Malnutrition - Are We Starving Our Destiny?

  
"We feed our past at the expense of our destiny.  Are we starving/malnurishing our future because we can't let go of what we have been through?"

Our history/past has a big appetite. We can't afford to feed what happened to us...what we didn't get....what he/she said to us/did to us....what isn't fair, and have enough left to feed our destiny/purpose.  Anger/bitterness/fear/unforgiveness has a fast metabolism....it needs to be fed often.

It is time to start starving our past and feed our purpose.  We need to start nourishing ourselves with more self-love, self-talk, peace, faith, hope, perseverance, positive people, healthy relationships/entertainment/lifestyles.  I don't know about you but I can't afford a personal chef and I am too old for a caregiver.  What we feed off of each day will be what is the strongest in us.




"The Odds Against Wholeness" - Bishop Jakes

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5 Steps To A Better Prayer Life

Nothing encourages us to pray more than trouble! :D

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No Pain No Gain - I have to do what?!?

I often forget that I don't suffer and go through hardship and challenges to make me weak and worthless. I go through to make me strong, wise and useful to God. God didn't allow me to be rejected and abandoned to hurt me. He allowed it to heal my soul from dependency on people's approval and validation.

I learned major life lessons in my struggle...God is able to do more than I could imagine..."God is my refuge and strength in time of trouble"...."God's strength is made perfect in my weakness"...."God's love endures all things"...God taught me to love those who use me (side note: He also made me wise enough to keep them at arms length too)....I learned it is not always about me. I learned to be less concerned about my image and more about what each experience is developing/strengthening in my soul.  I learned I cannot be effective and not be affected (go through something). "Life is like a photograph, we develop from negatives." Whatever we "yield" ourselves to is what we become.

I learned to stop blaming, daddy, mommy, my choices of no good men (no disrespect, if any of you are reading this..there was "no good" in staying in each other's life), my fears, my sickness.  All of it was a part of my training/preparation. "It was good that I was afflicted....My troubles turned out all for the best—they forced me to learn from your textbook." Ps 119:71 

                                          Romans 12:1-2

Why is so easy for us to believe natural principles over spiritual ones...same concepts. When we workout we beleive "no pain no gain" and we will push ourselves until our muscles tremble because we know that's what it takes to get results...we believe "we have to dress for where we are going/success/promotion." But at the same time it is difficult to apply spiritual princles like "faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen"...."we are clothed in His righteousness"....we are asked to "workout (committment/dedication) our salvation with fear and trembling (reverence/respect)."..."His strength is made perfect in our weakness." Why are we not willing to push ourselves to get results/strengthened in our soul? Are we more concerned out our image than who God says we are? What image is being developed in the dark?

We have to be willing to work hard/ endure pain/struggle/press to be strengthened....be willing to give up something to gain more....be willing to "go through" to get through. Our results will be worth it.

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Belief Effects Behavior - Today's Message

Flawed but Favored
King David was not a perfect man. He was a man full of "unresolved issues in his soul."  These issues caused him to be a murderer, adulterer, liar, thief, manipulator, insecure, prideful, abuser of power/position and selfish. I'm not being dramatic. Read your bible.

God loved and esteemed David despite his choices because David knew how to repent and his heart was always seeking God. We may be weak in our mind and in our flesh but we have to be willing to let go of our mess/bad behavior/unhealthy mindsets.

Can We Afford What We Want?
God's grace doesn't give us an excuse to do whatever we want to do.  Repentance means humbling ourselves and changing (one issue at a time), not abusing God's mercy. You will be shocked by how one change can impact three issues.

Our relationship with God is strengthened through the view He has of our heart not our bad behavior. David suffered the consequences of his actions. Look at how his relationships and children suffered/hated him. David had to quit his job and battled through fear and depression. I'm not lying! You better read the bible and stop trying to be religious. But David also gained strength and wisdom and peace in the process. He wrote some of the most beautiful/powerful psalms that thousands of years later are helping/ encouraging us. His life has become a witness for hundreds of generations.

Second Hand Wisdom
I don't know about you but I don't need to go through things myself to learn my lessons. I will take the lessons I see learned by other's choices as enough evidence. I believe what my grandmother told me "if you make your bed hard, you are going to have lay in it.....a hard head makes a soft behind." :D

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