Borrowed Truth

borrowed this poem from a truly amazing woman who I have never met. She is the wife of a sweet man who sat in as FSD where I work. He does not know my story. I was never able to witness to him of the sinful life I led for 52 years of my life. How by the Grace of God I began to have a blessed life.
My pastor’s wife and I were talking a few weeks ago at a women’s conference about being born-again. Not really wanting to be witnessing some of the ugly truth, I skipped to the part of my alter call being on my birthday which happened to be Easter that year and how it just blew me away to realize after the deed was done what I had actually done and the significance of that day. After looking at me for a moment, Kelly asked me why did I go up front that day. I told her I was not sure why.
After a few days went by, I thought, well, isn’t this is cute? If a sinner was to ask me why me? Why did I go and ask the Lord to accept me into His world, that certainly wasn't the appropriate answer.
I don’t know.
Right.
Oh yeah, I have said other things, like I knew I could have a better life. I knew He would convict me and heal me of my 38 years of addictions to cocaine, speed, cigarettes, alcohol, and marijuana.
I knew He was going to change my lustful life.
I knew I would no longer be living the sinful life I was running away from.
But I was struggling with answering Kelly’s question, and I wanted to give her an answer without going into all the horrible stuff I did.
I spoke to the Lord about an answer.
I have been speaking to the Lord for a specific word or words to describe why.
Well,
God is Good.

I was blessed with the Lord having this talented lady, Oliver's wife Peg, answer my prayer by unknowingly writing about my life.

Thank you Jesus,
Thank you Peg, for allowing me to share.
this is what Peg wrote
it is called:

Little Girl’s Dream

She danced with her father, for the first time that day
Tiptoe on shoe tops, they swirled and they swayed.
Smiles and laughter, her arms stretched up high.
Her hair swinging and swaying, her heart swelled with pride.
The world faded away, it was just daddy and his girl,
He dipped her, and swung her and he helped her to twirl.
She was in her glory, her heart filled with cheer,
She spent time with her father and held him so near.
Deep in the heart of every girls dreams
Is the wish to dance with her daddy, to see his face beam.



Another girl cries, her dreams fade to black
Her daddy is gone and he’s not coming back.
No one to dance with, no smile on her face
No reason to dress up with silk and with lace.
She grows up to wonder what it would have been like,
To have danced with her daddy when she was a tyke.
She looks to others, her heart torn in two
"Please fill in the spaces, please make my heart new."
Time after time, she reaches out for some care
She grows old and bitter, no dreams does she dare.



Hurt, bruised and defeated, she goes on with her life
Through trials and toils, she goes on in the strife.
Looking for someone to see through her pain
Someone to love her, to give her hope once again.
Confused and defeated she walks into His place
She thought she’d find quiet, a break from the race.
Instead she found cheering, dancing and glee
And silently she wondered, could this be for me?
Waiting and praying, she sat in her chair
"Lord, will You meet me if I go up there?"



Soon she stood and moved to the altar to pray
She knew in an instant her life changed that day.
As she neared the sacred place, she was lifted on air
Her heart filled with love, for nothing else did she care.
She danced with her Father, her arms stretched up high
Her hair swinging and swaying, her heart swelled with pride.
The world faded away, it was just Daddy and his girl,
He dipped her, and swung her and He helped her to twirl.
She was in her glory, her heart filled with cheer,
She spent time with her Father and held Him so near

Day 23

Today we are fasting from the thought that says: "IT'S TOO LATE."

We are so "time conscious". We allow time to limit us and define for us what we're capable of; or what God can do in our lives.

It's often engrained in us that it's too late to change; too late to start a new career; too late to save your marriage; too late to recover from a major mistake; too late to start over again; too late to be forgiven or have a second chance.

Perhaps you just started with us in our FAST FROM WRONG THINKING, and you think it's too late to get involved and really see the changes you're looking for.

The truth is: IT'S NEVER TOO LATE!

We need to replace this wrong thinking with right thinking. I hope you're seeing the pattern that the thoughts we're dealing with are the ones that immobilize us. They are thoughts that get us to cave in and stay the way we are; to accept things the way they are. THIS IS what we're going after - mindsets that limit us; and keep us from the victory that God has for each of us.

When you realize that it's not too late, you have hope. You take action. You move forward. You stop thinking that it's futile and useless to do the right thing.

It's not too late...

* to turn your finances around.

* to recover from a tragedy or mistake

* to truly surrender your life to God and begin again!

* to take better care of yourself

* to apologize

* to start saving

* maybe you have developed a habit or dug yourself into a real bad hole. it's not too late to get out of it.

* to change the way you see yourself.

1. UN-DECIDE that it's too late for these things to change. Un-decide that you can't recover! Un-decide that the damage is irreversible.

2. Meditate on the fact that God created time, and He can multiply it.

The earth and sun stood still for Joshua 10:12-13, "And Joshua spoke to the Lord at Gibeon... and said in the sight of Israel, 'Sun, stand still at Gibeon, and moon in the valley of Aijalon'. So the sun stood still and the moon stopped."Joshua had control over time, for God's purpose. We need to start thinking that way - we have control over time. It doesn't control us!

3. Today, think about the great cloud of witnesses, for whom it wasn't too late:

* It wasn't too late for Abraham to be a father at 99 years old.

* It wasn't too late for Sarah to be a mother at 90!

* It wasn't too late for Peter after he denied the Lord 3 times.

* It wasn't too late for Paul after he had persecuted the church and killed other Christians! God later used him to write two-thirds of the New Testament after the book of Acts.

* It wasn't too late for the woman caught in adultery (John 8:1-11), the woman with the issue of blood (Mark 5:25-34), or the man who was lame at Bethesda pool for 38 years. (John 5:1-10)

* In business, it wasn't too late for Ray Kroc, who at the age of 56 started the first McDonalds...(How did that work out for him?)

4. Meditate on God's mercy and grace.

Lamentations 3:22 says, "His mercy is new every morning..." Hebrews 4:15 says, "Come boldly to the throne of grace to receive mercy and grace in your time of need." Mercy is when God doesn't give us the judgment that we DO deserve. And "grace" is when God gives us the goodness that we don't deserve.

5. Adjust your thinking here: Stop making excuses for why it's too late.

God doesn't listen to our excuses. Realize, HE IGNORES OUR EXCUSES, and EXPECTS us to believe in His faithfulness. We claim we have low self-esteem or a disability. (Moses wasn't confident and he had a speech impediment, but God gave him chance after chance to be used by Him to deliver God's people.)

6. Meditate on the verse in 2 Timothy 2:13, "Even when we are faithless, He remains faithful. He cannot deny Himself."

7. Ask God for more time, and another chance.

Hezekiah did in 2 Kings 20:1-6. When Hezekiah turned back to the Lord, and asked for a second chance, God told him, "I have heard your prayer. I have seen your tears. Surely I will heal you...And I will add to your days FIFTEEN YEARS." If he did it for Hezekiah, He will do it for you!

THINK IT & SAY IT

I believe that it is not too late for things to improve in my life, and radically turn around.

I believe in the God of 2nd chances. I can recover and there is nothing that God won't turn around in my life.

It is a fact that God created time and He can multiply it for me. I am not controlled by time. By God's grace, I control it!

It wasn't too late for Abraham or Sarah, Peter or Paul. It wasn't too late for the woman caught in adultery, and its NOT TOO LATE FOR ME.

I adjust my thinking, and accept that God ignores my excuses and inabilities - but He gives mercy and grace in my time of need. He is faithful even when I haven't been.

I think on His goodness and dwell on His kindness. God is no respecter of persons, therefore if He multiplied time back for Joshua and Hezekiah, He will do it for me!

Out Of Sync.....Day 21

Today we are fasting from the thought that says:

"I'm stuck. There's nothing I can do about my situation. There's just no way."

We've all thought that at times. Sometimes we feel we've blown it, or we're at the end of our rope. There's nothing we can do, but it's a lie. There's always something that we can do. There's always a way.

Friends, the devil would love for you to believe there's nothing you can do about your situation. He wants you stuck! He wants you immobilized. He wants you defeated. And he achieves that by getting us to believe this lie.

This way of thinking keeps you from being decisive and taking action. Action produces results. But the thought that you can't do anything about your situation or you don't know what to do about it, STOPS ACTION.

Let's change that today!

1. Believe in the ministry of the Holy Spirit in your every day life.

Romans 8:26 says, "We don't always know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit intercedes for us..." No matter what your situation is, the Holy Spirit knows how to bring about God's will for your life, as you pray and worship Him.

2. Think this thought today: PRAYER CHANGES THINGS.

There's nothing you can't impact with prayer. PRAYER gets you unstuck. It gets you moving again toward victory. Never see prayer as something that is weak. It is powerful. "And all things, whatsoever you shall ASK in prayer, believing, you SHALL RECEIVE." (Matthew 21:22)

3. Believe that FAITH FINDS A WAY.

In Mark 2:1-5, the four friends of the paralyzed man, could not find a way into the house where Jesus was. They were stuck. BUT THEY BELIEVED THERE WAS SOMETHING THEY COULD DO ABOUT THE SITUATION. Listen, by believing there was a way, they found one! They went up on the roof and lowered him down through the ceiling tiles, and the man was healed. Why? Because faith found a way! When we don't think it, we don't look for it.

4. Remember, Jesus is the 4th man in the fire.

When it seemed like the 3 Hebrew men were going to be burned in the fiery furnace, Jesus showed up. What was an impossible situation was made possible because Jesus was with them. AND HE IS WITH YOU, in your fire. John 14:6 says, "I am the WAY, the truth and the life." Folks, He is "the way", when there just seems to be no way. He IS YOUR WAY out of whatever situation you are in. EXPECT HIM to make a way.

5. Stop thinking you have to figure it all out right away.

When you feel stuck, just take one step forward. When Jesus was tempted to back down, and not go to the cross – the Bible says, "He went forward a little..." (Mark 14:35) When you feel paralyzed – like there's nothing you can do, just take a step. Don't think about all the steps. Just take the first one. In a relationship, the first step may be: saying you're sorry. If it's finances, maybe it's just cutting one area of spending, or giving one extra offering. If it's in your health, take the first step and have a salad. Just take that one little step!

THINK IT & SAY IT

I believe in the ministry of the Holy Spirit to intercede for me when things aren't working out. He will work through the situation to bring about God's will. He will bring me through.

As I pray, I believe things will change; they will improve. I walk by faith, not by sight, and faith finds a way.

I THINK AND BELIEVE THERE IS ALWAYS A WAY, even when it seems like there is none. And that way of thinking, opens the door. Jesus is the Way when there is no way.

He is with me no matter what fire I'm in; and no matter what the situation. I expect Him to make a way for me.

When I feel stuck, I will think about one step I can take that will move me toward healing, toward blessing, and toward God's will for my life.

Day 22

Today, we are fasting from the thought that says, "It's not working."

People think "I'm trying, but I'm not really changing. My marriage is not working. Prayer is not working. My budget is not working. The Word is not working. Tithing isn't working."

When things don't go our way, we tend to THINK, that the good that we're doing is not accomplishing anything. The devil gets us THINKING that God's Word works for others but not us. When we believe that "It's not working," we adopt a mindset that blocks us from continuing to do the right thing. And that's when we lose our harvest.

You see, it's not that it's not working, but it's that we stop "working it", which is what stops our progress.

When we do the right thing, the devil loves to get us to think, that it didn't do any good, and nothing will change. When we forgive someone, the devil says, "that didn't do any good." When we give an offering, the devil says, "you won't get a harvest." When we pray, we hear the thought that says, "God didn't hear that; or He won't answer that."

When my kids were little, I would sometimes wonder, "Is praying over them every night working? Is disciplining them working? Are the kisses and hugs and long talks working?" But I kept doing it because I thought, "God's Word is true and IT WORKS." Today, as my four oldest children are all teenagers, who love God and love their parents, and love each other, I realize IT WAS WORKING all the time. If I would have thought it wasn't working, I would have stopped acting on the Word. That thought would have defeated me.

Today we turn the tables on these thoughts.

1. Keep sowing the right seeds.

"Don't grow weary, in doing good, for in due season, you shall reap, if you do not faint." We need to believe that if we don't give up, we will get our harvest.

2. Understand that "growing weary", or "fainting"/giving up, begins in our minds.

Hebrews 12:3 says, "consider Him who has endured such hostility against Himself, lest you be wearied and faint in your mind." See, giving up starts in your head. As soon as we think that its not working, that's when our bodies respond to those thoughts and our life gives off negative energy, which defeats us. IN YOUR MIND, you have to start thinking, "IT IS WORKING!" And then, positive, life-filled energy is produced.

3. Believe that God is at work in you right now.

"He is all the while in work in you both to will and work for His good pleasure." (Philippians 2:13) If He is working in you, things are going to work.

4. Let this penetrate your thinking: THE WORD WORKS.

Jeremiah 1:12 says, "I am watching over My Word to perform it." Believe in the integrity of God's Word.

5. Believe: PRAYER WORKS.

Jesus said, "Whatsoever things you desire WHEN YOU PRAY, believe that you receive them, and you SHALL HAVE THEM." Mark 11:24.

6. Don.t let the immediate feeling or appearance trick you.

Things start working the moment you act on the Word of God. 2 Corinthians 5:7 says, "For we walk by faith and not by sight."

7. I love this verse in Ecclesiastes 3:11 which says, "He makes all things beautiful in His time." It's going to work out, if you trust and let His timing come to pass.

THINK IT & SAY IT

Things are working. I may not see them working right now, but God says they are.

I am sowing the right thoughts, therefore my life is changing. I am sowing the Word of God, and it will not return void.

I will not give up in my mind. I make up my mind to believe IT IS WORKING.

God is at work in me, and He is bringing His will to pass in my life, even now as I surrender my thoughts to Him. As I sow the Word of God in my heart and mind, God is watching over that Word, to bring it pass.

Whenever I have the thought that prayer doesn't work, I will replace that thought with Mark 11:24. I walk by faith - by believing what God says.

I will not allow the appearance of something trick me into thinking that God's Word is not working.

The Lord is making things beautiful in my life, no matter what things look like right now.

Another e-mail

This morning,I replied to a note from my husband's girlfriend.
It probably wasn't a very nice note in return, but I was not mean, just truthful.
Then I received this in my e-mail.

Geeeeeeeesh,

Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).


When you’ve been hurt or offended, sometimes it’s tempting to hold on to unforgiveness. But we have to remember, when people wrong us, our battle is not against flesh and blood. In other words, that person who hurt you is not the real enemy. The Bible says that your adversary is the devil, and he knows that if you don’t forgive, then your prayers won’t be effective. Unforgiveness puts up a barrier in your life to the power of God. In fact, if we don’t forgive others, we can’t be forgiven by God. But when you choose forgiveness, you open the door for God’s healing power to flow through your life. Disarm the enemy in your life today by choosing forgiveness. Bless those who curse you and pray for those who wrong you. Look at what Jesus did—when He was betrayed, beaten, mocked, and disrespected, He chose forgiveness. As you follow His example, you will open the door for God to move in your life, and you’ll live in victory in every area of your life!

A Prayer for Today

Heavenly Father, thank You for forgiving me and giving me new life. I choose today to extend the gift of forgiveness to others. I bless those who have wronged me and ask You to heal every broken place in my life. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Direction

This is so right on time.
I received this in my e-mail.
Love it.

Then some Midianite traders passed by, so they pulled him up and lifted Joseph out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. Thus they brought Joseph into Egypt." Genesis 37:28

Often, when we look for direction from God we seek the miraculous. We search for a sign, a voice or a vision to make our paths plain. However, God can and does employ more common (even painful) experiences in our life to provide direction for our lives. We lose a job, experience a break up in a relationship, financial instability, stricken with an illness or something is taken from us. These "life events" may be God's way of causing us to look in another direction. God will often close a door, to point us in the direction of another.

God has a purpose and plan for our lives. The problem is - so do we. Often our plans and God's plan are not the same. We often seek things that are short sighted. God knows this and allows certain events in our lives to point us in the right direction. Often these situations look nothing like what we think God's plan for our lives should look like. We must be careful not to misconstrue God's direction as persecution. "God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28).

If anyone's life demonstrates this principle it's Joseph. Joseph received a dream from God revealing his destiny. In his dream he was in a place of prestige and power. In a matter of days, Joseph went from being his father's favorite son to being a slave in a foreign land. He was thrown into a pit, sold into slavery and taken to Egypt to spend the rest of his life. Unbeknownst to Joseph, all of this was God's way of positioning him to fulfill his purpose in life. Joseph had to go into the pit, to meet Potiphar. Potiphar's wife had to falsely accuse Joseph for him to be sent to prison. It was in prison where Joseph met attendants in Pharaoh's court. It was because of this time in prison that Joseph received the opportunity to meet Pharaoh. When he met Pharaoh he entered into his destiny.

When Joseph laid his head down to sleep that first night in Egypt he was far from home, but squarely within God's plan. God declares: "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways, "declares the LORD." For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts" (Isaiah 55:8-9). I am sure Joseph saw the changes in his situation as set backs, when in reality they were setups. God was providing "divine direction" through what appeared to be disaster. Each disappointing turn in his life pointed him in the direction of his destiny and purpose.

Some of you may be experiencing what appears to be a disaster or dead end in your life, when in fact it's direction. As you experience your transition, never lose sight of God's sovereignty. Sometimes God allows us to lose control so that He can take control. When Joseph's brothers threw him into the pit, I am sure he had no idea he had taken the first step toward his destiny. After looking over his life and all that had transpired, Joseph was able to say to his brothers: "As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result..." (Genesis 50:20). Everything he thought was an accident was really providence. It was divine direction!

Day 20

Today, we're fasting from (abstaining from and eliminating) the thought that says:

"I just can't hold it all together"

This thought can be paralyzing. It gets us thinking about how hard things are, how many things depend on us, and the possibility of things falling apart.

How many of us think that about our jobs, our daily responsibilities, OUR EMOTIONS? How about our families, kids, and all the activities: school, extra-curricular stuff, etc.?

Thoughts feed into expectations. Expectations feed into manifestations. Manifestations become imprinted in our minds, forming our habits of expectation, and our character (our consistent patterns of behavior).

That's why it is vital to FAST from WRONG THINKING, and replace wrong thoughts with right ones. Let's do it:

1. Let's go back to Philippians 4:13 which says, "I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me." The way to turn this thought into a reality is through the decision to believe it. DECISION is the doorway into reality. We take a wrong thought captive, by bullying it with the right thought. Make this new thought PRESS against the wrong one, until there's no room in your head for the wrong one.

2. You are not alone. You're not in it by yourself. Fill your mind with this thought. Hebrews 13:6 says, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." When the thought comes, "I can't hold it all together", RESPOND to that thought with this: "I'm not doing this by myself. God is with me. And He will never leave me alone!" Whether you are a single parent or a single person, God is in this with you - married or divorced. Struggling financially or wealthiest man alive - He is with you in your struggle and in your daily responsibilities.

3. God holds together the things we turn over to Him. 2 Timothy 1:12 says, "I am persuaded that He is able to keep (hold together) that which I have committed unto Him." You see, whatever we COMMIT to Him, He will keep, guard and hold together for us. If there is an area of your life, that seems like it's falling apart, COMMIT it to Him, and He will get involved.

4. Fill your mind with this thought: "The Lord will accomplish that which concerns me." (Psalm 138:8) He will accomplish, complete, perfect...He will get involved with the things that concern me, and He will add His grace to my situation!

5. "God upholds the universe by His Word..." (Hebrews 1:3) If His Word can uphold (keep together) the universe, IT CAN uphold your stuff! Get the Word into the deep core of your being. Make God's Word the base/foundation of everything you think, decide and do.

THINK IT & SAY IT:

Even when I feel I can't keep it all together, I declare that I can do all things through Christ. He gives me the strength I need, when I don't have enough.

I decide to believe in His strength. I am strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

I am not alone, because He will never leave me nor forsake me. I am not a victim. I am a victor. I have committed my life, my body, my family, my money to God, THEREFORE, He will hold together the things that I have committed to Him.

He is EVEN NOW involved with AND accomplishing those things that concern or trouble me.

His Word upholds the universe, therefore I will think, believe and say His Word throughout my day, which is MORE THAN ENOUGH to hold my world together. In Jesus. Name!

These are the thoughts that shape my life. I pray that they will shape yours as well...

Day 19

Today, I want to give you a little more of an impartation, as this is a subject that is often misunderstood.

Today we are fasting from the thought that says, "Prosperity is defined by how much money we have."

That is wrong thinking. The prosperity God emphasizes is the PROSPERITY OF OUR SOUL. 3 John 2 says, "Beloved I wish above all things that you would prosper and be in health, even as your SOUL PROSPERS." As our soul goes, so goes every area of our life.

Therefore, true success or prosperity means TAKING CARE OF YOUR SOUL.

"What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul." In our pursuit of "gain" many people forget to take care of their soul. This is the key to real success.

Let me share with you several things that will make your soul prosperous, which in turn will bless every other area of your life:

1. Meditate on the Word of God.

It's not just meditating on "financial" verses, though this is fine, and there are many. It's meditating on the riches that are yours in Christ - not financial riches; BUT "soul" riches: such as wisdom, grace, righteousness. The result will be: your soul will prosper; and then your outside will catch up with your inside.

The great missionary Hudson Taylor was approached by his wife on the missionfield when they were out of money - "What is left, Hudson?" she asked. "We have 25 cents, dear", he responded, "and all the promises of God."

2. Develop a righteousness consciousness - this is irreplaceable.

Fill your mind with the blessings of being the righteousness of God.

The devil is called in Acts 13:10 the enemy of righteousness - that's what he opposes; because that's what changes us. When we awake to righteousness, we will sin not. (1 Corinthians 15:34)

3. Confidence in the love of God.

Mark 1:11 says, "You are His beloved son or daughter."

4. Develop covenant relationships.

This is a term that is often misunderstood. It means connecting with people of like mind and spirit, who are going in the same direction with God as you are. I gladly extend my covenant with you. When we have the strength of covenant partnership we will be able to handle anything - that is success and prosperity.

5. Don't take things personally.

This is one of the great forces of "soul-poverty." When you become the victim in someone else's drama, your soul becomes poor.

Clear your heart and mind of all that I call "people guilt." This is where we carry around with us the responsibility for how everyone feels toward us; we feel like we have to be the "host" at everyone's pity party; etc.

6. Stop comparing yourself to others.

This will rob your soul of prosperity, as you languish in what you don't have, rather than meditating on what you do have. 2 Corinthians 10:12 says that we are without understanding and without happiness when we compare ourselves to others.

THINK IT & SAY IT

I live a life of meditation on the Word of God. I am blessed with the wisdom of God, the grace of God, and the righteousness of God.

I have all the promises of God - which makes my soul prosper. I awake to being righteous in God's eyes, through the blood of Jesus, not by anything I can do.

I put my faith and confidence in God's love for me. He loves me and is on my side. Therefore I am satisfied by His love.

I open myself to covenant relationships that will bring strength and blessing to me and those I am in covenant partnership with. My soul will continue to prosper as I refuse to take things personally. I will not absorb people's guilt or manipulation.

I choose to stop comparing myself to others, as this robs my soul of its health and well-being. I am grateful for what God has done in my life, and choose to focus on what I already have.

Borrowed

I borrowed this from C:)'s blog,
hope you don't mind.

There is nothing like the feeling that a part of your life is over... for certain.
It is a crazy kind of calm.

This is definitely true.

Now, that there is definitely a divorce in the process, I can let go of the stupid dreams of reconciliation I was clinging to for an absolutely dead marriage.
It has been way beyond no recommitment, dead.

and that leads me to another of c:)'s writings.

This marriage did not work out not because of our career minded lives got in the way.
What career??
I had a so-called "career" for 25 years because
(1)I did not want to be a beggar or sponge off people to survive.
(2)I did not have a partner who could or would allow me the dream I had since I was
a teen-ager....to be a homemaker.
Stay home, cook, bake, be artisitic in the home decor dept.
have a small garden to supply our needs.
just be me.
I never succeeded in having a partner who was ambitious enough to be career minded enough to support my dream.
Hence,no dream realized.
I usually would be the one in the end supporting the effort of keeping a home together and keeping a vehicle paid for.
I, of course, in the span of 25 years did spend a lot of time running away from and hiding from what some people would call a normal lifestyle by being in the equine industry, but you can have a life in that business.
I have seen some people accomplish it.
I just wasn't one of those chosen few.
I indulged in a lot of things I shouldn't have. That life was on the wild and crazy side of life.
I was always looking in the wrong places for that simple dream that stayed in the back of my mind and heart.
Hence,no dream realized.

Then finally, after wasting 36 years in a fruitless jobs and a crazy career, I started living a different lifestyle.(the old didn't have benefits, just a love for horses)

Started a real career.
One with 401k's and all the extras.
normal work hours.
met a really sweet guy.
told him of my dream
we got married
told him I would willing keep a part-time job to support any extra expenses to keep peace in the house if my "career" was to get in the way..

now 6 years later, only living 2.5 of those years together

lol..what got in the way wasn't a job by any means.

but now
I am so much more a peace right now, first time in years.

It is hard to explain
I shaped my life to suit the format of a marriage,
bent over backwards to please who mattered most to me in life
my partner

now

when I come home, I am alone
I don't cry anymore
I don't fret over the lost dream
Actually, I hadn't thought of that dream for quite awhile, until today.

LOL, I actually hope it is the real thing this time for him.
he wants to marry someone else

now, yeah, with the divorce begun
it is a certain end to that season of my life.

once again
There is nothing like the feeling that a part of your life is over... for certain.
It is a crazy kind of calm.

As a prior post says

I will not allow my negative circumstances to determine my success or failure. I AM A SUCCESSFUL and PROSPEROUS WOMAN, because God is with me. I create positive surroundings and I create good breaks by choosing life today

TY C:)

Day 18

Today we are fasting from the thought:

"I could succeed if I had the right surroundings, the right people or the right breaks."

Nonsense! Yet many people believe that if their surroundings were better they would succeed. If they just moved to a different city or had a better boss or if someone gave them a chance, they would prosper. They use these thoughts as excuses for why things don't get better, or why they don't reach their goals and improve their life. This way of thinking makes people blame others and their circumstances for why they don't change.

Replace that thought with this thought:

1. It's not what surrounds you, but what's inside you that causes success!

2 Corinthians 4:16 says, "Therefore, we do not lose heart. For though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day." Notice, Paul is saying, even when things go the opposite direction on the outside, something good can be happening on the inside.

When things go wrong on the outside, deal with the inside! This is the key to success. And what does God say we should do on the inside? Be renewed, day by day. Be filled with the Word day by day! Absorb these scriptures day by day, and the INSIDE with OVERTAKE the OUTSIDE!

2. Success or failure in life is created by how you think.

Joshua 1:8 says "...but you shall meditate on the Word of God day and night...for THEN you shall make your way prosperous and THEN you shall have good SUCCESS."

3. Understand the source of blessing.

Psalm 1:1-3 says, "Blessed is the man that does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly...but he meditates on the Word day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, whose leaf does not wither, who bears fruit in his season, and whatever he does, prospers!"

4. The root to true success is a prosperous soul.

3 John 2 says, "Beloved I wish above all things that you would prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers."

5. Remember Joseph...thrown into a pit by his brothers and sold into slavery.

Genesis 39:2 says, "But the Lord was with Joseph, and so he became a successful man." Notice, even though his surroundings were terrible, HE STILL BECAME A SUCCESSFUL MAN. He had bad surroundings, bad breaks, was surrounded by bad people, and yet still succeeded BECAUSE GOD WAS WITH HIM.

6. We create our surroundings and we create our breaks by the thoughts we think and the choices we make. Deut. 30:15, 19 says, "I have set before you life and prosperity; or death and adversity" Choose life!

THINK IT & SAY IT:

It's not what surrounds me that determines my success. It's what's inside me.

I will not lose heart. Even when things go wrong on the outside, I am being renewed on the inside by the Word of God, which will bring success in every areas of my life.

My success is created by how I think. I agree with God's thoughts, and meditate on God's Word day and night. Success follows me. I prosper in my soul - in my mind. I fill my mind with the richness of God's Word, and therefore it spills over into every area of my life.

Like Joseph, I will not allow my negative circumstances to determine my success or failure. I AM A SUCCESSFUL and PROSPEROUS MAN OR WOMAN, because God is with me. I create positive surroundings and I create good breaks by choosing life today!

Day 17

Today we are fasting from the thought that says:

"I'm limited by my financial status."

I know that as you replace this wrong thinking, with RIGHT THINKING, you are going to see things change quickly in your finances and your peace of mind!

Today we deal with what I call a "limitation mentality".

The mindset that always tells you that you are limited; that you don't have enough; that if you only had more money you could be happy or do more for God.

All those thoughts actually keep us from doing more, and from being happy.

1. Be happy NOW. "Happy is the man who fears the Lord." (Psalm 112:1).

When you THINK that you need more to be happy, you program yourself to stay unhappy until you have more. This is a dangerous attitude. The truth is when you are grateful for what you have, you will become magnetic to more. More will come.

2. We need to recognize that God is not limited by money, therefore you do not need to be. You are made in God's image. He fed them manna from heaven. He commanded water out of a rock. He sent a raven to feed Elijah and a prominent family to take care of Elisha.

3. Believe in the God of ideas!

Proverbs 8 says He will give us witty inventions. These are ideas. When God opens up the windows of heaven, He is raining ideas, not $100 bills.

4. GET WISDOM.

When offered one request from God, Solomon asked for wisdom. God was so impressed, that He gave Solomon wisdom, and with it came wealth, power, answers. James 1:5 says, "If any man lacks wisdom, let him ask of God who gives to ALL men generously."

5. Don't underestimate the power of imagination.

We are to cast down "imaginations" THAT EXALT themselves above the knowledge of God. But God-given imagination is a MUST. Ephesians 3:20 says, "He is able to do exceeding abundantly above and beyond all that you can ask, think or imagine." Note the emphasis on: "YOU CAN ASK, THINK AND IMAGINE." You CAN and you MUST!

6. Expect open heavens.

When God said, He would open the windows of heaven, He wasn't saying He would just dump money in your lap. Heaven has a supply of so much more than money. Expect the heavens to open to you with angelic intervention, wisdom, ideas, hope, words of knowledge, etc.

7. Be "provision conscious", not "need conscious".

Make your mind expect that God will provide. Put your thoughts on His generosity and provision, rather than on what YOU NEED or what don't have. EVERY time we give something valuable to God, we prove we are "provision conscious", not "money conscious".

THINK IT & SAY IT:

I fear, reverence and respect God, therefore I AM happy now.

I don't need any more to be happy. I am happy already. This present happiness will attract more of what I need, to my life.

God can work in my life, regardless of my financial status. He is not limited by money, therefore neither am I.

When He needed bread, He multiplied the 5 loaves He had been given. When He needed tax money, He got it out of a fish's mouth. When He needed wine, He used water! I believe God is a God of ideas. He has put His Spirit in me, therefore I expect ideas. Ideas are worth more than money. And I will be a vessel of God-given ideas.

I think wisdom, and ask for wisdom. God richly supplies me with wisdom, every time I ask for it. I will ask, think and imagine what God can do, and He will exceed my expectations and imaginations!

I do believe that the heavens will open over my life. I choose to be "provision conscious" rather than "need conscious".

I believe by changing the way I think, I become a magnet that attracts God's provision for my life.

cute

Introducing Ian

I'm lifting this child up to the Lord on this Resurrection day to be protected from the "world".
Keep Your Loving Protective Hands on this child, Lord.
Stay in Ian's heart so he can live by Your Plan and Your Will that You have already created for him.
Thank You, Jesus

More Free Graphics and Myspace Layouts at pYzam.com

Beginning and End

all kinds of good things happening

a baby boy added to the family
ironically
a grown man getting released from the family.

He called yesterday to tell me he was finally making the move to get a divorce.

Hallelujahhhhhhh!!!!!!

I had insisted for 3 years now that I was not the one to make the move.
He was the one to leave so many times.
He was the one to commit adultry so many times.
He was the one that broke the covenant made before God to be committed for life.
It was all his decision.
So he can carry the load all the way.

(I found out his 2 prior marriages that he screwed up, his x's paid for the divorces)
not me, bud.
that habit stops here

Thank you Lord for putting someone in his life that would put
a fire under his butt(and probably the finances for his pitiful self) to get this farce over with.

Day 16

Today I want to build upon how many times our mind (and the devil) tells us that if things don't go our way, that must be God's will. "God must not want me to have this." Or "Whatever happens must be God's will."

Please note, I realize many of us reading this know theologically that God's will is for good. But in our lives, when we face resistance or it seems like God is not responding, we're tempted to give up and let whatever happens happen.

Not anymore!

Let's replace this wrong thinking with right thinking:

(Read) Mark 10:46-52. Blind Bartimaeus heard about Jesus, and began to cry out "Jesus, have mercy on me." MANY PEOPLE TOLD HIM TO BE QUIET, but he cried out even more.


You must stop listening to the many voices trying to keep you the way you are. There are voices in your head saying, "keep quiet." There are voices from others saying, "Stay the way you are." There are voices saying, "God must not want you to have this."


NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. Say "no" to those voices and keep going after what God has promised in His Word.


In verse 48, when people tried to shut Bartimaeus up, he cried out EVEN MORE. When you face resistance, add persistence! Press through!


When Jesus heard Bartimeaus crying out, HE STOOD STILL. (Now I'm preaching here!) If you don't give up, you will get Jesus' attention!


BELIEVE God wants to fulfill your desires, not just your needs. In verse 51, Jesus said, "What do you WANT Me to do for you?" (Bartimaeus didn't NEED to see. He could still live without sight. But Jesus asked him what he WANTED.) God doesn't just meet our needs. He fulfills our desire. (Provided that our desires are founded in scriptural promises.)


Make up your mind that you will not be denied. The woman with the issue of blood would not be denied. The mother of the demon-possessed daughter would not be denied. Bartimaeus would not be denied. You and I will not be denied.


WE MUST RECOGNIZE that our acceptance and tolerance of our present condition is the result of our acceptance of this wrong thinking.
THINK IT & SAY IT:

I decide today that I will stop listening to the voices in my head and around me that are telling me to stay the way I am.

I will not be quiet when asking God to fulfill His promises. My prayers will not be silenced by doubt, fear or opposition.

At times when I may feel God is not answering, I will stick to His Word, which says, "Call unto Me and I will answer." God says "Yes" to what He has already promised, therefore I will stand on His promises in all areas of my life. And I will not be denied. I will not tolerate a life of mediocrity or status quo.

I believe that God wants to give me the desires of my heart, and not just my needs. When I face resistance I will add persistence.

I will not give up or give in to my present condition. I will press through the opposition and not be denied. I will not tolerate a present condition of discouragement, sickness, poverty or mediocrity - NOT ANOTHER DAY OF MY LIFE.

Psalm 37:4 says, "He will give me the desires of my heart." I will keep thinking this, believing this, and expecting this until something changes for my good, in Jesus' Name!

Thanks

Comments

my silly way of saying thanks for reading my blog..
thanks for your patience in my delivery of the study going on...

not an excuse but a lot going on right now...
waiting patiently to hear that my new grandson is being brought into this world sometime today with no problems, thank you Jesus.

been absolutely crazy at the workplace with constant opposition still in
getting the job done the way it needs to be done and
spending wayyyyyyyy too much time there.
Being in a jail, it does need to be done in a certain manner
but not going there right now.
Just an on-going battle that does not make sense to me.

Oh and let me add the goofy actions of being in a hurry to get out of the rain and into the crazy job-site,
locked my keys in my car
ughhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!
no extra keys ..no where.
gotta get an extra key made.
ha..got to join AAA


ps...someday that graphic will be ME...LOL

;~)

Day 15

Today, we are fasting from the thought that says:

"I guess this is all there is. I'll just have to settle with what I have."

To "settle" means to accept something that is not ideal or desirable, because you don.t believe it could be better.

Many people settle for less than God's best in their life, not because it can't get better, but because they don't THINK it can.

This mindset is destructive because it accepts life the way it is rather than making it the way you want it to be.

For 38 years, the lame man settled by the pool of Bethesda accepting that he would never get better; that he would never get the help he needed to be healed. (John 5:1-10)

He was discouraged and beaten UNTIL Jesus showed up in his life and showed him -- he didn't have to settle. And neither do you!

What does it take to change our wrong thinking here?


Desire -- Jesus said in essence, "you have to want it!" Get desire back in your life. Desire to improve. Desire to get better. Desire to make something great of your life.


Eliminate "excuse making." "No one helps me; no one understands; no one gives me a break." "I was just meant to suffer in this way." Shut those thoughts up! The lame man said, "I have no man to help me." (John 5:7) Stop making excuses.


Do something now to make things better. Improve yourself. Learn something new. Take a class. Learn a language or an instrument. Don't let life dictate to you that "this is all there is."


Believe in the God who is able "to do exceeding abundantly above all that we can ask or think." (Ephesians 3:20)


Don't settle for less than God's best. Don't settle for that sickness. Don't settle for just getting by. Don't settle for the way things are. In Mark 10:46-52 blind Bartimaeus would not settle for his current condition. He cried out to Jesus and was healed.

THINK IT & SAY IT:

I will never again settle for a mediocre, average existence.

I will not settle for things the way they are. There is more to this life that God has for me, and I expect Him to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that I can ask or think.

I will think big, and ask big. Then I will experience BIG.

I desire to improve, to get better and to make something great of my life. I am NOT an excuse maker. I am always improving; always adding value to my life and the lives of others.

Jesus came to give me life -- abundant in quantity and superior in quality; life to the full; life that overflows.


~~~~~~~I am working hard on this one. I find myself sometimes settling and wishing things better instead of doing.
I think big..just haven't done big yet.
getting ready to go to church, get hit in the head and hopefully have a ..duhhh...moment.
Holy Spirit take a hold of my heart and brain and stop my stupid thinking.

Day 14

Today we.re fasting from the thought that says:

"Its no use."

These thoughts go with it: "I might as well give up." "It doesn't work for me."

This is wrong thinking. It's a mindset that will defeat you. Some people think this way until it becomes a disease. We 'dis-ease' ourselves with defeatist thinking. Winners don't think like that. People don't want this kind of spirit around them.

Overcome this today by taking these steps!
Go into partnership with God, where you cannot fail. Psalm 124:2 says "The Lord is on your side!" This is not religion. This is common sense. You cannot fail when you awaken to the fact that He walks with you!


Recognize the problem exists for you to conquer it. When things go wrong, and money is short, or you lost your job, find out what is wrong and conquer it. Numbers 13:30 says "We should by all means go up and possess the land, and conquer it!"


Get understanding. Proverbs 3:15 says, "She (understanding) is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire compares to her." Ask for it, and God will always give it. Evaluate what you have, and use it!


It does work for you. It works for anyone. Remember, Jesus said in Mark 11:23, "Whosoever will say to this mountain, 'Be removed and cast into the sea', and does not doubt, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted!." THINK this marvelous promise. BELIEVE this marvelous promise!


Stop waiting for opportunity to come. Stop thinking that you don't have the opportunities that others have. Fight the fight of faith, and don.' GIVE UP until opportunity SHOWS UP! Do it regardless of your feelings.
THINK IT & SPEAK IT:

I give up, giving up. I am in partnership with God. He is on my side. Therefore I cannot fail.

My problems don't devour me. I eat them for lunch! I have the spirit of might and power.

I will conquer my problems in every way, and by every means. God gives me understanding, which is true wealth.

Things DO work out for me. They work out for whosoever believes! And I'm a believer, not a doubter.

Opportunity comes to me, because I expect it to. I will not waver, give up or quit until God-ordained opportunities come to me!

Day 13

Today we're fasting from a "victim" mentality.

This includes thoughts that say, "It's their fault." "I was mistreated." "If someone gave me a break, I could make it too." "It's the government's fault." "It's how I grew up." "It's not my fault.", etc.

Viktor Frankl survived the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz by defining ultimate freedom as the ability "to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to chose one's own way."

The worst prison in the world is the one we put ourselves in - in our mind. Mindsets and victim mentalities strip us of the power God has given us to rule our lives in victory.

This is a thought we need to take time and care to dismantle.

Let's go:

1. No one can keep you in your current situation except you. We must begin TODAY to accept total responsibility to become victors, not victims.

2. People may have had something to do with how you got in the situation, but only YOU can decide whether you stay in the situation.

3. The "victim" mentality ends when we TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY for our attitude and direction in life. Deuteronomy 30:15, 19 says, "See, I have set before you this day, life and prosperity and death and adversity...so choose life, that both you and your descendants might LIVE (the victorious, abundant, God-kind-of life)."

4. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you. Full responsibility doesn't mean, we're in it, alone. God is on our side and He will help us. It's natural to look for help - but let's get it from God. John 16:13 says the Holy Spirit is "Our Helper"! When you have His help, you don't need to blame anyone for anything! We blame when we're helpless - but we're NOT!

5. Understand the root word of "responsibility" is response. We may not be able to control everything that others do to us, but we can control our RESPONSE. In our response lies our freedom and our growth!

6. Don't give away your power. We give away our power to live in victory, health and success - when we allow others to determine how we RESPOND. We have the power to choose; the power to forgive; the power to recover; the power to overcome anything. When we blame others, we give away that power to them.

7. TAKE CHARGE OF WHAT GOD HAS GIVEN YOU. The master said to the servant who hid his talent: "Why didn't you at least invest my money so I could have received interest?" (Matthew 25:24-27) He blamed the master, and excused himself. As a result, he fell to the temptation of resentment and fear. He lost everything because he had a victim mentality. THINK IT & SPEAK IT:

No one can keep me down.

I am not a victim. I am a victor. I take full responsibility for my responses in life - my attitudes and my decisions.

God has set before me prosperity or adversity. He has given me the power to choose. I choose prosperity!

Holy Spirit, I am asking for your help. You live in me, and you are my Helper! I refuse to give away my power by blaming others. I choose to respond to life with God's Word.

I take responsibility for my thoughts, my actions and my REACTIONS. I abandon the idea that my situation is the fault of anyone else.

I am an overcomer. I am more than a conqueror through God's great love.

Day 12

Today's thought that we.re fasting from is: "I'm not that smart'"

("I'm not smart enough." "Everyone seems to figure it out except me", etc.)

Some may think this is not that important, but make no mistake, this thought permeates our thinking and keeps us limited in what we can do, and what influence we can have.

It's another thought that the devil uses to try to make us feel inferior.

Most media and institutions of "higher learning" are not as smart as they think.

Think about how the media reports on politics, health and the economy. Who understands what they're saying? I don't think they do! This world's system is designed to make you feel you don't know enough about what's going on, so you will be dependent on what they say you should think, feel and do.

If you're born-again, you are brilliant! YOU HAVE THE MIND OF CHRIST. His mind is far smarter than the smartest businessmen, educators, politicians and newsmakers of this life. And you have His mind!"

Let's abstain from the thought: "I'm not that smart." We're giving it up for the rest of our lives beginning today! Now let's replace it:

1. You have the mind of Christ. (1 Corinthians 2:14.)

You have the ability to see things the way God sees, understand the way He understands, and choose the way He would choose. STOP listening to any thought otherwise.

2. EXPECT wisdom today. James 1:5-6 says, "If any man lacks wisdom, let him ask of God who gives to all men generously; but let him ask in faith without doubting".

3. Psalm 16:7 "my mind instructs me in the night." Friends, you are so smart that your mind is even teaching you while you're sleeping!

4. If you ever feel foolish or less educated than the mentally "elite", remember: "He takes the foolish things to confound the wise."

5. Don't think small anymore; and don't talk small. You are made in the image of God, with His intelligence, His brilliance, His understanding.

THINK IT & SPEAK IT:

I have the mind of Christ. I think His thoughts and understand His ways!

I will never again submit to the thought that "I'm not that smart" or "I can't figure it out." I am smart and I can figure it out.

I expect wisdom today and I expect MY MIND TO INSTRUCT ME IN THE NIGHT! I make wise and intelligent decisions.

I will never again be intimidated by the mentally "elite." I am made in His image, filled with His intelligence, His brilliance and His understanding.

Day 11

Today we're fasting from the thought that says: "Don't get your hopes up".

This mindset has subtly found its way into our heads. We have been trained by doubt and unbelief to lower our expectations--to brace ourselves for mediocrity and status quo.

To hope is to look up-to have expectation! To hope is to live. Hope is like oxygen. It's like light-in a dark and negative world.

Proverbs 13:12 says: "hope deferred makes the heart sick." There are many great truths from this scripture.

When hope is "put off to the side", your heart becomes sick. When your hopes are "dashed to the ground", your heart becomes sick. Most importantly, your heart becomes sick when you STOP hoping. Hope HEALS!

Let's fast from this thought and replace it with these:

1. GET YOUR HOPES UP. No matter what. Ps. 78:7 "That they might set their hope in God."

2. KEEP THEM UP. I John 3:3 FIX your hope on Him, and it will purify you.

3. When you don't see something happening, hope even more. The fact that you don't see it, gives hope a reason to remain alive in your heart. Once you have something and see it, you don't need to hope for it anymore. It's when you don't see it, that your hope has a reason to exist.

4. Get Faith. Faith is not like hope. Faith cannot be deferred. Faith is a tangible force. It is substance. If you are exercising faith, no one will be able to tell you that God's promise will not come to pass. All fear and doubt pass away and you will be thoroughly convinced of God's promise in your life. There are no ups and downs, just a knowing and a sense of his presence. Faith will overcome all opposition. Faith is the fulfillment of your hope; it is the tree of life. Romans 15:4 "Hope comes from the encouragement of Scripture." And Romans 10:17, "faith comes from hearing the Word".

5. Meditate on the love of God. Hope that IS NOT DEFERRED (delayed, or disappointed) comes from Love. Romans 5:5 "...and hope does not disappoint (or leave you with shame), because the love of God has been shed abroad in your heart."

6. Free yourself from people who think they're doing you a favor by "managing" your expectations, or "protecting" you from disappointment. Get around hopers and dreamers and people who are filled with expectation!

7. THINK IT & SAY IT: My hopes are up! I eliminate the notion of lowering my expectations. I refuse to accept people's advice to "not get my hopes up". I get my hopes up NOW and I keep them up. I expect God's promises to come to pass in my life today! I expect good to come to my life today-In my family, in my home, in my church, in my job, in my relationships, in my body and in my finances. I expect ideas, favor, and wisdom. I look up, expecting to receive the best of what God has for me today. I have unlimited and unhindered hope and expectation.

Day 10

Today we are fasting from the thought that says:.That.s just the way I am..

One of the things that limits us and keeps us defeated is the opinion we have of ourselves. Over time, what other people think of us begins to shape our view of ourselves and what we.re capable of.

"He's shy." "She's stuck up." "He's all talk." "She's not the sharpest knife in the drawer."

We often end up living up to the very opinions and expectations that others have had of us, because it has kind of conditioned us.

Or we feel, .I.ll always be average.. .I.ll always be overweight.. .I.m capable of only making .x. amount of money.. We.re limited by our self-imposed expectations of ourselves.

Today, we are breaking out of the limitations and boundaries we, or others, have put on us. That may have been the way you were, but that.s not the way you are.

1. First of all, He is the potter and we are the clay. (Jeremiah 18:1-6)

God is working on you, to make you what He wants you to be. Trust the Artist to make a masterpiece. Be flexible and adaptable. See yourself as a GOOD work in progress.

2. Philippians 1:6 says, "He who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ." Withhold judgment of yourself (or others). Don.t pre-judge what your capacity is, what your potential is.

3. Jeremiah 18:4 says, .the clay was marred, so He made it again.. God doesn.t throw you out. HE NEVER GIVES UP ON YOU.

4. You are changing as you are reading this!

Whatever flaws you have, they are not the final sentence. You are NOW being conformed to the image of Jesus! (Romans 8:29)

Think it & Say it:

I am unlimited in my ability to grow and change.

I am unlimited in my ability to grow and change.

I am what God says I am.

He began a good work in me, and He will finish it.

He is making me into something GOOD.

I am workmanship--His work of art.

I am not in bondage to my weaknesses and former limitations.

Every day and every moment that passes is making me more and more like Him.

Older every day

Ok, I know it is a fact of life, but geesh.
I watch my friends who keep getting older every day and every once in awhile the realization that I have to catch up with them slaps me in the head and sometimes I just am not ready to get that old.

can you tell I have another birthday approaching soon?

I mean really.
Some of these people are old. A couple of friends are only a few months older than myself but I am not old.
Yeah, my body is not the same as it was 5 or 6 yrs ago, I concede to that.
Yeah, I could lose a few pounds and have a better shaped body. But I don't have all the vain thoughts I had back a few years ago. All I want to do now is be healthy.
I want to be of sound mind. (praying all the time I don't end up forgeting who my loved ones are later in life.)
I also worry about my retirement.
I can legally retire in , oh, ok, 3 years.
Can't though, cause those little notices you get twice a year says I have not made enough money to retire with out worry.
Now I can retire when I am 70 and live pretty decent in today's economy, but what will it be like in 12 years?
Someone said the other day, that immigrants who are tax exempt are to be receiving some decent money for retirement from our benefits.
I have tried very hard since my last political rally back when they tear-gassed us so badly at the Pentagon,I have sincerely kept my mouth shut,tried to stay out of politics and not voice my opinions, but I am just about ready to get back on the band wagon if I am not going to be respected for the hardworking funds I have put away for myself all these years.
I have been quiet long enough, I fear it is time to rattle the acid burned entities left inside the skull sitting here in the middle of my shoulders and bring it back to a radical awakening.
I am going to research this issue some more.

Day 9

<"What's wrong with me?"

Have you ever thought that? Who hasn.t? We have all had our bouts with sin-consciousness.a haunting awareness of all that we do wrong, and all that is wrong about us.

We are going to crush this thinking today!

The first problem with this thinking is: it is "me-centered. not .Jesus-centered." It's selfish. We are called to LOOK to Him.the Author and Finisher of our faith. In Hebrews 12:1 God says, "look up" not "look within."

Another problem with this thinking is that it's OBVIOUS! There are many things wrong with all of us. We're flawed people from a natural point of view, but not in God.s eyes. But thinking "what's wrong with me" breeds perfectionism, self-centeredness, obsessive introspection and condemnation for our flaws and shortcomings. (Of course, we need to admit our weaknesses, and receive God.s forgiveness and strength.)

But it starts with developing a "righteousness consciousness", rather than a "sin consciousness".

The constant awareness of our "falling short" is where the devil and religion want to keep us. This keeps us defeated and limited.hemmed in by our human nature, rather than liberated through our divine nature. 2 Peter 1:4 says .Through His promises, we share in the divine nature of God and escape the corruption that is in the world through lust..

1. Understand the gift of righteousness.

2 Corinthians 5:21 says .He who knew NO sin, was made to be sin FOR US, that we would be MADE the righteousness of God.. This is the greatest EXCHANGE in human history! Jesus took our sinfulness and imparted to us His Righteousness.which means we are RIGHT in God.s eyes, not wrong. We are justified. I like the play on words here. Justified = .just if I.d. never sinned.

2. Awake to righteousness.

1 Corinthians 15:34 says "Awaken to what.s right in your life; and you will not sin." You are a child of God. You are forgiven. You are a joint heir with Jesus Christ (Romans 8:16). When God looks at you, He sees the blood He shed. He sees His Son. When God thinks of you, He thinks of a victorious, conquering, strong, powerful, wise, and holy son or daughter. He sees you as a mighty champion. The head and not the tail. Deuteronomy 28:13

Righteousness means: to stand in the presence of God as if sin had never been. To stand in His presence without a sense of guilt, shame, inferiority or condemnation.

3. Eliminate sin-consciousness.

When you are always conscious of what.s wrong, you will DO wrong. When you are always conscious of BEING the righteousness of God.you will DO right. You.ll act on the outside how you see yourself on the inside. (Whenever you think of your .wrongs., cast them upon Jesus. And remember, His .rights. are now yours!)

4. Ask the Holy Spirit to do what He does best.

1 Corinthians 2:12 says ....we have received the Spirit of God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God.. Key ministry of the Holy Spirit is to REVEAL what is already yours (NOT TO REVEAL TO YOU ALL THAT IS WRONG IN YOUR LIFE).

5. Dwell on what.s right rather than what.s wrong.

THINK IT & SPEAK IT:

I decide to give up thinking about all that is wrong in my life.and I choose to think about what is right.

I am the righteousness of God, through the blood of Jesus. I stand in the presence of God without guilt, shame, inferiority or condemnation.

I awake to what.s right and believe it will lead me to a victorious life.

I am a joint heir with Jesus. When God looks at me, He sees His blood. He thinks of me as a conquering, powerful and holy son or daughter. I will not think of myself as anything less or more than what God thinks of me!