Inspirational & Motivational

Let me ruffle some more feathers here (I seem to be so good at it). I take issue with the little ‘ask Jesus into your heart’ prayers we tack on to the end of our religious box sessions. That does not lead to being born again. At best, it may allow those saying it to realize that there is a need in their life to allow Jesus to help them change and by saying that prayer sincerely they are acknowledging that something in their life needs to change and they give that to Jesus, which is amazing. But...

Fear is paralyzing. You may not feel paralyzed right now, but that could be because you have developed a lifestyle that has settled you into the status quo where nothing in your life of any consequence ever changes.

It is safe there, it is consistent there, but let's face It is...

...We’ve all been stuck in our lives. Sometimes we are stuck because deception, or believing a lie, has painted us into a corner. Our prideful refusal to admit we believed a lie keeps us stuck.

This can happen...

...Depending on your type of personality and upbringing, this may happen quickly or take several years to surface and is challenging to recover from. 

There was once a person who had it all, money and pleasure. He had all the money a person could want. He had all the pleasure a person could hope for. The euphoria of having it all did not last, and it did not sustain because he had lost the one and only life giving motivator and could not get it back...

...Last week I wrote about the most toxic contagion. With our words we spread massive amounts of contagion every single day. We have a choice by what we say and how we say it to spread positive and beneficial contagions or destructive and demoralizing ones.

It is our choice what we spread. But, there is a key element that will either keep us from being able to choose the right thing, or will keep us mired in toxin.

That is...

... Any word said, any action taken, must be done with compassion. That is the only way to build a bridge to deliver the word you wish to say. We also need to look at what motivates us to carry an emotional contagion to others that will cause them harm. 

Some people really love spreading the emotional contagion of fear. There are more variants of this horrific emotional disease than any other I can think of. Some avoid spreading some variants while feeling  wholly justified in engaging in others... 

...Often when we hurt or suffer loss and the pain that comes with it, we attribute it to God causing that particular instance in our lives. Or, some may even wonder why, if God is God, did He not stop whatever happened. 

Then, doubt sets in and even though we give lip service to God, in our hearts we wonder if we are truly and completely loved by Him. We may even wonder what the true definition of love really is. 

If God loves us and this is how our lives play out, does love include this type of deep pain? Many then find themselves...

...Our lives will be in a continual ‘stall’ if we attempt to force our bodies, the temple of the Holy Spirit, to engage in sinful behavior. If you feel that you are stuck, or do not feel the full joy and peace of the Lord as you think you should, then evaluate where you need to clean out unhealthy desires and focus on the path that God has lovingly designed for you. 

I can promise you, and am here to say, that the path God has designed for you is far greater than anything you could ever think to choose for yourself. Free yourself from the bondage of ‘choosing your own way’ and...

...Believing that somehow gives us a license to lash out in anyway that gives us a modicum of relief. We think nothing of engaging in petty arguments online in a defensive posture to validate our own opinions and to vilify another’s. 

2 Timothy 2:22-24

22) Now flee from youthful lusts and purse righteousness, faith, love, and peace with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. 23 But refuse foolish and ignorant speculations, knowing that they produce quarrels. 24 The Lord’s bondservant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, skillful in teaching, patient when wronged...