CONFIDENCE

"We are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved." Hebrews 10:39(NIV, 1984)

"I can't do this."

"Things will never change."

"My life isn't going to get better."

"I'll never have the confidence I need."

How often have you told yourself these words or how often have you heard these words from someone you thought loved you.  I can remember growing up, that I would always try to pass opportunities up that I thought in my mind, I would fail.  All though I never had God in my life as a child or an adolescent I knew that there was something there always watching over me, communicating to my heart and helping me take the right steps.  

I come from a life a negativity.  Where only the negative was looked at and the positive was ignored.  This is where I get my negative thinking from.  I can remember many times when my mind held me back from accomplishing great things in my life.  It was not until I found God and accepted him into my heart that my mindset changed.  

All throughout scripture, God tells us things can change; life can be better. He declares with confidence: "See, I am doing a new thing!" "I am working all things together for good for those who love me and are called according to my purpose." "All things are possible to those who believe." (Isa. 43:19; Rom. 8:28; Mark 9:23)

So how do we stop listening to our doubts and start living in the power of God's promises?

By choosing to believe God's truths more than our feelings and fears. By moving beyond believing in God to really believing in the power of Gods Words and know they are true - no matter what our feelings tell us.

It is a moment-by-moment, day-by-day, doubt-by-doubt decision where we process our thoughts and emotions with God, positioning our hearts and minds to let His perspective redefine ours with each uncertainty we face.

Some days I do better than others, and you will too. But I have found that it's possible to have lasting Christ-confidence by choosing to remember to believe.

"I have been crucified with Christ, for it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.  For the life that I now live in the flesh, I live by faith through God who loves me and gave himself up for me" (Galatians 2:20)

Make the choice today to believe and accept that God can change your life.

What do you have to lose?

"We are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved." Hebrews 10:39(NIV, 1984)


Start saying to yourself:

"I can do this."

"Things will change."

"My life is going to be better."

"I do have the confidence I need to succeed."

Winning, Confidence, Power, Strength and Security all run through our blood.  Your Father is the greatest man who ever walked the face of this earth.  No one can ever take that away from you.  

Camp Jesus

It has been a while since my last blog.  A brother asked me the other day if I was still hearing God?  Its funny the he asked that because so many times in my life, I hear god and turn away.  I know what I am supposed to do, but I don't do it.  I try to make excuses like life has been busy, I lost my job, I have been sick, or my kids have been home and I can't do anything with them here.  

Then Daddy showed himself today.  

He said, "I did not make any excuses up when I chose to sacrifice my only son's life for your miserable sins!"  

Sometimes it takes your Daddy to give you a swift kick in the A** to wake you up and remind you what you were put on this earth for!  Its not about me or my miserable fleshy life.  It is about the father GOD who gave me life in the first place.  I asked Daddy to forgive me this morning for making the decision to put him on the back burner of my life.  

^{In John 1:14 it says:}

¹⁴ "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." When was the last time you spent the night in a tent?  It was last night.  According to 2 Corinthians 5, we are currently living in the tents of our bodies, eagerly waiting resurrection day when we'll receive permanent structures (our glorified bodies).  Furthermore, we're told in John 1:14 that when Jesus took on flesh in Bethlehem, He pitched His tent among us.  The Greek term for "took up residence" has reference to tenting. 

(Robert J Morgan)

I have realized that sometimes I choose to leave my Daddy's camp.  I choose to pack up my tent and take off to see if I can do it on my own, only to realize that I have no direction.  I have left my compass (Jesus) at the camp site. I walk in circles for days and maybe even weeks until I figure out that all the camp sites I am passing on my way is the one that I have left just days before.   

John 1: ⁹ The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. ¹⁰ He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. ¹¹ He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 

Have you let Jesus pitch his tent in the camp that you are currently residing in?

Furthermore, have you left Jesus' camp, and lost yourself among the many fleshy curiosities that can make us lose focus on the one truth (Jesus Christ)?

The good news is that we are always welcome in the camp of Jesus.  All we have to do is walk through the gate and pitch a tent.  

¹² "Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— ¹³ children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God."

We are all descendants of the one and only God.  Make the choice to climb into his lap let him comfort you and feel safe.  Jesus Christ is the only FREEDOM you will have on this earth!  

May God Bless You!

What is servanthood?

What is servanthood? 
Husbands, it might mean waking up early on Saturday mornings to take care of the kids so that your wife can sleep in.  It could be taking the initiative in the area of intimacy now and then.  Maybe it is postponing a date to serve a friend of yours who needs to move.  Maybe it is taking over a project at work and seeing it through to the bitter end because your co-worker is over worked.

None of the disciples took the initiative to wash their own or anyone else's feet.  Do you know what Jesus did?  Jesus got up and set aside his garment and put on the garment of a servant and washed the disciple's feet, one by one.  How many times in my own life have I been so prideful, just like the desciples, reclined, kicked back, and too prideful to serve my wife, too prideful to help my kids with their homework.  And I miss opportunities to serve.  I miss opportunities for humility and to show the authentic message of Jesus Christ to those I love the most.

Every time you serve, every time I serve, God says, "Thats my Boy", because when we do he sees his son in our lives.  Serving moves the heart of God.

Jesus said that for the math to work, for your life to be complete, you have got to add this character quality.  The way up is the way down.  The way to greatness is through severanthood.  That is one of the main focuses of the Christian life.  That is what God wants to build in your life and mine.

Mark 10:43-45

"Not so with you.  Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.  For even the Son of man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

Are you prepared to Die to the World and be a servant?
Are you prepared to give up your life for God? 

A Child Like Faith

Today, in the mist of a horrible fight between me and my wife, my daughter (Bella) who is 6 years old said something that made me smile. 
Bella looks up at me and says "Why did mommy leave?" 
I say "she had to leave because she was angry and she needed to gather herself." 
Bella says "well all she needs is a little love and compassion from you daddy."
This is the statement that made me smile. 
In the fogginess of my anger, bitterness, and unforgiveness, I was blinded to the spirit of god. It took my little 6 year old to make me realize that this life is not about me.
At that point, as I looked into my little Bella's eyes, I wondered.  When did I lose my child like faith?
I was reading in my devotion tonight and this is what it said about child like faith. 
Childlike faith encourages humility and helps us realize who we are in Christ. Without humility, we cannot come to the Lord, because we will never admit our need, surrender our will, or be able to grow in faith. We will not be able to serve others because we will think they are unworthy, just as the people did toward that soldier’s servant in Matthew 8:5-13 "⁵ When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. ⁶ “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.”⁷ Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?” ⁸ The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. ⁹ For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”¹⁰ When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. ¹¹ I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. ¹² But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”¹³ Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that moment.


Faith is the foundation upon which we build our character; it supports the house where the Spirit can dwell and empower us. This is a fruit of the Spirit given to us as we grow and mature. It comes from being "conformed to the image of His Son." (Romans 8:29) Faith and our trust in Christ will be the quintessential aspects of applying obedience and growth in our maturity and character. We need to trust in Jesus, believe Him with the simple faith of a child, knowing He is so far above us that we will never understand Him – but we can trust Him.

You see, my little Bella still has that child like faith.  To her the world is full of surprises, full of things that she does not understand. She knows that she doesn't understand everything, so she is frequently lost in wonder.

How do this characteristic apply to the way we receive the kingdom?

We need to be overwhelmed with the wonder of His love and power. "He created this world around us! He can do anything! And He came for me! He loves me!"

So will you wonder as a child? Will you admit your sinfulness like a child? Will you trust like a child?

If we are struggling in our marriages, we need to have that faith of a child, a faith that believes that God really does work together all things – even our serious problems – for His glory and our good.
 
Thank you god for this day.  Even in the mist of my sinfulness, you are willing to teach me and lead me.  Thank you for never giving up on me and always being there for me.  Forgive me for how I sinned against my wife and children.  Please heal their hearts and take away their sorrows.  Only you can heal all wounds.  Only you can make a bad situation glorify your name.  In the name of Jesus Christ,  I love you.
Amen!!

Trust your Daddy!

I had a job interview last week.  It has been a while since I have been in the corporate world and yet I feel like daddy has his hand in all of it.  I would usually look at this opportunity as just another job that I have to work to make a buck.  Now I look at it as my daddy pursuing me.  James 4:8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded." All I want to do is gods will in my life.  I know that he has a path for me.  I know that he is the ultimate provider, yet I still question him. As I do my devotion today, daddy is all over me.  I say I want to change my mindset, yet I still keep doing the same things and falling into my habitual sin.  Daddy said to me this morning, I have given you all you need to prepare you for the spiritual battle.  Your weapons are in front of your face in my word (The Bible) yet you choose to ignore it and fight with the weapons of your world.  2 Cor 10:3-4 "For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does, the weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds." NIV
Romans 12:2 "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." NIV 
Do you truly trust your daddy or do you let the words just flow from your tongue with no meaning?  Proverbs 18:21 NIV "The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit." 
I am guilty of saying things that I really do not mean.  To truly trust in God is freedom!  You have no worries, no quarrels, nothing to make you second guess that your daddy is going to come through.  
Let the bible be your guide.  Memorize his word and engrave it into your soul.  Proverbs7:1,3 "Treasure my commands.........Write them on the tablet of your heart."

What goes in will eventually come out.

I started reading a new book today.  100 Bible Verses by Robert Morgan.  The first chapter really hit home.  It was based on Proverbs 23:7 "For as he thinks in his heart so is he"
Good thoughts and actions can never produce bad results; bad thoughts and actions can never produce good results.
I look back on my life in the past and even now.  I can be so negative in my thinking.  This really weighed heavy on me.  I have always thought I was a positive person but the lord spoke to me today.  For as he thinks in his heart so is he.  Damn, I am way off kilter. We as men are programmed by the world not to act sad, happy, or have any fear. So when we have these types of feelings, we cover it up with anger!  I know that Anger and Rage have controlled my life.  Just the other day, I woke up and I was angry for no apparent reason.  I was short with my wife and kids and I did not understand why I was feeling the way I did.  My wife sent me a text on the way to work saying "that she did not do anything to me and she did not deserve to be treated that way."  She was absolutely correct.  I had to ask for her forgiveness and admit that I was angry for no reason.  It was not her fault.  Most of the time it never is. 
God says in his word in Proverbs 14:29 "Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly."  It all starts with how we think.  If we are thinking negative thoughts then negativity will engulf our world.  If we are thinking positive thoughts, then positivity will engulf our world.
"A person's mind is like a garden, which may be intelligently cultivated or allowed to run wild; but whether cultivated or neglected, it must, and will, bring forth.  If no useful seeds are put into it, then an abundance of useless seeds will fall therein, and will continue to produce their kind."  James Allen
What are you cultivating in your mind?  Is it going to produce sweet fruit or useless wild weeds!