Spirituality

I believe that we are a three part being, Spirit, Soul ( which includes mind, will and emotions) and the Body. and this is why on my web site I will attempt to address all three areas of our lives. To address only one side would be to grow in one area at the exclusion of the others; thereby not being whole. The spiritual side of me is a part of how I live my life and is the greatest impetus for me wanting to grow as a person and be all that I was created to be. Likewise I hope I can impart some of what I have learned over the years and just perhaps you will see or hear something that will cause you to look at life a little differently than you ever have.

So relax and enjoy as I attempt to encourage you to be all you can be and to live the life you have only imagined! Remember, it's not just what you read and what you talk about that counts. It's about putting action to what you believe!

Napoleon Hill said, "When your desires are strong enough you will appear to possess superhuman powers to achieve."

Living with the same old, same old!

“I have learned this, at least, by my experiment: that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with success unexpected in common hours.”
Thoreau

For so many days in pursuit of our dreams we wake up and feel as though we cannot go another day. The thought of another day with more of the same old, same old tasks sometimes seems more than we are able to bear. If you have ever found yourself with this mindset my goal is to encourage you to keep moving forward. My hope is that we can continue to encourage and lift each other up until we cross the finish line together.

Yet the key to experiencing what Thoreau is talking about is the ability to stay with the program, to keep running the race, which is the plan that God has for your life and that He has equipped you to run, with the gifts and the talents that He has given you. The operative word here is YOU! The truth is that you might be frustrated because you have been running someone else’s race perhaps for a short time, or perhaps for your whole life.

From time to time we all need to be encouraged. Even that person that sits beside you that looks like they have it all together, yes even that person. Some people wear their hurts and disappointments on their face, they are hard to miss, however MANY others suffer in silence. There are many not only where we work, where we shop, where we go to school but even in our churches. The problem is that people have become afraid to share their problems because others may consider them weak. This is a total fallacy; even Jesus suffered pain, rejection, sorrow and shame as He walked out God’s plan for His life, and yet we think that somehow we can escape it by playing it safe.

And yet if you never step out of your comfort zone and never fail you will never know what you could have accomplished. Yes you will have played it safe and may look like you have it all together but deep down in your soul you will feel like you have missed opportunities, and you probably have. Take it from someone who has stepped out many times and failed, but also many times and made a difference. Yes, there are days when I look at the people who have played it safe and wish I were one of them. But then I come to my senses and realize that if you speak to many of them they are motivated only by fear, the fear of making a mistake and having to live with rejection.

“We are made to persist. That’s how we find out who we are.”
Tobias Wolff

God has labeled us winners from the very beginning. In Jeremiah 29:11 (AMP) the Bible says:

For I know the thoughts and the plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for your welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome.

God has great plans for us but we have to draw them out of Him through prayer and waiting on him. When we choose to go the wrong way or make a poor choice we shouldn’t blame Him. God is for us, not against us!

When we get it right and get on the right path that doesn’t mean there won’t be any challenges. If you’ve been on the planet for any length of time you will know that there will always be challenges. Our choice is not in picking what challenges we want to go through, our choice is the decision we make as to how and with what attitude we will go through and get to the other side of the problem.

What I have learned is that life is not for the faint of heart! Why some lives seem to have more mountains to climb than others is a mystery. I have reserved a number of questions that I will be asking God when I see Him face to face. Okay, maybe not within the first few hours of meeting my maker but at some point through eternity!!

Persistence Pays Big Dividends!

As I was driving the other day I happened to spot a bumper sticker that read, “ Life is a beach, not a mountain” I quickly found myself contemplating the difference. I realized that as humans if we think of life as a beach we would live a reactive lifestyle waiting for success to somehow overtake us rather than being proactive. On the other hand when we look at life as a mountain we are not at all surprised when confronted by adversity. On the contrary, we should take adversity on as a challenge. Life then can become truly exciting if and only if we continue to persist seeing each hurdle as a stepping-stone while on our way to victory!

We have the power within ourselves to change the circumstances that life throws our way. How is this possible you might ask? The answer is probably simpler than you might imagine. As you face circumstances head on, you change, and as you change your view of the circumstance changes.

“I am only one; but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; I will not refuse to do the something I can do.”
Helen Keller

Life can be compared to a vast and unfamiliar forest. In both, there are many obstacles, many paths to choose. Picture yourself hiking through this forest. This path, like life itself, appears dark and uncertain, only the occasional beam of light to guide your path. After many days of journeying, what initially looked like a bright clearing ahead is in reality the base of yet another mountain. As you approach, this mountain seems to stare you in the face. Take a deep breath and remember God is strongest when we are weak.

You are now faced with two choices. One is to go around, the other is to climb. You understand that the view from the mountaintop will certainly hold a different perspective than the view from the base. The explorer in you decides to climb to the mountain’s peak. Such is life, we are constantly faced, it seems, with life’s choices and challenges. The keys is to keep your eyes focused on what lies ahead of you, and forget that which lies behind. If you don’t let go of the past you will be carrying much more in your backpack into the future than you anticipated. These extra weights will hold you back and hinder your climb.

I do not consider, brethren, that I have captured and made it my own [yet]; but one thing I do [it is my one aspiration]: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead.
James 3:13 (AMP)

Funny how life is; no sooner do you reach one peak, rest, take in the view, and you will soon be faced with yet another challenge, another mountain, unable to see all that lies ahead of you. Remember, successful runners and winners never look back! Many Christians are weak and are crushed by the little daily “tragedies” such as breaking a nail, not getting the pat on the back you thought you deserved, etc. Toughen up! Or, when God needs you to fight against the enemy, will you just break into pieces and we won’t see you for two months? I encourage you to acquire a thick skin, and be all that you, and God, need you to be!

Life’s circumstances do not have to weaken us; on the contrary, we can learn to use them to strengthen ourselves, facing them head on, maintaining the “never quit” attitude of the winner. Also, when facing adversity many times we are presented with two potential paths or choices. Guess what? The path of least resistance may not always be the wisest of choices. When do we find this out? Somewhere down the road when all of hell breaks loose in your affairs as a result of making the wrong choice.

13. Enter through the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and spacious and broad is the way that leads away to destruction, and many are those who are entering through it.
14. But the gate is narrow (contracted by pressure) and the way is straitened and compressed that leads away to life, and few are those who find it.
Matthew 8:13,14

Do you ever wonder why you keep facing those same old problems in your family, spiritual life, finances or career? Perhaps there is a lesson that must be learned in order to move ahead. If you don’t climb the mountain you find before you this day, you will no doubt face it again down the road. Life is a series of lessons that we need to learn in order to become who we were created to be in Christ. Facing adverse circumstances with persistent determination will give you success not only in that area but will flow over into every area of your life. Then, with your successes to share you will be able to encourage other climbers along the way; it doesn’t get better than that!

“Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadows.”
Helen Keller

If you find yourself without a challenge this day, I urge to create one for yourself. Stretch your mind beyond where it believes it can both believe and what it can achieve and the seemingly impossible with God’s help will become possible. So what do you do the next time you face a mountain in your life? Go ahead climb, but before you do, ask yourself these three questions:

If not me, who?
If not now, when?
Quit, why?
Start now, and stick with it to the finish. Persistence pays big dividends!

Have You Forgotten Your First Love?

Do you remember the day that you received Christ into your heart? I do! For me it was an experience I will never forget, like most I was facing challenges that I knew I wasn’t able to face alone, I had just plain run out of steam and answers. After I accepted Christ I remember driving in my car the very next morning and the sky seemed bluer and the grass seemed greener. As a matter of fact everything was just so beautiful and it was like I was seeing everything for the very first time. My whole focus was on knowing God and understanding what Christ had done and why.

When I was a child we attended an Eastern Orthodox Church, following after my Macedonian heritage (even though I was half Irish). It was here I first went to Sunday school. Some Sundays we attended the church service. Only one problem, I couldn’t understand a word, I am not sure anyone understood. You see I spoke two languages, Macedonian and English, however the services were spoken in Bulgarian. To this day I don’t understand why.

I remember sitting there as a child having a reverence for the service with all the candles and incense floating by. I remember looking around and seeing and hearing people discuss someone’s outfit or who was attending or not. I remember feeling this was totally hypocritical, even though in those days I wouldn’t have known what that word meant, I could see what was happening. People attending church, yes I am sure they were seeking God but it was hard to find Him not understanding the language and with people talking. It seemed to be good enough just to attend and be a member.

While these actions are noble there is nothing that can replace being in Christ and learning more about Him each day! In 1 John 1:6 (AMP) it says,

"Whoever says he abides in Him ought [as a personal debt] to walk and conduct himself in the same way in which He walked and conducted Himself."

As we live each day this should be in the forefront of our minds. Sometimes in the busyness of life and with all its demands we forget our focus should be on Christ and what he has done for us all. The price He paid was enormous! I was reminded of this in my time of prayer this morning and I was quick to once again dedicate and consecrate myself to Him. We need to judge ourselves.

After being saved we get on with our lives and build them anew on the new principles we learn. Now depending how old you are when you receive Christ there may be a lot of things that you must learn. In John 2:15-17 (AMP) it says:

15) Do not love or cherish the world or the things that are in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him.
16) For all that is in the world-the lust of the flesh [craving for the sensual gratification] and the lust of the eyes [greedy longings of the mind] and the pride of life [assurance in one’s own resources or in the stability of earthly things], these do not come from the Father but are from the world [itself].
17) And the world passes away and disappears, and with it the forbidden cravings (the passionate desires, the lust) of it; but he who does His purposes in his life abides (remains) forever.

I have become concerned recently that some people consider the fact that they have amassed material things that this somehow demonstrates their spirituality. This is a slippery slope and one that will be dangerous on a number of levels. God wants us to be prosperous, I get that, but He is careful to warn us in Matthew 6:33 (AMP);

But seek (aim at and strive after) first of His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given to you besides.

Each of us needs to check our heart and see where we are on this subject. People may be fooled but God never is. Have you ever notice that when little children want to hide they cover their eyes. Their belief is that if they can’t see you, you can’t see them. Funny, as adults we can believe the same thing! The first place God looks at what is written is on your heart. There is much written on our hearts that God can see. This is the real you, not the one you present to the public! I want to encourage you today, don’t be a hypocrite!

When we are honest we can make a conscious effort to change. In 1 John 3:3 (AMP) it says:

And everyone who has this hope [resting] on Him cleanses (purifies) himself just as He is pure (chaste, undefiled, guiltless).

It is only we acknowledge who we are, what and why we do what we do that we can truly make a change in our behaviour. Sometimes we can become discouraged by what we see in ourselves but the good news is that we don’t have to change everything all at once. God is merciful, He knows what you need to change and when. Know this, 1 John 5: 4,5 (AMP):

4) For whatever is born of God is victorious over the world; and this is the victory that conquers the world even our faith.
5) Who is it that is victorious over [that conquers] the world but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God [who adheres to, trusts in, and relies on that fact]?

We cannot make permanent changes without God, but with Him everything is easier. How can I do this you might ask, great, I have the answer for you. It is found in Revelation 12:11(AMP):

And they have overcome (conquered) him by means of the blood of the Lamb and by the utterance of their testimony, for they did not love and cling to life even when faced with death [holding their lives cheap till they had to die for their witnessing].

The challenge: Be transparent! One day all will be exposed anyway, nothing will be hidden. Start today to let us see who you really are. We are admonished to be like Jesus and He was the same yesterday, today and forever. Can people say that of you, or do you have ulterior motives in what you do?

Hope Is...

Rejoice and exult in hope; be steadfast and patient in suffering and tribulation; be constant in prayer. Rom.12: 12 (AMP)

Hope is a powerful force that can stand up against any circumstance that would come your way.
Hope is a force that endures to the end.
Hope is a strength that will see you through anything.
Hope is victorious in all things.
Hope endures through the storms of life.
Hope endures through anything.
Hope is trust in the one who created you.
Hope expects even when it can’t see anything.
Hope believes.
Hope puts wings to your dreams and keeps them alive.
Hope remains confident in the storm.
Hope gives you strength to endure to the end.
Hope has a voice; it speaks from your heart.
Hope is a powerful force.
Hope is a light that will see you through the darkest of times.
Hope shines bright.
Hope is a rest for all who possess it, an enduring force.
Hope keeps you climbing to the mountaintop, a spiritual place. Here is where you can see for miles with your spiritual eyes.
Hope can weather any storm.
Hope takes on many forms. From dream to expectation. From desire to anticipation. From perseverance to the promise.

Our hope in God cannot be surpassed by anything or anyone. His love for us is so vast. When He sees us step out in faith and go after that which He has promised, it pleases Him. Hope is a powerful force, so watch where and in whom you place your hope. People can let you down but God is always faithful!

“HOPE HAS A VOICE, IT IS THE VOICE OF FAITH.”

Remember:

H ope
O vercomes
P roblems
E everytime