Thoughts To Ponder
Soul ties…
Soul ties are powerful spiritual magnets that hold you emotionally to a person, church, organization, place, etc. They can hold you back from moving on from a relationship. Soul ties aren’t necessarily sinful but can be a strong hindrance in your life.
Sexual human spirit ties…
Sexual human spirit ties are created from sexual intercourse with another person—lover or predator. This is one way “the two become one” (Mark 10:8). As frightening as that is, when your human spirit isn’t released [through the power of Jesus], you are also attached to everyone in that person’s sexual-connections, and those connections continue on and on.
Your perspective determines your outcome…
Your perspective—how you perceive and see things—is key to whether you merely endure, survive, or are victorious while going through a situation in your life.
Blood Covenant with Jesus…
A covenant is a binding agreement, and the most powerful of these agreements known to man is what is called a “blood covenant." When Jesus shed His blood on the cross, He offered you a covenant relationship with Him. When you accepted Jesus into your heart and life, you entered into that blood covenant relationship. Nothing but death of one of the partners can break a blood covenant.
Your “His-story” with a faithful God…
You need a history with God—"His-story”—in your life. Whether it’s written in a journal or a file in your computer, you need a place to go back to when you need a reminder of times when God was faithful to you in the past—because, if He was faithful before, He’ll be faithful again.
Honoring/Dishonoring parents & marriage…
Deut.5:16 - "Honor your father and mother…so that you may live long and it may go well with you." (Also Eph.6:2-3) Often, we don't recognize some of the ways we have dishonored our parents and how this can cause troubles in our marriage.
Non-negotiables with God…
Most people have things in their lives that are nonnegotiable—things they are not willing to allow or compromise. We need to embrace God’s non-negotiables in our lives.
Does your life feel like a broken puzzle?
Praise God He knows how to restore your brokenness—no matter how badly you think your life’s puzzle pieces have been scattered, He knows where every piece belongs so you can once again be the beautiful picture that He drew of your life—you are a beautiful picture!
Jesus' 3 hours of darkness on the cross…
Ever wonder why there were three hours of darkness while Jesus hung on the cross? It took that long for every wickedness, every iniquity, every sickness, every malady, every deformity, every mental illness, and every sin known to mankind to be placed on Him—that was God’s requirement to offer us the privilege of forgiveness.
Shirt-tail Believers…
What kind of a Believer are you? What I'm calling Shirt-tail Believers—those who know there’s a need for prayer but need to ask someone else to pray. Also, perhaps those who are willing to accept parts of the Word of God, but not other parts—when it doesn’t say what they want to hear. And those who have met Jesus but don't have an intimate relationship with Him.
God's discipline…
Do you know God’s discipline is totally different than punishment? Punishment causes anger, resentment, and is usually given when a parent is angry or upset. God’s discipline is given in love—never condemnation or guilt and produces a harvest of peace and righteousness (Heb.12:11b).
Bad choice vs. rebellion…
Do you know there is a difference in making a bad choice and doing the same thing with an attitude of rebellion?
Owning your ‘problem’…
As long as it’s someone else’ problem, you can’t do anything about it. Once you own your ‘problem’, God can help you with it,
Others' destiny may be dependent on YOUR faithfulness...
Your faithfulness to God is not just for your benefit.
Your heart speaks from its abundance...
Matt.12:34b-35 - We speak, think, and behave from what is stored in our heart.
Jeremiah 29:11…
Are you experiencing all that God says He wants for you in Jer.29:11? “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” If not, there are reasons.
Write the vision & send the Heralds - Habakkuk 2:2-3…
Our instruction through Habakkuk is to write out the vision-instruction-direction the Lord has given us so that a herald [angel] may run with it. God is always faithful to His Word, so if it seems things aren't progressing spiritually in your life, take this passage to heart and do it.
2Cor.10:4—Effective spiritual weapons...
God’s spiritual weapons have divine power to demolish strongholds! Remember, our fight is not against flesh and blood [people], but against rulers and spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. See Eph.6:12
Bible doesn’t say don’t get angry…
Eph.4:26 – “In your anger do not sin.” Holding on to anger turns it into sin. Verse 27 says anger gives the devil a foothold in our lives—no wonder God doesn’t want us to carry anger.
Anchors…
Everyone has anchors in their life. Like the old hymn says, "Your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock..." Good anchors help us in difficult times, but too often we have bad anchors that are hindrances to our spiritual growth and maturity—a bad anchor will drown you.
Don't be passive in times of peace in your life...
Are you more passive in your personal relationship with God during times of peace or quietness in your life? Too many people call on God only when they are desperate for help—don’t be that person.
Faith…
We need to remember our history with God—His faithfulness to us. It will help us in our next opportunity when we need to stir up our faith.
How does the Lord speak to you?
There are many ways that God speaks to us or that we have a 'knowing' that He has spoken or directed us. Many times, it is that settled assurance and peace that we have heard what we need to know.
What is your standard?
Don't compare yourself to others but DO compare yourself to where you were a month or year ago.
Your heart has lips!
Matt. 12:34 says that what comes out of your mouth comes from your heart! That is a frightening thought!
Immense majesty & size of God…
In the song, “How Big is God”, it says that He is big enough to rule the mighty universe, but small enough to live within my heart. Praise Him!
Your attitude about lack matters…
Jesus blessed what was 'not enough' in the eyes of his disciples and made it more than enough.
Out of sync with God…
Have you ever felt like you were "out of sync" with God? Recall the last thing God asked you to do that you haven’t done—and do it!
Walking on Faith…
True faith does not allow your circumstances to control your beliefs.
Story of Abraham and Isaac...
I don't believe Abraham went to the place to sacrifice his son, Isaac, in fear.
Christian living…
Being a Christian isn't made evident because you go to church...it's in how you live and the relationship you have with Jesus Christ.
Shotgun Prayers…
We don't always get the answers to prayer that we desire because our prayers are far too broad. We need a weapon that hits the spot.
Yesterday, today, tomorrow…
What you spoke yesterday is what you’ll live today; what you say today will be what you live tomorrow.
To discover what’s in your heart
…Listen to what your mouth speaks.
The enemy will challenge you;
God will stretch you.
You cannot negotiate
...with God.
Your experience with God..
…needs to be such that it is evident that God’s fingerprint is on you and that situation.
Promises are nothing more...
...than ink on a page until you begin to believe it to be so and act on it.
The enemy always has access to the world...
but God promises His light will always shine on you and His glory seen on you. Is.60:1 – “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.”
—This word tells us to ‘arise’, get up, relocate yourself, move self to a different spot.
…sometimes that is getting out of your comfort zone and moving into faith zone.
…faith zone: where it matters if God shows up or not—not a place where you know you will be alright if He doesn’t show up.
The devil can’t steal your future...
...unless you let him.
God is not obligated to “do for you”...
unless you are His child through salvation of accepting Jesus a Savior and are living for Him.
Let the ugly go!
Don’t define yourself by where you’ve been, what’s been done to you, or how you feel about yourself.
Define yourself by who Jesus is and who God says you are.
If you want to access where you are… listen to yourself.
God’s will:
The other day the gals in jail and I were discussing things happening in our lives and whether or not they were God’s will. One woman asked: “Don’t you believe when we were born that God knew everything we were going to do in our lives?”
She was insinuating that because God knew all we would be and do in life that it automatically meant that those things are His will for us. I do believe God, with His infinite wisdom, knows all that I will decide to do, but that DOES NOT mean that everything I do is what He willed for me or the choices that He wanted me to make.
Mark 6:3: Taking offense
Jesus had gone back to His hometown and the people marveled at His wisdom and remarkable miracles—THEN they began to look at His family history. They started to look at Him in the natural and were blindsided by the common facts of His life. The verse ends with saying, “And they took offense at Him.” When we take offense at anyone or anything, our ability to receive is gone.
Your human spirit has deposits from God that need to be developed:
“Your spirit has a huge latent deposit of the nature of God. It is similar to the potential we easily recognize in the body and soul. You were born with the potential to read, write, and do math. Those intellectual abilities had to be intentionally developed. You were born with the potential to walk, run, jump, drive a car, ride a horse, and kick a ball. That was all latent potential waiting to be developed. It is much the same for your spirit.” Quote from Arthur Burk
Does your prayer life...
match the call on your life?