Turning the Tables

Sheep Thoughts                       

Do you have an enemy? Someone who wishes you ill? Someone who’s chief intent, it seems, is to make your life hard? Someone who does all he can to set up obstacles to your forward progress? Someone whose main focus is to just generally foul up your life?

What if there was a foolproof way to turn that person and all his energy around so that at the very least, he wasn’t a factor anymore, and at the best, all his energy was working in your favor? There is a way. It's Love. I’m not talking about the ooey gooey feeling where you get all soft when you think of him. Anyway, that’s probably never going to happen. Who would want it to? We think love is a feeling, but real love is not an emotion, and can’t be judged by how we feel. It is an action, and it’s prompted by a decision.

So, how to implement this failure proof system? Because, right now, you’re thinking, “If it involves changing how I feel about the scumbag, I don’t want any part of it.” You’re getting the cart before the horse. Just change your actions and forget about changing your feelings.

Do this: On purpose, pray for the guy. Don’t pray that lightning will strike him. No, pray that his life will improve, that he’ll get to know God, that he won’t be hollow and miserable anymore. More ideas will come to you as you pray. Every time your sentiments of hate, annoyance, and disgust for the fellow cue you, pray for him. Don’t worry about how you feel. Just DO this. It will work. Seedtime and harvest works regardless of how you feel while you’re doing it.

This WILL WORK. I Corinthians 13:8 guarantees it. “Love never fails.”

At the very best, the guy will change and become your help. At the least, God will move him out of your way.

A Matter of Life and Death

Plant the seed of God's Word by prayer and confession (profession)

Proverbs 15:4  A wholesome tongue is a tree of life.

Example prayer and confession: My child has a wholesome tongue. He uses it for life and blessing.

Sheep Thoughts
A message from one sheep to the rest of the flock.

Is Satan trying to scare you to death? Don't buy the lie. The truth is, he no longer has the power of death. According to Hebrews 2:14---Jesus took on the nature of human beings and by going through death, brought to nought and made of no effect him who had the power of death, that is, the devil. Who had. Past tense. The devil is a "has been".

Where, then, is the power of death? Proverbs 18:21 tells us that it resides in your tongue. Even better news is that life also rests in your tongue. Death and life are in the power of the tongue...Prov. 18:21 Speak life words. God words. Enforce life.

Have a SMART MOUTH
I do not speak the things which man's wisdom teaches, but the things the Holy Spirit teaches. I Corinthians 2:13

Positive ID
Recognizing God; recognizing yourself through the Word

I have good plans for you. I don't plan to hurt you. I plan to give you hope and a good future. Jeremiah 29:11 Easy-to-Read Version




Stay Constant in Prayer----Paula J



Life is a Garden

SEED--scripture prayer and confession

When I plant the Word in my heart, I can expect a one hundredfold harvest. Jesus said if I abide in the Word and the Word abides in me, my prayers will be answered. John 15:17; Mark 4:8

 SHEEP THOUGHTS--one sheep's message to the rest of the flock    Put on your overalls and start treating your life like a garden. Jesus told us that if we didn't understand the parable of the seed and the sower, we wouldn't understand anything else. It makes this whole gardening idea fundamental. He explained that the Kindgom of God was like a man planting a seed, and then He gave us even more insight when He revealed that the man was planting the Word. It was about a garden in the very beginning, and it still is.  Mark 4:13; Mark 4:26; Mark 4:14

be a SMART MOUTH--it matters what you say

A man will be satisfied with good by the words of his mouth...  Proverbs 12:14 HCSB

  

POSITIVE ID

forming our perception of God through the Word

God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. Psalm 46:1 NLT

BEARS REPEATING

A Word to the Wise

"You can either water down the Word to match your lack of experience, or you can believe 

God to elevate your experience to match the Word."  Keith Moore

Impossible

Did you know that God does not believe in impossible situations? He honestly doesn't think there are any. He said,"...with God nothing shall be impossible."(Luke 1:37) That means that to His way of thinking, IMPOSSIBLE doesn't get a vote. He refuses to subscribe to impossibility. He looks at every "impossible, hopeless, ain't gonna get any better" situation and whole-heartedly says, "This can be changed, fixed, redeemed, renewed, restored, healed, saved, made whole, rescued, reclaimed, mended, recovered, delivered." Now, God is really into choices. He is always asking us to choose. That's because he knows that choices are the way we navigate through life. So, here's the question. Are you going to continue to believe in impossibility? Or will you turn your back on IMPOSSIBLE, choose to agree with God, and transform your thinking to "everything is POSSIBLE for one who believes." (Mark 9:23) Possibility starts with YOUR choice. Stay Constant in Prayer. Paula J

From Enemy to Champion

I read this verse in the Bible the other day. "He who used to persecute us is now proclaiming the very faith he once reviled and which he set out to ruin and tried with all his might to destroy." Galatians 1:23

Some of you may have men in your life who don't share your faith. They may actively revile your faith by setting themselves up against it with vigor and energy. Or they may be quietly killing your faith with their disinterest and apathy. Whatever the case, cheer up! We see here in Galatians, the account of Paul's turn around. His change from faith enemy to faith champion. This description of Paul's conversion fits into the category of a precedent. A precedent is a very strong basis for prayer.

Anytime you find a precedent in God's Word for a provision, a miracle, a need supplied, a prayer answered, it is indication that it is not exclusive. It means you can also receive that provision, miracle, need supplied, or prayer answered. It means it's available to anyone who believes God is willing.

Believe it. Receive it.

Stay Constant in Prayer.

Paula J.

Worry Wart

Most everyone worries, but that doesn't make it right or smart. Just like our mothers told us, "If all your friends decided to jump off a cliff, would you do it, too? No! You're a smart girl. Too smart to be jumping off cliffs." Come to think of it, worry really isn't all that different from jumping off the cliff. Worse, since with worry, we jump again and again and again.

I used to think that worry was inevitable. Sort of like the involuntary response of coughing when you swallow something the wrong way. (Swallowing... Hmm. There's something to think about.) Anyway, God tells us NOT to worry, and I guess I always took it like I would if a friend were to pat me on the hand and say, "Well, try not to worry," while both of us knew that worry WAS going to happen.

Actually, worry is fear disguised as concern. It is doubt disguised as probability or even inevitability. It is proof that we have meditated more fully on the scenarios our unrenewed imagination has manufactured than on the possibility pictures God's Word has offered us. Worry is meditation in the wrong direction. So, if you can worry--have ever worried--you have what it takes to meditate on God's Word. Worry and meditation are simply the practice of dwelling on and replaying over and over again what COULD happen. One is based on fear and the other on God's Word. Meditation MUST be based on God's Word. That's how to tap into the real power. God's Word has inherent within it the power to cause itself to come to pass. It is seed. Divine seed--which is to say--God-power seed.

How to kick the habit? Replace worry with meditation on God's Word. On purpose. Take your imagination by the ear and make it meditate on God's Word. Now, anything new is usually hard at first. Especially a new way of thinking. New grooves must be formed in the mind, and it is easy to fall into the old ruts of thinking that are well worn and familiar. But in this exercise, you have God's help. Any time you are handling God's Word in expectation, He is there to enable. He is resident in His Word.

So, meditate regularly, on purpose. And everytime you catch yourself worrying--STOP--REPENT--and replace with MEDITATION on God's Word. According to 2 Cor. 10:5&6, we are supposed to take insubordinate thoughts (those thoughts that don't agree with God's Word) captive and bring them into obedience to Christ. If worrying is a way of life for you, then you'll have opportunity to correct yourself many times day and night. But, the more you practice, the easier it will get, and you'll become proficient in agreeing with God. God's Word, when embraced in faith--and that's what meditation accomplishes--brings peace and relief and rest.

Be Constant in Prayer,
Paula J

When It's Not Working

This last weekend, I wasn't singing in harmony. I wasn't singing at all. Didn't know my part. Didn't even know the song. I ranted, I raved, I cried. But singing? Not a note. And my husband? Not even a Pooh hum. Maybe it was the stress of the holidays or my birthday or maybe I was just being ruled by my tone deaf flesh that can't carry a tune in a bucket.

I tried explaining my point of view--my needs. I was careful not to use the words "you always" or "you never". I steered away from assigning blame or implying guilt. I was willing to concede that the problem and discomfort it was causing me was probably partly or even all my fault. (how pathetic is that?) I got sad, then mad, cried, and yelled as I saw no gleam of comprehension or sypathetic chord in my husband's eyes. I was singing notes I had composed myself.

So, I finally gave up and quit trying to be in charge of the song and all its parts and gave the baton back to the Choirmaster. I admitted to God that I didn't know my part, couldn't remember the song, felt like no one else was remotely interested in singing, and if there was going to be any singing of songs, especially in harmony, in our house, He was going to have to arrange and accomplish it, because I was out of ideas and frankly wasn't sure I had the energy for it and maybe, the way I felt right then, maybe I wasn't even interested in singing any more.

And wouldn't you know, that very evening, my husband and I were back to singing our song in harmony. As easy as you please. No sweat, no mess. No delving into anyone's psyche or deep seated motivations. Just peacefu comfort, quiet regard for one another. A sense of well-being. Harmony. (Yes, there were mutual apologies. Painless, I might add.)

I told you all that to say this. Sometimes our life experience will not mirror the truth of God's Word. And we might feel like our prayers, our faith, God's Word--none of it, is working. The results just aren't panning out. But if, in your heart of hearts, you believe God's Word and you've planted it through meditation, you'll be able to let it grow--to sprout, get leaves, and produce fruit. Sometimes, all it takes is to get out of the way--to quit digging around in the soil constantly checking and analyzing the seed to see if it's begun to sprout. Trying to think of ways to force it to sprout. Just put it in the ground. Plant, water, give it light-- through meditation. That's your part. Sprouting and growing and producing fruit--that's God's part. He can't sing your part, and you can't sing His part. Harmony.

Stay Constant in Prayer,
Paula J