Abundance

Recognize the schemes of confusion, doubt, fear, disloyalty, pain, disappointment, rejection, loss of self, despair, low self-esteem, lack of, identity crisis, loneliness, competition, depression etc...

Jesus came to give us a good life and that we might have an abundance of it...that is a fact and a promise. Do not let the enemy rob you of that. 

The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

http://bible.com/1/jhn.10.10.kjv

Priorities

You have a priority system, whether you realize it or not. Your mind and heart decide what to do and which things to do first. 

Some people do whatever makes them feel good or whatever builds up their ego or whatever is easiest or whatever leads to money. 

What about you? 

How do you set your priorities?

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

http://bible.com/1/mat.6.33.kjv

Purpose

Great quote: 

Your body is not just a shabby taxi to schlep your immortal soul around. 

It is a redeemed and valuable organism that needs to be prized and maintained so that you can fulfill your God-given purpose in life.

Recognize! 

Life

On the first day God created the dog. God said, "Sit all day by the door of your house and bark at anyone who comes in or walks past. I will give you a life span of twenty years." The dog said, "That's too long to be barking. Give me ten years and I'll give you back the other ten."
So God agreed.

On the second day God created the monkey. God said, "Entertain people, do monkey tricks and make them laugh. I'll give you a twenty-year life span." The monkey said, "Monkey tricks for twenty years? I don't think so. Dog gave you back ten, so that's what I'll do too, okay?"
And God agreed.

On the third day God created the cow. "You must go to the field with the farmer all day long and suffer under the sun, have calves, and give milk to support the farmer. I will give you a life span of sixty years."
The cow said, "That's kind of a tough life you want me to live for sixty years. Let me have twenty and I'll give back the other forty."
And God agreed again.

On the fourth day God created man. God said, "Eat, sleep, play, marry and enjoy your life. I'll give you twenty years."
Man said, "What? Only twenty years? Tell you what, I'll take my twenty, and the forty the cow gave back, and the ten the monkey gave back, and the ten the dog gave back, that makes eighty, okay?"

Okay," said God, "You've got a deal."

So that is why the first twenty years we eat, sleep, play, and enjoy ourselves; the next forty years we slave in the sun to support our family; the next ten years we do monkey tricks to entertain the grandchildren; and the last ten years we sit on the front porch and bark at everyone.

Life has now been explained to you.
- Unknown

Happy Friday folks!

Loss?

Stop looking at what you have lost, so you can see what you have.

Loss isn't easy. Because when you lose something, your mind automatically shifts into a place where you blame yourself (or come real close) for letting that thing or someone slip away.
There are some things, yes, that you could have done better but then there are others that you absolutely have NO control over.

So if you are about to lose something and you can feel it slipping away, and you know it's better for you if it's gone....then, by all means and for the sake of your sanity - gladly say goodbye. But if you have lost something or someone and you didn't have full control while you had it, then you certainly cannot do anything about it now that it's no longer in your possession.

However, the trick with loss is that if you aren't careful, you'll spend a whole lot of time in mourning and hardly anytime in living.

It is absolutely okay to have a grieving period, but as my husband will say "determine in your heart how long you will be in that timeframe. Because when that time comes, crying is over and real life begins"!

Don't get lost in loss; live fully with what you do have. Everything and everyone around you is counting on you ;). YOU are counting on you!

Learning

Never let your persistence and passion turn into stubbornness and ignorance - Anthony J. D'Angelo

For example, in anything you pursue in life, you will come upon some kind or kinds of opposition. It's how you deal with them that matters. What you may want to do may truly be good and productive but the way you may be going about it might not be. Anyone around you could pick this up and give you some counsel in a different approach. How would you take the criticism?

It also may be a new area of adventure for you and people around you that have walked the same path and taken the same routes may advise you otherwise due to experience. What would you do with that information?

Some criticisms come harshly, some come constructively, and a lot do come with a bit of anger and jealousy. However, it is up to you to "take the meat and leave the bones".
Every now and then, we all need a little bit of a reality check that brings us to a humbling moment; and this is one way it's accomplished.

Don't let "me, myself and I" get in the way of your learning life lessons.

Enjoy your Friday good people!

Living

No individual has any right to come into the world and go out of it without leaving behind distinct and legitimate reasons for having passed through it - George Washington Carver

I don't care how much you feel or say things like - that's not for me or someone else is better at that or it's not something I can do or it's not my calling or I'm not as brave as he or she is or if I just stay in the back, no one will notice.

Everyone has in them the desire to do something, no matter how big or small. And everyone has the ability to make some kind of impact on people they come in contact with. Whatever it is, it's something. If its a negative impact, of course you need to work on that :)

But life and living is day to day; Sunday through Saturday; sunrise to sunset; 365 days a year; 24 hours a day; no matter who you are, this stays the same for everyone. What happens in between is what counts! Make it worth it!

Happy Monday!

The game we play

This is the game we play

We enjoy the torture but can't take the pain

Life is what we make of it, but really what we plan of it

Some surprises but mostly intentional

Who is responsible for the mistakes we make?

What happens to the oh-oh's that come up?

It's amazing how quickly we forget what we receive is what we bargained for

This is the game that we play

Play wisely ladies!

What a friend!

One of the greatest gifts God has given us as His children is His Holy Spirit!  Think about it! How many people do you know that you can call a friend, a counselor, a comforter, and advocate, an intercessor, a standby?  Do you know anyone that you can call all that? The truth is that the Holy Spirit wants to be that friend to each and every one of us...everyday!

He wants to help us have a good life....and enjoy it too.  He wants to strengthen us in hard times,  and comfort us when we're sad or grieving.  He also wants to listen to us when we need to talk...fight for us when we're weak..pray for us when we can't....I mean, who wouldn't want a friend like that!

With all that is going on in this world, He simply wants to give us the power to get through the situations we face victoriously.  He also wants to work in us to change us for the better from the inside out, so we can maintain victory in our everyday lives..

Be thankful for the Holy Spirit in your life!
- Joyce M

Learn from Others Successes

Without even noticing we are greatly influenced by others. Whether it is consciously or not. Therefore, surround yourself with people who are physically active, emotionally stable and continously growing. Focus on their successes, on their strategies to reach their aspirations, and their motivation. You may be able to get some ideas and be further inspired to achieve your own dreams and goals.

This can be applied to many areas of our lives: our eating habits, our life decisions, our emotional responses, the way we carry ourselves ets. If you surround yourself with people who aim to balance their personal, professional and emotional lives with decision and quality, you are more likely to stick to your own plans, too.

“The secret of joy in work is contained in one word - excellence. To know how to do something well is to enjoy it.” (Pearl S. Buck)

 

Success Builders:

• Can you identify areas in your life that needs a little adjustment?
• Who have you identified - that you would like to be mentored by?

Strengthen Each Other

1 Corinthians 14:26 (New Living Translation) - Well, my brothers and sisters, let’s summarize. When you meet together, one will sing, another will teach, another will tell some special revelation God has given, one will speak in tongues, and another will interpret what is said. But everything that is done must strengthen all of you.

I read this scripture a couple of days ago and it really ministered to me, in the sense that, it showed me once again how important it is for all of us to be good at what we do. And more importantly, how amazing it is for us to support each other in what we do; because every joint supplies.  That is, each and everyone of us plays a very important role in the big picture.

Ladies, let's continue to edify and encourage each other to step out into our giftings, so we can be full of strength as a team!

Strength Builders:

• Have you identified your role in life?
• Do you know someone who needs a little help in functioning in their calling?

Unforgiveness, Find it and REMOVE it

Six Ways to Find Unforgiveness and Remove It

by Joyce Meyer - posted April 12, 2011
http://www.joycemeyer.org/articles/ea.aspx?article=six_ways_to_find_unforgiveness

Most all of us like getting promoted, and there's nothing wrong with that. But sometimes we fail tests in certain areas that keep us from getting promoted. Areas like forgiveness.
If someone has hurt you, don't spend the next 10 years of your life hurting yourself by hanging on to that offense. Most likely, that other person isn't even thinking about you, while you dwell on the incident for years. That only hurts one person—you. You see, when you forgive someone, you are helping yourself. To help you understand the importance of forgiveness, here are six ways to detect unforgiveness in your own heart. Once exposed, you'll be one step closer to your personal promotion from God.

1) Unforgiveness always keeps score. - In Luke 15:29, the elder brother of the prodigal son said, "Look! These many years I have served you." Peter wanted to know how many times he had to forgive someone. Unforgiveness is always looking at the score. But 1 Corinthians 13:5 says, Love takes no account…. It doesn't count up the evil done to it.

Back in the early days of our marriage, when Dave and I were fussing and fuming at each other, I would bring up stuff that happened years before and Dave would say, "Where do you keep all that stuff?" Well, I had a place, and it was all in there eating at me. And every new thing Dave did wrong would get added to this list, and it kept growing until it became a bitter giant in my heart.

2) Unforgiveness always boasts of its own record. - In Luke 15:29, the older brother of the prodigal son says "These many years I have never done wrong." Judgment always says that I always do good and others do bad. An unforgiving spirit keeps us from God's best for us.

3) Unforgiveness always complains.  - "You never do anything for me." Ever catch yourself thinking that about someone? This attitude only sees what others aren't doing and doesn't see what they are doing. God's Word clearly shows that we're not supposed to complain. And if you're continuously using your mouth to complain about some incident of offense, you won't get past it. Don't waste time by complaining.

4) Unforgiveness has a martyr syndrome. - "I do all the work." Workaholics are particularly susceptible to this one. Sometimes people who work all the time and don't know how to enjoy their life get jealous when other people are enjoying life. Is there someone who aggravates you when you see them having a good time? If yes, you could have unforgiveness toward them.

5) Unforgiveness always alienates, divides and separates. - When the kids are acting up, we say "my husband's kids" or maybe something like, "What are you going to do about your son?" Those are divisive statements. Maybe you have a coworker who you stay away from as much as possible or a sibling you don't talk to much…why do you separate yourself from them? Maybe you need to forgive that person.

6) Unforgiveness is always envious and jealous when angry at someone who gets blessed. - If someone who has hurt you gets a blessing, it grates on you…at least it did for me until I learned how to forgive. Forgiveness is a decision—not a feeling.

When you pray for people who have hurt you, it's a choice. But there's healing in that for you. Bless and do not curse them means to speak well and not evil of them when that person is not around. And be good to them in various ways as wisdom allows.
Improve Your Life I want to encourage you today to make a decision to start living a lifestyle of forgiveness and refuse to be offended.

A forgiving lifestyle helps you become more like Christ. As you learn the importance of forgiveness and begin to practice forgiving others, your heart will heal from bitterness, and your personal growth will lead you to the promotions God has planned for you.

Walking with God

Genesis 6:9 - (The Message) This is the story of Noah: Noah was a good man, a man of integrity in his community. Noah walked with God. Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. We see scriptures of people who have walked with God. We see it in Abraham, and here also in Noah...and I sometimes wonder how I could add this to my life testimony - my walk with God. Depending on how long we know someone, most of the time when walking with them, we walk silently. Meaning, we do not do a lot of talking, we do not make a lot of comments, but there is a silent understanding that we are seeing the same thing, we are experiencing the same sounds and smells, we have the same reactions to things, or we understand the other person's reaction without them saying it. In fact, the better we know the person we are walking with, the less we have to say and the more we enjoy our walk. AND although this may sound like a relationship or a marriage, it can be but totally isn't. It applies to a friendship also. What about walking with God? Can we pray without ceasing as simply as we breathe without ceasing? Prayer could include our nonverbal communication with God. Just as we reach out in our other relationships, we can reach out to God without words. Just as we smile at a close friend, we can also offer a smile of appreciation to God. As I began to focus on my walking with God, I was able to see where I had been walking in my own direction, and how much of a distance there has been between God and I. Now, its harder for me to go on with business as usual when I am not at peace with God or with another person. Ladies, for us to walk with God, our whole self - body, soul and spirit - needs to be in order. Walk Builders:

• In what ways do you reach out for fellowship with God?
• How would you characterize your "walk" with God? Comfortable, close, distanced, awkward, serious,?
• What might make walking with God a more natural habit for you?

The scars of your life

It is very difficult to comprehend the things we go through. As different as our journeys are; one similarity that we hold is that we all somehow, someday have experienced trials and hopefully, some victory. It is however, hard to picture how we could have walked that dark, evil path of life. Sometimes; often times, I think back on some things that happened in my life, and I honestly cannot ever grasp how I was able to come out of that dark place. How I am able to look at myself today and really say that I am free. It is positively, absolutely, entirely by the grace of God. To take it further, our life experiences are for the freedom of others. There are people that you can reach that I will never be able to reach or register with their pains and sufferings. Why? Because your particular path of life was designed to save some. And so was mine! We’ve discussed before about how our individual lives are unique and custom-made for each one of us. In other words, each area of disappointment/hurt will bring joy to someone else’s life. Now, I will not make the mistake of assuming that those past hurts did not hurt. I know they did and probably still have certain effects on us. However, the more we stay in that space, the more hurt we are and the less liberated we’ll get; and ultimately, the more we unconsciously continue to glorify those painful instances. Have you ever talked to someone about something in your life and how you got set free from it? ……have you noticed how it brings hope to them? Because to them, if you made it, they certainly can too! If you are ready to walk in freedom and wholeness; start talking, start helping someone else get free, start proclaiming the good work that God has and is doing in you. AND if you are ready to walk in complete deliverance; get into a place of intimacy with God and see Him move in you and change you! The scars of your life will bring joy to someone else