The best way to describe the task that is on my mind constantly is to relate it to climbing the biggest mountain in the entire world. Now I think it's safe to say that most men don't look at being a Man as the most important task in their lives but the essence of being the Man of the house has so much tied to it that I believe it's the most important task that a father and a husband takes on in his entire life. Being a man encompasses so many different tasks that it's almost overwhelming when you really sit down and think about it. It you are like me you've never really thought about what it means to be a Mighty Warrior which is essentially the role of the man of the house. As the head of the household, the man of the house, it's your JOB to take care of your family through protecting them, providing a home for them, providing food for them, being the leader of the house by setting standards for living and speaking words of wisdom and love over them. These are all things that good men already do for their families if they are committed to their role as the head of the house and if you do these things then you will have a pretty happy family. But what I'm talking about here is not just having a "good" family life or a good standard of living; what I'm talking about is living a Godly life and striving for God's BEST in every aspect of your life. This is such an abstract thought for most people and it is for me too because I never really thought about it before just recently. I have been doing a lot of thinking and reading over the past year about living a God centered life and enjoying the best of God's blessings in my life and it's brought me to this point in time where I finally GET IT. But as soon as I GOT IT I realized that I have barely scratched the surface and I have an ENORMOUS mountain to climb because I am nowhere near close to being the best Man that I could be and that scares me quite frankly.
At this point in my life, at age 27 I am closer to God than I have ever been in my whole life. My life is going great and my relationship with my Lord is stronger than ever. My family is comprised of some of the most loving people on the planet and they have all come to have a relationship with God and have accepted Jesus as their personal savior. I have seen miracles happen in my mom's life by beating breast cancer twice, my brother has been saved from death numerous times along with my brother in law getting past something that could have killed him and I myself have battled with addictions and through the grace of God I have come through the fire without being burned. Miraculous things have been happening in my life and it has strengthened my faith beyond belief and I trust God with my life and with the lives of everyone in my family because He is always faithful and just. My wife and I have a great relationship and we have made a beautiful, smart, handsome little baby boy who is perfect in every way and he is healthy. Life is going great and I could sit back and seriously be happy and content with the way things are right now and live a great life and have a good relationship with God and my family but this is where things really get tough to swallow. I am not content at all with where I am at in life. I am not content at all with my relationship with my wife or my son and I'm certainly not content with my relationship with my Heavenly Father. I want more than just this, I want to be more and I want to have more. Now this isn't a selfish plea to be rich in the natural sense it's a plea and a CRY on my knees to God to give me the ability to be more than I am, to go farther and deeper than I am right now. I don't want to be average, that's the LAST thing I want to be is an average Christian and an average father/husband. Average is failure to me and at this point I am failing because I have been content with being who I am. Most people would kill to be me right now. Yea I lost my job and I don't have much money at the moment and I don't know what the future holds in that respect but that means NOTHING to me; what I'm concerned about is my relationship with my Lord and Savior and being Kingdom Focused in everything I do. I want to be better than I am right now across the board. I want to be the Man of my household and speak love and wisdom into my son's life and provide a model for my whole family on living a Christ centered life and what it means to be sold out for God. I want to be a GREAT and MIGHTY warrior for God, helping change the world and bringing people to the throne of Almighty God where they can be saved and forgiven of their sins and transformed into a new person through the love of Jesus Christ. I want to focus on my relationship with God and building my character to become the Prophet that God created me to be for my family and for everyone I know and will know in the future. The biggest obstacle in my path right now is my own stupid self, the idiot that I wake up and look at every morning in the mirror; because he's lazy and wants nothing more than to be comfortable. I have to discipline my body and die to myself everyday, looking to God for the strength to fight the battle that is before me and to focus my mind on things that are above and not the things that are average and normal. It's such a daunting task that seems impossible and it really is. To be the kind of man that I am talking about is Impossible in the natural but I am not looking to do natural, average things. I'm looking to do the Hard Things that I don't want to do Because they are hard and they involve me making sacrifices in my life that I don't want to make. Sacrifice is a nasty word because it goes against our natural way of thinking and our selfish human nature. If you can get past the selfishness of your flesh and your mind and reach the point where you want nothing more than to bless others with your time, talents and treasure that's where you will find true happiness. This is the kind of Man that I want to be! I want to be a GIVING MAN, generous with everything God has blessed me with. I have seen it before in other people and I have felt it myself when I have given something of value to someone else; the transfer of LOVE between two people is describable.
So to answer the question I posed in the title of this blog,"How do you climb the biggest mountain in the world?" It all starts 1 step at a time just like anything else but the biggest obstacle, other than the enemy of your soul prowling around you like a roaring lion waiting to pounce on you at the sign of any weakness, is having the self-discipline to stay focused and keep working no matter what happens. The word discipline means to bring to a state of order and obedience by training and control. This is where most people fall short because they don't have the will power to do the Hard Things that they naturally don't want to do. Reading is hard for some people, getting up and going to church on Sunday morning is hard for some people and giving up things that you like doing like playing golf or watching football to serve up at the church or help someone else out is hard for everyone in one way or another. Forcing your body and your mind to do things that they naturally don't want to do and rewiring your brain through repetition and a new way of thinking is what it takes to achieve what I'm talking about here. It's what makes people Great, the determination to follow their dreams no matter what happens and the self discipline to keep working harder and harder everyday, striving to be better today than you were yesterday. That's how fortunes are made and companies become great in the natural; but take that same enthusiasm and self discipline and put it into a Follower of Jesus who is Kingdom Focused with the God of the Universe as his Father it's unimaginable what kind of Awesome Things can be accomplished and what kind of a Man or Woman you will be if you will devote your life to this way of thinking. This is what's on my mind all day long and to be honest I'm failing miserably as it stands right now but I am on the rise and I am not going to let anything hold me down. I am reading more of God's word than I ever have before and equipping myself with the whole armor of God everyday preparing for BATTLE as a mighty warrior in the spiritual war that is going on around me. I have gotten plugged into an amazing church filled with people who are on the same path I'm striving toward and most are where I want to be. So I have many role models in my life and it gives me the sense that what I am trying to do is possible if I will just get focused and take the time to do the things I need to do instead of all of the other things that come up and try to take my attention away everyday. With God on my side whom shall I fear, nothing can stop me if I really want this and it's the only thing in this world that will last forever. I hope and pray that I can stay the course not only for my sake and my wife's sake but for the sake of my beautiful son. This is the kind of man that I want to be his father and this is the kind of man I am going to be. SO how do you climb the biggest mountain in the world? One step at a time, going all the way to the TOP and I can't be stopped.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Monday, October 19, 2009
Mighty WARRIORS...
This weekend was one of the best weekends of my life. I spent Friday and Saturday up at my church Celebration Covenant with a group of about 500 mighty men worshiping and praising God. It's one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen in my life. A room full of mighty men worshiping God Almighty, singing and shouting praises to Him and leaning on each other showing honor and love for their brothers in Christ. It's something that I have never seen before yet wished I could do every weekend because of the raw power and electricity that was flowing through that room and throughout the entire group of men present. Seeing that many men talking to one another, teaching each other and growing friendships and bonds between each other is something that this world is missing in the day to day. We learned together how important Christian leadership really is and what a Warriors spirit is all about. I wish my son was old enough to understand so he could have been there with me and shared the experience of the love and power that was flowing in that place through those Mighty Men. Oh how I want to be a Mighty Warrior for God not only for myself but for my wife and for my little boy. I want to wake up everyday with the mentality that I'm a Warrior for God and taht I am in a battle because I really am. We all are in the middle of a dangerous war for our souls battling not other people but evil spirits and powers of darkness. I know that might sound like something out of a science fiction novel or a little crazy but it's the God honest truth. If you choose not to believe that you are in a war for your soul then you are seriously mistaken and you are never going to understand the things of God or why things happen in this world and to you. It's your choice because God gives us a choice to believe whatever we want but understand that it's exactly what the enemy of your soul wants you to believe. He wants you to believe that Hell isn't a real place and that there's no way that a Loving God would send people to such an awful place. The devil wants you to believe that he doesn't exist so he can do whatever he wants and you will just think that it's God punishing you for some reason. The devil believes in God and he knows what's coming at the end of the world. He hates humans because we are made in God's image and we are the objects of His divine affection and love. He will stop at nothing to destroy us and make us turn against God anyway he can. It's important that you look at yourself as being a warrior in a battle everyday. It's important to your survival and success as a Christian man or woman that you wake up every morning and put on the whole armor of God and prepare for battle because you are in a war weather you like it or not. When you became a Christian you made a decision to go against the ways of this world and the ways of the enemy; you took a stand against the evil powers of this world publicly. At that moment you put a huge Man Sized bullzeye on your back and you entered the war zone fighting against the powers of darkness. The enemy of your soul is shooting fiery darts at you all the time, testing your weaknesses and prowling around you like a roaring lion waiting to catch you when you least expect it. This is the reality that I want you to understand and see for yourself. The things that happen to you in this life, the things that test your patience and have the ability to send you into a state of depression are from the enemy of your soul. They are shots that he's taking to get you to focus on your problems and lose your faith and trust in God. He want you to get as far away from God as you possibly can so you never have the ability to be an active Christian and touch the lives of others around you.
Being a Mighty Kingdom Warrior is actively taking a stand with brothers and sisters in Christ and locking arms in battle daily for each other. Being a Warrior is all about keeping your focus on God and Kingdom work and spending your time serving God on your knees in prayer for yourself and for your brothers and sisters in Christ. It all starts by realizing that you are in a battle for your life and learning the weaknesses that you have that your enemy can exploit and doing whatever you can to strengthen yourself for battle. Putting on the whole armor of God is spending time in His word and reading your bible along with devoting yourself to daily prayer. This is how you fight against the evil one for yourself and for your Christian family. I hope this makes sense to you because it's something that I am really taking seriously from now on. I realize that I am in a war and it's not going to be over anytime soon so I need to Man Up and fight for my life and for the lives of the people I care about. Wake up everyday with the mentality that you are going to be a warrior and take that everywhere with you; because you are a warrior and a warriors profession is WAGING WAR. So be on guard and take a stand the next time the enemy tries to take you down with one of his old tricks that used to get you every time with. BE aware of what's going on around you and make sure that you are fighting with your brothers and sisters. Strengthen your people in their time of need and they will be there to step in for you when you are in trouble as well. God's blessings to you today everyone! Let's DECLARE WAR together, the battles are ours for the taking because if God's on our side whom shall we fear?
Being a Mighty Kingdom Warrior is actively taking a stand with brothers and sisters in Christ and locking arms in battle daily for each other. Being a Warrior is all about keeping your focus on God and Kingdom work and spending your time serving God on your knees in prayer for yourself and for your brothers and sisters in Christ. It all starts by realizing that you are in a battle for your life and learning the weaknesses that you have that your enemy can exploit and doing whatever you can to strengthen yourself for battle. Putting on the whole armor of God is spending time in His word and reading your bible along with devoting yourself to daily prayer. This is how you fight against the evil one for yourself and for your Christian family. I hope this makes sense to you because it's something that I am really taking seriously from now on. I realize that I am in a war and it's not going to be over anytime soon so I need to Man Up and fight for my life and for the lives of the people I care about. Wake up everyday with the mentality that you are going to be a warrior and take that everywhere with you; because you are a warrior and a warriors profession is WAGING WAR. So be on guard and take a stand the next time the enemy tries to take you down with one of his old tricks that used to get you every time with. BE aware of what's going on around you and make sure that you are fighting with your brothers and sisters. Strengthen your people in their time of need and they will be there to step in for you when you are in trouble as well. God's blessings to you today everyone! Let's DECLARE WAR together, the battles are ours for the taking because if God's on our side whom shall we fear?
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
You never know what you have until you lose it...
What do you do when tragedy strikes? When you get that pink slip at work and your boss tells you that they appreciate everything you have done for them but they no longer need you anymore. Or you get your results back from the Dr. and you get told that you have cancer or someone you love gets that bad news? How do you prepare for a situation like that? What can you do to make yourself ready for such sudden change and immediate shift in thought? I heard a saying from my pastor Keith Craft that goes,"You never know what you think until you see what you say." You never know what you will do until it happens and you see how you react or what you will say to your boss when they tell you that they no longer need you there at the office anymore. You never know how you will react until the Dr. tells you or your loved one that they have cancer and you find yourself asking the question WHY? That's the question that tells us all more about ourselves in 1 moment than everything leading up to that moment in time. How you deal with the WHY question shows you what you are made of and what your life stands on. If you can stand there in your office as you clean it out or stand in that Dr's office after the devastating news and not be bitter or mad and not blame anyone for what is happening you learn something about yourself that you would never have known. Or if you get angry or depressed then you also learn something about yourself and you realize that your whole life as you knew it wasn't reality. Basing your life on a job or financial security will ultimately disappoint you because you can't control what goes on around you at all times. Everyone loses a job at some point in time and everyone knows someone who gets an awful disease or has to go through one themselves but you can't prepare yourself for that trauma or set ahead of time what you will say and do. You can make all the plans you want but in the end you have no control what will happen and if your expectations and your happiness is based on security then you will not be able to move forward and you will be crippled by the loss.
This is where faith enters the picture. This is where faith takes center stage and begins it's beautiful solo performance in the lives of it's owners. Without faith in God and His divine grace and power, at the moment of trauma when the cards come falling down, if you are without faith then you are without hope and the world becomes a black hole of despair. Uncertainty has it's benefits and it's hard consequences depending on how much faith you have in yourself and in God. Uncertainty can be a place of freedom or feel like you were just dropped out in the middle of the ocean at midnight without a life jacket. As Christians we were never created to lead a completely comfortable lifestyle on this earth. Comfort and stability can breed a life of stagnation and can puff up a man's pride in himself and give a man a false sense security. Being too comfortable can cause a man to relax to the point where he loses his passion for adventure and trades living life to the fullest for the pursuit of maintaining stability where he currently is in life. Everybody loses a job at one point in time or another and everybody goes through the loss of a loved one; sometimes it takes things like this to make us realize that nothing ever stays the same and that the pursuit of stability is a futile game. Change is all around us, it's waiting in the wings in our blind spot at all times without our even knowing it. We wake up every morning the same way with the days activities on our minds, knowing the daily routine we have grown so accustomed to is about to start and the schedule that we set yesterday for today is about to be set free. We all know that tragedy is always around the corner in the back of our minds yet we push it back and suppress it, never giving it any thought. Fear is a weakness that must not be given a foothold in our minds less we live in a constant state of dread for fear of calamity looming in the darkness waiting to jump out and choke us to the ground at any given time. We have seen it in the lives of people all around us; people who have lost loved ones to diseases or sudden tragedy like a car accident or divorce or job loss. These things are written about in thousands of books and portrayed in movies everyday; American's love of the theater and entertainment stems from the obsession with drama and the feeling you get from seeing someone be broken down by an unseen force and watch as they pick themselves up and cope with the trauma or lose their minds and destroy themselves and everyone in their path along with them. Our minds are filled with these images of movies and novels yet when the tragedy happens to us we act like we never saw it coming and that we never could have prepared for such an awful thing because we never thought it would happen to us. The truth is people love to watch a drama unfold but when the drama is their life some people just can't handle it because they don't have the strength of character or the faith to get through it or past it.
From faith stems hope; it's the only place you can find it. It is grown through difficult times not sunny carefree days of luxury and leisure. Faith is the unseen part of a person's character that is the X factor when it comes to matters such as these that we have been talking about. It is the only thing that, when tragedy strikes in your life, will give you the hope necessary to pick yourself back up again and begin to move forward. Faith gives you the courage needed to face your fears and to give comfort to those around you that are going through dark times as well. Faith can't be bought but it can be borrowed and it can be given away to others; sharing your faith with someone who is struggling can be the best gift they have ever received. One of our greatest faults is that we live our lives like nothing bad is ever going to happen and we do everything in our power to control situations to prevent change from occurring. We have our hopes and dreams set on eventually retiring from the workforce and leading a happy life doing nothing or rather not having anybody tell us what we have to do. The goal of most Americans is to retire at 60-65 and just rest in front of a TV or travel the world without any responsibility to have to work anymore. That is the goal that the "world" has set forth and everybody believes is what will ultimately make them happy; financial security is the key to a happy life they say and that is what people spend their whole lives trying to accomplish yet few people ever reach that goal. The point is that you will never be secure or shielded from the possibility of something tragic happening, it's inevitable that tragedy will strike in your life or in someone's life very close to you and you will have to deal with it whether you want to or not. If you put your trust in financial security or your health or any other worldly thing you will be disappointed because all of these things can be taken away from you and you have no control over if and when it happens.
The saying goes you never know what you have until you lose it. I lost my job this week and it is one of the most difficult things that has ever happened to me because I now have a son who just turned 6 months today and a wife who were both counting on me to provide for them financially and to provide health insurance for them in case anything were to happen. In the tough economic climate of 2009 and with the rate of unemployment higher than it has been in decades it would be very easy for me to go crazy with worry and despair but I have something that most people don't have. I have the X-factor or in this case it would be called the F-factor; the Faith Factor that gives me the strength to stand tall and to tell my family with confidence that everything is going to be ok. In fact everything is going to better than it was before because we have the God of the Universe on our side and if He is for us who can be against us? We are trusting God to provide like He always has and we are thanking Him for what He is going to do for us. We know that His timing is perfect and that He has a plan for our lives, a plan that we cannot see or fathom but I know that He is making our paths straight for us and He is leading us to a place that we could not have gotten to on our own. Sometimes change is something that we have to be pushed into because we are so determined to stay in our comfort zone that it takes being Fired from your job to get you outside on the road again where God can lead you to the place that He has been preparing for you all along. I learned that one of the definitions of Passion is taking something that could hurt you the most and turning it into the thing that can help you the most. Losing a job can be the best thing that has ever happened to me because I know that God created me for great things and that He is leading me to the exact place at the exact moment in time where He is going to use me for Mighty Works and I am believing that in Jesus' name because I know I am a son of the Most High God and His hand of favor and blessing is on my life.
So when tragedy strikes, and that's a When not an If, you must have the faith that everything happens for a reason and that God is orchestrating His master plan to bring you to a place where He is going to bless you and make you prosper more than you could where you were before. If you don't have that faith right now ask God for it, and if you don't have a relationship with God start one because He has been waiting to hear from you since you were born and He is ready to forgive you and give you everything you need. Just like an earthly father has love for his son and gives him everything he needs so your Heavenly Father will give you everything you need and He already knows what you need all you have to do is ask Him for it and believe that He will provide. I thank God today for the faith that He has given me in my heart and the ability to look past a time that could stress me out and break me down knowing that He is already working out a plan to bring me to the BEST that He has in store for me and that's what I want more than anything. I know you have to walk through the valley to get to the mountain top and that there is always a valley in between each mountain so I expect to go through another tough time again in the future; but with each valley you gain wisdom and strengthen your faith which makes you stronger for the next valley and next situation that comes along. Life is a roller-coaster ride in the sense that you are always going up one side to get down the other and you never stay in one place forever so to try to make being comfortable and secure within your own man made boundaries is futile and you will only be disappointed. Put your faith in God and no matter what happens in your life or in another person's life you will have the courage to face it with your head held high and the faith to believe that something better is coming. If you put your faith in God you will realize that everything you need you already have and all the other things are just possessions that can and will be replaced in time. You will realize that you are blessed beyond your imagination and nothing can take away the joy you have in your heart and the love you feel from being a son or daughter of the Most High God. This life is but a vapor in the wind, a grain of sand on a beach and a passing breeze on a hot summers day. It is all here today and gone tomorrow. Make your treasure something that will last for eternity, put your faith in God and watch as He transforms your life into something bigger than yourself and your physical needs. You were put here for a purpose and if you are living your life according to God's will He will always provide for you and give you everything you need to accomplish His purposes He set forth before the beginning of time.
Maybe you need to rethink what's really important in this life...
God's blessings for you and your family. Remember you are a son or daughter of the Mighty God of the Universe; nothing is too big for Him all you have to do is just ask Him and He will answer you if you believe.
This is where faith enters the picture. This is where faith takes center stage and begins it's beautiful solo performance in the lives of it's owners. Without faith in God and His divine grace and power, at the moment of trauma when the cards come falling down, if you are without faith then you are without hope and the world becomes a black hole of despair. Uncertainty has it's benefits and it's hard consequences depending on how much faith you have in yourself and in God. Uncertainty can be a place of freedom or feel like you were just dropped out in the middle of the ocean at midnight without a life jacket. As Christians we were never created to lead a completely comfortable lifestyle on this earth. Comfort and stability can breed a life of stagnation and can puff up a man's pride in himself and give a man a false sense security. Being too comfortable can cause a man to relax to the point where he loses his passion for adventure and trades living life to the fullest for the pursuit of maintaining stability where he currently is in life. Everybody loses a job at one point in time or another and everybody goes through the loss of a loved one; sometimes it takes things like this to make us realize that nothing ever stays the same and that the pursuit of stability is a futile game. Change is all around us, it's waiting in the wings in our blind spot at all times without our even knowing it. We wake up every morning the same way with the days activities on our minds, knowing the daily routine we have grown so accustomed to is about to start and the schedule that we set yesterday for today is about to be set free. We all know that tragedy is always around the corner in the back of our minds yet we push it back and suppress it, never giving it any thought. Fear is a weakness that must not be given a foothold in our minds less we live in a constant state of dread for fear of calamity looming in the darkness waiting to jump out and choke us to the ground at any given time. We have seen it in the lives of people all around us; people who have lost loved ones to diseases or sudden tragedy like a car accident or divorce or job loss. These things are written about in thousands of books and portrayed in movies everyday; American's love of the theater and entertainment stems from the obsession with drama and the feeling you get from seeing someone be broken down by an unseen force and watch as they pick themselves up and cope with the trauma or lose their minds and destroy themselves and everyone in their path along with them. Our minds are filled with these images of movies and novels yet when the tragedy happens to us we act like we never saw it coming and that we never could have prepared for such an awful thing because we never thought it would happen to us. The truth is people love to watch a drama unfold but when the drama is their life some people just can't handle it because they don't have the strength of character or the faith to get through it or past it.
From faith stems hope; it's the only place you can find it. It is grown through difficult times not sunny carefree days of luxury and leisure. Faith is the unseen part of a person's character that is the X factor when it comes to matters such as these that we have been talking about. It is the only thing that, when tragedy strikes in your life, will give you the hope necessary to pick yourself back up again and begin to move forward. Faith gives you the courage needed to face your fears and to give comfort to those around you that are going through dark times as well. Faith can't be bought but it can be borrowed and it can be given away to others; sharing your faith with someone who is struggling can be the best gift they have ever received. One of our greatest faults is that we live our lives like nothing bad is ever going to happen and we do everything in our power to control situations to prevent change from occurring. We have our hopes and dreams set on eventually retiring from the workforce and leading a happy life doing nothing or rather not having anybody tell us what we have to do. The goal of most Americans is to retire at 60-65 and just rest in front of a TV or travel the world without any responsibility to have to work anymore. That is the goal that the "world" has set forth and everybody believes is what will ultimately make them happy; financial security is the key to a happy life they say and that is what people spend their whole lives trying to accomplish yet few people ever reach that goal. The point is that you will never be secure or shielded from the possibility of something tragic happening, it's inevitable that tragedy will strike in your life or in someone's life very close to you and you will have to deal with it whether you want to or not. If you put your trust in financial security or your health or any other worldly thing you will be disappointed because all of these things can be taken away from you and you have no control over if and when it happens.
The saying goes you never know what you have until you lose it. I lost my job this week and it is one of the most difficult things that has ever happened to me because I now have a son who just turned 6 months today and a wife who were both counting on me to provide for them financially and to provide health insurance for them in case anything were to happen. In the tough economic climate of 2009 and with the rate of unemployment higher than it has been in decades it would be very easy for me to go crazy with worry and despair but I have something that most people don't have. I have the X-factor or in this case it would be called the F-factor; the Faith Factor that gives me the strength to stand tall and to tell my family with confidence that everything is going to be ok. In fact everything is going to better than it was before because we have the God of the Universe on our side and if He is for us who can be against us? We are trusting God to provide like He always has and we are thanking Him for what He is going to do for us. We know that His timing is perfect and that He has a plan for our lives, a plan that we cannot see or fathom but I know that He is making our paths straight for us and He is leading us to a place that we could not have gotten to on our own. Sometimes change is something that we have to be pushed into because we are so determined to stay in our comfort zone that it takes being Fired from your job to get you outside on the road again where God can lead you to the place that He has been preparing for you all along. I learned that one of the definitions of Passion is taking something that could hurt you the most and turning it into the thing that can help you the most. Losing a job can be the best thing that has ever happened to me because I know that God created me for great things and that He is leading me to the exact place at the exact moment in time where He is going to use me for Mighty Works and I am believing that in Jesus' name because I know I am a son of the Most High God and His hand of favor and blessing is on my life.
So when tragedy strikes, and that's a When not an If, you must have the faith that everything happens for a reason and that God is orchestrating His master plan to bring you to a place where He is going to bless you and make you prosper more than you could where you were before. If you don't have that faith right now ask God for it, and if you don't have a relationship with God start one because He has been waiting to hear from you since you were born and He is ready to forgive you and give you everything you need. Just like an earthly father has love for his son and gives him everything he needs so your Heavenly Father will give you everything you need and He already knows what you need all you have to do is ask Him for it and believe that He will provide. I thank God today for the faith that He has given me in my heart and the ability to look past a time that could stress me out and break me down knowing that He is already working out a plan to bring me to the BEST that He has in store for me and that's what I want more than anything. I know you have to walk through the valley to get to the mountain top and that there is always a valley in between each mountain so I expect to go through another tough time again in the future; but with each valley you gain wisdom and strengthen your faith which makes you stronger for the next valley and next situation that comes along. Life is a roller-coaster ride in the sense that you are always going up one side to get down the other and you never stay in one place forever so to try to make being comfortable and secure within your own man made boundaries is futile and you will only be disappointed. Put your faith in God and no matter what happens in your life or in another person's life you will have the courage to face it with your head held high and the faith to believe that something better is coming. If you put your faith in God you will realize that everything you need you already have and all the other things are just possessions that can and will be replaced in time. You will realize that you are blessed beyond your imagination and nothing can take away the joy you have in your heart and the love you feel from being a son or daughter of the Most High God. This life is but a vapor in the wind, a grain of sand on a beach and a passing breeze on a hot summers day. It is all here today and gone tomorrow. Make your treasure something that will last for eternity, put your faith in God and watch as He transforms your life into something bigger than yourself and your physical needs. You were put here for a purpose and if you are living your life according to God's will He will always provide for you and give you everything you need to accomplish His purposes He set forth before the beginning of time.
Maybe you need to rethink what's really important in this life...
God's blessings for you and your family. Remember you are a son or daughter of the Mighty God of the Universe; nothing is too big for Him all you have to do is just ask Him and He will answer you if you believe.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
I got pushed over the edge of the cliff...
Nobody likes change unless you are talking about changing the sheets on your bed; I love the smell and feel of freshly clean sheets on the bed that are still warm from coming out of the dryer. Curling up in the clean sheets and falling asleep knowing that you are going to have a great nights sleep. Man that's the best! Other than some of life's small pleasures like clean sheets change is something that most people avoid at all costs. People are naturally bent towards keeping the status quo and doing everything they can to stay comfortable, contained in their own little box, sealed inside their own predictable world. We all enjoy watching TV shows filled with drama and suspense but when it happens to us the fear of the unknown is sometimes too much to bear and we feel like the walls are caving in all around us. In the business world of today's economic downturn a lot of businesses are driven by fear of change and their business decisions reflect that fear. Owners have been accustomed to a certain level of success and growth over the past 20 years and they are unwilling to resign themselves to a lower standard of living because they view that as failure. The wealthy of this country, business owners and others, are not willing to accept that the lifestyle and money that they have been used to making isn't a reasonable or realistic goal anymore because of the downturn in the market and the mass exodus of consumers out of the marketplace. The rich want to stay rich and get richer like they are used to and when that is challenged by a failing economy, when the thought that they might not get to buy that new Jag or be able to afford their multi-million dollar penthouse anymore they cease to care about anything else other than how to save money and save their current lifestyle. Growth ceases to exist as well. You can't be concerned about the present suffering if you are focused on growing in the future. You have to be willing to take 1 step back now to take 2 steps forward down the road. Ultra rich people generally are obsessed with money because they find their security in the fact that they can afford to do anything they want and they get their identity from the things they own, where they live and the prestige and power that comes from being wealthy. The thought of losing any of those things is like losing their life because that is what they consider most important in this world. The pursuit of money is an addiction that can be unrecognized until you start losing it and then it comes to the surface raging and screaming, causing you to make decisions and do things that are without reason or logical thought. Decisions based on the fear of losing money are never going to be good decisions because they are self preservative and don't include thought about the future or the people in the business who ultimately are making it profitable to begin with. Self preservation halts growth because it causes you to lose sight of the big picture and only focus on the immediate danger of the short term. Pastor Keith Craft made a statement at church a few weeks ago that says,"Change will happen with or without you." This statement is very true and when you make business decisions based on the fear of losing money, sacrificing the very people who have kept the company floating through good times and bad you are using a band-aid to fix a broken arm. Sacrificing the future growth of the business for the short term savings will wind up costing you more money in long run.
On a personal level change is just as unwelcome. Nobody likes to change their routine and habits are extremely hard to alter. They say it takes 2 weeks to develop a habit or change a habit to a new habit. Nobody will change on their own unless they have to or they are pushed into it by somebody else because change can be a painful experience no matter what you are talking about. Changing a job can be one of the most difficult and gut wrenching things in a persons life that ever happens to them especially if they are married and have children. When a man loses his job it's like someone tied a huge stone around his neck, threw him in the river and told him he needs to get to the other side before he sinks. The responsibility a man has to provide for his family and take care of them is something so huge that when he loses his job he feels like a failure and he loses confidence in himself. Losing a job can make a man feel like he isn't good enough or that he is a fool, undeserving of respect in his own home or preceiving that he isn't respected anymore because he failed to provide. Change can be very painful especially if it is prolonged for a long period of time or if there are circumstances that compound the situation like sickness or looming debt that catches up to them in their poverty. A man that can be comfortable in a mansion or in an apartment eating microwave dinners is the kind of man that I want to be and the kind of man that I want my son to be.
How do people deal with change? You have 1 of 2 choices when it comes to change; you can either run from it or embrace and accept it for what it is and the reality it brings along with it. Running from change is pointless unless you can somehow twist the change that is coming at you into something else before it happens; but either way you look at it things are still going to change. Having the courage and faith to accept change when it happens and trusting that you will be ok regardless of what happens comes from being content no matter what happens. It's being content with what you have and being able to live in any circumstance knowing that you will be happy because you have all that you need. I am able to say that today because I have a strong faith in the God of the Universe and because I know I am a son of the Most High God in heaven and that His son Jesus Christ has got my back and He has saved me and my family. The faith that I have in God gives me hope for today and hope for the future because I know I am right where I am supposed to be which is in the will of God. I know in my heart and in my mind that God has a plan for my life and that sometimes you have to go Through the Vally, you have to endure hard times and pain to get to where you need to go; to the place where your blessings are waiting for you. God is leading me through the valley right now but I am not worried or scared because I know He has a plan for me and not just for another job but for the BEST JOB I could want, somewhere I will be appreciated and a place where I can grow and be motivated to be the best I can be. God sees the forest where I can only see the trees right in front of me. Too often people scramble when tragedy strikes and they just run to the first thing they can and settle for good when they could have waited and had faith that God wanted to lead them past "good" and onto what was "BEST" for them where He could bless them more abundantly.
I am only interested in God's best for my life and for the life of my family. We are trusting God in Jesus' name that He is leading us to the land of milk and honey, where He will open up the heavens and pour out blessings on our family so great that we won't even have room for them all; a good measure, pressed down, shaken together and over flowing with Joy and Love. That's the kind of life that I want for myself and for every member of my family and even if it hurts for awhile and we have to give up some of the things that we like to have in the present we are looking forward to the future and thanking God for the Mighty work that He is going to do for us. Faith comes from Under-standing the word of God and the promises that He has made to His children. As a Son of the Most High God I am privileged and favored in the sight of the Lord, He makes His face to shine upon me and lights my path in the midst of darkness. I only need to have enough light to see where to put my foot for my next step because I have faith that He is leading me in the right direction. I have "understanding" of His words to me and His love for me; I have put that faith under myself and I am standing upon it (understanding) reaching Higher and Higher above the normal waiting for God's SuperNormal and His Best to come that He has planned for me. This Under-Standing lifts me up and gives me hope where most people lose their faith and start to feel sorry for themselves. I refuse to feel sorry for myself because I have nothing to fear but fear itself and fear doesn't affect me anymore because I have the God of the Universe on my side so who can touch me? Nobody!!
Change is a powerful force that has the ability to break people down or push them to rise to new heights and accomplish things that they never thought were possible. My faith in God gives me the ability to be free from worry and guilt; to look beyond my current situation and circumstances and not give into the natural tendency people have to think about what might happen. I am looking forward to what God has in store for me and my family and I am willing to suffer to reach the destination that God is leading me toward. I count myself blessed and honored to be used by God and to have Him care enough about me to lead me out of a failing situation and move me into the place where I can receive His blessings more abundently. I am going to continue to believe Him for that and work hard no matter what. I am going to accept change, not run from it and I am going to be content no matter what happens. Everything I have can be replaced except that which is most important to me, and that can never be taken away from me or lost. I am blessed to have a wonderful family, a beautiful wife and an incredible little boy to call my son; I have 2 families who are always going to be there for me and who are so supportive and I have my Father in Heaven leading the way to the promised land. These things cannot be taken away no matter what kind of job I have or don't have, no matter where I live or what kind of car I drive or how much money I have in the bank. I am rich no matter what happens and I am so blessed. I pray the same for all of you. Trust God no matter what happens. It's in the hard times that faith is grown. Allow God to work in your life and trust that He has your best interests in mind and that Good things are coming your way and it will be so. God bless you all today!!!
On a personal level change is just as unwelcome. Nobody likes to change their routine and habits are extremely hard to alter. They say it takes 2 weeks to develop a habit or change a habit to a new habit. Nobody will change on their own unless they have to or they are pushed into it by somebody else because change can be a painful experience no matter what you are talking about. Changing a job can be one of the most difficult and gut wrenching things in a persons life that ever happens to them especially if they are married and have children. When a man loses his job it's like someone tied a huge stone around his neck, threw him in the river and told him he needs to get to the other side before he sinks. The responsibility a man has to provide for his family and take care of them is something so huge that when he loses his job he feels like a failure and he loses confidence in himself. Losing a job can make a man feel like he isn't good enough or that he is a fool, undeserving of respect in his own home or preceiving that he isn't respected anymore because he failed to provide. Change can be very painful especially if it is prolonged for a long period of time or if there are circumstances that compound the situation like sickness or looming debt that catches up to them in their poverty. A man that can be comfortable in a mansion or in an apartment eating microwave dinners is the kind of man that I want to be and the kind of man that I want my son to be.
How do people deal with change? You have 1 of 2 choices when it comes to change; you can either run from it or embrace and accept it for what it is and the reality it brings along with it. Running from change is pointless unless you can somehow twist the change that is coming at you into something else before it happens; but either way you look at it things are still going to change. Having the courage and faith to accept change when it happens and trusting that you will be ok regardless of what happens comes from being content no matter what happens. It's being content with what you have and being able to live in any circumstance knowing that you will be happy because you have all that you need. I am able to say that today because I have a strong faith in the God of the Universe and because I know I am a son of the Most High God in heaven and that His son Jesus Christ has got my back and He has saved me and my family. The faith that I have in God gives me hope for today and hope for the future because I know I am right where I am supposed to be which is in the will of God. I know in my heart and in my mind that God has a plan for my life and that sometimes you have to go Through the Vally, you have to endure hard times and pain to get to where you need to go; to the place where your blessings are waiting for you. God is leading me through the valley right now but I am not worried or scared because I know He has a plan for me and not just for another job but for the BEST JOB I could want, somewhere I will be appreciated and a place where I can grow and be motivated to be the best I can be. God sees the forest where I can only see the trees right in front of me. Too often people scramble when tragedy strikes and they just run to the first thing they can and settle for good when they could have waited and had faith that God wanted to lead them past "good" and onto what was "BEST" for them where He could bless them more abundantly.
I am only interested in God's best for my life and for the life of my family. We are trusting God in Jesus' name that He is leading us to the land of milk and honey, where He will open up the heavens and pour out blessings on our family so great that we won't even have room for them all; a good measure, pressed down, shaken together and over flowing with Joy and Love. That's the kind of life that I want for myself and for every member of my family and even if it hurts for awhile and we have to give up some of the things that we like to have in the present we are looking forward to the future and thanking God for the Mighty work that He is going to do for us. Faith comes from Under-standing the word of God and the promises that He has made to His children. As a Son of the Most High God I am privileged and favored in the sight of the Lord, He makes His face to shine upon me and lights my path in the midst of darkness. I only need to have enough light to see where to put my foot for my next step because I have faith that He is leading me in the right direction. I have "understanding" of His words to me and His love for me; I have put that faith under myself and I am standing upon it (understanding) reaching Higher and Higher above the normal waiting for God's SuperNormal and His Best to come that He has planned for me. This Under-Standing lifts me up and gives me hope where most people lose their faith and start to feel sorry for themselves. I refuse to feel sorry for myself because I have nothing to fear but fear itself and fear doesn't affect me anymore because I have the God of the Universe on my side so who can touch me? Nobody!!
Change is a powerful force that has the ability to break people down or push them to rise to new heights and accomplish things that they never thought were possible. My faith in God gives me the ability to be free from worry and guilt; to look beyond my current situation and circumstances and not give into the natural tendency people have to think about what might happen. I am looking forward to what God has in store for me and my family and I am willing to suffer to reach the destination that God is leading me toward. I count myself blessed and honored to be used by God and to have Him care enough about me to lead me out of a failing situation and move me into the place where I can receive His blessings more abundently. I am going to continue to believe Him for that and work hard no matter what. I am going to accept change, not run from it and I am going to be content no matter what happens. Everything I have can be replaced except that which is most important to me, and that can never be taken away from me or lost. I am blessed to have a wonderful family, a beautiful wife and an incredible little boy to call my son; I have 2 families who are always going to be there for me and who are so supportive and I have my Father in Heaven leading the way to the promised land. These things cannot be taken away no matter what kind of job I have or don't have, no matter where I live or what kind of car I drive or how much money I have in the bank. I am rich no matter what happens and I am so blessed. I pray the same for all of you. Trust God no matter what happens. It's in the hard times that faith is grown. Allow God to work in your life and trust that He has your best interests in mind and that Good things are coming your way and it will be so. God bless you all today!!!
Friday, October 2, 2009
Who has a health care problem...
The American health care crisis is all over the news right now and the American Government is working on developing a new plan to lower the cost of health care and make it possible for all Americans to be able to afford health care for themselves and their families. The fact that there are so many people without health care in this country because the providers have escalated the price of care and made it impossible through regulations and rules is a tragedy to say the least. The cost of health care is very expensive and with the number of people who have lost their jobs recently the percentage of the American population that is without coverage is much higher that it traditionally has been. I believe that our government does need to step in and regulate the health care industry in some form to make health care more affordable and keep the insurance companies from denying people insurance who are willing to pay for it for whatever reason they feel like it. I do not believe that health care should be "universal" or government funded or regulated in the sense that the Government is in control of the health care system. I believe that health care is a privilege not a right and that you must be willing to have a job, work hard and pay for it just like anything else.
The problem with what's going on right now is that people are talking like it's a right to have health care and that everyone should have the same ability to go to the doctor and have the same coverage as the next person. People act like doctors are just something that should be available to everyone, free of cost like drinking out of a water fountain or using a public bathroom. It's absurd to think that some of the smartest people in our country, who have gone to school and devoted their lives to learning the art of medicine and medical procedures should be lumped together and treated like what they do should just be a public service because everyone needs their help. I don't think that health care is a RIGHT for everyone to have in America just like it's not a RIGHT for everyone to drive a Mercedes or have a Plasma TV and cable in their living room. You have to work hard in this life to be able to provide for yourself and your family in order to be able to afford the luxuries and things that you want. Having a house isn't a right, having a car to drive around isn't a right, having a job isn't a right, getting an education isn't a right. These are all things that everyone should want to have and work hard to achieve but just because you were born here in America doesn't give you the right to all of these things. People need to realize how good we have it over here and we need to take a good look at the values and morals we have as a nation and try to improve the foundation before we start building again. This country is spending money it doesn't have on things it doesn't need just like the American people have done which has caused the housing market to crash along with many of the major corporations in this company. We have spent and spent and never looked back until it all came falling down and then we were looking for someone to blame when in reality as a country there's nobody to blame but ourselves because we didn't think there would be any consequences for the way we were living. To bring it back to the health care issue why don't people take a look at what is causing the health care crisis and why people are getting so sick instead of pointing the finger at the doctors and insurance companies saying they are just greedy. That's also a problem but the real problem is that people aren't taking care of themselves anymore. People have gotten lazy and they don't exercise or eat healthy anymore. The fast food generation has caused many problems for many Americans yet we don't hold McDonald's responsible for their quarter pounders and french fries. Why is that? Why don't we take a good look at the root of the problem instead of pointing the finger at the easy target and saying they are just being greedy we want free health care for everyone now.
The leaders of this country need to step up and do the difficult thing which is address the root problems instead of taking the easy way out and saying the "government" is going to take care of everything to buy them some time to think of a real solution. We are cursing our children with this problem if we don't step up and handle it ourselves. When are we going to be truthful with ourselves about what is going on in this country?
The problem with what's going on right now is that people are talking like it's a right to have health care and that everyone should have the same ability to go to the doctor and have the same coverage as the next person. People act like doctors are just something that should be available to everyone, free of cost like drinking out of a water fountain or using a public bathroom. It's absurd to think that some of the smartest people in our country, who have gone to school and devoted their lives to learning the art of medicine and medical procedures should be lumped together and treated like what they do should just be a public service because everyone needs their help. I don't think that health care is a RIGHT for everyone to have in America just like it's not a RIGHT for everyone to drive a Mercedes or have a Plasma TV and cable in their living room. You have to work hard in this life to be able to provide for yourself and your family in order to be able to afford the luxuries and things that you want. Having a house isn't a right, having a car to drive around isn't a right, having a job isn't a right, getting an education isn't a right. These are all things that everyone should want to have and work hard to achieve but just because you were born here in America doesn't give you the right to all of these things. People need to realize how good we have it over here and we need to take a good look at the values and morals we have as a nation and try to improve the foundation before we start building again. This country is spending money it doesn't have on things it doesn't need just like the American people have done which has caused the housing market to crash along with many of the major corporations in this company. We have spent and spent and never looked back until it all came falling down and then we were looking for someone to blame when in reality as a country there's nobody to blame but ourselves because we didn't think there would be any consequences for the way we were living. To bring it back to the health care issue why don't people take a look at what is causing the health care crisis and why people are getting so sick instead of pointing the finger at the doctors and insurance companies saying they are just greedy. That's also a problem but the real problem is that people aren't taking care of themselves anymore. People have gotten lazy and they don't exercise or eat healthy anymore. The fast food generation has caused many problems for many Americans yet we don't hold McDonald's responsible for their quarter pounders and french fries. Why is that? Why don't we take a good look at the root of the problem instead of pointing the finger at the easy target and saying they are just being greedy we want free health care for everyone now.
The leaders of this country need to step up and do the difficult thing which is address the root problems instead of taking the easy way out and saying the "government" is going to take care of everything to buy them some time to think of a real solution. We are cursing our children with this problem if we don't step up and handle it ourselves. When are we going to be truthful with ourselves about what is going on in this country?
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