate. Some days there will be detours or missed opportunities and we will fail to meet our own expectations. But don’t stop celebrating those successes.

Do Miracles Like Jesus Performed Still Happen Today?

The answer to this question must begin with acknowledging that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is unchanging.

The word miracle is difficult to define. What exactly counts as a miracle? A better way to recognize a miracle is to make a distinction between the natural and the supernatural. The natural ways Jesus uses to heal us can be found in places like a hospital. But when Jesus heals someone supernaturally, it means that He does something doctor’s, nurses, medicine, and science are unable to do and are unable to explain. Keep in mind that God still gets the credit whether healing is trough medicine or a miracle- that’s why we should never stop praying.

In scripture, miracles are often associated with the words “signs and wonders., A sign is a physical manifestation that points to something greater than itself. In other words, the healing ministry of Jesus recounted in scripture confirms that Jesus Christ is the Som of God and the Savior of the world (Acts 2:22). A miracle never exists only for itself; it always serves a greater purpose. When I was healed of Bladder Cancer 14 years ago, It was done for a greater purpose. God had a plan for my life, He was not done with me. You know it’s a miracle when the supernatural work of God increases your faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior,

The word “wonder” can also help us recognize a miracle. Miracles cause us to be amazed, in awe of the power of God. When we witness a supernatural work of God, we are left speechless as we marvel at the glory of God.

There are 4 positions regarding miracles today, they are:

Cessationists

They believe the kinds of miracles we see in the New Testament do not happen today because they were a special manifestation of God’s power that ceased to exist after the generation of the apostle passed away.

Continuationists

They believe all kinds of miracles we see in the New Testament continue to happen in the world today with the same frequency and intensity.

Semi-cessationists

They believe only some New Testament type miracles continue to happen today, and not at the same degree as in the New Testament God is free to work supernaturally today, but the frequency and intensity has diminished in the modern era.

Semi-Continuationists

The believe all kinds of miracles seen in the New Testament continue to happen today. Like the semi-cessationists, they believe the frequency and intensity of God’s supernatural work has diminished in the modern era, but Continuationists are much more open to describing events as miraculous, supernatural works of God.

Reflecting on the three aspects of Jesus’s ministry (preaching, teaching, and healing) and the events taking place around the world, now more than ever we need a great outpouring of Christ’s healing ministry.

We desperately need Jesus to heal our world by both natural and supernatural means, As He does so, make He increase our faith and our worship of Him.

I have seen miracles in healing of Cancers, Lung diseases. Depression, and even seen people be healed of addiction. I believe all the miracles in the New Testament are being done today, we are just as too busy and distracted to notice them.

Fight, Flight, Freeze, Or Fawn?

Fight or flight is a well known stress response that occurs when hormonal released in the body, prompting you to stay and fight or run and flee from danger.

Freeze and fawn are a broader collection of natural bodily reactions to stressful, frighting or dangerous events. This sympathetic nervous system response dates back to our ancestors coming face to face with dangerous animals.

Fight, Flight, Freeze or Fawn

Fight, flight or freeze are the 3 most basic stress responses. They reflect how your body will react to danger. Fawn is the 4th stress response that was identified later.

The fight response is your body’s way of facing any perceived threat aggressively. Flight means you body urges you to run from danger. Freeze is your body’s inability to move or act against a threat. Fawn is your body’s stress response to try to please someone to avoid conflict.

The goal of the fight, flight, freeze, and Fawn response is to decrease, end or evade danger and remain in a calm, relaxed state.

Signs of a fight response include:

  • Tight jaw
  • Grinding your teeth
  • Urge to punch someone or something
  • A feeling of intense anger
  • Needing to stomp or kick
  • Crying in anger
  • A burning or knotted sensation in your stomach
  • Attacking the source of danger

Flight is your body believes you cannot overcome the danger but can avoid it by running away, you’ll respond in a flight mode. A surge of hormones, like adrenaline, give your body the stamina to run from from danger longer than you typically could.

Signs of a flight response include:

  • Feeling fidgety, tense, or trapped
  • Constantly moving you legs, feet, and arms.
  • A restless body
  • A feeling of numbness in your arms and legs
  • Dilated darting eyes

What is freeze or Fawn?

Freeze and Fawn are also stress responses but they don’t involve decisive actions.

Freeze. The stress response causes you to feel stuck in place. This happens when your body doesn’t think you can fight or get away from a danger,

Signs of the freeze response include:

  • A sense of dread
  • Pale skin
  • Feeling stiff, heavy, cold, and numb
  • A loud pounding heart
  • A decreased heart rate

Fawn. This response is used after an unsuccessful fight, flight, or freeze attempt. The Fawn response occurs primarily in people who grew up in abusive families or situations.

Signs of a Fawn response include:

  • Over-agreeing
  • Trying to be overly helpful
  • Primary concern with making someone else happy

What Causes the Fawn Response?

The Fawn response often covers up distress and the damage someone is feeling inside due to trauma. It’s a common reaction to childhood abuse. The Fawn response is your body’s emotional reaction that involves becoming highly agreeable to the person abusing you.

The Fawn response can cause confusion and guilt if you have PTSD. Even if you’re being treated poorly, your instinct drives you to soothe over your abuser instead of resorting to the fight or flight response.

Signs of fawning behavior include:

  • Over dependence on the opinions of others
  • Little or no boundaries
  • Vulnerability to narcissists
  • Being easily controlled and manipulated

The Fawn response is believed to occur in people who grew up with narcissistic parents. They may have been neglected or rejected constantly as a child. Being helpful and agreeable was their only means of survival.