Category:Mindsets

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How to Receive God’s Promises

Looking over my journals for the last 20+ years, I can clearly see how much time I’ve spent whining & begging God to do something. My journals look a lot different nowadays as I’m learning to abide, to receive, and to give thanks for what God

  • has done for me in Jesus,
  • is now doing in my present circumstances,
  • and all He has planned for my future in this life.

In other words, my approach to my relationship with Him is becoming more present-future focused. Hallelujah!

You don’t have to beg God to give you something He’s already promised. Just learn to abide in His love.

  1. Abide means “to remain in, comply with, obey, observe, follow, keep to, hold to, conform to, adhere to, stick to, stand by, act in accordance with, uphold, heed, accept, go along with, acknowledge, respect.”
    Jesus said: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)
  2. Receive means “to be given, presented with something.” God is the Creator and Initiator of all things. He freely gives us His Love in His Son (John 3:16) through the Holy Spirit (John 16:13). Plus he freely give us grace (Ephesians 1:6), peace (John 14:27), and wisdom (James 1:5).
    Paul wrote: “Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them?” For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen. (Romans 11:35-36)
  3. Gratefulness means “warm or deep appreciation for kindness or benefits received; thankfulness for something received from another.”
    Paul encouraged: “… give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

BOTTOM LINE: Abiding, receiving, and being grateful takes your focus off what’s wrong and puts it on what’s right. Whatever you think about will be magnified, not only in your mind, but in your heart and your actions as well. And it’s the only way marriage can be truly enjoyed for a lifetime … in case you were wondering.

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How to Adopt a Better Perspective

Our perspective is naturally limited by what we see around us. Things look very different from above. You can always ask The Lord to show you how things look from where He is. He delights in showing you His ways. And He has a glorious purpose for your life. It may not look glorious to anyone else. But it will to you.

A better perspective requires two,
closely-related ways of approaching life.

First, love God.

  • Delight in your personal relationship with Him. Talk to Him about everything. Absolutely everything.
  • He knows that you are only dust. And He totally understands your feelings … and your frustrations. So be honest with Him.
  • Remember His promises. Especially the ones about not leaving you and helping you overcome everything that comes against you.
  • Listen for His voice. He may just listen to you for awhile. But He will speak to you.
  • Always give Him thanks. Lots of thanks.

Then it will be easier for you to love yourself & to love others.

  • Especially those who have hurt you.
  • Respect each person’s free will. God does. Even so, always hope and pray and believe for God’s best in their lives.
  • Speak words of blessing and think kind thoughts.
  • Imagine what The Lord will do.

“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are My ways higher than your ways
and My thoughts than your thoughts.”
ISAIAH 55:9

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2 Truths You Must Embrace to Live an Authentic Life

I’ve always believed that knowing Jesus should make a real difference – not only in terms of where we spend the hereafter – but also in the here-&-now of our daily existence. So how do we connect the dots between what we believe & what happens to us in “real” life? Or do we?

As you may recall from Genesis 3, the serpent started up a conversation with Eve back in The Beginning. The most crafty of beings, he got her to question the Truth about:

  1. God’s goodness &
  2. her own identity

If you’re going to connect the dots …

… between what you believe & what you experience, you need to embrace the Truth about those same 2 Things!

[callout]What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us. ― A.W. Tozer[/callout]

The enemy probably tries to do the same thing to you that he did to Eve – virtually every day.

  • He plants doubt to get you to question God’s care & personal involvement in your life.
  • Mostly he distracts you with everyday physical-realm life — what you know with your five senses.
  • He wants to keep you thinking the spiritual realm is — just something that happens in the movies.

He doesn’t want you to know who you really are in Christ because he knows he wouldn’t stand a chance against you.

So he does the only thing he can do: confuse & intimidate you with everything that’s going wrong – to keep you living your life in the flesh.

My Prayer for You (Purloined from Paul)

For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven & on earth derives its name. I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your heart through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted & established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide & long & high & deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge — that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. EPHESIANS 3:14-19, NIV

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