The best way to motivate yourself

Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn't worship him as God or even give him thanks. 
Romans 1:21 NLT


I know how it feels to be truly listened to.  A counselor gave me her full attention, and now I want to give others my full attention.  Because I felt thankful to the one who truly understood me, I'm compelled to give someone who needs it the same gift of understanding that was given to me.  Thankfulness is the best motivation for me, and it's the best motivation for you.


What are you thankful for?


Whatever you deeply appreciate should motivate your very purpose.


If someone helped you in the lowest point of your life, then shouldn't you do the same for someone who is suffering as you did?  You know where you would've been without the help of the one who was there for you.  Because you are thankful, be to someone else what you yourself are thankful for.

God's power and yours (part 2)

DAVID
When David told Saul he would fight Goliath, Saul doubted David's ability because David was young and inexperienced in war.  David told Saul that God had given David victory over lions and bears.  The same God who delivered wild animals into David's hands would deliver Goliath into his hands.  David focused on victories he'd already experienced.  God had already prepared David for fighting a giant far bigger and stronger than him.  Even Goliath was probably no match for lions and bears. He probably wasn't as big or strong as a lion or bear.  David had been prepared by God, and God will prepare you and me for any battle we must face.  But there's more.


When David prepared to fight Goliath, at first he tried to wear Saul's armor.  The scriptures say David wasn't used to them, so David took off Saul's armor.  He then went to a brook and gathered 5 smooth stones for his sling, which he was used to, and had experience and practice.  Like Moses had experience with his staff, David had experience with his sling.  God didn't tell David to use a weapon or armor that David found awkward.  David used the resource he had with the strength and experience he had.  The same is true for me and you.




What can you do? 
What do you have?




All God expects of you is to do what you can with what you have.  If all you have is to give is your time and attention, use them to honor God.  If all you can do is read and share these words, share what you've read for God's honor.  This is all God expects and requires of you, no more, but no less. 




If you agree, please pray with me:


"God, I offer you who I am, what I have, and what I can do.  No more, no less.  I commit to use what I have and what I can do as soon as I finish reading these words.  Be with me for your glory.  In Jesus name and by the Spirit.  Amen."




Now share this blog, or write your own. 
Or do whatever you feel you can do, with what you have, to honor God. 


God is with you.  God is in you.  God loves you.  God empowers you.


Natural and supernatural abilities and resources both come from God. 


Use what you have.
Do what you can do.


God is with you.

God's power and yours (Part 1)

The LORD turned to him and said, "Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian's hand. Am I not sending you?"  Judges 6:14


Are you powerless as a Christian to accomplish God's will in your life?  Some think so.  Some read Jesus' words, "Abide in me and I in you; apart from me you can do nothing."  After they read this, they think Jesus means they are passively powerless without him.  This isn't true. 


What is true is this:
God expects us to use the power and resources that we have, and to trust Him for what we don't have.  We act by faith in the strength we have, and God supplies the strength we don't have. 


The scriptures bear witness to this in the stories of Moses, Gideon, and David.


MOSES
God asked Moses, "What is that in your hand?"  It was a staff.  God told Moses to throw down the staff, which became a serpent.  He then told Moses to pick up the serpent, which became a staff again. This wasn't a magic staff, but the same staff Moses had been using for possibly years as a shepherd.  Moses didn't use supernatural strength to throw down the staff, but his own natural strength to throw down a natural staff.  When Moses did what he could do with what he had, and with the strength he had, God did what Moses couldn't do in his own strength.  The same was true for Gideon.


GIDEON
God told Gideon in plain words, "Go in the strength that you have."  Gideon shouldn't use more strength than he had, but he also wasn't to use less strength than he had.  This matches the first and most important commandment, according to Jesus:


"You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength."


Take note:
with all YOUR heart
with all YOUR soul
with all YOUR mind
with all YOUR strength.


Yours, not mine nor anyone else's.  ALL of what you have, not some, not more, not less. 


God commands us in the same way He commanded Gideon.  His commands aren't a burden, as the apostle John said.  They aren't oppressive due to being more than we have the strength or resources to accomplish.  Finally, we see this with David in his fight with Goliath. (Click HERE for part 2)

The Reality of Bible Stories For Your Life

The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you."  Genesis 12:1


What comes to your mind when you imagine the verse above?  Many times in church we read that verse, or verses like it, about "The Promised Land," and we start to symbolize and spiritualize it.  We start to think about our "promised land."  But we don't realize that for Abram, this was a literal historical event.  Abram had a real country, and he was part of a real people.  He had a real father, and was part of a real household.  And the real God told him to leave all of this and go to a land He would show Abram.  In other words, Abram had to really leave where he lived and go to a completely unknown land.


Now imagine the real God comes to you, to your real home, and tells you to leave and go somewhere that "He will show you."  I'll do it for you.  Now I'm supposed to give a months notice before I leave my apartment, but God is telling me to leave now.  I haven't packed or planned.  I haven't given my two weeks notice at my job.  I don't know where God is telling me to go yet, so I don't know how much gas I'm going to need.  All I know is that the Creator of heaven and earth is telling me to leave where I am and go where I don't know.  And this is real.  This isn't just a nice Sunday School lesson where I make up a symbolic or spiritualized application.  God is telling me to leave my real house.  And He could do the same thing with you.


In fact, He probably already has, or is about to.


Every new phase in your life is a very real time of God leading you into that new phase.  Sometimes He may lead you gradually and according to the natural scheme of things, like giving a two week notice to your job, or a month notice before you move out of your apartment or house.  But sometimes God by passes the natural order of things and tells you to simply follow Him, like Jesus did with His apostles.  Peter, Andrew, James, and John simply got up and left their fishing businesses.  No two weeks notices.  No plan.  They just left.  And this was not a Sunday School Story for them.


The reality of the Bible stories in your life is that God is still the same God who requires real acts of faith and obedience from us today. 


God may say to you what He said to Abram.  Jesus may simply say, "Follow Me," and if you hesitate, He will consider you unworthy to be called His disciple.  Commit right now to see Bible stories as real, historical, literal.  Don't symbolize or spiritualize them.  They really happened, and are still happening, because God is real in your life.


If you agree with the prayer below, pray it with me:


"God of Abram, Lord Jesus who calls me to follow You, I acknowledge you as real. All that has happened in the Bible is real.  Not just symbols.  You are my God just as You were Abram's God, and You have the authority to command me to leave where I am and go wherever You say.  Lord Jesus, You can command me to leave my job and life just as You did with the apostles. I give my life to You to literally do whatever You want me to, and to go wherever You want me to go.  Amen."


Now get ready! 
You may be leaving today.

Who Knows YOU?

So the LORD was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout the land.  Joshua 6:27


Wherever they are, God's people become famous.  Jesus called them the "light of the world;" The Lord said they were "a town built on a hill" that "could not be hidden."  They cannot be unknown.  You cannot be unknown if you are a child of God.  The Spirit of God is with you.  Your fame should spread throughout the land just as Joshua's fame spread throughout the land.  This was the case for all of God's people.


Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob became famous because God was with them.  The surrounding people always made this clear to them, saying things like, "We know God is with you.  Now please show us favor."


Potiphar saw and knew that God was with Joseph because Joseph succeeded in everything he did.


The surrounding nations were afraid of Moses and Israel, because Israel had become famous for having the Only True God in their midst.  Rahab the prostitute told the two spies sent by Joshua how Jericho melted in fear because of the fame of Israel.


This didn't stop in the Old Testament, or with Israel.  It was true of the church as well. John the Baptist became famous, so did Jesus, so did the apostles and the church, so that people highly regarded the apostles and the church, yet dared not take them lightly. 


What about you, child of God?



Is your fame spreading in your family, in your neighborhood, at your job?


Do people see and know that God is with you?
Do they identify you as a son or daughter of God?


If not, here are the two things you need to do to glorify God in this way:


1. Live in such a way that it is impossible to not know you follow Jesus. 
Your life must be so devoted to God, at home, in your neighborhood, and at your job or school, that when people think of you, they think of the Lord Jesus.  For a believer, this should not be hard or something you have to force.  You should be where you are because the Lord led you there.  When people ask how you came to be where you are, you have a testimony.  It's who you are.  It's your life.  They should see you thank God for your food, reading scripture during your breaks, saying things like "God willing," when you speak of your future plans.  Your life should bear witness to Christ in very natural ways.  And people should see and know that Jesus is your Lord.


2. Follow the Spirit of Jesus in everything you do.
When you follow the Spirit, people will experience the fruit of the Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit in your life.  You will manifest the supernatural presence and power of God in your life, just as Joshua did, just as Moses did.  We serve the same awesome God.


If you agree with the prayer below, pray it with me:


"Our Father in heaven, glorify your Son in my life by His Spirit, so that I may be known as your child, wherever I am.  Amen."


Now think of two things you can deliberately do today, or continue to do, that point people directly to God.  Find a way to naturally and genuinely honor God in your conversations at home, in your neighborhood, or at work.  It's easy to do.  If you're married, at some point you mention your spouse.  If you have children, at some point you mention them.  They are a significant part of your life, so you can't talk about your life without talking about, unless you are ashamed of them.  In the same way, you can't talk for long without honoring God, if you live to honor God as the very meaning of your life.  Do this deliberately and prayerfully, seeking every opportunity to acknowledge Him.

What You and Every Believer Should Be Doing

We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.  Romans 12:6-8

 

Do you go to a car mechanic when you have a toothache? 
Do you go to a dentist when your car won't start?

 

Then why do we go to those in the body of Christ who are not spiritually gifted in an area of our spiritual need?

 

Every member of the Body of Christ has at least one spiritual gift, at least one ability to supernaturally meet each other's need to grow in the knowledge and likeness of the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

What you and every believer in Christ should be doing is this:

Only use your spiritual gift. 

Only do what you are spiritually gifted to do.

You do this in two ways:
1.  According to the grace given to you.
2. In accordance with your faith.

 

The grace given to you means the limitations of the gift God gave you.  You are not all powerful, so you can't do everything.  Even in the context of your spiritual gift, you have certain God given limitations.  For example, if God gave you the gift of teaching, you won't be able to teach everything and everybody, no matter the subject or context.  You will have a specific subject or topic, and a specific type of students that you are gifted and called to teach. So the first thing is to know the limit of your gift.

 

Next, know the limit of your ability to use your gift, what is "in accordance with your faith."  Go back to the teacher.  Say a teacher knows he is gifted in teaching science, and he knows he's gifted in teaching high school students.  He's not gifted in teaching English at all.  He's not gifted in teaching kindergarten students at all.  This is "according to the grace given him."  This is the limit of his teaching gift. 

 

Now what is "accordance with his faith" is his knowledge of how he approaches teaching, his own unique abilities and capabilities.  He's gifted in visual presentations of science, very good at painting mental images of his lessons.  His students, and fellow teachers recognize how gifted he is in putting scientific pictures in his students head that are unforgettable.

 

Apply this to spiritual gifts.

 

• You have a spiritual or supernatural ability from God, a spiritual gift. 
• This gift will have a limited jurisdiction or authority,
• It will fit your passion and imagination. 

-You know you have at least one spiritual gift because Paul the Apostle says so.  In his letters to the believers in Corinth, the Rome, and the Ephesus, Paul makes it clear that Christ by the Spirit has given every member of the Body of Christ at least one spiritual gift.
-You know that your gift is limited to a specific area because you're not God, you can't do everything.
-You know that your gift is connected to your faith, what you believe or what you can imagine according to your God given burden.


Do you know what your spiritual gift is?  Let's help you find out right now.  click HERE