Power of Being Bullheaded

Key Scripture:  “Cursed is the man who trusts in man…whose heart departs from the Lord.  For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see when good comes. But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord.”  Jeremiah 17:5-7

“But they did not obey nor incline their ear, but made their neck stiff that they might not hear nor receive instruction.”   Jeremiah 17:23

Power Point:

Bullheaded. Does that sound like something you want to be called? Growing up in my family with a strong German background I heard that word a lot! (Mostly describing OTHER people, of course).  Let me explain my definition of that term.  Being bullheaded is when you want your way and nobody else’s. Bullheaded is not being open to new ideas but standing in your field pawing the ground in anger when someone tries to invade your territory. I guess you could say it’s sort of like being “hardhearted” or “obstinate”.  God’s not fond of either of those. In fact, He is pretty much adamant that we not be that way.

In Jeremiah 17, God talks about the sin of Judah, which basically involved doing things their own way instead of allowing God to be their God. They had taught their children the same process and now their children were worshipping their own handmade idols instead of the living God.

God says that the man who doesn’t listen is like a “person naked and destitute in the desert, and shall not see any good come.” That doesn’t mean that good never comes, it just means that they never see it. What an awful way to live! On the other hand, God promises that any man who listens, believes, trusts and relies on Him, will be blessed. He will always be fruitful and flourishing and he will never needs to be anxious about his life. His needs are provided.

Are there areas of your life where you are “bullheaded” or obstinate? Is your neck a little stiff? Are you refusing to listen to God’s counsel for your life? Are you like Frank Sinatra and plan to “do it your way”? Do God’s cautions sometimes prick the edges of your pride and you stomp your little foot and say, “NO!”

Well stop it!  I mean it! Don’t do that anymore! You don’t want to be like a bush in the desert when you can live in the land of promises do you? You don’t want to give your children a model of rebellion when you can be a vision of faith and hope do you?  Of course you don’t. If your heart has become hardened so that you can’t hear God’s voice, or worse, you don’t even want to, then ask Him for help. You’re forgiven the moment you ask so why not ask? You enter right back into the circle of His arms the moment you ask. He loves you and He wants to help. He wrote the book on that o ne, my friend.  It’s a complete instruction book on how to live a life that is living proof of a good God who feeds, guides, and nourishes His children as the Good Shepherd and who is actively for them. Your life can prove that, or not. You can live in the desert and never see good or you can live in the circle of His arms and experience His goodness every day of your life.

If you’re naked and destitute in the desert, how’s that working for you? The thing about change in the kingdom of God is that it’s always easier than you think. With all of heaven backing you up, why wouldn’t it be?

So why not ask- for a change?

Power Thought:

Is it time to stop and smell the roses and get that "crick" out of your neck?

Power of Being Special

Key Scripture:  "I’m God’s favorite."  Psalms 30:5, The Message

Power Point:

This past Christmas I really put a lot of thought and prayer into the presents I gave. I asked the Lord to make them meaningful-something that would continue to give into people’s lives.

The “You Are Special Today” mug was almost an afterthought. I had bought it for a friend’s birthday in November and then for some reason didn’t give it to her. When I was packing to go to Phoenix, I saw it and just put it in my bag. My son always gets up soon after I do and so on the first morning I was there I put the mug out at the coffee maker and then put $20 in it. It really seemed to be very meaningful to him so I started doing it with my daughter-in-law. It became so much fun to plan what I would do the next day. Would it be a gift card or a note or a scripture? I had already ordered one for my home in Atlanta, thinking how nice it would be to surprise my daughter with a good thought in the morning and maybe she would even return the favor!

Actually she did.  Today I woke up to the mug and cinnamon rolls waiting for me. Go Stef!

When I saw how it blessed everyone, I realized that this was an answer to my prayer. Everyone who has received it has multiplied the blessings. My friend Janet put it out for her husband on Christmas day and then made him a wonderful Christmas breakfast.

My friend Julie ordered extras and gave each one of her family one. What a nice picture to think of all those people, reading or watching TV and the words that they see in front of them are “You Are Special Today.”

Everyone needs to hear that once in a while, don't you think? God tells us that all the time because He knows how important it is for us to know that truth. It’s so vital to have a good word to start your day (and end our day) isn’t it? The good news is that God always has a "special" word for you to give you a blessing. You could even ask Him for one of those "blessing" words to add to your cup and start off someone else’s day with  some heavenly "oomph".

But they’ve made a million mistakes, you say?  Well, the truth is that God still thinks we’re special even we mess up. And remember you’re giving them God’s word not yours! His words  are always exhorting and edifying and meant to build you up. Hmm. What if each one of us spoke only those kinds of words to everyone we know today? What if our goal for every day was to make someone else feel “special”?  We could be starting a “Special Revolution”! I like that idea!

Power Thought:

Beloved, you are very very special, today and every day.God said so.

Power of Building An Ark

Key Scripture: “And the Lord said to Noah, “Build an Ark.”…I will establish My covenant with you and you shall go into the ark-you, your sons, your wife and your sons’ wives with you…And Noah did according to all that God commanded him, so he did.”   Genesis 6

Power Point:

Cruises are wonderful adventures. As the ship prepares to embark the passengers line up on all the decks, confetti flies, the band plays and everyone looks very happy. The first thing you are required to do after you set sail is to get a number and line up underneath your lifeboat so that if there are any problems, you know exactly what to do.

Somehow, I can’t envision Noah and his family standing on the deck of the Ark-waving goodbye to the people below. I think there may have been total silence, as they understood that, as the swollen rivers and streams lifted the Ark, they would never see those people again. Imagine the onlooker’s uneasiness as rain began to fall for the first time ever and there was no way for them to escape the flood. Did they panic? Did they try to swim to the Ark?

I love the picture that the Ark paints for us. It gives us total safety no matter how high the waters rise around us. The Ark is the picture of coming into Jesus’ arms, forever safe, forever loved, forever separated from the world. The Ark is also the perfect picture of the covenant God has made with us. It keeps us afloat, it keeps us safe, and it keeps us united with Him.

The Bill Gaither trio sings a song called, (strangely enough) “Build An Ark”. These are a few of the words.

“Build an ark, head for the open water. Save your sons and your daughters. My father and my mother, my sisters and my brothers, all of the friends I care about and the woman that I learned to love.

I’ll gather them together. Promise them forever. We’ll be safe from the world around us. All we have to do is to love each other.”

Beloved, that is the perfect illustration of intercession. It’s what we are called to do for our sons and daughters, our fathers and mothers, our sisters and brothers, and all of the people we care about. We build an Ark, drawing on the Covenant we have with God the Father through Jesus-a promise for life, for wholeness, for peace, and for abundance.

Our prayers build a safe place for them to receive His grace and His mercy and to enter into all that God has for them. When you’re on the Ark, the storms may come, problems may arise, but you have a lifeboat-the Word of God. Make sure that you know the number of the boat you need to be in, chapter and verse.

Save those that you love. Get them to the Ark and then head for the open water.

Power Thought:

The Ark really is your best Life Preserver. Sometimes people just need help getting there.

Power of A Good Signal

Key Scripture:  "You who hear God, Listen!"
Power Point:

As you know I’ve had numerous problems sending the “Power UP!” over the last year. I’ve spent HOURS trying to figure it out. I have finally found the answer- get ten steps closer to the signal. I frequently write from my bedroom in the pre-dawn hours and only in the last month or so realized that that was the source of my problem. I bought a new router, thinking that was the issue only to find that it was not. (ARGH!) Then one day my daughter said to me, “Mom, you just need to send your email from downstairs.  You’re too far from the main computer.” That’s when it dawned on me that she never had problems with email. What? So I began doing that and guess what-it worked! Then I discovered that if I walked the ten steps from my bedroom chair to the steps outside my room, I could still get the signal for “GO!” Just ten steps. I’m still recovering.

I want to encourage you in whatever situation you may find yourself in today, you’re almost there. Get closer to the signal. You could be just ten steps away from your answer. When the answer comes you will be amazed at how close you were the whole time.  My problem was that the wall of my bedroom was blocking it. You may want to check your “signal” from heaven and be sure you’re in the best place to receive it. Sometimes you’re just a little too far away to receive it at full strength. As in my situation, you may need to change position so that there’s no more interference. You may need to move a bit out of your comfort zone. So? Move it! 

You see Beloved; the important thing is always being close to God’s signals. I didn’t even realize that there was a wall blocking my efforts to connect with the power source. Sometimes we have spiritual walls that block us from healthy interaction with Him; walls of fear, or woundedness, or simple unbelief that keep you from moving full steam ahead.

 Sometimes we need to ask Him to tear down those walls so we can move closer so that nothing interferes with the signals He’s giving us. Then we can send and receive heavenly information with ease. You may be only ten steps away from your miracle, ten steps away from that answer that has eluded you. Ten steps closer. Move it! I did! 

Power Thought:
He’s always talking to you. Are you getting the message?

Power of Straining Backward

Power of Straining Backward:

Key scripture:  "Those who enter into Christ's being-here-for-us no longer have to live under a continuous, low-lying black cloud.  A new power is in operation.  The Spirit of life in Christ, like a strong wind, has magnificent cleared the air, freeing you from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny at the hands of sin and death."  Romans 8, The Message

Power Point:

Recently we’ve been talking about forgetting what lies in our past.  The emphasis has been on what people have done to you. But I think the Lord wants to address another area of our past and that is those things that you have done which you probably shouldn’t have done. Have you betrayed someone, been unfaithful to a spouse? Did you have an addiction issue? Did you just make some unwise decisions that still have consequences today?

The thing is, Beloved, that all of those things were covered by the Cross as well. Is it time to forgive yourself and move on? When you really get to know Christ, the evidence is overwhelming about what He thinks of you. He’s good.  All the time.  He loves and does not condemn us.  All the time. His only desire is to help, lift your head, bless, move you forward and into His plans for you. Guilt and shame over your past are not gifts from Him, they are the presents of the enemy.  His gifts to you are wisdom and understanding which He wants you to apply to your life so that you can move on with power. In fact, His desire is for you to be power-full. Anything-any thoughts that anchor you to your less than stellar past have to be rooted out and reseeded with truth.  Let me be very clear here. I’m not saying you didn’t make mistakes, but I am saying that the biggest mistake you could ever make would be denying that God’s love is deeper and wider than your sin, and that what He did for you and does for you daily, isn’t enough for you to be free of your past. In Philippians 3:10, in my New Spirit Filled Bible it says this:  Freed from the... emotional paralysis of yesterday’s mistakes, Paul knew that the only thing that ultimately counted was knowing the Lord and being obedient to His will.” If your past has you emotionally paralyzed, then it’s time to begin to exercise those faith muscles, forgive yourself and move on. Your heavenly Father has done absolutely everything to make that possible for you. Jesus came to bring you an abundant life. It’s time to get on with it. The only thing that not forgiving yourself for your past will do for you is keep you right there in that same place. Instead of running your race, you’ll be running in circles. Time to get off that path Beloved. Reach forward, strain forward to know Him better. And when you do that, the Truth will set you free to run.

Power Thought:

Not forgiving yourself means you’re “stuck” in neutral. The engine’s running but you’ve got to shift gears to get back in the action.

Power of Straining Forward

Power of Straining Forward

Key Scripture:  “All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirits.”  Proverbs 16:2

Power Point:

I’ve seen families fall apart because everyone is straining in their own direction and nobody is going anywhere. There’s a constant struggle for everyone to get their own way. I’ve seen churches divide over the same problem.  I’ve worn myself out at times trying to make someone see what I see. I keep pouring over all my logical reasons why they should think I’m right and they just don’t get it. I can’t think why. Sometimes when that happens, I’m right, (USUALLY) and sometimes (rarely) I’m wrong. But I can fight as hard for a wrong as I fight for a right if I think I’m right.  Would you like me to say that in English? If I think I’m right but I’m really wrong I will still luse every tool at my disposal to convince you. (I don’t give up easily in case you haven’t noticed.) Sometimes I’m right but I choose to be right in the wrong way. The minute I move off the Love Walk path, I’m wrong.  When I walk away from God's code of Honor in the way I treat someone; if my opinion is more important than their opinion then I’m putting myself in dangerous territory.  Those scenarios all reek of pride, rebellion, dishonor and "stinkin’ thinkin’" in the flesh.

Ever been there? Please say yes!

The good news is that I’ve done a bit of growing up. I’ve been straining forward and I’ve learned that the important thing is to honor God by honoring people because He always does.

I’ve learned that even if someone rejects my opinion I’m wise not to take up an offense and beat them over the head with my Bible. (Although sometimes I still want to. Sigh!)

I’ve learned that being right in the wrong way makes Holy Spirit sad and of course, that makes me sad. So how can we solve this problem? How about this?

-Expect the best of everyone who is not you. That brings out the best in you.

-Encourage people to share their opinions so that you can have a better understanding of their viewpoint. That’s just good manners.

-Listen wisely. That means don’t let your mind keep calculating your next defense.

-Be slow to answer back as you process the information. S-l-o-w!

-Honor, honor, honor.

I really am straining forward for the upward call of God on my life. I know you are too.

I’m straining forward to have His mind and heart.

I’m straining forward to live in peace with all men.

I’m straining forward to give Him joy in my stewardship of His grace.

And I’m straining forward to be right (or wrong) in the right way. I think that’s called “being at peace with all men.” How about you?

If we are continually straining away from God’s wisdom and straining away from His instructions, we will never have His life in our lives. If our spirit is straining away from His Spirit, we will never have joy and peace.  The Spirit of God is all about unity and He promises that “if your WAYS please Him, He’ll make even your enemies to be at peace with you.” Notice He did not say that your great words or ability to convince will bring you peace-only God’s pleasure in your ways. Something to think about isn’t it?

Power Thought:

You can be right in the wrong way but that only leads to death (that means no life). Hmm.

Power of Patience

Key Scripture:  “…and so after he had patiently endured he obtained the promise.” Hebrews 6:15

Power Point:

Patience is a virtue. Did you know that? I guess that means that sometimes I am very virtuous and sometimes I am not! How about you? I think patience is the virtue that allows us to partner with God for our lives and for those we love.  If you think about it, as you are waiting for one level of faith to be increased to the next level of faith, it takes patience. If you are believing God for the fulfillment of a promise it takes “patience”.

 Patience is a great word. (You knew I would probably get around to its definition didn’t you? Thank you for being patient.) It means “staying power, endurance, tolerance, lack of complaining, (did I really say, "Lack of complaining"?) persistence, and are you ready for this? It means “serenity, the capacity to wait”. It is also a fruit of His Spirit in you. You have patience whether you like it or not!  It’s there inside you, (sometimes really DEEP inside) waiting to be tapped.  The important thing about patience is that God expects us to use it. 

He desires “that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherited the promises.”

Have you ever been “sluggish”?  It means you are lethargic, and slow moving,you lack energy and enthusiasm.  

I have good news for you. God has an answer to that. Begin to imitate those that you see and read about who through their faith and their patience inherited the things that God promised them. You can’t be sluggish and diligent at the same time. Diligence has better rewards. Each morning when I wake up I know that I’m going to exercise. I don’t want to exercise. I’d rather sit in my chair and eat pancakes and dream about how healthy I’m going to be. I can be sluggish and very slow moving. I have to talk myself into diligence. I have to be diligent to make that exercise happen. Otherwise I get no benefit from all the promises that exercise has to offer. Then when I finish, I am so pleased with myself. I reap the benefits because I patiently endured to the end and I am obtaining the promise of being stronger and healthier.

Sometimes good health is a long process and you need patience.  Sometimes the road to financial health is a long process and you need patience.  Usually, good relationships whether in marriage or friendships or whatever require a lot of patience. Beloved, apply God’s patience to your life. It’s the fuel for you to allow Holy Spirit to keep up His good work! The truth is patience only works if you believe God IS doing a good work. That He will work all things together for good. That’s He’s  with you, and He will honor you and He will show up in your life. It would be pretty hard to be patient when you aren’t sure of the outcome. But we know that trusting God is worth the wait isn’t it? Of course it is.  So-be virtuous today to be diligent to be patient.

Power Thought:

Always remember just how patient God is with you! Don’t lose patience in the process.