Love you all, praying for you,
I just love God’s Word, it tells us truth, it tells us what happened. It tells us of the love of God – for you. It tells us what God did for us. He sent His Son to be one of us, but sinless, so not only could He take our sin on himself, but so he could also show us how to overcome it. Matthew 4 – Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. Are you like one of those who are quick to fall away the moment God’s Word says something that you don’t understand, or that seems like a contradiction? As if God made an error, and after 2000 years – you out of all humans in history, you were finally the one that caught it? Just because you don’t understand something, doesn’t mean it isn’t true, or isn't right, or that God isn’t perfect, holy, kind, gracious, fair, righteous… James 1:13 – And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong, and He never tempts anyone else.” So what do you do if you don’t understand something? The Holy Spirit led Jesus into the desert, knowing temptation would come, but the Holy Spirit doesn’t tempt you. In this life temptation will come, trials will come. God doesn’t cause them, but He turns them – for your good. He can create purpose in anything. The one good thing about temptation – every time you respond in obedience – it will grow you stronger. If you overcome this time, you’ll overcome next time. Verse 2 – After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Notice how the devil waited until he was hungry – really hungry. Notice how the devil always tries to frame what good is, or what righteousness is? It sounds right, but it's not what God says. The tempter will speak through people who will tell you that if you were a Christian, or if you were a good person, or a moral person, you would do this, or say this, or agree with us, or do what we do. The devil always wants to control you, so you obey him instead of your Heavenly Father, his plans for you, rather than God's plans for your good. Jesus was having none of it. Clearly He could have done it. He was hungry. He was probably about to stop at McDonalds, it was time to eat something, but this is not the way He was going to do it. The first thing out of Jesus’ mouth – It is written, ‘Man does not live by bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ It wasn't even about eating food, it's about whose word controls you, God's Word, or someone or something else? A suggestion of the devil, a pressure from another person, a question about God’s Word? Someone telling you what you would do if you were a good person? Jesus was clear – there are things more important than bread, but the most important thing is what God says. If God told him to make stones bread, He would have done it. That's why PiVAT is so important, if you already doing what God told you to do, any suggestion to do other, becomes obvious. If God tells you to do something in your PiVAT time with Him – getting His plans, that’s what you should do - not what other people tell you, not someone else's ideas of what is good or right for you. Notice Jesus didn’t say – wait just a minute, let me look up what the Bible says about this. (Sometimes you need that due diligence in truth) but most of the time, you need to have it in you beforehand. PRISM every day – helps you know what to say… When God’s Word is in you – it can come out. That's the best defense... "It Is Written." Praying that first, you won’t get thrown off track if you see something in Scripture that you don’t understand, or thought differently. The devil's strategy is always to get you to doubt. Because then you will be slow to obey. And slow obeyers become non-obeyers - really - disobeyers. Even John the Baptist – whose life purpose was to point the way to Jesus… In prison, sent someone to ask Jesus. "Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?" Wow, tough day. Jesus replied, “Go and report to John what you hear and see, the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers and cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. When people don't see things, it's usually because they are in prison, not physically like John was, but spiritually or mentally. Doubt and unbelief can be that prison that keeps you from seeing and understanding. Then Jesus finished with this... “And blessed is he who does not take offense at me." (Who isn’t offended, who doesn’t stumble, because of me) Because what I am doing, was not what they expected, or how they expected it. Praying that you will only make stones into bread, if your Heavenly Father tells you. That PiVAT will be such a habit, you are already doing what you know God told you to do. That PRISM would be such a habit, that His Word just comes out of your mouth. Your best defense - It is written. Praying that every opportunity for temptation, is your opportunity for overcoming. That His Word will be in your mouth, so your obedience will bring you to every testimony He has planned for you. Love you all, dad
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Love you all, praying for you,
I just love God’s Word – it is absolute truth, so pure, completely right, and so simple. So why can it be difficult sometimes? Because the devil always twists the simple to make it hard. "It couldn’t be that easy…" So he has you 1) Question what God says, 2) He makes you doubt God’s goodness, and 3) He twists what God says into something else, either different, or added to, or subtracted from. One of the greatest paradigm shifts from lie to truth in human history - righteousness comes by faith in Jesus Christ – that’s it. No other way. For generations people thought, and rightfully so, that if you fulfilled the law – you would be righteous. But Paul let us know that in God’s plan – the natural revealed the spiritual. No one can fulfill the law, because we are sinners by nature. When Adam sinned, we were born with it - cause we come from Adam. You don’t need to teach a baby how to disobey their Mommy, those fits comes naturally. So God said – Abraham was justified by faith, not works. Just like in Christ we are justified, made righteous, by what Jesus did, not what we did. Why? Because we could never do enough. One sin makes you a sinner, a stain you can’t erase. The blood of Jesus cleanses it – washes it away, as if it never happened. Because he had no sin, He could pay the penalty required for ours - death. So you are made righteous by faith in Christ, not works. What you believe, (actually who you put your belief in…) not what you do to earn it. So where do works come in? Faith works. It’s not that you believe and don’t do anything… it’s that you believe, so you are made righteous (in right standing) with God, through your belief that Jesus died in your place, and then the works that you do, aren’t to justify you, that’s already done… But to demonstrate the faith you have. Faith works, because if you believe what God said, you will do what He says. James made this clear – faith without works is dead, you can’t show me faith without works. He said Abraham’s faith made him righteous before God, but it was proven by His obedience to what God told him. You don’t work to get faith, but if you have faith you work. Faith works. No, not complex, simple. Faith and obedience go together, you can’t have faith without obedience. Obedience is different from works. Works is doing what you think God expects – in order to earn his love, or forgiveness or favor. But Obedience in Christ is just doing what the Holy Spirit leads you to do – for your good, and the blessing of others. That’s where the joy comes from, and that’s the obedience that proves the faith. So when works was the goal – that was a long list. But when obedience is the goal – it’s the short-list. God said my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Walk in the Spirit – and you won’t do the things the flesh wants to do. It starts with your time. Just PiVAT today – get His plan and just do the first thing He leads you to do, and go from there. Spend time in PRISM – in His Word – get your mind right. Give an Account of His money – today, know where it is, so you can do what He tells you to do with it, and overcome with your testimony! Your Daily Call is important! It’s how you overcome! - God said, Hebrews 3:13, and Ecclesiastes 4:12 These simple things – are the work of faith. Not the work to get faith, but the work that comes from it. Every time you obey, your faith grows, because you’re not obeying for nothing. It honors God, it positions you for the next good, and it’s the only way to please God - faith – that works. He said without faith it's impossible to please God - those who believe God must believe that He exists, and rewards those who diligently seek Him - so they can obey what He says! Praying that your faith is growing stronger today - because your obedience is growing stronger today. Love you all, dad Love you all, praying for you,
I’m so glad that God is a God of basics. He often brings me back to them. It’s funny how easy it is to stray. To get caught up in so many other things – rather than the best things, the most important things. Do you remember when you got your first bike as a kid. Not a big wheel, or a little kids bike, but a real bicycle that you could ride by yourself? Do you remember your parents gave you guidelines about how far you could ride it. First only down the sidewalk or street within their eyesight, and then they allowed you to go as far as a certain street or block or neighborhood. If you lived in the city, when you got old enough to drive your bike to school, or to the store by yourself… you would always bring your chain and lock with you – so no-one steals your bike. Every school and even some stores had bike racks to stack the bikes next to each other, and you just brought your own lock. Some were the rolling kind, that looked like a tootsie roll, and rolled the three numbers up and down like a slot machine. The most common was the master lock, with it’s round nob in the middle spinning the numbers you needed with either a short or longer curved bar to it. You would never go to school, or into a store without locking your bike, and you always had it with you. Life is kind of like that. What you don’t lock up, could disappear. The devil is always waiting for his opportunity. He doesn’t steal your bike anymore, but he'll steal your peace the moment you leave it unlocked. So He can then steal your faith, and steal your joy. When you are peace-less - impatience and anger and selfishness come much more quickly. If you leave that place of peace, your whole day is tainted, your emotions and responses, your words, if He can paralyze you with worry, or other concerns he will. Whatever you leave unlocked, He will take it. So how do you lock your peace, so you keep it? How do you lock your joy, so you don’t lose it. How do you lock in your obedience, so you don’t forfeit any one of the blessings, and the Good that it brings? You will keep him in complete peace whose mind is stayed on you. When our mind always looks to God first, your peace remains. The devil can't steal it. The first thing the devil will try to steal, is your PiVAT before dinner. Why? Because there is nothing more important than getting God's plans for your day. If he can water down that habit, it will disappear. You will live your life out of reaction mode, tossed and turned by the demands of others. Forgetting that your time is God’s, He can run it so much better than you can, and if you let Him make your time decisions, your trust will grow, because when you obey with time, it locks in your testimony that you can overcome with. If he steals your PiVAT time, he can likely get your PRISM time as well. Because when you don't have God's plans, you're stuck with your plan, and PRISM is the first thing that falls by the wayside... But if you are faithful in PiVAT before dinner - that locks in your PRISM time - so your mind is transformed, and your Daily Call time, so you can overcome with your testimony, and are sharpened by another - just like He commanded. You will know what time God has set for you to give an account with your 4C’s everyday – so you know where His money is - so you can do what He tells you to do with it. Without those, your are peaceless, hopeless, joyless. Praying that you will lock in every day before it begins. PiVAT before dinner. Just ask God what His plans are for you for tomorrow, and be reminded of what He told you to fully complete today. This isn't religion, it's relationship! Your trust will grow, because obedience always brings results. God blesses it – every time. Praying that your PiVAT Weekly before the week begins, will give you time with your Life’s Master-Planner – so He can raise your vision to what He wants to do through you and in you - in just one week. He wants you to be a different person by the end of the week, and PiVAT Monthly by the end of the Month. If you will just ask Him His plans for you, He will give you the grace to do it. That’s the lock for the bike of your testimony. The devil is always trying to steal your testimony. If He gets you to neglect PiVAT – he can get you to leave obedience behind, and all the testimonies that could have been, get left on the table. Like the bike that was stolen, now you have to walk. God’s plans are like a bike. With His plans - you can coast – you can get momentum to get up hills, you feel the wind in your hair, you can even go no-handed sometimes. So what if your bike is missing, your peace has been stolen? You haven’t done PiVAT yet for this Week, or PiVAT for today and you are just flying by the seat of your pants, running out of peace, and running out of gas. Unlike the bike that could be gone forever, just do PiVAT right now. Just do PiVAT Weekly right now. Go back to His plans for you. God said if you lack wisdom, cause you didn’t ask… you can ask right now! and He will give it to you, without finding fault with you. Praying that you will lock your time with PiVAT, that you'll lock mind with PRISM, and lock your testimony with your Daily Call. So your obedience grows your peace, and your faith, and your hope and your joy! So your enemy can’t steal one little Good thing that your Heavenly Father has stored up for you. Love you all, dad Love you all, praying for you,
I just love God’s Word. So simple, so straight forward, and absolute truth. The One Sure Thing by which you can measure everything else. Whether thoughts, words, actions, motives, opinions… God’s Word is simple, actionable truth. It keeps you from deception, it gives you answers, it tells you how to walk in victory. It tells you how to win, and how to live a life filled with joy - a life worth living. I just love Psalms 136 – It tells you to do something, it tells you why, and it reminds you of all the things that help you do it. Here’s what it says to do. Give thanks to the LORD, and here’s the why - for He is good. Mic drop. That’s all you need. Give thanks, that’s a command. To the LORD – a reminder of who He is – the Supreme Authority and Power in the universe. Why? Because He’s good and His love endures forever. Give thanks – yadaw – to hold out the hand, from yawd, an open hand, it means to worship with extended hands. Thanks – an expression of gratitude, an acknowledgement made to express a sense of the favor or kindness received. Gratitude is the feeling or sentiment excited or prompted by kindness. Give thanks is the proper and fitting response when you receive something. God says give thanks to the LORD. Express with your mouth, with open hands, your recognition of the kindnesses received from Him - the Supreme in Authority, because He is good – and His love for you and for all of mankind - endures forever. Every day, no matter how long you live, even after you are gone, for all of eternity, His love for you will remain unchanged. It’s still there. Then the chapter goes on to remind us of all the kindnesses. He’s the Lord of lords, He alone does great wonders, by His understanding He made the heavens (and all of these things because His love endures forever). He spread the earth on the waters, He made the sun moon and stars to govern the day and light the night, He brought you out of Egypt with a mighty hand and outstretched arm. He divided the sea, destroyed Pharoah’s army, led his people through the desert, struck down great kings, gave the land as an inheritance, He remembers us in our low estate, He freed us from the enemy, He gives food to every creature, He leads us even through the desert. I’m so thankful for PRISM – sometimes you soap out a verse, and sometimes God has you condense a chapter. His command is clear. Give thanks – to the Supreme Authority because He is good and His love for you endures forever. He delivers you, He feeds you and He leads you. And His love for you will never change. That’s worth appreciating with lifted hands and a praise in your mouth. Think about that! He delivers you – you are safe from every harm, He feeds you – every need He will provide, and He leads you – in the way you should go, the way best for you, the way chosen for you... He will fulfill your purpose and lead you to the good He has stored up for you. You are protected, you are fed, and you are led. He promised, because He loves you, and His love endures forever. Praying that your thanksgiving habit grows – because it will always enter you into His gates – it’s the start of His presence. Praying that you will lift your hands, and tell Him what you think of His infinite kindnesses toward you. That you will recount all the wonders that He has done, and that He has done in your life. That will change you. It will encourage you, it will strengthen your heart, and give you hope. Praying that PiVAT before dinner, has you doing what He has planned for you today, that PRISM has you growing in thanksgiving for His kindness, and wisdom through His instruction. Praying that your Daily Call – secures your testimony habit that makes you to overcome - every day - so you grow in wisdom and stature and favor. So He can fulfill His purpose for you today, so His love will surround you, and you can walk in the full portion of the good that He has stored up for you – today. Love you all, dad Love you all, praying for you,
Have you ever in your life felt like you had to live up to standards, that were impossible to live up to? Maybe you had an older brother or sister, who was the star athlete, or the valedictorian. Maybe the friend or teammate who always got all the attention… No matter how hard you tried, you just could never seem to measure up? It seems like everyone compared you with them, or at least you did… and you felt like - you just couldn’t be you. Not that you aspired to mediocrity… it’s just that they were older, or better, or prettier, or stronger, or faster, and no matter what you did, it just wasn’t good enough? Or at least it sure seemed that way. Can you imagine being the younger brother or sister of Jesus? Do you think Mary or Joseph even understood what a completely unfair advantage it was? To be Jesus… or the impossible task it was to be his younger sibling. Jimmy is that really the third time today that you’ve gotten into trouble… Jesus never did that… Susie – again? How many times have I told you not to… Jesus never did that… why can’t you be more like Jesus? I don’t think Mary did that, but that’s just funny to me… Can you imagine following your older brother Jesus into High School? He can walk on water – so avoiding a few tackles is nothing. Can you imagine the runs he must have had? Slipping through the tacklers like He slipped through the crowd, striking the opposing safety with just a little bit of blindness until he could turn the corner and head down the sideline for a touchdown. And you’re supposed to go in? On both sidelines, turning all the water in all the coolers into Gatorade. Feeding everyone in the stands with free hotdogs. Healing the kid on the other team who just got injured. And now you’re supposed follow that? “You’re his little brother…” Thanks a lot, I’ll just stay right here on the bench… OK – the Bible never says He did that – that was just my imagination going for a walk. But we do know Jesus was sinless, or He couldn’t be our Savior. If you’re his younger sibling – that’s a tough act to follow. Maybe a little too extreme of an example, but have you ever felt that way? Trapped by comparison – either yourself or others - comparing you to someone else – who just has more ability in this area… The devil does that – a lot. He knows that you are fearfully and wonderfully made. He knows God designed you for a purpose that only you can fulfill, and it’s important! And that God is depending on you – but also completing His good purpose in you. And since your enemy always wants to steal, kill, or destroy – if he can’t stop you, or touch you, He’ll try to get you to wish you weren’t you... by dangling God’s plans for someone else – in front of you. Even the disciples struggled. Whether arguing about who gets the best throne in heaven next to Jesus, or Peter when God told Him what He wanted him to do… looked around and saw John, and said… "What about him?" What about him? What about her? What is that to you? Be careful that you don’t worry about someone else’s talents, or you won’t be faithful with your own. Praying that you will never fall into the comparison trap. It’s just the first step toward the coveteousness trap. Praying that the devil won’t ever be able to steal your joy, by stealing your attention away from what God wants you to do. If you’re faithful in PiVAT before dinner, getting His plans for your day, and PRISM – getting His mind, and His way, and your Daily Call – with your testimony… you’ll be overcoming, not comparing. You’ll be moving forward, not looking around. You’ll be thankfully rejoicing, rather than a wishing and a wondering. Praying that you will put your trust in God, that you will put your mouth to praise and obedience, and put your hands to the plow. With no looking back, no looking around, and definitely no looking backwards. There’s a harvest waiting! God will take you there. You can trust Him. He didn’t give someone else a better plan than you got. He’s got one perfectly designed for you that once you start walking in it, you wouldn’t trade it for anything! Praying for you, that you are running with Him! That the only standards you worry about are the standards for the good He has for you! Love you all, dad Love you all, praying for you,
Perhaps the foundational principle in God’s Word – obedience. It is worship, it is pleasing in the sight of God, it releases His blessing on your life, and is the pathway to fulfilling your purpose. God’s promise, covenant and blessing are always tied to obedience. The perverse – those reluctant to obey, don’t get it... They never learn to walk in obedience, so they never learn what the blessing and abundance of God looks like or feels like. The blessing of God in your life, the purpose of God in your life – are directly connected with obedience. You can't have one without the other. Jesus humbled himself and became obedient unto death, God told His people through Moses if you will obey my commands I will pour out all these blessings on your life. If you do not, all these curses will come on you. Obedience is not for God’s sake, just as Jesus told the Pharisees, God can raise up children of Abraham from these rocks. Obedience is for you – it brings wisdom, understanding, favor, and blessing. The great men and women of old – were without exception obeyers. Jesus' entire life was one big example and demonstration of obedience. Obedience is not a burden, it’s a blessing, and it opens doors for you – God doors, not human doors. Praying that you will review the PRISM Topics – Obey and Obedience, and the Relationship Topics – Love is Obey, and Love is Obey Verses. The devil perverts obedience into evil. Obey evil, or those who practice it, and life becomes miserable. The wages of sin are always death. Obey God and what He commands along with those who obey with you – and the blessings on your life will be so great they will be uncountable. So how do you get there? There is another foundational principle in God’s Word. Little first – then Big. Whoever is faithful in little is also faithful in much. Many want to start with much, they want to start out on top, they don’t have the faith, the patience, the diligence or the wisdom to value the little. That’s why they never get to the top. And if they do, they fall quickly. So how do you ensure that if God has planned it for you, that you can get to the top, and have the character to stay there. Obey in the little. There was a man in the Bible, who doesn’t get a whole lot of screen time. His Name was Joseph. His father's name was Jacob, named after the Jacob and Joseph of old - so he learned from a child the ways of God. He’s so excited about marrying the most wonderful girl in the world, and to his absolute shock and grief – he finds out she's pregnant? No way! The disappointment was overwhelming, all of their plans and dreams, he would have bet his life on this girl, on her character and faithfulness… Today it’s a common occurrence, back then – never – a complete and lifelong disgrace. Choosing not to humiliate her, he was going to put her away privately, when He had a dream. The angel of the LORD told him, “Joseph, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because the baby inside her is from the Holy Spirit.” Now, I don’t know if you ever had a crazy dream before… Maybe you dreamed you would be President someday – now that’s a crazy dream. But at least there have been forty five of them to give you somewhat of an idea. It’s not like it’s never happened before - ever, in all of human history. But Joseph obeyed, immediately. He took Mary to be his wife. Not long after, an angel again appeared to Joseph again in a dream saying, "Take your wife and the child and go to Egypt because Herod is coming to kill him." And Joseph gets up in the middle of the night, packs his family and the donkey and was long gone by morning. Can you imagine that conversation? "Honey, are you awake?" "We're doing what?" No time to text anybody - this guy is an obeyer. When Herod died the Angel appeared again telling Joseph to return, and He obeyed, and again the angel told him, not to go back to Bethlehem - but to the region of Galilee, a town of Nazereth - to fulfill the prophecy spoken of the Messiah and where He would come from. There are little things in life – and there are big things. Joseph was four for four in the big things. How does this happen? It doesn't happen by accident. That happens on purpose. Joseph didn’t obey for the first time in the middle of the night – it was what He was already used to doing. He wouldn't think of doing anything different. What most people would think was just bad pizza – Joseph had trained himself by obeying in the little – so when the big things came – He knew God's voice, and he spent zero time debating with himself – He was already obeying. Little first, then Big. Faithful in little, Faithful in Much. Praying that you would look for every opportunity to obey in the little. PiVAT before dinner is a great start - it's daily practice - of hearing and obeying. PRISM each day is a great start, A Daily Call (God specifically told you to – Heb 3:13) is a great start. Once the little becomes automatic, the big things that God tells you will be no different. What little thing is He telling you to do today? Did you ask Him? Will you do it? His blessing and His goodness is waiting! Love you all, dad Love you all, praying for you,
Have you ever experienced a setback? Maybe a major project or effort, maybe something you’ve been waiting for or working on for hours or weeks or months, suddenly comes to a screeching halt. And as with many setbacks, not only do you find yourself facing a complete do-over (what you worked so hard for and spent so much time on) that would be bad enough. But now you find yourself having to spend even more effort, hours and money to mitigate the damage caused, just to get back to ground zero - square one – so you can begin to do all over again – what you already spent so much time and energy to do. Kind of like a re-habber who builds an entire addition or extension only to be denied by the building inspector or zoning department. Not only do they have to do it all over again, they have to first tear down what they just built, in order to start to build it again. Few things I’ve found in life are more frustrating, discouraging, or disheartening than setbacks. Setback – a check to progress, a defeat, a reversal. It’s bad enough to delay progress, or halt progress, but a reversal? – like a wrong turn on the highway. Hopefully you discover it soon, because however long it takes to discover, those same miles have to be driven back – before you can continue from the point you already were two hours ago! No matter what your setback, and no matter what the reason – whether faulty materials, weather conditions, outside forces, or human error – you can either sit back or comeback. One writer said – "no matter what happens – it could have been worse. And it could get worse." Be careful that your response – doesn’t further the reversal. So how do you comeback from a setback? Sometimes it’s good to step back when you face a setback. There’s nothing you can do to quick-fix it. Sometimes just taking a step back – helps you see things more clearly. The second thing you should do is ask God what to do next. What you think is best – is not always best. Some people’s first reaction to mitigate setbacks, only compounds the issue, and extends the reversal. God says if you lack wisdom, ask Him, and He will give it. Ask Him what He has for you – in this setback? Is there anything to learn? Of course lessons learned can help for next time. Doesn't help you right now, but whether doing a project like this again, or a completely different project, the experience of this hard lesson has crossover value to other endeavors that could encounter similar setbacks. Perhaps of greatest importance, is not just what you do in the face of a setback, but how you do it. Do you get angry and blame others? Do you give up and not try again. Do you blame God? God knew this setback was coming, He could have saved you from it, but it’s not His job to always save you from every mistake, nor to shield you from every setback that is common to this experience called life. Don't play the fool. Proverbs 19:3 - A man's own folly leads to his ruin, yet his heart rages against the Lord. Don't blame God or others for something that was your own doing. Even if it wasn't your fault, a greater level of due diligence on your part could have neutralized or softened the setback if not avoided it altogether. So what is the secret of the comeback, the turnaround – in face of setback? What’s the secret weapon? Where do you start? Thanksgiving. If you can learn to respond to every setback - with thanksgiving – that is the start of your comeback. Effective people aren't immune to setbacks, they just respond better, they get back on track more quickly. What delays them, doesn't derail them. So there’s’ more work to do, you will work anyway. That’s what God has called you to do. He’s the one who provides, not you. You don’t work for money you work for Him, He said he’ll never leave you nor forsake you. What is He about to do – that will bring a testimony from this setback? Look for the testimony that you overcome with! God said in everything – give thanks for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. There are multiple things to be thankful for - far more than things to be discouraged about. This isn't the head-in-the-sand ostrich strategy of not facing reality. Yes, reversals carry loss on many levels. It’s just that God has a testimony for you in this. He’s the King of the comeback. Most setbacks – a year from now, won't even be remembered, and the ones whose memory could try to remain for a lifetime, God has grace for it! He turns things that the devil meant for evil – into good. It’s who He is, it’s what He does. Praying that you’ll start with thanksgiving. It’s where the setback ends and the comeback begins. Praying that you’ll focus on the blessing, not the burden, the testimony not the trial. Praying that you will rejoice – even in the re-work, and that your thanksgiving and praise – will always be the testimony that will result in many more. God even want’s you to be thankful and praise Him for the setback. Many good things can come from this. Give thanks first, Ask Him what to do next, and do it with the joy He gives. This purpose of this setback is your comeback. Love you all, dad Love you all, praying for you,
God reminded me this morning of a powerful thing. It’s a tool, it’s a gift, it’s a weapon, it’s an investment, a seed – it produces something. It reflects God, and it draws others. People that use it, always benefit, people that don’t - miss out. Everyone has one, some use it more than others. Some always, some rarely. For some, it’s only a reaction or a response controlled by an external happening or event. Something else has to happen to invoke it. For others it’s an internal initiative, it’s proactive – it’s a choice, it's strategic, an investment. For some it’s intentional, for others unintentional. Those that use it the most – have the best life, those that use it little, suffer loss. This powerful thing is an atmosphere changer, first internally, then externally. It changes a room, it changes a mood, starting with yours, it draws favor, it determines and can change how others view you, it can diffuse a situation, it can start a friendship, it can mend a mistake, it can make someone’s day – starting with your own. So what is this powerful thing? It’s your smile. Everyone has one, but no one has one like you. God gave you this smile to reflect Him, and draw others. It’s hard to have joy without a smile, it’s hard to be discouraged with a smile. A smile is the joy of the LORD coming out through your face, it’s the hope of God’s promise – changing your countenance. God says the wise – smile. It’s a reflection of wisdom, an indicator… Ecclesiastes 8:3 - Wisdom makes you cheerful and gives you a smile. GNT – Only the wise know what things really mean. Wisdom makes them smile and makes their frowns disappear. Proverbs 15:13 – A happy heart makes the face cheerful. God said a cheerful heart is good medicine. What’s good medicine? Something that removes pain, takes away a rash, tames a cough, returns mobility, strengthens your body's response to an outside attack. What is a smile? The muscles of your face reflecting a condition of the heart. Sometimes it’s a response to something good, other times it’s a choice until the next good thing comes. Have you ever seen a fake smile? What is a fake smile? When your eyes don’t agree with your mouth. Their mouth is smiling, but their eyes aren’t in agreement. Have you ever asked yourself this question? How often will I smile today? Will it depend on how your day goes? Or will you choose it to impact your day, your heart and your mind, the atmosphere around you, and those you come in contact with. Why smile? Why not? If you smile more, you just might laugh more. If you smile, it’s because you are thinking of something good, that just happened or is going to happen. If you think of God, you have to smile. If you think of all that He is given you – you have to smile. It’s hard to be sad when you’re smiling. What if you invested in your smile today? What if you invested your smile into someone else? It's still an investment in yourself. It would likely be a completely different day! You could make someone else’s day! That alone is worth the effort. How do you start. #1) Decide to smile – to let your face reflect the goodness of God. It’s a statement, it’s a testimony. #2) Think of what makes you smile. Think of who God is and what He has done for you, think of the gifts God has given you, the good that He has for you, the promise that He’s bringing you to. Praying that you will change today with your smile, that your eyes will agree with your mouth. That your smile will be that loud, wordless testimony, that reflects the love of Jesus inside you. Praying that you will invest in your smile today. So the love of God and the goodness of God, and the hope of His promise - shows up on your face. Love you all, dad Love you all, praying for you,
Have you ever wished that God spoke this clearly? In Neon - "This is the sign you’ve been looking for." Sometimes I wish God would just tell me what I want to know, right now. That He’d just give me the answer right now - the direction, the explanation, the understanding – so that it will finally all make sense. So I don’t need to use faith this time, but just have what I am looking for. I don’t want to wait, I just want to know right now. Whether I’m asking why? or asking what? or asking when? – even if it’s not His chosen time to reveal it – I just want to know now – so I can get on to the next thing. Sometimes God gives answers the moment we ask. Sometimes in the middle of my asking Him, the Holy Spirit reveals the answer in my spirit – before I even finished the question - like He was standing right there. Many times I’ve asked God something – even in PiVAT before dinner, and the very next morning in my PRISM time with Him - He gives me the answer that I needed. It’s happens all the time. But sometimes God’s answers are not in our timing. Abram, leave your country and go to a place that I will show you. Sure, God, where’re we going? Just go, and I’ll tell you. But I would feel better if you could just tell me up front – so I can get on to the next thing… What’s stopping you? God says, Call on me and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things that you do not know. He said if we lack wisdom we can ask of God, who will give it abundantly without finding the fault in us. Have you ever not received an answer yet that you want right now? What do you do then? You can ask harder – but God’s answers aren’t in the asking harder. He already knows the answer, He knows you're asking, He hears you, and He knows the best time to reveal it - for your best good - the good that He has waiting for you. God says everyone who asks receives, everyone who seeks finds, and everyone who knocks the door will be open. He just doesn't say the exact time. Just that it will be the best time. And in the Meantime... what do you do? Do what you know to do. Do what He told you to do, go back to the last thing that He told you. S ometimes we can get so focused on the waiting, that we don’t move forward so He can lead us. That’s what leading is – leading only happens with something in motion. If you don't take the first step He can't lead you any further. If you take this one, you'll take the next one, but if you don't take this one, how will receive the next one? You have to take the first step, so He can reveal the next. And if you don’t know what the first step is… Rest in Him, that's the first step. His Faithfulness, and His promise – then take the first step you do know - even if it's unrelated to this question. Psalms 62:5 – Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in Him. Sometimes I want the answer more than I want God. If I want His presence, only for His answers, then I miss all the rest (and the rest) that His Presence brings. His love, His comfort, His counsel, His joy, the peace that He is, the contentment that He brings, the inspiration, and just the blessing of being with Him, not getting from Him. Praying that you will rest in Him, and do what you know to do - no matter what is yet unknown... so you can be resting and moving, so He can bring you to the place - where you can see - that sign you’ve been looking for. Love you all, dad Love you all, praying for you,
I just love that God is the God of the infinite, but He’s also the God of the basics. I am just so thankful for PRISM. For half of my life I struggled with being consistent in reading my Bible. I tried several methods, and some worked for a while. And then God revealed PRISM – Five Things You Can Do In God’s Word Every Day. Not a religion, not a checklist, just a track to run on. I cannot remember one time that I did PRISM – and regretted it, or got nothing out of it. I can remember hundreds of times when the devil was telling me not to do it… "just rest, you don’t have time, God doesn’t want check-box religion, this isn't about performance, you don’t have to do it every day." The devil is a liar, from the beginning, the father of lies - nothing he says is true. Stop listening to him. Every single time I decided to override his voice, and responded to the Holy Spirit's voice - and choose to spend PRISM time in God’s Word – It always produced something and I never regretted it. If the devil was trying to keep me from doing one of the five, every time I did just one, or two – God honored it, He showed up, He spoke, so I could listen. Every time I did just one or two of the five things you can do with PRISM in God's Word – and the Holy Spirit prompted me to come back later in the day for more – cause Jesus had just a few more things to tell me, I never regretted it. Have you ever been just dying to tell someone something. That's how Jesus feels, but He already died to tell you. Why would you not want to hear - what He died to tell you? The very things on the heart of your Heavenly Father - for you. The devil always tries to stop you from coming back to PRISM, with the religion card, or the performance card, or the too tired card, or whatever. But every time you choose PRISM over some other activity. It’s an act of worship – it's putting God first! and He honors it. The most important part of PRISM is asking the Holy Spirit, not doing it on your own. What you read from the Bible, is way different than what the Holy Spirit reads to you, reveals to you, and leads you to. He always points you to Christ, The Word, Truth, the specific love and the specific will of your Heavenly Father for you. Especially on Sabbath days, or off-days, or even work days when you come home and can choose between other activities, or the priority of His Word. Every time you choose PRISM – you will see better, you gain eternal understanding, you will be encouraged - He promised. When you Praise the Word, you’re praising Jesus, God Himself, and God says He will inhabit that praise with His Holy Spirit. The atmosphere changes, there’s power unleashed, and you change! When you Read the Word – you’re getting the daily training established for the Kings of Israel, just like the training prescribed for the Kings and Priests of the Kingdom of God – which you are! When you get Insight From The Word – in Proverbs – that is just you getting wisdom above all else, which is what God told you. Life with wisdom, true wisdom, not only prevents stupidity or naivety, it launches and increases your success, it's how God can fulfill His purpose for you! When you Study the Word – and just ask the Holy Spirit what verse God wants you to S.O.A.P. Out, and ask the Holy Spirit those four questions, instead of just answering them on your own - with your own brain, God reveals Himself to you, His Character and Nature, His love for you, and Goodness for you, and the purpose He promised to fulfill in you! When you Meditate On The Word, whether a take-away concept from your PRISM, a key verse, or a PRISM Topic, or Relationship Topic – the power of God’s Word – enlightens the eyes of your understanding, and gets translated to your heart and your hands and your feet. There is nothing in life that is a guaranteed return on investment like this. PRISM – I pray that it is your habit. That you would just ask God what He wants you to come back to today. Love you all, dad |
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