Act on Your Plan
Leave a CommentHappy New Year!
As a New Year kicks off many people will declare or already have declared their “New Year’s resolutions.” These plans and ideas, although very good and life-improving, often never see the light of day past the first week of January. Why? Because coming up with the plan or idea is one thing actually carrying it out is another, especially when the thing takes some effort.
How many times have you said “I’m going to _____________.”? You can fill in that blank with any number of things. I’m going to exercise. I’m going to eat better. I’m going to quit smoking. I’m going to actually read my Bible. I’m going to invite that person to church. You get the idea. But then that is as far as it goes. Soon after, you declare your good intentions the excuses or reasons to put it off start. I’d eat better; but it’s the holidays. I’d exercise; but it’s too cold outside. I’d quit smoking; but work is stressful. (Hint: cast your cares on Him for He cares for you.) I’d read my Bible; but I don’t have time. I’d help my fellow man; but I need to rest.
So, guess what? If you don’t do your resolution or plan, nothing will happen. Yes, nothing will change. Life will continue moving along just as it has. Do you get that? Nothing will change. The things you actually thought were important enough to think about, form a plan and declare that you were going to do, will not happen and you and your situations will stay the same unless you actually do something about it.
In this New Year, just saying “I’m going to” isn’t going to cut it for you. Because you are not just a talker you are a doer, a person of action. Remember, there are people who talk about a problem or a situation. And there are people who do something about it. Since you’re reading this and interested in developing your life in the perfect will of God I’m going to assume that you actually want to do something about your life. That harvest of positive results comes from sowing positive actions over a period of time.
Life takes discipline. For example: My wife walks around 45 minutes three times a week. But you know what? She started with walking for 15 minutes, 3 times a week. After 3 years, that 45 minutes is, pardon the pun, a walk in the park. You see she started small; but she started. She had to actually take those first steps and then refuse to miss her walking days. The same principal applied when I quit smoking 2 ½ years ago, I actually had to stop buying and lighting them.
Let me come to the point. Whatever it is that you want different in your life, pray. Determine what actions you need to take. Then take them. Otherwise, you can expect to look January 1, 2010 in the face with nothing changed.
Use What You Learn
Comments (1)This morning following my Bible study time and prayer time the Lord impressed upon me that, as Christians, we need to pay attention to people around us. I mean, really pay attention, to them. As we get closer to Christmas many of us are getting busier and busier, wrapping up business before a vacation, wrapping up presents for our loved ones, and wrapping up our wish lists. While we’re getting caught up in and focusing on celebrating our Lord and Savior’s birthday, we may be walking by the person who desperately needs that bit of encouragement, or a smile. We may be missing the opportunity to tell them that you and Jesus love them, that no matter what is going on in their lives Jesus has it covered. You see for many people, both Christian and non-Christians, Christmas isn’t the time of joy it should be. It’s a time of pressure, a time of not having enough, a time of being alone, a time of embarrassment and shame when they feel they can’t deliver even a simple gift. But as God’s chosen people if we don’t make an effort to pay attention to the people we come across, we will miss the opportunity to use what we study and learn and maybe miss the opportunity to stop that random stranger from going home and blowing their brains out. Think about it. What else are you trying to get out of your daily studies? If it’s only to make your life better you’ve missed the point.
“And he (Jesus) said unto them (His followers), Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. And they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.” (Mark 16:15-23)
Mark 16:15-23 does a perfect job of explaining why we should be endeavoring to learn the Word, and to spend time in our daily studies, so we can spread the gospel will signs following us. So what is the gospel we are called to preach to every creature? Jesus tells us in Luke 4:18 where He says “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,”
Well there you have it. God’s marching orders for His people: preach the gospel to the world. Preach deliverance, healing good news for the poor (prosperity), liberty. Remember, pay attention. Look people in the face, listen for the Holy Spirit to prompt you and use what you’ve learned. It may be a challenge at first. But remember; you are equipped. “And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.” (1 John 4:16-18) Don’t hide your light, use what you learn.
GOD’S COMPLETE LIFE PLAN FOR ALL YOUR NEEDS, WANTS AND DESIRES
Leave a CommentGOD’S COMPLETE LIFE PLAN FOR ALL YOUR NEEDS, WANTS AND DESIRES
Written by Sheri Neufang
This week, during my Bible time with the Lord, I saw something new in a Psalm I’ve read many times. Psalm 37:3-7 lists God’s plan to provide for your needs, desires, your vision, your vindication and peaceful rest. Each verse has an action for you to take and a promised result.
Food and shelter: Verse 3.
“Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.”
Recommended action: Trust in the Lord, not your job, not a rich friend or relation, not in the economy turning around, not in a newly elected official, not in your beauty or strength. Trust in the Lord and do good.
Promise: Verily you will be fed. How about a place to live? Verse 3 says to trust in the Lord and do good and that’s how you will manage to keep living here. Did you ask Jesus to be the Lord of your life? Are you following his command to tithe 10% on the increase that comes to your house? Malachi 3:10 says, “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.” You can count on him to feed you and keep you in a place to live. Further proof? Philippians 4:19 says, “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”
Desires beyond basic needs: Verse 4
“Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.”
Recommended action: Delight yourself in the Lord. Enjoy worshiping Him, spending time in His word, thinking about his laws and promises to you. Get excited about being a Christian, about going to church, about sharing what you believe.
Promise: He will give you the desires of your heart. Not just what you need for survival. Further proof? Matthew 6:33, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
Your vision: Verse 5
“Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.”
Recommended action: Decide here and now, make a commitment that the way you do things, the way you think, act and speak will be the Lord’s way. Then start reading and understanding the Bible so you know what His way is. This is going to take some trust in God. Sometimes the way He tells us to be is contrary to our raising, our life experience up to this point, our emotions, even feelings in our physical body. Trust in Him.
Promise: He will bring it to pass, make it happen. Make what happen? Your vision. The seed-picture He put in your mind’s eye where you can see yourself doing some amazing, seemingly impossible thing for God and enjoying it too. “But it’s been so long since I began to dream of that. And I still don’t see visible evidence of it happening.” Look to Habakkuk 2:3 for confirmation. “For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.” His job is to bring it to pass, your job is to commit your way unto Him and trust in Him. The promise continues in verse 6.
Vindication and Justice: Verse 6
“And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.” If you Trust in the Lord and do good, delight yourself also in the Lord, commit your way unto him while trusting in Him, he promises to make it as plain as the light of day where you were unjustly accused. He promises to give you your judgment (that is King James Version for justice) for everyone to see, like light at high noon. Further proof: Isaiah 54:17, “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.”
Peace while you wait: Verse 7
“Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself…”
Recommended action: Don’t panic saying, “What do I do?” Don’t take actions God would not have you take trying to save yourself, make things happen, get it done. Rest in the Lord. Actually, resting in the Lord is an action. Further proof Hebrew 4:11 warns us to do the work or labor of believing on God so we can rest in Him. “Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.” Let’s look at that verses 10-12, 16. “For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.” When God rested, He stopped working. Are you still trying to work in an area of your life in which God has told you to rest? “Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.” If you’re not resting in that area when He has told you to, you’re not believing His Word about that area. And now the good news, “For the word of God is quick (alive), and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” The weapon God has placed in our hand, His Word, is ALIVE and POWERFUL. Would you be afraid of a rat running at you if you had an atomic bomb to fight him with? More encouragement. God has not left us to fight our battles alone, even with this powerful weapon. “ Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” We can come with confidence, boldly right up to the King, the Lord of Hosts knowing we will find mercy there and the grace (special provision of strength) to help when we need it. It reminds me of my son running up to me for help. I’m not going to turn him away and I am wiser, stronger and able to fix his trouble.
If you want survival, trust in the Lord and do good. If you want the desires of your heart, delight yourself in Him. If you want to see your vision, commit your way unto Him while trusting in Him; and He will give you vindication. So, “Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself…”
Two Years Today
Today marks the 2 year anniversary of me being a non-smoker. TWO YEARS! HALLELUJAH! Not only did quitting smoking improve my health and my finances (can you say $5.00 per pack) it did much more. Quitting smoking was a key moment for me to realize that “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” ((Philippians 4:13). Quitting smoking also gave me a testimony, and a victory to look back at. Before David defeated Goliath he had his testimonies and past victories to draw on “Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God.”(1 Samuel 17:36)
What bondage or defeated mental state does the enemy have you in today? Take a moment and look at the past victories in your life and realize that through the blood of Jesus there is nothing you can’t overcome. But if you’re feeling so beat down that you can’t get yourself to recollect your own victories, look at the testimonies of others and remember “For there is no respect of persons with God.”(Romans 2:11). If God did it for them He will do it for you.
Below is a re-post of my quitting smoking testimony. My hope is that it will encourage you and help you to reflect on the past victories in your life. Use the past victories to stir yourself up in the Lord. Let that devil know God pulled you through before and He’s doing it again, right now because you have the name of Jesus. Anything coming against you no matter how big it seems will have bow to the name of Jesus. “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;”(Philippians 2:10).
Finally Free From Smoking!!! (originally posted November 2007)
I quit smoking on April 14, 2006. Yes, many people quit smoking. But this was the beginning of so much more. You see, I loved smoking. All smokers do. But I think it meant more to me. As long as I can remember all the “cool” people smoked, everyone in the movies, and in my family smoked. Even when I was a child I knew I would smoke when I grew up. When I turned 16 I started smoking in front of everyone. When other kids were hiding it from their parents I was kicking back in my bedroom, or sitting at the kitchen table having a bedtime or after dinner smoke.
From that time until I was 36 I smoked anywhere from one to three packs a day. I made smoking a priority. Even when I was sick I would slog out to have a few. After years of smoking you can imagine, like most smokers, my lung capacity was diminishing; so I got an inhaler. My problem was solved. If I couldn’t breathe and felt like I needed more air I’d take a hit of the inhaler so I could muster up enough pull to get a cigarette lit. This lasted a long time as I continued to use medicine to avoid the root issue. But all that changed as I grew in my walk with God and my idea of who He really is changed.
The first steps in getting past my addiction came from learning about the real Jesus who says: “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I (Jesus) am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). 3 John 1:2 says “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.” I was learning that God really loves me and wants me to do well all of the time. I learned that when we go through difficult times or something bad happens it isn’t because God is teaching you something or because it’s God’s will; if there is stealing, killing or destroying it is not Jesus at all. I now understand that God wants only the best for us.
Once I started to realize that God wants me to succeed at everything I do, and how much He really loves me, it made it easier to love Him. Before this I would say “Sure, I love God” but I was really thinking “Sure, I’m afraid I’ll make God angry and have to suffer His wrath.” I learned that, no matter what, He loves me, and will never leave me or forsake me. (Hebrews 13:5)
A big revelation was that Jesus died for so much more than salvation alone. When God created Adam and Eve He gave them authority and dominion over the earth; when Adam sinned satan was able to take that authority from Adam. Through His own death, burial, and resurrection, Jesus gave this authority back to us-giving us power over the devil and making us joint heirs with Himself. Armed with this new knowledge, I knew I could quit smoking once and for all. I was able to see it for the affliction it was. It was a master that would call me to stop working or from being with my family and go outside to smoke. Knowing I could only serve one master this one had to go. As I sat in church and heard a Good Friday message about knowing the real Jesus and how He gave us authority, I decided I was done smoking, in Jesus name. I went home sat down smoked my last cigarette, put it out and that was it. It’s been a year and seven months now 2 years now. I know I’m free!
Salvation Can Be Yours
If you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord Savior and yet have stumbled upon this Blog and are still reading, it’s for a reason. You are called to a better life, an eternal life in Christ Jesus. If you would like to receive the gift of salvation all you need to do is turn from your sin (repent), confess that Jesus is Lord and He died for your sins and rose again. Say this prayer and believe that you receive.
Heavenly Father I thank you that you love me so much that even while I was still a sinner you sent your only begotten son Jesus to die for me. I believe and receive the salvation that came from the death burial and resurrection of Jesus. I repent of my sins, and thank you Lord for washing away those sins with the blood of Jesus. I declare that Jesus is the Lord of my life. I declare that I am a new creation in Christ Jesus. I declare that my life will never be the same. I receive and thank you for a life everlasting with you through your son Jesus. IN JESUS’ NAME AMEN!
If you just prayed that prayer, go ahead and stand up, and let the devil know his reign in your life is over, you’ve been made righteous in Christ Jesus. Now is the time to get into a solid Full Gospel Bible believing church, read your bible get to know the Word.
Below are a few good resources to help you get started in your new life. All of these have sermons you can download or watch online, and many other things that will definitely bless you. Also there is an online bible to help you get in the Word right away.
