True Source of Talent

I came across this quote by Archie Rand who is a professor of art at Brooklyn College in the May 2007 issue of Art in America and I thought it was great:

I respect my friends who believe in a talent that affords a display of conventionally recognizable skills. I, however, believe that talent is courage and desire and that everything else can be learned. Gratitude is the great creative tool.

I think that statement gives great hope for those of us who are still struggling to find our talents in life. We are never too old to have the desire and courage to learn something new.

Receiving The Healing

The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.
Philippians 4:9   (NKJV)
 
A couple of weeks ago, in Vacation Bible School, I was telling the kids the story of Naaman and how he was healed of leprosy.  It is a really cool story of receiving God’s healing, by taking the necessary steps, in faith.  Naaman was a top notch army guy from another country.  Probably a five star general, at least.  He had led his troops to great victories.  But Naaman had a health problem.  He had leprosy.  There was no cure for this terrible disease.  Naaman knew his future was bleak, regardless of what he had accomplished up to that point, his life was going to be total misery.  Living the life of a leper was no fun;  he would be required to leave his home and his family, live off alone, dying a slow, painful, lonely death.
 
Naaman had a little servant girl from Israel working in his home.  She encouraged him to go see Elisha, the prophet; Elisha could heal him of his leprosy.  Elisha was a true man of God, famous throughout Israel.   Naaman was desperate for a cure, he believed this little girl and went to the king, requesting him permission to go seek out this prophet.  Off Naaman went to Israel, to find Elisha, to cure him of his disease.  When he found him, he expected Elisha to wave his hands over him and cure him, but instead Elisha told him to simply go dip himself seven times in the Jordan river, and he’d be all set.
 
Now, this upset Naaman, he’d expected Elisha to heal him on the spot, going off and dipping in the Jordan made no sense, to him.  He stormed off, upset and angry, he could have stayed home, he was wasting his time.   But his servants convinced him to give it a try, what did he have to lose?  So off he went and dipped himself in the Jordan river and WHA – LA his skin was healed.  The leprosy was gone!
 
Naaman had to receive God’s healing.  He had to make the effort to go to the Jordan and dip down in it, seven times.  Had he simply stormed off back to his home, he would have stayed sick, but he decided that he would, on faith, go dip in the river, and that action saved his life.  And not only saved it, but God gave it back to him … healed and whole.
 
The Story Of Naaman – 2 Kings Chapter 5
 
God doesn’t want us to suffer.  He wants to heal our hurts.  But sometimes we have to go take a dip … FIRST!!!!
 
Even if we don’t like the water …
 
Father, I love this story.  It is so true of our lives today.  That when we receive Your healing, we are reborn … we have new life through You!   But You don’t zap us Lord, we have to take action, we have to receive You.  Thank You Father for that never ending offering of healing and hope You give to us!
 
I Love You Jesus.
     In Your Name I Pray,
     Amen
 
 
God Bless You!
Joyce
Submitted by:
Joyce Schneider
A Life Decision
http://www.alifedecision.org

~Fun In Marriage~

Do you have fun in your marriage? Marriage should be fun! There’s enough work involved. Right? Play and laugh together. Throw surprises for one another and encourage each other. Make special memories. Really learn to find the JOY in your relationship. Satan would love for us to have serious marriage relationships that are devoid of any joy, laughter, or smiles. Because that is when we start growing apart and cracks can form in our marriage bond with each other. If you can keep the fun in your marriage relationship alive – it will carry you far when the tough, challenging, and stressful times come. And believe me… they’ll come! Don’t forget to ENJOY each other in addition to sharing the workload that comes in life. It’ll be the breath of fresh air that keeps your marriage momentum going. ~ By Dionna Sanchezhttp://www.emphasisonmoms.com/newsletter.htm

Clean and Clear

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Psalm 139:23,24

Every night before the boys go to sleep, I spend a few minutes with them.  I lay down beside them, ask them about their day, chat a bit and then we pray.   Afterwards, the lights go out and out they go as well. 

A while back, Carson was having some behavior problems, he was just not himself.  It turned out, he had an issue inside that was bothering him, when we got it out, he was back to being Carson again.  Still an irritant to his brother, but nothing out of the norm for a ten year old boy.

I’ve taken to asking each of them, each night before we pray, “Are you clean and clear?”  Do they have anything inside that they want to get out.  Or is everything good in their heart?

I spent too much time holding in my junk, I wasted way too much of life.  I don’t want my little guys following suit.  If they have something bothering them, I want to encourage them to get it out and get it out now.

If they answer “Yes”, we say our prayers and move forward. 

If it’s “No”, we ask Jesus to reveal what’s bothering them, then we pray for Him to show them the truth about what they are feeling and Wa-La — the problem is usually gone.

Jesus is all about simple.  If we ask, He answers.  

So I’ll ask you what I asked Carson and Chase tonight, “Are you clean and clear?”
Father, thank You for always being there for us, for caring so much about each and every aspect of our lives.  Help us to not let those wounds fester inside, but to bring them to light, so that Your truth can heal.  Help us to stay clean and clear Lord, so that Your light shines brightly through us.

I Love You Jesus.

     In Your Name I Pray,
     Amen
God Bless You!
Joyce

Submitted by:
Joyce Schneider
A Life Decision
http://www.alifedecision.org

All Things Are Possible

Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” Mark 9:23 NKJV 

I believe most peoples have heard “all things are possible to him who believes” quoted in various ways.  But have you ever stopped to check out the context in which it was said?  

Mark 9:14:-29 NKJV is the account where the disciples couldn’t heal a certain boy and Jesus rebukes them as a faithless generation.  The boy’s father desperate to help his son, comes to Jesus asking, “But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” How does Jesus respond?  Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”  I love this about Jesus.  He got right to the point, the reason the boy wasn’t healed was because of unbelief.  Yet, Jesus is gentle to the man because He knows how hard it must have been to watch the son being tormented. 

The rest of the passage is about Jesus healing the boy and the disciples asking why they couldn’t heal the boy.   Getting back to the opening verse, Jesus teaches us “all things are possible” if we believe.  Does it say some things are possible?  No.  Does it say only one thing is possible?  No.  He said “all things are possible to him who believes”.  All in its adjective form is an inclusive word, it literally means any and everything you can think of and even the stuff you haven’t thought of yet.    If Jesus said all things are possible, then it means ALL things are possible to him who believes, doesn’t it?  Yes it does.  It means you can be freed from the power of sin, you can overcome an addiction, your heart can be made new, your marriage can be restored, your faith can increase and many more things are possible to him who believes.

What are you choosing not to believe today?   If you find yourself holding on to unbelief, do what the father did in our story today.  Mark 9:24 NKJV says the father cried out, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”  You can be assured that’s a prayer Jesus will answer.   In Matthew’s (17:19-21) account of the same story, Jesus said to them, “…I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.”  As God’s word teaches, I encourage you to believe nothing will be impossible for you.   

Lord Jesus, thank you for your clear teaching all things are possible to those who believe.  As the father cried out, help our unbelief. In Your name, Jesus, we pray Amen.   

© Elizabeth Marks, author of ThinkOnIt Devotions and has a heart for encouraging others with God’s Word.  For more articles, devotions and book reviews, visit http://www.ThinkOnItDevotions.com today.

~Words Matter~

There have been many times where I have said words to my children out of anger or stress and I’ve seen a tear roll across their cheek. I forget that my words matter. I know you have too. We are human. We forget in the carelessness of our anger or impatience. We forget the weight and impact that our words and our tone have on those who we say them to. Sometimes it’s our children, other times it’s our spouse. I want to remind you to speak carefully to those around you. Never forget that what you say can mold or shape someone else’s life and perception of themselves. You can crush their spirit or give them wings to soar.

Watch and be reminded.

~ By Dionna Sanchez

http://emphasisonmoms.blogspot.com

Great Expectations

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.
Ephesians 3:20
 
I heard a message from Joel Osteen one day about expectations.  That we not only need to believe God but we need to expect great things from Him.  It was a wonderful message and very inspiring. 
 
I woke up my first morning in Jacksonville, with the words great expectations, floating through my mind.  And I expected God to fulfill those words.  And He did.  My time in Jacksonville was a huge blessing.
 
I drove into Stuart yesterday about dinner time.  I don’t usually make a point to go sit down in a restaurant when I travel.  I usually just grab a bite and move on, but one of my friends had given me some money to sit down to a good meal while I was traveling, and I wanted to honor her gift.  There was a restaurant attached to the hotel, so I thought that would be a good place to eat.
 
As I was unpacking some of my things and I had the distinct impression that I was going to that restaurant for a purpose.  Not to feed my body, but to feed someone’s soul.  That God had someone there for me to meet.
 
As I walked into the restaurant, I decided I’d just sit at the bar.  After being in the restaurant business for 20 years, I know that’s usually the best place for conversation if you are alone.  And I wanted to leave myself open to whomever God brought for me to talk to.
 
Well, it turned out that the bartender was that person.  She was a young girl, just moved to the area about a year ago.  She had come down with her finance’, but that hadn’t worked out and he’d left her high and dry.  She so reminded me of me, 20 years ago.  I didn’t say a lot to her while I was there, but let her share her story with me.  But after I finished my meal, I went out to the truck and got one of my books and brought it back to her.
 
I explained that I saw myself in her and I wanted to share my story with her.  She seemed quite appreciative that I had brought her back a book.  I am praying that God will use it to touch her heart for Himself.
 
It’s so exciting to know that God has a plan and a purpose for our lives … we simply need to open ourselves up and allow Him to work through us and watch His great plan come into fruition!
 
Father, thank You once again for this time to share You with others. You are truly an awesome God!  I pray for the young girl I met last night.  That Your truth will touch her life and bring her peace, from the inside out.
 
I Love You Jesus.
 
     In Your Name I Pray,
     Amen
 
 
God Bless You!
Joyce

Submitted by:
Joyce Schneider
A Life Decision
http://www.alifedecision.org

Pursue Love

Read 1 Corinthians 13.

 

What Love Isn’t

Love isn’t the warm, gushy feeling you get when being romanced by your sweetheart.  Love is not a sexual desire or longing for physical interlude with another person.  These are examples of mere feelings.  While feelings may accompany love, they are not love.

 

What Love Is

According to 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NKJV “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”  In addition, we know from 1 John 4:16 “God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.”  These attributes of love are really attributes of God and those who love God. 

 

Steps to Love

We need to realize we have a choice to love.  Love isn’t easy or free of effort.  It takes a decision to love.  It takes determination to continue to love.  Most importantly it requires the Holy Spirit to love.  As God is love, we can not love without God’s presence.  That’s where the Holy Spirit comes into play.  For those who believe Jesus died for our sin and rose again for our eternal salvation, the Holy Spirit is given to us and enables us to love. 

 

Results of Love

There is no doubt when someone loves.  You can see it in their life.  Love exhibits it self in your life and the lives of others around you.  Jesus gave us lots of examples to follow: washing His disciples’ feet, feeding thousands, denying His will and following His Father’s will, and laying down His life for His friends, as well as many other examples.  Love changes things.  Love forgives.  It extends mercy rather than judgment.  Love builds up rather tearing people down.  Love seeks to restore rather than destroy.  Just look the relationship of God and His people.  Although His people repeatedly sinned and rebelled against Him, He still made it possible, through Christ, to be saved. 

 

Above all else we can choose to do in this life; the greatest of these is the choice to love.  Pursue love today. 1 John 4:7 NKJV says “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.”

 Lord, thank you for loving us and enabling us to love you and others.  Help us choose to love and follow your example.  Thank you for your Holy Spirit in us to lead us in your love.  In Jesus’ name Amen. 

© Elizabeth Marks, author of ThinkOnIt Devotions and has a heart for encouraging others with God’s Word.  For more articles, devotions and book reviews, visit http://www.ThinkOnItDevotions.com today.

Keeping Your Eyes on the Prize

What is the prize that you seek in life? Leonard Pitts of the “Miami Herald” recently penned a column that instructed young people to “never do what feels good in the moment if it’s going to cost you something that matters a whole lot more in the end. The trade is never worth it.” That is good advice for all of us. Any long-term goal that we are reaching for requires sacrifice in the short term.

Think of trying to lose weight. The goal is there. You want to lose weight for a variety of reasons – your health, your self-esteem and your energy level. You know what you have to do to get there – change your eating habits and exercise more, but right in front of you is the double chocolate fudge cake just screaming to be eaten. What matters more, the immediate satisfaction or the long-term goal?

Or think about finishing or continuing your education. The goal is good – the opportunity to create or advance your career, but the sacrifice can be huge in terms of both time and money. Is it worth it to skip class and not take the education seriously in order to go out and party now?

The same test can be applied to our spiritual life. The goal is heaven. Most of us will probably admit that we are not hoping to get there tomorrow seeing that we are enjoying life where we are, but we do want to go! Yet every day, we are faced with choices that ask us to decide whether we care more about the present moment or the ultimate destination.

If you think about it, most of the time we sin because it feels good at the moment. Gluttony? We had to have the food. It looked so good and was so tasty. Lust? Fornication? Adultery? We were in love. It felt so right. How could it be wrong? Greed? Envy? We were entitled to those things. Our lives are better when we have more.

We sin because in our estimation, the sin somehow improves our lives in the short term. We lie to keep ourselves out of trouble. We engage in behavior we normally wouldn’t because it increases our status in the eyes of our friends or colleagues. We react in anger instead of love because we feel justified that we are right. It gives us some temporary satisfaction to make someone else uncomfortable to “pay them back” for whatever wrong they perpetrated against us.

At times when the temptation to sin comes, we need to remember what is at stake. We have choices. Do we keep our eyes on the prize that is eternal life or do we turn our back on God for some momentary pleasure?

 

Patrice Fagnant-MacArthur

spiritualwomanthoughts.blogspot.com

Enjoying the Drive

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
John 10:10
I drove up to Jacksonville on Tuesday. I have to confess, I was just a little bit intrepid about making the drive alone.  At the last minute, I was trying to bribe one or both of the boys to come with me.  I had two speaking dates in Jacksonville, and one in Stuart and would be gone until Friday evening.  3 days alone, on the road was not my idea of fun.
 
I know some people thrive on time alone, but I’ve never been one of those people.  I always enjoy being around people.  Oh, I like my occasional weekend alone when the boys go camping, but to actually get in my car and drive all over Florida by myself for 3-4 days, well that is another story.
 
But the boys wanted nothing to do with a boring trip with mom, so off I went, alone.  I decided that I would enjoy myself, spending some quality time with the Lord and just see what / or whom God brought into my path.
 
The drive up was uneventful.  5 1/2 hours of peaceful roadways, which is a miracle in itself.  I found my hotel with no problem and settled in. 
 
Yesterday was a great day of meeting women and sharing Jesus.  I have a friend who lives in the area and I got to visit her home, see her children and enjoy her company for a time.
 
Today it’s more of the same, with a nice drive down the east coast of Florida.  As I told a friend my plans, her response to me was, “Enjoy the drive.” 
 
Just one year ago, I couldn’t even get in my car and drive to Ft. Myers on the Interstate.  Well, maybe I could drive to the airport, but I was a nervous wreck the entire time, white knuckled and relieved when I’d get there or get home.  I had developed a driving phobia and it was horrible to try and drive any distance.
 
But I prayed about it, gave my fears to the Lord and now I drive constantly.  I have a job that takes me all over Naples and Ft. Myers and in the last 8 months I have traveled extensively over Florida speaking to various groups and organizations.  And I’ve driven myself to all these places.
 
Jesus didn’t die on the cross so that we could live half hearted lives.  He doesn’t want us to be immobiled by fear and anxiety.  I am so very thankful that I gave him my driving phobia and in return He has given me a whole new world to explore.  I can hardly wait to get back behind that wheel!
 
 
Father, thank You for giving me back my life, so that I could have new adventures for You.  Thank You for bringing me to Jacksonville and for this special time that I’ve been given with You.  And Lord Jesus, I ask that if anyone is reading this that has their own unique fear, that You would enable them to give it to You, so that You can heal their life and make them whole and fruitful for You!
 
I Love You Jesus.
 
     In Your Name I Pray,
     Amen
 
 
God Bless You!
 
Love,
Joyce
 
Submitted by:
Joyce Schneider
A Life Decision
http://www.alifedecision.org