Category Archives: Faith

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3 Benefits of Change

Many of us don’t like change but why? Change can be hard for us to deal with because change means something different, it presents new unknowns and for those of us who like to know everything or control everything this can be very difficult. Change also provides opportunity to worry but then again what doesn’t? You can choose to worry about change or with courage and faith you can learn to embrace it.

I’d like to share a few thoughts on “Change” that may change the way you think about it. Although there are many great things that come with change, I’ve chosen to focus on the following three:

Growth 

The first benefit of change is growth. Change carries with it the potential for great growth: Personal, relational, corporate, etc. Just take a look at anything that is living, if it’s living it’s growing. The only things that don’t grow are those that have no life in them. Change provides an opportunity for you and I to learn new things, to grow as individuals and to gain new insights about ourselves and about life. I want to be filled with life, always learning, always growing and always welcoming change!

Flexibility

The second benefit of change is flexibility. This is a great characteristic to have. It’s a desired quality for all who want to have successful relationships with the people in their lives. If relationships are all about connecting different individuals then flexibility is a quality you’re going to want to have. The more change you experience in life, the more opportunities you’ll have to grow and become more flexible!

New Beginnings

The third benefit of change is new beginnings. I love new beginnings from a new day to a new week to a new month to a new year. I love the newness of life and as you and I learn to embrace change we learn to love new beginnings happening all around us. With change comes new choices, opportunities for new paths and the opportunity to turn the page. Change helps people move past their past, close one chapter and start a new one, and change often helps people get “unstuck.” Change brings new beginnings and an excitement to life that wouldn’t be present without change.

Change is good!

I hope that you welcome change as an opportunity to grow, to be more flexible and to experience new beginnings with excitement. Change isn’t always easy and there will always be the temptation to worry or complain but as believers we’re called to take our thoughts captive (2 Cor. 10:5), to not worry or complain about anything (Phil. 2:14 and 4:6), but rather trust and acknowledge God in all that we do (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Remember that God isn’t as concerned about all the changes that are happening in the world around us as he is with the changes happening in our hearts. He is more concerned with how we respond to those changes around us and how we are being changed more and more into His image and likeness! My prayer for us is that we will respond well, that we will be filled with courage and faith and that we will be made more like Jesus in the process.

“And the Lord—who is the Spirit— makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.” 2 Corinthians 3:18

Blessings,

John

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God is Giving Us a Blank Check

Don’t allow a negative confession to come out of your mouth and don’t allow negative thoughts to linger either. As believers we are called to live by faith and it is through faith that we can take authority over our negative thoughts and think on good things. It’s through faith that we filter what we think and say. As much as it’s up to me I want to agree with God in both my thoughts and my speech! This takes work! But oh how it’s worth it!

If you want to see victory in your life it all starts with what you’re thinking and what you’re saying. This is why it takes work because all kinds of thoughts try to fill our minds on a daily basis – there is a constant war over our belief system! The enemy wants us to live defeated lives where we are discouraged and not believing God for anything. God wants the opposite! He wants to encourage us regularly and He wants us to believe Him for everything!

Think about what Jesus said in Matthew 9:29, “According to your faith let it be done to you.” Here Jesus is writing us a blank check and telling us to cash it! The problem is too often we believe lies rather than the truth so instead of living free we life in bondage. Instead of living in faith we live in fear. God wants to set you free today with the truth! Believe it and be free! God loves you! Take the blank check and cash it! Forget not His benefits! God is a good Father and He knows how to take good care of His children!

“God, open our eyes to see you clearly, open our hearts to receive your love and give us the grace to walk in faith and live free just as you have intended for us to be. Thank you Jesus! Amen.”

Blessings,

John

 

What will you believe Him for?

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What are You Saying Daily?

There is power in our words and we can never be reminded of this enough! Scripture says in Proverbs 18:21 “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.” This is just one of many truths about the power that is in our words (life and death)! Just think about what our words can do:

-We can build others up or we can tear them down

-We can comfort others or we can hurt them

-We can cripple or we can encourage

-We can discourage or we can share hope

-We can pass judgement or we can love

-We can criticize or we can praise

-We can complain or we can give thanks

And the list goes on! Today I challenge you to think of the words that you allow to come out of your mouth. Guard from allowing anything negative to come from your mouth today and be generous in giving thanks, praising God and encouraging others.

Here is my prayer for us today: God help us to tame our tongues! Help us to not allow any negative speech to come from our mouths but rather words filled with life that will bless and encourage all who hear. Use our words to build others up today in Jesus name, amen.

Blessings my friends, I’ll end this today by saying what my middle son always says to those he loves, “You’re the best!”

~John

PS If you want to hear more on the power of the tongue here is a 5 minute video that expounds more:  Change Your Words, Change Your Future

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Teach me how to pray

Teach me how to pray

For years that’s been my prayer (and I still pray it today). God has honored this and I’ve grown greatly in my times with the Lord. He shows me things I would never know, He leads me, strengthens me and blesses me deeply. My favorite time in prayer is when I say nothing and simply rest in His presence. He always builds me up during this time and often speaks great truths to my spirit.

Prayer is simply communion, it’s connection, it’s the place where your relationship with God is deepened. He reveals his good and kind nature and strengthens your faith. There are times He will lead you to pray for situations, circumstances, people you know and people you don’t… And it’s in these times that you pray as His Spirit leads you. This too is a powerful time as He directs you to speak peace in peoples lives and declare His word over different circumstances.

In this day and hour God is calling us to a deeper place of prayer. He’s calling us to pray for our pastors, our leaders, our government and of course the lost! He’s inviting us to pray with faith and passion. He’s calling us out of a spirit of fear and one of complaining into a spirit of confident expectation and one of praise! Will you watch and pray with the Father today? Will you declare His truth over the lies so many have come to believe? Will you speak to the mountains and tell them to be removed? Do you hear Him calling out to you today, “Will you stay and pray with me a while?”

I’m praying for you today! Will you join me in prayer for our Nation?

Blessings,

~John

“What things soever you desire when you pray, believe that you have received them and you shall have them.” Mark 11:24

Let us pray…

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Prayer is the place where God makes gold!

Prayer is the place where God makes gold!

Have you ever wondered where personal transformation comes from in the lives of believers? It’s obvious it comes from God so it should be just as obvious that it comes from spending time with God. When we spend time in the place of prayer God forms us on the inside. He makes us the men and women that he’s called and created us to be.

Great things happen in his presence and you don’t have to wait until Sunday to get there. Sure many of us know that, but do we really know that? I believe that what we believe effects everything that we do. Real and lasting change in our lives will only come when something eternal touches something temporary. And this happens in the place of prayer. When we open up God’s word and ask him to speak to us and when we pray and ask the Holy Spirit to fill us. It’s in this time that God brings about your true identity, he speaks to you about who you really are and he satisfies you with good things.

My favorite place to be on earth is…in heaven! Seriously! As believers we are seated in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6) and there is nothing that I enjoy more than sitting at Jesus feet in heavenly places. When I set aside time in my day to do nothing but pray (although my mind would tell me this is pointless) I am filled with joy, peace, strength, faith and a greater awareness of who I am, who God is and why I am here on the earth. It is greater than anything this world offers. If you’re a parent you know that you take great delight in your children (I know I do)! I also know that my children love playing with their daddy. It’s natural, it’s God’s design and it blesses both the parent and the child. The same is true in our relationship with God and when we resist or neglect our time together we lack peace, joy and fulfillment.

Make time for prayer today! Get alone with your heavenly Father. Pour your heart out to Him and then allow Him to pout His heart out to you. You’ll be so glad that you did!

Be encouraged!

~John