Voices

When you hear that voice inside your head, who’s behind it! Are you being guided by the voice of your intuition, present and purposeful in the decisions that change the course of your life? Or are you still living out of patterns and beliefs that are playing beneath the surface?

Most of us are in between

But as we become more aware of how living our lives on autopilot is interfering with our ability to create change and step into our potential, we all have the power to stop going through the motions and choose how we experience our lives.

We have the ability to master our minds and find the answers were looking for. We have an almost superpower to help us navigate our way through life. In we turn inwards it will guide us into an aligned effective action and embody the life we want to be living. Emotions, gut feelings, thoughts curiosity, sensations…these are all expressions of our inner knowing. It is our internal compass in action.

The Truth About Lying

What does the Bible say about lying? The Bible makes it very clear that God hates lying and that He expects us to be truthful people. One of the original 10 commandments of the Old Testament Law is devoted to truth telling. Commandment #9 is: You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. (Exodus 20:16). Two forms of lying are included in Proverbs 6.: 16-19.

There are 6 things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to Him:

  • Haughty eyes
  • A lying tongue
  • Hands that shed innocent blood
  • A heart that devises wicked schemes
  • Feet that are quick to rush into evil
  • A false witness who pours out lies
  • A Person that stirs up dissension among brothers.

When describing those who will judge in the lake of fire, God includes liars (Revelation 21:8).

“But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all the liars -their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.” (Revelation 21:8)

Psalm 51:6 says: Surely you desire truth in the inner parts…

But we might wonder why truth is so important to God.

For starters, God’s intense concern for truthfulness centers in God’s very nature. The Bible tells us that God is a “God of truth” (Psalm 31:5). The Bible tells us God cannot lie. (Titus 1:2). Jesus is “full of grace and truth. (John 1:14). The Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit is the “Spirit of Truth.” and that His mission is to guide us to all truth (John 16:13).

Psalm 33:4 says: For the word of the Lord is right and true; He is faithful in all He does. And Jesus tells us that truth is key to our worship of God. “God is Spirit,” and His worshippers must worship in spirit and truth.” ( John 4:24).

Therefore, our commitment to truth aligns us with God, both in God’s nature and in God’s mode of operating.

And since our very purpose in existing as God’s children is to be confirmed to the image of God (Romans 8:29), then we must not participate in falsehood, for that would tarnish the reflection of God’s glory to us. In other words, if God is truth. Then we too must portray truth to accurately reflect God’s image in our lives.

Truth lies in character. Christ did not simply speak the truth, He was truth – truth through and through, for truth is a thing not of words but a life and being.

Frederick William Robertson

Therefore, as children of God, we must not only speak the truth in words, but we must be truth through and through. Truth must permeate our entire lives and being.

Another important reason why we should be people who speak the truth – it is a matter of submission and obedience to God, God’s word commands us to speak the truth.

Proverbs 13:5 says: The righteous hate what is false.

Arrows In The Hand Of A Warrior

“Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth.” (Psalms 127:4)

We are at war with the fallen values in our culture. Things like alcohol drugs,violence, pornography, immortality, and rebellion threaten to completely undermine the foundation of society. The key to change is found in our children. Children will become what we fashion them to be.

In the Bible, Solomon compares children to weapons – specifically arrows. Parents are to carefully form their children even as a warrior would construct fearsome “arrows.” A warrior’s future may depend upon the Accuracy and strength of each arrow. Arrows have three basic parts: the arrowhead, the shaft, and fletched (usually made of feathers). The arrowhead represents the child’s education, skills, and gifting. As parents we should insure that our children receive the best in their education opportunities. The shaft represents the child’s character. A good arrow’s shaft must be straight. No matter how Sharp the arrowhead, if the shaft is crooked, the arrow will always miss its mark. Even an inferior arrowhead on a straight shaft is better that a sharp arrowhead on a crooked shaft. The fletcher represent the stabilizing aspect of the arrow as it soars through the air. Without fletches, the arrow can twist, turn, or flip. Children need stability in their lives. That stability comes from a relationship with God. Most arrows contain three fletches that represents a relationship with the Father, with the Son, and with the Holy Spirit.

Inevitably, children will face situations in their lives that can throw them into a tailspin. Once a child leaves home the only solid relationship is with God that can give them stability in the tough times in their lives. An arrow is shot from a bow. The bow represents the direction, guidance, encouragement and blessing given to the child. Parents need to instill a sense of destiny into the heart of their children. Don’t point then toward a worldly goal. They need to be pointed toward the bulls-eye of God’s will for their lives. Parents are the warriors fighting for the next generation. Our children are our arrows. Don’t ignore the battle. We must do what it takes to fashion our children into arrows that will hit the Mark in their generation for God’s glory.

The Power Of A Single Prayer

Almost on a daily basis, we open the door of our hearts wide enough to be susceptible for anxiety and fear to walk in. It causes us to become stressed, distracted and focused on the wrong things in our lives.

Yet, it doesn’t have to be this way. The apostle Paul calls us to live in a very different way. He calls us not to be anxious for anything. In the original languages the Bible (Hebrew), the word for anxious translates to distracted further illustrating the power of anxious thoughts. Anxiety magnifies our problems and minimizes our focus on God. It prevents us from seeing God’s power and sovereignty in the midst of our circumstances.

Paul, who had many things to be anxious about, was essentially waving a caution flag because he knew anxiety could take us down a dangerous path leading to fear, doubt and despair. When we are anxious, our minds are monopolized with worry, instead of consumed with God’s power and what He is able to do.

Paul tells us that the way to combat anxiety is a simple prayer first and make a conscious choice not to be anxious. It requires us to face every uncontrollable circumstance and possible outcome with confidence the God has the power to change things. We are encouraged to anchor ourselves to this truth. We have a choice to believe God is all powerful and always has a plan, even if the outcome is not what we desire.

Paul calls us to prayer, petition, and thanksgiving. These are fruitful ways to use our time, and when we choose to do this, we can experience the peace Paul describes. In short, we’re called to focus on a dependable God rather than worry about an unknown future. So open your heart and open your mouth today in prayer and let the peace of His power come.

Philippians 4:4-7

Unlocking The Power Of Choice

All day, every day, you are interacting with the world around you. Other people, p,aces, things, ideas, you internal monologue, and so forth. Everything that happens to you, you have a choice in how yo respond. But,nits unlocking the power of choice in life’s most crucial moments that can truly make a difference between success and failure, passion or indifference, and optimism or pessimism.

Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.

Victor Flankl

Most of the decisions we make daily are thoughtless and automatic. Our lives tend to become so habitualized that we stop consciously thinking about many of the choices that we face. Unfortunately, we become so used to this mindless way of making decisions that any of us miss out on opportunities because we fail to act.

So often, to often many of us choose to be in things such as an unfulfilled job, an unhappy relationship, where you may love the person, but you know it’s not the right thing for you. Or we may have trauma in our life. And instead of making the decision to face that trauma and do something about it, we choose to ignore it. Or it could be a drinking problem where you know, you could choose differently; but continue to stay on that path. And it could go on and on.

To progress in our lives, we need to become mindful of our decisions and unlocking the power of choice when it matters the most.

Power Over The Enemy

We are never more vulnerable than after our most recent victory. This is the axiom, and maxim of truth, that we see Jesus give His disciples after they find themselves distracted by a lesser goal that Jesus set before them. After all it was so easy to do.

Whether it’s temporary opportunities, criticism, or mundane tasks, Satan knows he doesn’t need to destroy us if he can distract us. He lets a few victories remain without a counter-attack, and when we let our guard down it tends to b after a major victory or achievement.

While Jesus was thrilled about the disciples’s successes and effectiveness, He also knew their vulnerabilities and wanted to keep them focused on the ultimate blessing. Yes we should be thrilled that Jesus does His work through us, but it’s purpose is for God to be glorified. That is why Jesus says to His disciples: “Do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in Heaven.” (Luke 10:20).

Therefore if God uses you this year, like the disciples, rejoice! If you see the Spirit breakthrough by you using your gifts, thank God, be in awe at His greatness, and then humbly come before God, and remember the bigger picture: you are going to spend eternity with Jesus!

Rejoicing in temporary authority will on,y lead to the loss of joy when that authority is no longer experienced. Our joy should be primarily stirred up by everlasting realities. After all, authority, power, and success are fleeting privileges in this life. Relationships are to be enjoyed, but not worshiped. None of these can bear the weight of all our joy.

Set your joy first and Foremost in the heavenly place this year, where Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father. It is around His throne that all the Saints will engage in everlasting worship. And where you and I will take our place, when our time comes to be with Him forever.

Luke 10:16-21

Living With Fear & Walking By Faith

God is Father in creation, Son of redemption, and Holy Spirit in regeneration. The perplexity of who God is has had the church in arduous debate for hundreds of years. Some say God is one, not three; others say God is three, not one. In actuality, aGod is omnipresent and omniscient cannot be defined. Great is the mystery of godliness.

For the purpose of understanding the triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit- let’s look at the make up of humankind. When God created man, He created him in His likeness as in his image. Man is one being, yet made up of three parts; He is a spirit, has a soul, and lives in a body. Each entity gives a sense of awareness and another level of consciousness. In the spirit, man is God conscious. When Adam sinned, his soul died. I. Scripture, death means separation, not always the cessation of life. Sin separates man from God. In the same way, a person dies naturally, so it is spiritually. The spirit is separated from God.

In a man’s soul, the place that houses one’s memories, affections, emotions, and appetites, there is self-consciousness. When God breathed the breath of life into man, he became a living souk. Man became aware of life. The soul is where man wrestled with God. It is where man is transformed by the renewing of the mind. When the body is dead man loses consciousness of the world, for the body connects a being with the world.

In summary, we have God-consciousness in the spirit self-consciousness in the soul, and world-consciousness in the body. All three entitles don’t always align; and we find ourselves wrestling with one or another. Which results in inner turmoil. Sometimes, the spirit wants to perform accordingly, but if the soul (mind) is so damaged and wounded that the person is holding onto issues they cannot release, then evil has an opportunity to attack. There is a war for the mind. With the Spirit, we become aware of God but with the mind, we serve the Lord. The enemy wants to create havoc in the place where we serve the Lord.