Pastor, Could This Be Why It"s Not Working?
I'll bet you've done some things in life that you can look back on and smile, feel really good because success is spread all over it.
I know I can.
It's a good feeling to achieve things in life.
It can make us feel as though we have value and worth.
I believe every one of us wants to feel validated and worthy that our lives mean something to someone else as well as ourselves.
But what about the myriad of things we've tried to accomplish for ourselves and they have not worked out to our satisfaction.
Surely you know what I mean.
Life is certainly not perfect and how could it be when the people who are walking out the details in life are not perfect.
That's all of us.
Everything in life comes about due to choices of some sort, at least most everything.
Of course we know it wasn't our choice that the sun rose this morning or that the hail hit hard last night.
We didn't choose our parents nor did we choose the sex or looks of our children.
We did have a choice with the gift and talents that are placed within us.
Numerous natural things in life we had no choice, did we? But life in general and how it plays out is truly a matter of a combination of your choices and mine.
We are all in this together.
It makes sense that none of us can control all the elements around us.
But God has given us many things that we can control and we do this through our choices.
I get a lot of email, as I'm certain you do.
I was reading something today that made its way into my in-box that said, "Recognize that for the most part, choices are not made consciously, but by our Higher Self.
" Notice this person used a capital letter in addressing the word Higher, indicating a person or perhaps a deity.
And then addressed the notion that when we often make stupid decisions, and feel bad about ourselves when things don't turn out, rather than look inside, we need to realize that we didn't consciously make the poor decisions, our Higher Self directed our actions towards what we need, not necessarily what we want.
In other words, this person was implying that the Higher Self (what they refer to as our God nature) puts out an invisible foot and trips us in our path, so to speak, watches us fall on our face, but it's all for our good because we so desperately need this life lesson of pain or suffering.
Listen, people make choices every day concerning their life, without first; prayer, meditation, research, an advisor, without all the facts, blindly, due to selfish motives, wanting the credit when things work out.
Yet, clearly, one book, which stands out from all the rest, was left to us as our life manual and guide; I'm speaking of the Bible.
We learn when we read it that there is a perfect formula for success to all areas of life, ministry, business and health.
Proverbs 4:20 leaves a secret clue to life but most miss this due to not taking the words seriously and I mean literally depending on them.
The first 3 are: * Attend to the words of the Bible daily, listen carefully to them * Once you read them, keep them in your mind * Now, let them penetrate deep within your heart meaning you must let the words transfer from your mind to your spirit or heart where God lives by His Spirit.
You do this by carefully revisiting the words often until they become a part of you, literally.
That's how faith is rooted.
You decide to keep the words you've read as solid good food and you choose to not let the devil steal them from your heart.
And here's your reward if you do these few simple things.
You will have life that means real life and health to all your flesh.
Wow, you mean a good life plus good health? But, there must be more required right? Well, yes there is..
Read on, there are just three more requirements to receive a good life and good health.
* Keep your heart with all diligence; that means guard your affections.
Stay true to God; keep faithful to your spouse and loyal to your ministry and friends.
* Ponder the path of your feet so that your ways can be established.
Watch your step, God's not tripping you with an invisible foot, he lives inside your spirit to help guide you that you would make the right choices.
You will know the correct path when you first spend the proper time seeking his face through his word * Turn not to the right hand nor to the left, look straight on and concentrate on what truly matters.
There are people who would trip you up and ditches along the way.
Stick to the path God has you on, don't sidetrack and then He will tell you when to pull your foot back from danger.
You'll naturally hear Him because you walk side by side connected by the word.
God wants you to succeed more than you want it yourself.
But the methods for success call for a price, the price of spending time to walk with an invisible God, like Adam walked with, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, except we're New Testament, we have the privilege of power by the Holy Spirit.
The more you remain in the word, the greater the power of His Spirit you will receive to know the exact path you are to take.
He says in John 1:1, that in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
The Word is capitalized because God is talking about himself.
We don't need to capitalize the phrase higher self.
We're not higher than God.
The only higher self I know of is pure pride, ego, which reeks before God.
When we depend on our human intellect to carry us through; we take the chance of falling and have to ask God to pick us up.
That's not his plan and it's not safe.
If things are not quite working as planned, why not try the plan herein.
Open to Proverbs 4:20 and take these words literally.
Ponder over God's word and take it in like a medicine.
Then watch and see if those things you've prayed for and about don't start moving into place just like clockwork.
Life's not perfect, and we have little control over natural disasters, but things really can improve.
The only invisible foot tripping you up is the devil and his crowd, and the way he gets in is through a weak spirit, one that's not fed on a daily basis.
Friend, I've tried it both ways.
When I make time and give myself to God's word, take it in, believe it and then act on it, something begins to happen inside of me that does not happen when I neglect these things.
It's the same difference as turning on a light switch or turning it off.
When the light is on, you can see where you're going, with it off, you're going to stumble at best.
It's your choice.
You choose.
I know I can.
It's a good feeling to achieve things in life.
It can make us feel as though we have value and worth.
I believe every one of us wants to feel validated and worthy that our lives mean something to someone else as well as ourselves.
But what about the myriad of things we've tried to accomplish for ourselves and they have not worked out to our satisfaction.
Surely you know what I mean.
Life is certainly not perfect and how could it be when the people who are walking out the details in life are not perfect.
That's all of us.
Everything in life comes about due to choices of some sort, at least most everything.
Of course we know it wasn't our choice that the sun rose this morning or that the hail hit hard last night.
We didn't choose our parents nor did we choose the sex or looks of our children.
We did have a choice with the gift and talents that are placed within us.
Numerous natural things in life we had no choice, did we? But life in general and how it plays out is truly a matter of a combination of your choices and mine.
We are all in this together.
It makes sense that none of us can control all the elements around us.
But God has given us many things that we can control and we do this through our choices.
I get a lot of email, as I'm certain you do.
I was reading something today that made its way into my in-box that said, "Recognize that for the most part, choices are not made consciously, but by our Higher Self.
" Notice this person used a capital letter in addressing the word Higher, indicating a person or perhaps a deity.
And then addressed the notion that when we often make stupid decisions, and feel bad about ourselves when things don't turn out, rather than look inside, we need to realize that we didn't consciously make the poor decisions, our Higher Self directed our actions towards what we need, not necessarily what we want.
In other words, this person was implying that the Higher Self (what they refer to as our God nature) puts out an invisible foot and trips us in our path, so to speak, watches us fall on our face, but it's all for our good because we so desperately need this life lesson of pain or suffering.
Listen, people make choices every day concerning their life, without first; prayer, meditation, research, an advisor, without all the facts, blindly, due to selfish motives, wanting the credit when things work out.
Yet, clearly, one book, which stands out from all the rest, was left to us as our life manual and guide; I'm speaking of the Bible.
We learn when we read it that there is a perfect formula for success to all areas of life, ministry, business and health.
Proverbs 4:20 leaves a secret clue to life but most miss this due to not taking the words seriously and I mean literally depending on them.
The first 3 are: * Attend to the words of the Bible daily, listen carefully to them * Once you read them, keep them in your mind * Now, let them penetrate deep within your heart meaning you must let the words transfer from your mind to your spirit or heart where God lives by His Spirit.
You do this by carefully revisiting the words often until they become a part of you, literally.
That's how faith is rooted.
You decide to keep the words you've read as solid good food and you choose to not let the devil steal them from your heart.
And here's your reward if you do these few simple things.
You will have life that means real life and health to all your flesh.
Wow, you mean a good life plus good health? But, there must be more required right? Well, yes there is..
Read on, there are just three more requirements to receive a good life and good health.
* Keep your heart with all diligence; that means guard your affections.
Stay true to God; keep faithful to your spouse and loyal to your ministry and friends.
* Ponder the path of your feet so that your ways can be established.
Watch your step, God's not tripping you with an invisible foot, he lives inside your spirit to help guide you that you would make the right choices.
You will know the correct path when you first spend the proper time seeking his face through his word * Turn not to the right hand nor to the left, look straight on and concentrate on what truly matters.
There are people who would trip you up and ditches along the way.
Stick to the path God has you on, don't sidetrack and then He will tell you when to pull your foot back from danger.
You'll naturally hear Him because you walk side by side connected by the word.
God wants you to succeed more than you want it yourself.
But the methods for success call for a price, the price of spending time to walk with an invisible God, like Adam walked with, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, except we're New Testament, we have the privilege of power by the Holy Spirit.
The more you remain in the word, the greater the power of His Spirit you will receive to know the exact path you are to take.
He says in John 1:1, that in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
The Word is capitalized because God is talking about himself.
We don't need to capitalize the phrase higher self.
We're not higher than God.
The only higher self I know of is pure pride, ego, which reeks before God.
When we depend on our human intellect to carry us through; we take the chance of falling and have to ask God to pick us up.
That's not his plan and it's not safe.
If things are not quite working as planned, why not try the plan herein.
Open to Proverbs 4:20 and take these words literally.
Ponder over God's word and take it in like a medicine.
Then watch and see if those things you've prayed for and about don't start moving into place just like clockwork.
Life's not perfect, and we have little control over natural disasters, but things really can improve.
The only invisible foot tripping you up is the devil and his crowd, and the way he gets in is through a weak spirit, one that's not fed on a daily basis.
Friend, I've tried it both ways.
When I make time and give myself to God's word, take it in, believe it and then act on it, something begins to happen inside of me that does not happen when I neglect these things.
It's the same difference as turning on a light switch or turning it off.
When the light is on, you can see where you're going, with it off, you're going to stumble at best.
It's your choice.
You choose.
Source...