Category: LIVE

Bury Your Mistakes

I mean literally dig a hole and bury what you have done wrong. And if you literally don’t want to dig a hole and bury your notes on what you have done wrong then bury the hole in your mind. One way or another, get rid of your wrongs. Ask God for forgiveness and learn from what you have done wrong so you don’t do it again. Then, bury them.

I know that Jesus died for our sins/wrongs/mistakes in life. But you have to ask Him for forgiveness before those sins are forgiven. When you ask and truly are repentant then those sins are forgiven and died with Jesus’ “death” on the cross.

But mistakes in life have a funny way of sticking around and bogging us down. That’s why after asking for forgiveness and learning from our mistakes, we need to bury them.

Whether you bury the notes of your wrongs in an actual hole, or dig the hole in your mind and “bury” them, one way or another get rid of them. Move on! Get rid of any guilt because it has a way of eating away at you. Move on! Really! MOVE ON!!!

Have a FANTASTIC week ahead and bury those mistakes!

Conform or Transform?

Are you a conformist or a transformer? Do you follow everyone else, including down dead ends in life, or are you looking to be different? To transform. Paul’s letter to the Romans says it all:

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” Romans 12:2

The Israelites conformed to each other and wandered the desert for 40 years. They were basically one mindset. They got lost conforming. Unfortunately, that’s what so many of us do today. We conform, even if we conform to be different. That’s why we are basically lost.

Paul nailed it that if you want to get closer to God, to walk the right path in life, you need to transform your mind by renewing it. That way you can start understanding what is not only good and acceptable but what is perfect to God. The world becomes brighter and clearer.

How do you transform by renewing? By listening for and to God. It’s that easy. You just have to make time, and LISTEN with an open mind and heart. That way you will start transforming your mind, and your life along with it.

LISTEN! Renew! Transform!

No Room for Guilt in Your Life!

I was the king of guilt and still sit on the throne of guilt on occasion. Gut I’m here to tell you what I found out—there is no room for guilt in your life. Why? Because Jesus lived and died for all our sins, not matter what we do wrong. So, confess with your heart that you screwed up and you are free. There is no reason to let guilt ruin your day, or even your life.

I use to beat myself up with guilt. It was a true whipping session that could go on for days. I felt comfortable in my guilt even if it froze me from moving forward. Then, I realized that a true confession wipes the remorse away.

Confessing what you did wrong is not like rubbing a magic lamp. It’s a serious, heartfelt examination of what you did and a commitment to not do it again. It’s a soulful talk with Jesus to thank Him for giving His life for what you did wrong. By wallowing in your guilt you’re actually denying that Jesus lived and died for your sins. So, give in to confessing, asking for forgiveness, and know that you have already been forgiven.

Get rid of the guilt!

Have a fantastic, guilt-free week ahead!

Recharge Your Light

I recently wrote that we all have a light hardwired into us by God. The problem is so many (most?) of us let that light be hidden. That’s why the world is such a dark place right now. The lights are not out but just hidden.

“You are light for the world. A city cannot be hidden when it is located on a hill. No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket. Instead, everyone who lights a lamp puts it on a lamp stand. Then its light shines on everyone in the house. In the same way let your light shine in front of people. Then they will see the good that you do and praise your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16

This says it all. Let your light shine. That’s the only way the world will get out of the darkness we’re in now. Like all change, it starts with one person at a time. A smile. A good deed. Reaching out to someone in trouble. Just do good. The beat goes on of how to let your light shine.

Every once in a while I know my light needs recharging. I get that done by asking God for a charge. By talking to Him. Praying. Meditating. Simply being still. It’s amazing how your light can charge up. But you still need to let it shine. Don’t hide it from view!

Have a FANTASTIC week! Let your light shine!!!

Don’t Hide Your Light!

Whether you know it or not, we all have the light of God in us. It’s a light that too many don’t know they have or simply keep hidden from view. It’s a light that must shine to keep out the darkness in a world that is getting increasingly dark.

As Jesus so clearly said: “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16

Do good and let everyone see it. Don’t keep your light hidden from view or, worse yet, burn out. Keep it shining and visible for all to see.

Smile. Help someone in need. Pay it forward. Give of yourself. Put others first. The list goes on of how you can keep your God-given light shining and lighting a dark world. It’s not hard to do. You just have to think past yourself.

Have an EXCEPTIONAL week lighting the way!

Do You Know Your God-Given Purpose?

It’s pretty simple. Everyone on the face of this earth has a God-given purpose. God created you and me. He gave us both a special, unique purpose for our lives. We don’t have to be powerful (in the earthly sense), rich, or anything like that. Our purpose is our purpose whatever it is. A Secret to Life is knowing that purpose and realizing it.

God hardwired a purpose into our lives. We just have to understand that purpose and carry it out. And the only way to find that purpose is to spend time with God. He will help us realize the special, unique purpose we each have in life.

I really think that what this life is about is finding our purpose and making whatever we are supposed to do happen. It doesn’t have to be earth-shattering. It’s our purpose and ours to carry out.

Again, there is nothing religious or magical here. It’s just about finding out what our lives are meant to be. Understanding our purpose in life and making sure we fulfill that purpose to the best of our abilities and time in this body and life.

If you want to start understanding your purpose simply LISTEN for/to God. He’s there for the talking.

Where is God?

That’s a good question in these troubled times. It’s easy to question where God is and why does He let all this bad stuff happen in the world. It’s even easy to question the existence of God. And that’s exactly what the forces of evil want you to do. Question, doubt, and simply walk away.

Look. God is always there and a heartbeat away. We just need to turn to Him. But like the Israelites in the desert thousands of years ago it’s easier to turn away from God. To doubt. To complain. To worship false idols. And look where that got them. Not even Moses crossed into the Promised Land. Only two of the original tribe did.

It this earth was all there is then I would certainly question God and His existence. But this earth, with all our imperfections and the forces of evil constantly in our ear, is not all there is. It’s a training ground, a warm-up to eternity. I know that may sound just too pat, but what can I say. It’s true. Think about this, we die and at the moment of death there is nothing. Or, at the moment of death, we either see a shining light or a very dark place. And everything we have done to make this imperfect world Heaven on earth will dictate if we see light or dark. If we see nothing then it’s game over. I’m banking on seeing something and I want to see light.

Every day we have choices to make. We can LOVE as God our Creator and Jesus our Savior both commanded or we can live for just ourselves. It’s a pretty simple choice. We live for today for ourselves or we live for today and tomorrow for others. We make this world a worse place or improve it for the better.

Game on!

Dealing With Temptation

Let’s face it, we are all tempted in one way or another. We may not realize it, or may just be in denial, or simply don’t care but we are all faced with temptation. The evil presence in this world—call it, Satan, Lucifer, devil, demon, or whatever—is real. It whispers in our ears and twists and turns our lives. The goal is to drag us into a dark and sometimes endless pit.

There are three basic ways to deal with temptation. You can simply give into it. Not good! Or you can dwell on temptation, which typically ultimately leads to giving into it. Not good! Or you can be still and simply let it pass. Hard but very good!

It takes discipline to simply let temptation pass. To go in one ear and out the other. But it can be done. Trust me. No, trust God. He is always less than a heartbeat away to help you deal with temptation. Turn to Him and let temptation go.

I know I am making this sound easy but it’s not. It takes practice, focus, and discipline but it can be done. Like anything in life, practice is needed. Pray, meditate, or simply be still. You can deal with temptation if you put your mind to it. It takes work but Jesus showed it how it can be done.

Have a great rest of the week and don’t let temptation ruin the peace that is hardwired into you!

Positive Thoughts, Positive Outcome. Negative Thoughts, Look Out Below!

God mans life to be so simple but it’s beyond comprehension how we complicate it! I don’t know how many hundreds of times I have written and said this but it is so true. So, flowing from all this is a very simple concept. If we think positive thoughts, positive things will happen. But if we dwell on negative things, negative outcomes will happen over and over again. It’s that simple. Like life itself!

If you’re stuck in a negative rut, thinking positive thoughts won’t turn everything around on a dime. But life will turn around. What may seem like darkness will become light. You just have to force your thinking to positive thoughts.

If you’re looking for something positive, start with God. Whatever life has thrown your way, think about God. LISTEN for/to Him because He is always with you, not matter what you think. He is the root of all that is positive because there is no negative in God.

I love Romans 12:2 because it sums up the power of positive thinking by detaching yourself from the world, which lately is a very negative place.

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2

Want to get out of the negative rut? Start focusing on the positive. I know it’s not always easy when the negatives in life seem to overwhelm. But transform your mind by forcing the positive thoughts. Start with God because He is positive. He wants simplicity in your life. Start with the positives. Your mind, and life in the process, will be transformed.

Have a POSITIVE week! Think positive!!!

Fear?

Do you fear anything in your life? On occasion, fear of something or another takes over my life. I feel fear. I live fear. But that’s when I go back to my faith because faith is the opposite of fear. You simply can’t fear if you have faith.

There are no two better opposites than fear and faith. Fear blocks out all faith and hope. Faith is all about hope and knowing that whatever happens God is always less than a heartbeat away. Living your faith simply blocks out fear. You can’t fear if you have faith.

We’re human so faith can ebb and flow. We can think more of ourselves than we think of God. That’s when fear can creep into your life and take over.

There is one way to overcome any fear you feel. Simply open up to God and ask for His Help. He is listening and ready to help. You just have to open up completely to Him. It’s so simple but we make it so difficult.

Have a GREAT week ahead living in faith, not fear. Fear not with faith!